MP18

MP 18
Bergmann MP 18
Type	Submachine gun
Place of origin	German Empire
Service history
In service	1918–1945 (Germany)
Wars	World War I Second Sino-Japanese War Chaco War Chinese Civil War World War II Spanish Civil War
Production history
Designer	Hugo Schmeisser
Designed	1916
Manufacturer	Bergmann Waffenfabrik Qingdao Iron Works
Produced	1918–1920s
Specifications
Weight	4.18 kg (9.2 lb)
Length	832 mm (32.8 in)
Barrel length	200 mm (7.9 in)
Cartridge	9×19mm Parabellum 7.63×25mm Mauser 7.65×21mm Parabellum
Action	open-bolt blowback
Rate of fire	~500 round/min
Muzzle velocity	380 m/s (1,247 ft/s)
Feed system	32-round detachable drum magazine TM 08 (World War I); 20-, 30- and 50-round detachable box magazine (post-World War I)

The MP 18 manufactured by Theodor Bergmann Abteilung Waffenbau was the first submachine gun used in combat. It was introduced into service in 1918 by the German Army during World War I as the primary weapon of the Sturmtruppen, assault groups specialized in trench combat. Although MP 18 production ended in the 1920s, its design formed the basis of most submachine guns manufactured between 1920 and 1960.

A common myth is that the Treaty of Versailles banned the production and use of the MP 18 by Germany. In fact, the treaty only limited the number of machine guns that Germany was permitted to stockpile, and no mention is made of machine pistols or the MP 18 in particular.

What became known as the "submachine gun" had its genesis in the early 20th Century and developed around the concepts of fire and movement and infiltration tactics, specifically for the task of clearing trenches of enemy soldiers, an environment within which engagements were unlikely to occur beyond a range of a few feet.

In 1915, the German Rifle Testing Commission at Spandau decided to develop a new weapon for trench warfare. An attempt to modify existing semi-automatic pistols, specifically the Luger and C96 Mauser failed, as accurate aimed fire in full automatic mode was impossible due to their light weight and high rate of fire of 1,200 rounds per minute. The Commission determined that a completely new kind of weapon was needed. Hugo Schmeisser, working for the Bergmann Waffenfabrik was part of a team composed of Theodor Bergmann and a few other technicians. They designed a new type of weapon to fulfill the requirements, which was designated the Maschinenpistole 18/I. It is not clear what the "I" designation is intended to indicate, although its successor, the MP28, was designated the Maschinenpistole 28/II.

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Wikipedia