MP38 (Maschinenpistole 38)

History

The MP38 is the predecessor of the famous MP40 series of mass-produced submachine guns developed by the Germans during World War II. This type of structure was primarily revolutionary, breaking with the usual norms of the time.

However, the MP38 was ultimately deemed too expensive to be mass-produced as required by the German Army, which led to its simplified sister design - the 1940 MP40 - which used steel stamping and welding while keeping machining to a minimum.

The submachine gun was used as a makeshift firearm between the two world wars after the First World War for general infantry, special forces, and vehicle occupants in need of self-defense. Submachine guns can be fired from within range of tanks, allowing even non-combat detachments to arm themselves while traversing enemy territory. For special forces such as special forces or paratroopers, the submachine gun is portable and capable of close quarter combat (CQB), while for general infantry it excels with established rifle and machine gun units in almost any setting.

In any case, the submachine gun is as important to the modern army today as it was in WWII.

The development of the MP38 stemmed from the request of the Wehrmacht High Command to use submachine guns to stock the fast-moving German army. The German Army has refined the blitzkrieg concept to demonstrate the value of fast-moving mechanized forces operating in conjunction with close air support. The construction of the new MP38 required sheet metal stamping and die casting, and the furniture used plastic instead of wood.

A foldable bare metal stock is designed to provide maximum portability while on the move and maximum stability when firing. After completing the necessary tests, the MP38 went into production in 1938 at Erfurter Maschinenfabrik B. Geipel GmbH (Erma-Werke) in Erfurt.

Overall, the MP38 has a barrel length of 32.75 inches (stock fully extended) and 24.76 inches (stock fully retracted) - a saving of nearly 8 inches. The stock is bent down and folded along the bottom of the frame along the two-point pivot assembly at the rear of the receiver. This feature is carried over from the previous Erma 9mm SMG submachine gun, the first of its kind to feature this space-saving quality. The receiver contains all the critical inner working parts, including the recoil spring (in a telescoping housing), which is half the length of the weapon. Essentially, the magazine feed is attached to the spring loaded magazine just to automatically hold the next available bullet in front of the firing pin in the firing chamber.

The barrel is 9.72 inches long and the empty weight of the weapon system is just over 9 pounds. The MP38 is fed by a 32-round, single-column, detachable magazine that, while serving as a front vertical grip, also provides a unique shape to the MP38 submachine gun (and its future siblings).

The gun is loaded with a 9mm Parabellum cartridge. The display of the receiver is very industrial, and the pull handle is installed on the left side of the fuselage. The barrel protrudes a short distance from the body, and the front (tunnel) and rear view windows are noted. A "lip" or "support rod" appeared under the barrel, designed to lock onto the side of the vehicle wall to support the end of the barrel when firing and prevent recoil from pushing the gun back into the vehicle's fighting compartment. There are "fins" below the length of the barrel to help dissipate heat.

The curved trigger assembly is housed in a sturdy elongated ring that attaches to an angled pistol grip made of Balkelite plastic to save weight and steel - a first for a submachine gun. Despite the somewhat self-contained design, the MP38's inner workings are fairly conventional, with the ignition process bolted according to the backflush principle.

There's no built-in safety mode selector, and shooting is limited to fully automatic, requiring a firm two-handed grip.

Used in practice during the Polish campaign in 1939, MP38s soon began to show their limitations - some even deadly to their owners. First, given the wartime Germany's need for steel, their manufacturing process was very inefficient, leading German authorities to demand a cheaper mass-produced model with the same design form - the famous MP40 series. The MP38's corrugated steel casing, machined grip, and perforated magazine casing visually distinguish the two guns.

Another disadvantage of the MP-series submachine guns was the single-column feed mechanism, which proved prone to jamming. Another flaw is the breech assembly, which when loaded and accidentally bumps the gun, can cause the breech to move forward, initiating the firing process and letting the gun fire on its own.

To solve the problem of accidental triggering, a safety lock was introduced into the design, and the MP38 improved in this way was called "MP38/40". MP38s were usually issued to German Army NCOs who ruled machine gun positions, allowing them to fight at closer range than the machine guns would allow.

The MP38 submachine gun is often referred to as the "Schmeisser" because engineer Hugo Schmeisser was not involved in the development of the MP38, which makes his connection to the firearm technically false - the MP38 design is actually officially attributed to Hein Rich Volmer. In any case, the Allies knew that this weapon was the "Schmeisser".

Even Allied soldiers valued the SMG series enough to acquire them and use them against previous owners when possible. As expected, the MP series also proved to be a favorite among various partisan groups.

Specification

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Changes