Heinrich Vollmer (1885 in Altdorf, Esslingen –1961 in Tübingen ) was a German small-arms designer.
31-600: Schmeisser may refer to: MP 40 , a German World War II submachine gun often called "Schmeisser" Louis Schmeisser (1848–1917), German infantry weapons designer, father of Hugo Schmeisser and Hans Schmeisser Hugo Schmeisser (1884–1953), German infantry weapons designer Hans Schmeisser , German infantry weapons designer Schmeisser Award , an NCAA lacrosse award Johann Gottlob Schmeisser (1751-1806), Canadian Lutheran minister Johann Gottfried Schmeisser (1767–1837), German chemist and naturalist, amongst others Fellow of
62-423: A double-column, single-feed version. The single-feed insert resulted in increased friction against the remaining cartridges moving upwards towards the feed lips, occasionally resulting in feed failures; this problem was exacerbated by the presence of dirt or other debris. Another problem was that the magazine was also sometimes misused as a handhold. This could cause the weapon to malfunction when hand pressure on
93-689: A faithful reproduction. Neither of the GSG-manufactured variants are compatible with originally manufactured MP 40 parts and magazines. Heinrich Vollmer Vollmer began his manufacturing career by making parts for the German copies of the Maxim gun during the First World War . His first innovation was a beltless feed for the MG08/15 . It was followed by a somewhat similar device for
124-517: A forward-folding metal stock, the first for a submachine gun, resulting in a shorter overall weapon when folded. However, this stock design was at times insufficiently durable for hard combat use. Although the MP 40 was generally reliable, a major weakness was its 32-round magazine. Unlike the double-column, staggered-feed magazine found on the Thompson M1921/1928 variants , the MP 40 uses
155-399: A new submachine gun, which was adopted as MP 38. The MP 38 was a simplification of the MP 36, and the MP 40 was a further simplification of the MP 38, with certain cost-saving alterations, most notably in the more extensive use of stamped steel rather than machined parts. The MP 40 submachine guns are open-bolt , blowback -operated automatic arms. The only mode of fire is automatic, but
186-521: A pistol variant chambered in 9mm . The .22LR variant features an all-metal construction with period-accurate Bakelite furniture, a folding stock, and a faux- suppressor to meet barrel length import requirements. The 9mm variant is classified as a pistol and therefore does not ship with a folding stock. Both variants are closed-bolt , blowback-operated semi-automatic firearms that vary substantially from originally manufactured MP 40s in internal operation, making them more of an affordable cosmetic replica than
217-512: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages MP 40 The MP 40 ( Maschinenpistole 40 ) is a submachine gun chambered for the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge. It was developed in Nazi Germany and used extensively by the Axis powers during World War II . Designed in 1938 by Heinrich Vollmer with inspiration from its predecessor
248-656: The EMP . Vollmer also designed some machine guns . His initial work on this area may have begun as early as 1916. In 1927 he designed the VMG 1927 and developed it later in collaboration with Mauser into MV 31 (Mauser-Vollmer 1931). This gun however was not adopted for service. Instead the MG 34 general-purpose machine gun (GPMG), also developed by Vollmer, but on the basis of the Solothurn S2-100 ( MG 30 ) would eventually equip
279-589: The Eastern Front to compensate for the Soviet PPSh-41's larger magazine capacity. However, the design proved unsuccessful due to weight and reliability issues. Authentic versions, in addition to the dual mag magazine well, also have a smaller buttpad and shortened ejector. In 1941, Hugo Schmeisser designed the MP 41, which was, in reality, an MP 40 upper receiver with a lower receiver of an MP 28/II submachine gun. It saw limited service, however, and
310-578: The MP/18/I submachine gun—this consisted of a 60-round circular, spool magazine that was carried by the soldier on loop on his hip and it was connected to the gun by a flexible hose. (The latter can be seen at the Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung Koblenz (WTS) as item #50008). In the early 1920s, Vollmer started to develop his own sub-machineguns. His early models, named VPG, VPGa, VPF and VMP1925 were fairly similar to
