Armament 1941 1945. The most powerful machine guns in the world. KA-BAR combat knife
Until now, many believe that mass weapons German infantry during the Great Patriotic War there was a Schmeisser submachine gun, named after its designer. This myth is still actively supported by feature films. But in fact, it was not Schmeisser who created this machine gun at all, and he also never was a mass weapon of the Wehrmacht.
I think everyone remembers the shots from Soviet feature films about the Great Patriotic War, dedicated to the attacks of German soldiers on our positions. Brave and fit "blond beasts" (they were usually played by actors from the Baltic States) walk, almost without bending down, and fire on the move from machine guns (or rather, from submachine guns), which everyone called "Schmeisser".
And, what is most interesting, no one at all, perhaps, except for those who really were at war, was not surprised by the fact that the Wehrmacht soldiers fired, as they say, "from the hip." Also, no one considered fiction the fact that, according to the movies, these "Schmeissers" accurately fired at the same distance as the rifles of the soldiers of the Soviet army. In addition, after watching such films, the viewer had the impression that during the Second World War the entire personnel German infantry - from privates to colonels.
However, all this is nothing more than a myth. In fact, this weapon was not called "Schmeisser" at all, and it was not as common in the Wehrmacht as Soviet films told about it, and it was impossible to shoot from it "from the hip". In addition, an attack by a unit of such submachine gunners on trenches in which fighters armed with magazine rifles were sitting was clearly suicidal - simply no one would have reached the trench. However, let's talk about everything in order.
The very weapon that I want to talk about today was officially called the MP 40 submachine gun (MP is an abbreviation for the word " Maschinenpistole", that is, an automatic pistol). It was another modification of the MP 36 assault rifle, created back in the 30s of the last century. The predecessors of this weapon, the MP 38 and MP 38/40 submachine guns, proved themselves very well at the very first stage of the Second World War II, so the military experts of the Third Reich decided to continue improving this model.
The "parent" of the MP 40, contrary to popular belief, was not the famous German gunsmith Hugo Schmeisser, but the less talented designer Heinrich Volmer. So it’s more logical to call these automata “volmers”, and not “Schmeissers” at all. But why did the people adopt the second name? Probably due to the fact that Schmeisser owned a patent for the store used in this weapon. And, accordingly, in order to respect copyrights, the inscription PATENT SCHMEISSER flaunted on the receiver of the stores of the first batches of MP 40. Well, the soldiers of the Allied armies, who received this weapon as a trophy, mistakenly believed that Schmeisser was the creator of this machine gun.
From the very beginning, the German command planned to equip the MP 40 only with the command staff of the Wehrmacht. AT infantry units, for example, only commanders of squads, companies and battalions should have had these machine guns. Subsequently, these submachine guns also became popular among tankers, armored vehicle drivers and paratroopers. However, no one armed the infantry with them either in 1941 or after.
Hugo Schmeisser
According to the archives German army, in 1941, immediately before the attack on the USSR, the troops had only 250 thousand MP 40 units (despite the fact that at the same time there were 7,234,000 people in the troops of the Third Reich). As you can see, there was no question of any massive use of the MP 40, especially in the infantry units (where there were the most soldiers). For the entire period from 1940 to 1945, only two million of these submachine guns were produced (whereas over 21 million people were called up in the Wehrmacht during the same period).
Why didn't the Germans equip their foot soldiers with this machine gun (which was later recognized as one of the best in the entire period of the Second World War)? Yes, because they were simply sorry to lose them. After all, the effective range of the MP 40 for group targets was 150 meters, and for single targets - only 70 meters. But the Wehrmacht soldiers had to attack the trenches in which the soldiers were sitting Soviet army, armed with modified variants of the Mosin rifle and Tokarev automatic rifles (SVT).
Sighting range shooting from both types this weapon was 400 meters for single targets and 800 meters for group targets. So judge for yourself, did the Germans have a chance to survive such attacks if they were, as in Soviet movies, armed with MP 40? That's right, no one would have reached the trenches. In addition, unlike the characters of the same films, the real owners of the submachine gun could not shoot from it on the move "from the hip" - the weapon vibrated so much that with this method of firing all the bullets flew past the target.
