Orita Model 1941

History of the 1941 Orita Model

The Romanian army during World War II (1939-1945) used a variety of foreign weapons during its participation in the war as a member of the Axis powers. The inventory includes German rifles and Czech light machine guns, as well as various types of submachine guns. At some point, it was decided to design and develop an indigenous submachine gun weapon for mass production and serial release, and the work began in 1941. Czech Leopold Jasek and Romanian Nicolae Sterva and army captain Marin Orita participated in the creation of this weapon.

The new submachine gun was named "Orita Model 1941" after the captain. Despite its name, it was not adopted until 1943, when Uzinele Metalurgice Copsa Mica si Cugir (UMCMC) took over manufacturing.

Orita became the first Romanian submachine gun to be designed and produced locally.

The Orita Model 1941 (or "M1941") appears to be in line with the submachine guns of the time - some of its design approach appears to have been influenced by the German MP38. A monolithic wooden stock forms most of the weapon's slim profile, integrating the front end, pistol grip and shoulder rest into a complete unit. The metalwork is inlaid, and the barrel protrudes quite a distance from the middle of the weapon. The submachine gun is fed from a detachable 32-round straight-box magazine that plugs into a port on the front of the trigger group. The trigger hangs below the trigger in the usual way and features a side safety button just in front of the trigger guard.

On the right side of the frame is a large replacement handle. Aiming is via an iron front and rear assembly, although the rear unit is noticeably oversized and graduated to 500 yards. It is also located in front of the operator on top of the receiver. The effective range is close to 200 meters, and the muzzle velocity reaches 1,315 feet per second.

The cartridge of choice is the ubiquitous German 9x19mm Parabellum pistol cartridge.

Orita appears to be present in large numbers in the Romanian army during the war years. These guns are well-made products, although the downside is their overall high cost of production - typical of many first-generation/pre-war submachine guns, such as the MP38 and M1 Thompson.

In practice, these guns were well-received and reliable, allowing them to see problems on the front lines after the war years. One version - the 1948 model - appeared with a folding tubular metal stock to encourage a more compact profile, as well as a solid wood option.

The release of the Orita continued into the 1970s until the type was completely abandoned - replaced by a locally produced variant of the famous Soviet AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle, the "Pistol Mitraliera Model 1963/1965".

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