341-662: The Royal Society and member of the Linnean Society of London Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Schmeisser . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Schmeisser&oldid=1075530225 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Occupational surnames Hidden categories: Short description
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#1732791386668372-578: The German military moved to replace both the Karabiner 98k rifle and MP 40 with the new, revolutionary StG 44 . By the end of World War II in 1945, an estimated 1.1 million MP 40s had been produced of all variants. During and after the end of World War II, many MP 40s were captured or surrendered (upwards of 200,000) to the Allies and were then redistributed to the paramilitary and irregular forces of some developing countries. The Norwegian army withdrew
403-545: The MP 38 from use in 1975 but used the MP 40 for some years more. In particular, the Territorials ( Heimevernet ) used it until about 1990, when it was replaced by the Heckler & Koch MP5 . The MP 40/I (sometimes erroneously called MP 40/II ) was a modified version of the standard MP 40 with a dual side-by-side magazine holder (for a theoretical ammunition total of 64 rounds), designed for special operations troops on
434-515: The MP 38, it was heavily used by infantrymen (particularly platoon and squad leaders), and by paratroopers , on the Eastern and Western Fronts as well as armoured fighting vehicle crews. Its advanced and modern features made it a favorite among soldiers and popular in countries from various parts of the world after the war. The MP 40 was often called the "Schmeisser" by the Allies, after
465-595: The MP 38, which was in turn based on the MP 36 , a prototype made of machined steel . The MP 36 was developed independently by Erma Werke 's Berthold Geipel with funding from the German Army . It took design elements from Heinrich Vollmer 's VPM 1930 and EMP . Vollmer then worked on Berthold Geipel's MP 36 and in 1938 submitted a prototype to answer a request from the Heereswaffenamt (Army Weapons Office) for
496-421: The MP 40 receiver was simplified by using stamped steel and electro- spot welding as much as possible. The MP 38 also features longitudinal grooving on the receiver and bolt, as well as a circular opening on the magazine housing. These features were eliminated on the MP 40. One feature found on most MP 38 and MP 40 submachine guns is an aluminum, steel, or Margolit (a variation of Bakelite ) resting bar under
527-591: The MP18. The VMP1925 had a wooden handgrip and was fed by a small 25-round drum magazine, connected directly to the gun. The VMP1925 was secretly tested by the Reichswehr , along with competing designs from Schmeisser and Rheinmetall. (The Reichswehr was prohibited by the Versailles Treaty from having sub-machine guns in service, although the German police was allowed to carry a small number.) Secret funding
558-639: The associated wear and tear (within reasonable limits) will not significantly diminish their value, as it would on original collectible examples. Manufacture of new tube guns ceased following the passage of the Firearm Owners Protection Act in 1986. There are several semi-automatic variants and cosmetic replicas of the MP 40 available for civilian ownership in the U.S. Beginning in 2014, American Tactical Imports began importing an MP 40 replica manufactured by German Sporting Guns GmbH chambered in .22LR , and since 2016 has also imported
589-512: The barrel. This was used to steady the weapon when firing over the side of open-top armored personnel carriers such as the Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track . A handguard, also made of Margolit, is located between the magazine housing and the Margolit pistol grip. The barrel lacked any form of insulation, which often resulted in burns on the supporting hand if it was incorrectly positioned. The MP 40 also has
620-544: The gun more reliable and easier to assemble and disassemble in the field. Vollmer applied for a patent for his innovation in 1930 and it was granted in 1933 as DRP# 580620. His company, Vollmer Werke, produced however only about 400 of these, and most were sold to Bulgaria. In late 1930, the Reichswehr stopped supporting Vollmer financially; consequently he sold the rights to all his designs to the company known as Erfurter Maschinenfabrik (ERMA), which continued development as
651-456: The magazine body caused the magazine lips to move out of the line of feed, since the magazine well did not keep the magazine firmly locked. German soldiers were trained to grasp either the handguard on the underside of the weapon or the magazine housing with the supporting hand to avoid feed malfunctions. At the outbreak of World War II, the majority of German soldiers carried either Karabiner 98k rifles or MP 40s, both of which were regarded as