It was possible to shoot from the MP 40 only "from the shoulder", resting the unfolded butt on it - then the weapon practically did not "shake". In addition, these submachine guns were never fired in long bursts - it heated up very quickly. Usually they hit in short bursts of three or four shots, or fired single shots. So in reality, MP 40 owners never managed to achieve a technical passport rate of fire of 450-500 rounds per minute.
That is why German soldiers attacked throughout the war with Mauser 98k rifles - the most common small arms of the Wehrmacht. Its sighting range for group targets was 700 meters, and for single targets - 500, that is, it was close to those of the Mosin and SVT rifles. By the way, the SVT was highly respected by the Germans - the best infantry units were armed with captured Tokarev rifles (the Waffen SS especially loved it). And the "captured" Mosin rifles were given to rear guard units (however, they were generally supplied with all sorts of "international" junk, albeit of very high quality).
At the same time, it cannot be said that the MP 40 was so bad - on the contrary, in close combat this weapon was very, very dangerous. That is why the German paratroopers from sabotage groups, as well as scouts of the Soviet Army and ... partisans. After all, they did not need to attack enemy positions from a long distance - and in close combat, the rate of fire, light weight and reliability of this submachine gun gave great advantages. That is why now on the "black" market the price of the MP 40, which the "black diggers" continue to supply there, is very high - this machine is in demand among the "fighters" of criminal groups and even poachers.
By the way, it was precisely the fact that the MP 40 was used by German saboteurs that gave rise to a mental phenomenon in the Red Army in 1941, called "automatic fear". Our fighters considered the Germans to be invincible, because they are armed with miraculous machine guns, from which there is no escape anywhere. This myth could not have arisen among those who faced the Germans in open battle - after all, the soldiers saw that they were being attacked by the Nazis with rifles. However, at the beginning of the war, our fighters, retreating, more often encountered not line troops, but saboteurs who appeared out of nowhere and poured MP 40 bursts at the dumbfounded Red Army soldiers.
It should be noted that after the battle of Smolensk, "automatic fear" began to fade away, and during the battle for Moscow it disappeared almost completely. By that time, our fighters, having had a good time to "sit" in the defense and even gain experience in counterattacking German positions, realized that they had no miracle weapon German infantrymen no, and their rifles are not much different from domestic ones. It is also interesting that in feature films, taken in the 40-50s of the last century, the Germans are completely armed with rifles. And "Schmeisseromania" in Russian cinema began much later - from the 60s.
Unfortunately, it continues to this day - even in recent films, German soldiers traditionally attack Russian positions, firing MP 40s on the move. Directors also equip soldiers of the rear security units and even field gendarmerie with these machine guns (where automatic weapons were not issued even to officers ). As you can see, the myth turned out to be very, very tenacious.
However, the famous Hugo Schmeisser was actually the developer of two models of machine guns used in World War II. He introduced the first of them, the MP 41, almost simultaneously with the MP 40. But this machine gun even outwardly differed from the "Schmeisser" familiar to us from the films - for example, its bed was trimmed with wood (so that the fighter would not get burned when the weapon was heated). In addition, it was longer and heavier. However, this version was not widely used and was not produced for long - in total, about 26 thousand pieces were produced.
It is believed that the implementation of this machine was prevented by a lawsuit from ERMA, filed against Schmeisser regarding illegal copying of its patented design. The reputation of the designer was thereby tarnished, and the Wehrmacht abandoned his weapons. However, in parts of the Waffen SS, mountain rangers and Gestapo units, this machine gun was still used - but, again, only officers.
However, Schmeisser still did not give up and in 1943 he developed a model called MP 43, which was later called StG-44 (from s turmgewehr-assault rifle). In my own way appearance and some other characteristics, it resembled the Kalashnikov assault rifle that appeared much later (by the way, the StG-44 provided for the possibility of installing a 30-mm rifle grenade launcher), and at the same time it was very different from the MP 40.
