Hugo Schmeisser
| Hugo Schmeisser | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Hugo Schmeisser 24 September 1884 Jena, Germany |
| Died | 12 September 1953 (aged 68) Suhl, East Germany |
| Occupation | Inventor |
| Relatives | Louis Schmeisser (father) |
Hugo Schmeisser (24 September 1884 – 12 September 1953) was a German developer of infantry weapons in the 20th century.
Schmeisser was born in Jena, Thuringia. His father, Louis Schmeisser (1848–1917), was one of the best-known weapons designers in Europe. The life and work of Hugo Schmeisser mostly took place in the weapons manufacturing city of Suhl, Thuringia.
The submachine guns of Theodor Bergmann are closely connected with its name recognition and weapons production in the time leading up to the First World War. Schmeisser also received his fundamental training in weapons technology at Bergmann, where 7.63 mm and 9 mm machine gun rounds were being researched. He remained in Suhl during World War I because of the crucial importance of his expertise in machine gun technology.
As the Nazis rose to power during 1933, ten weapons development enterprises in Suhl and Zella-Mehlis merged under the name of "United Suhl-Zella Mehlis Armament Makers". This central administration was used to coordinate production with the army's needs. This allowed Schmeisser to make a very important business acquaintance, which later developed to a friendship, with the aviator Ernst Udet, a deputy of Hermann Göring under Germany's Luftwaffe. Schmeisser had a direct role in military production decisions, often influencing the decisions of Adolf Hitler and Göring. After 1935 Haenel experienced an enormous upswing in weapon production. Against the desires of many engineers and technical designers, the Schmeisser brothers continued to enforce patent royalties and manage company funds.
Berthold Geipel of ErMa designed the MP 36 using Vollmer's EMP. The chief designer, Heinrich Vollmer, revised the basic construction of ErMa MP-36 and developed from it the well-known German submachine guns of the Second World War, the MP-38 and the MP-40. 1.2 million pieces were manufactured for these weapons, and were among the first weapons to be manufactured with die cast parts, metal stamping, and a complete machine-assembly. This method revolutionized weapon production, allowing manufacture at an unprecedented speed. They became internationally known as "Schmeisser MP"s, mainly due to the use of the straight magazine he had patented.
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