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#1732791386668682-457: The main opening; this action locks the bolt in either the cocked (rear) or uncocked (forward) position. The absence of this feature on early MP 38s resulted in field expedients such as leather harnesses with a small loop that were used to hold the bolt in the forward position. The MP 38 receiver was made of machined steel, but this was a time-consuming and expensive process. To save time and materials, and thus increase production, construction of
713-572: The receiver tube) were imported and reassembled onto receivers manufactured in the United States by Charles Erb, Wilson Arms, and others. These remanufactured legally transferable machine guns, colloquially called "tube guns", are (depending on quality of construction and condition) generally valued at 50-75% of the price of original German MP 40s, as they do not have their historical background. As such, they are commonly used for recreational range shooting and WW2 historical reenactments , because
744-441: The relatively low rate of fire permits single shots with controlled trigger pulls. The bolt features a telescoping return spring guide which serves as a pneumatic recoil buffer. The cocking handle was permanently attached to the bolt on early MP 38s, but on late-production MP 38s and MP 40s, the bolt handle was made as a separate part. It also serves as a safety by pushing the head of the handle into one of two separate notches above
775-415: The semi-automatic German Selbstladebüchse BD 38 replica. Details of the MP 40 have also been adopted in other submachine guns, which otherwise differ significantly from a technical point of view: During World War II, the resistance and the Allies sometimes captured MP 40s to replace or supplement their own weapons. The MP 40 was used for several decades following World War II by many countries around
806-545: The standard weapons of choice for an infantryman. However, later confrontations with Soviet troops such as the Battle of Stalingrad , where entire enemy units were armed with PPSh-41 submachine guns, the Germans found themselves out-gunned in short range urban combat which caused a shift in their tactics, and by the end of the war the MP 40 and its derivatives were sometimes issued to entire assault platoons. Starting in 1943,
837-471: The weapon designer Hugo Schmeisser . Schmeisser had designed the MP 18 , which was the first mass-produced submachine gun. He did not, however, have anything to do with the design or development of the MP 40, although he held a patent on the magazine. The MP 40's variants included the MP 40/I and the MP 41. From 1940 to 1945, an estimated 1.1 million were produced by Erma Werke . The Maschinenpistole 40 ("Machine pistol 40") descended from its predecessor
868-641: The world in armed conflicts. Some found their way into guerrilla groups such as the Viet Cong or African guerrillas. Its operators have included: During the Allied occupation of Germany starting in 1945, U.S. servicemen shipped home thousands of captured firearms as war trophies , including MP 40s. This practice required proper registration of automatic weapons in accordance with the National Firearms Act before they could be imported, but this
899-466: Was curtailed later in the occupation, meaning a relatively small number of civilian-transferable original German MP 40s remain in circulation and are valued at around $ 20,000-37,500 as of 2021, with some selling for almost $ 50,000. After the commercial importation of complete machine guns was banned by the Gun Control Act of 1968 , MP 40 parts kits (the disassembled parts of the gun excluding
930-670: Was given to Vollmer to continue development, and this resulted in the VMP1926, which mostly differed from its predecessor by the removal of the cooling jacket . A subsequent development was the VMP1928, which introduced a 32-round box magazine sticking from the left side. The final development of this series was the VMP1930. (It can also be seen at the WTS.) This model introduced a substantive innovation—a telescoping main spring assembly, which made
961-569: Was issued only to SS and police units in 1944. The MP 41 was also supplied to Germany's Axis ally Romania. Later in 1941, rival company Erma Werke sued Haenel , at which Schmeisser was Chief Designer, for patent infringement. Production subsequently ceased on the MP 41. The MP 38 and MP 40 also directly influenced the design of later weapons, including the Spanish Star Z45 , the Yugoslavian Zastava M56 , and