Second World War significantly influenced the development of small arms, which remained the most massive view weapons. The share of combat losses from it amounted to 28-30%, which is quite an impressive figure, given the massive use of aircraft, artillery and tanks...
The war showed that with the creation of the very means of armed struggle, the role of small arms did not decrease, and the attention paid to it in the belligerent states during these years increased significantly. The experience accumulated during the war years in the use of weapons has not become outdated today, becoming the basis for the development and improvement of small arms.
7.62-mm rifle of the 1891 model of the Mosin system
The rifle was developed by the captain of the Russian army S.I. Mosin and in 1891 adopted by the Russian army under the designation "7.62-mm rifle model 1891". After modernization in 1930, it was launched in mass production and was in service with the Red Army before World War II and during the war years. Rifle arr. 1891/1930 characterized by high reliability, accuracy, simplicity and ease of use. In total, over 12 million rifles mod. 1891/1930 and carbines created on its basis.
Sniper 7.62 mm Mosin rifle
The sniper rifle differed from a conventional rifle in the presence of an optical sight, a bolt handle bent to the bottom and improved processing of the bore.
The rifle was designed by F.V. Tokarev, in accordance with the desire of the military command and the top political leadership of the country to have a self-loading rifle in service with the Red Army, which would allow rational use of cartridges and provide a large effective range of fire. Mass production of SVT-38 rifles began in the second half of 1939. The first batches of rifles were sent to the Red Army units involved in Soviet-Finnish war 1939-1940 In extreme conditions this "winter" war revealed such shortcomings of the rifle as bulkiness, big weight, inconvenience of gas regulation, sensitivity to pollution and to low temperature. To eliminate these shortcomings, the rifle was modernized, and already on June 1, 1940, the production of its modernized version of the SVT-40 began.
7.62mm Tokarev sniper rifle
The sniper version of the SVT-40 differed from the serial samples by a more careful fitting of the USM elements, a qualitatively better processing of the bore and a special tide on the receiver for mounting a bracket on it with optical sight. On the sniper rifle The SVT-40 was equipped with a specially designed PU sight (universal sight) with a 3.5x magnification. It allowed firing at ranges up to 1300 meters. The weight of the rifle with a scope was 4.5 kg. Sight weight - 270 g.
This gun was developed by V.A. Degtyarev in 1941 to fight enemy tanks. PTRD was powerful weapon- at a distance of up to 300 m, his bullet pierced armor 35-40 mm thick. The incendiary effect of bullets was also high. Thanks to this, the gun was successfully used throughout the Second World War. Its release was discontinued only in January 1945.
Light machine gun, created by the designer V.A. Degtyarev in 1926, became the most powerful automatic weapon of the rifle units of the Red Army. The machine gun was put into service in February 1927 under the name "7.62-mm light machine gun DP" (DP meant Degtyarev - infantry). A small (for a machine gun) weight was achieved through the use of an automation scheme based on the principle of removal of powder gases through a hole in a fixed barrel, a rational arrangement and layout of parts of the moving system, as well as the use of air cooling of the barrel. The effective range of fire from a machine gun is 1500 m, the maximum range of a bullet is 3000 m. light machine guns Degtyarev.
The PPD was put into service in 1935, becoming the first submachine gun to become widespread in the Red Army. The PPD was designed for a modified 7.62 Mauser pistol cartridge. The firing range of the PPD reached 500 meters. Trigger mechanism weapons allowed firing both single shots and bursts. There were a number of PPD modifications with improved magazine attachment and modified production technology.
PPSh (Shpagin submachine gun) was adopted by the Red Army in December 1940 under the name "7.62 mm Shpagin submachine gun model 1941 (PPSh-41)". The main advantage of the PPSh-41 was that only its barrel needed careful machining. All other metal parts were made mainly by cold stamping from a sheet. Connection of parts carried out using spot and arc electric welding and rivets. You can disassemble and assemble the submachine gun without a screwdriver - there is not a single screw connection in it. From the first quarter of 1944, submachine guns began to be equipped with more convenient and cheaper sector magazines with a capacity of 35 rounds. In total, more than six million PPShs were produced.
