MP 38

Comment: Most of this was copied from MP 40 — Diannaa (talk) 20:52, 19 February 2021 (UTC)

The MP 38 (German: Maschinenpistole 38) is a submachine gun designed in Nazi Germany during 1938. It is chambered for the 9mm Luger cartridge. It is also a predecessor of it's famed cousin, the MP 40.

History[edit]

The Maschinenpistole 40 ("Machine pistol 40") descended from its predecessor 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 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 was often called the "Schmeisser" by the Allies, after 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.

Design[edit]

The MP 38 resembles the MP 40, but has the following differences: The MP 38 receiver was made of machined steel, but this was a time-consuming and expensive process. The MP 40, however, simplified the making of the MP 38 by using stamped steel. Another difference is that the MP 38 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. However, early models of the MP 38 and MP 40 had something in common: 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. Also, both the MP 38 and the MP 40 had a distinctive feature; this feature was that an aluminum, steel, or bakelite resting bar or support under 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, made of a synthetic material derived from bakelite, was located between the magazine housing and the pistol grip.

Usage[edit]

In the early stages of World War II, many German soldiers simply carried weapons like the Karabiner 98k and the cousin of the MP 38, the MP 40. However, as the war progressed on the Eastern Front, the Germans found themselves out-gunned by the Soviet PPSh-41 in short-range urban combat. Starting in 1943, just as Germany was starting to lose the war, all Karabiners and MP 40s were replaced with the Stg 44, which was a submachine gun with the accuracy of a rifle. The MP 38, meanwhile, never saw combat.

Post-war use[edit]

After World War II, the MP 40 was used by the victorious Allies, some of them captured during the later stages of the war. The MP 38, meanwhile, was used by the Norwegian Army until 1975; however, the Army stuck to using the MP 40 for some more time. The Norwegian Home Guard used the MP 40 until 1990, when it was finally replaced with the Heckler & Koch MP5, ending the era of Norway using the Maschinenpistole.

Variants[edit]

MP 41[edit]

See more: MP 41

MP 40/I[edit]

See more: MP 40#MP 40/I

MP 40[edit]

See more: MP 40

MP 36[edit]

See more: MP 40#MP 36

Users[edit]

During World War II, the resistance and the Allies captured many MP 40s. The MP 40 was used in the post-war enviornment, and some found their way into guerrillas' hands, such as the Viet Cong and guerrillas in Africa. The MP 38, however, was used on a much smaller scale. Here were the countries that used this gun:

Nazi Germany: Used by the German Army during World War II.
Norway: Used by the Norwegian Army until 1975.
Czechoslovakia
Guatemala: MP 40/38 traded to Guatemala by Czechoslovakia.

Civilian use[edit]

After World War II, soldiers staying in Allied-occupied Germany shipped home thousands of captured weapons as war trophies, including the German MP 40. This required proper registration of automatic weapons in accordance with the National Firearms Act before they could be imported, but this was curtailed later in the occupation, meaning a relatively small number of civilian-transferable MP 40 remain in circulation and are valued around $15,000 as of 2017. The MP 38 after the war, however, is unknown.

External links[edit]

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