The development of pistols in the USSR practically began from scratch. However, already at the beginning of 1931, the Tokarev pistol, recognized as the most reliable, light and compact, was put into service. In the mass production of TT (Tula, Tokarev), which began in 1933, the details of the firing mechanism, barrel and frame were changed. The aiming range of the TT is 50 meters, the range of the bullet is from 800 meters to 1 kilometer. Capacity - 8 rounds of 7.62 mm caliber. The total production of TT pistols for the period from 1933 until the completion of their production in the mid-50s is estimated at 1,740,000 pieces.
The PPSh-41, which was in service with the Red Army, turned out to be - mainly due to too large sizes and masses - not convenient enough when conducting combat in settlements, indoors, for scouts, paratroopers and crews of combat vehicles. Besides, in conditions wartime, it was necessary to reduce the cost of mass production of submachine guns. In this regard, a competition was announced for the development of a new submachine gun for the army. The Sudayev submachine gun, developed in 1942, won this competition and was put into service at the end of 1942 under the name PPS-42. Modified the following year, the design called PPS-43 (the barrel and buttstock were shortened, the cocking handle, the fuse box and the shoulder rest latch, the barrel casing and receiver combined into one piece) was also adopted. PPS is often called the best submachine gun of World War II. It is distinguished by its convenience, combat capabilities sufficiently high for a submachine gun, high reliability, and compactness. At the same time, the teaching staff is very technologically advanced, simple and cheap to manufacture, which was especially important in the conditions of a difficult, protracted war, with a constant lack of material and labor resources. Bezruchko-Vysotsky (the design of the shutter and return system). Its production was deployed in the same place, at the Sestroretsk Arms Plant, initially for the needs of the Leningrad Front. While food for Leningraders was going to the besieged city along the road of life, not only refugees, but also new weapons were taken back from the city.
In total, about 500,000 PPS units of both modifications were produced during the war.
The further back in time the years of fighting with the Nazi invaders go, the large quantity myths, idle conjectures, often unintentional, sometimes malicious, are surrounded by those events. One of them is that the German troops were completely armed with the notorious Schmeisser, which is an unsurpassed example of an automatic machine of all times and peoples before the advent of the Kalashnikov assault rifle. What was it really like weapon Wehrmacht of the Second World War, whether it was as great as it is “painted”, it is worth looking into it in more detail in order to understand the real situation.
The blitzkrieg strategy, which consisted in the lightning-fast defeat of the enemy troops with the overwhelming advantage of the tank formations covered, assigned the ground motorized troops almost an auxiliary role - to complete the final defeat of the demoralized enemy, and not to conduct bloody battles with massive use rapid fire weapons.
Perhaps that is why the overwhelming majority of German soldiers at the beginning of the war with the USSR were armed with rifles, and not machine guns, which is confirmed by archival documents. So, the infantry division of the Wehrmacht in 1940 according to the state should have available:
- Rifles and carbines - 12,609 pcs.
- Submachine guns, which will later be called submachine guns - 312 pcs.
- Light machine guns - 425 pieces, easel - 110 pieces.
- Pistols - 3,600 pcs.
- Anti-tank rifles - 90 pcs.
As can be seen from the above document, small arms, their ratio in terms of the number of types had a significant preponderance towards traditional weapons ground forces- rifles. Therefore, by the beginning of the war, the infantry formations of the Red Army, mainly armed with excellent Mosin rifles, were in no way inferior to the enemy in this matter, and the regular number of submachine guns rifle division The Red Army was even much larger - 1,024 units.
Later, in connection with the experience of battles, when the presence of rapid-fire, quickly reloaded small arms made it possible to gain an advantage due to the density of fire, the Soviet and German high commands decided to massively equip the troops with automatic hand weapons, but this did not happen immediately.
The most massive small arms of the German army by 1939 was the Mauser rifle - Mauser 98K. It was a modernized version of the weapon developed by German designers at the end of the previous century, repeating the fate of the famous “mosinka” of the 1891 model, after which it underwent numerous “upgrades”, being in service with the Red Army, and then the Soviet Army until the end of the 50s. Specifications Mauser 98K rifles are also very similar:
An experienced soldier was able to aim and fire 15 shots from it in one minute. The equipment of the German army with this simple, unpretentious weapon began in 1935. In total, more than 15 million units were manufactured, which undoubtedly speaks of its reliability and demand among the troops.
The G41 self-loading rifle, on the instructions of the Wehrmacht, was developed by the German designers of the arms concerns Mauser and Walther. After the state tests, the Walther system was recognized as the most successful.
The rifle had a number of serious flaws that emerged during operation, which dispels another myth about the superiority of German weapons. As a result, the G41 underwent significant modernization in 1943, primarily related to the replacement of the gas exhaust system borrowed from Soviet rifle SVT-40, and became known as G43. In 1944, it was renamed the K43 carbine, without making any structural changes. This rifle, according to technical data, reliability, was significantly inferior to self-loading rifles produced in the Soviet Union, which is recognized by gunsmiths.
Submachine guns (PP) - submachine guns
By the beginning of the war, the Wehrmacht was armed with several types of automatic weapons, many of which were developed back in the 20s, often produced in limited series for the needs of the police, as well as for export:
The main technical data of the MP 38, produced in 1941:
- Caliber - 9 mm.
- Cartridge - 9 x 19 mm.
- Length with folded butt - 630 mm.
- Magazine with a capacity of 32 rounds.
- Sighting range - 200 m.
- Weight with equipped magazine - 4.85 kg.
- The rate of fire is 400 rounds / min.
By the way, by September 1, 1939, the Wehrmacht had only 8.7 thousand MP 38 units in service. However, after taking into account and eliminating the shortcomings of the new weapon identified in the battles during the occupation of Poland, the designers made changes that concerned mainly reliability, and the weapon became mass produced. In total, during the war years, the German army received more than 1.2 million units of MP 38 and its subsequent modifications - MP 38/40, MP 40.
It was the MP 38 fighters of the Red Army who were called Schmeisser. The most likely reason for this was the stigma on the magazines for their cartridges with the name of the German designer, co-owner of the weapons manufacturer Hugo Schmeisser. His surname is also associated with a very common myth that the Stg-44 assault rifle or Schmeisser assault rifle, which he developed in 1944, which looks similar to the famous Kalashnikov invention, is his prototype.
Pistols and machine guns
Rifles and machine guns were the main weapons of the Wehrmacht soldiers, but we should not forget about the officer or secondary weapon- pistols, as well as machine guns - hand, easel, which were a significant force during the fighting. They will be discussed in more detail in future articles.
Talking about confrontation Nazi Germany, it should be remembered that in fact Soviet Union fought with the entire “united” Nazis, therefore, the Romanian, Italian and other troops of many other countries had not only the small arms of the Wehrmacht of the Second World War, produced directly in Germany, Czechoslovakia, the former real forge of weapons, but also their own production. As a rule, it was of lower quality, less reliable, even if it was produced according to the patents of German gunsmiths.
Developed by Verthod Gipel and Heinrich Volmer at the Erma factory (Erfurter Werkzeug und Maschinenfabrik), the MP-38 is better known as the Schmeisser, in fact, weapons designer Hugo Schmeisser to the development of the MP-38 and Mr 40 German machine gun of the Wehrmacht of the second world war photo, has nothing to do with it. In literary publications of the time, all German submachine guns were mentioned as being based on " Schmeisser system". This is most likely where the confusion came from. Well, then our cinema took up the matter, and crowds of German soldiers went for a walk on the screens, without exception armed with an Mp 40 submachine gun, which has nothing to do with reality. At the beginning of the invasion of the USSR, about 200 thousand MP.38 / 40 were manufactured (the figure is not at all impressive). And for all the years of the war general production amounted to about 1 million barrels, for comparison, PPSh-41 produced more than 1.5 million guns in 1942 alone.
German submachine gun Mr 38/40
So who was armed with a pistol with an MP-40 machine gun. The official order for adoption dates back to the 40th year. Armed infantrymen, cavalrymen, crews of tanks and armored vehicles, drivers vehicle staff officers and several other categories of military personnel. The same order introduces a standard ammunition load of six magazines (192 rounds). In mechanized troops on the crew of 1536 rounds of .
incomplete disassembly mr40 assault rifle
Here we need to go a little into the prehistory, creation. Even today, more than 70 years after the end of the war, the MP-18 is a classic automatic weapon. Caliber chambered for a pistol cartridge, the principle of action is the recoil of a free shutter. The reduced load of the cartridge meant that it was relatively easy to hold, even when firing in full automatic mode, while lightweight hand-held weapons are almost impossible to control when firing bursts when using a full-size cartridge.
DEVELOPMENT IN THE PERIOD BETWEEN THE WARS
After the military warehouses with the MP-18 got French army, in the pistol, the 20 or 32-round box magazine inserted on the left was replaced with a “disk” (“snail”) magazine similar to the Lugger magazine. 
MP-18 with snail magazine
The 9mm MP-34/35 pistol, developed by the Bergman brothers in Denmark, was very similar in appearance to the MP-28. In 1934, its production was launched in Germany. Large stocks of these weapons, made by the Junker und Ruh A6 (Junrer und Ruh A6) factory in Karlsruhe, passed to the Waffen SS.
SS man with MR-28
Until the very beginning of the war, machine guns remained special weapons, used mainly by secret units.
A very revealing photo of the weapons of the ss sd and police units from left to right Suomi MP-41 and MP-28
With the outbreak of hostilities, it turned out that this is a uniquely convenient weapon of universal use, so it was necessary to plan production a large number new weapons. This requirement was met in a revolutionary new weapon - the MP-38 assault rifle.
German infantryman with machine gun mp38\40
Not much different mechanically from other submachine guns of that period, the MP-38 did not have a well-made wooden butt and intricate details inherent in automatic weapons of early designs. It was made of metal stamped parts and plastic. It was the first automatic weapon equipped with a folding metal stock, which reduced its length from 833 mm to 630 mm and made the machine an ideal weapon for paratroopers and vehicle crews.
Photo of a German submachine gun in service with the Wehrmacht MP38
The machine had a protrusion under the barrel, nicknamed the "rest plate", which made it possible to conduct automatic fire through the loopholes of cars and loopholes, without fear that the vibrations would lead the barrel to the side. For the sharp sound made when firing, the MP-38/40 submachine gun earned the inelegant nickname "burping machine gun".
german soldier with mr 40
Design flaws: Mr 40 German machine gun of the Wehrmacht of the second world war photo
mp-40 german machine of the second world
The MP-38 went into production, and soon, during the 1939 campaign in Poland, it became clear that the weapon had a dangerous flaw. When cocking the trigger, the bolt could easily break forward, unexpectedly initiating firing. An impromptu way out was a leather collar that was worn on the barrel and kept the weapon cocked. At the factory, the easiest way was to make a special "delay" for safety in the form of a hinged latch on the bolt handle, which could be pinched in a recess on the receiver, which would prevent any forward movement of the bolt.
The soldiers were colder than the mr 40 machine gun
The weapon of this modification received the designation " MP-38/40».
The desire to reduce the cost of production led to the MP-40. In this new weapon, the number of parts requiring processing on metal-cutting machines was minimized, and stamping and welding were used wherever possible. The production of many parts of the machine and the assembly of the machine were placed in Germany at the Erma, Gaenl and Steyr factories, as well as at factories in the occupied countries.
soldier armed with a submachine gun mr 38-40
The manufacturer can be identified by the code stamping on the back of the bolt box: "ayf" or "27" means "Erma", "bbnz" or "660" - "Steyr", "fxo" - "Gaenl". At the beginning of World War II, MP38 assault rifles were produced a little less 9000 things.
stamping on the back of the bolt box: "ayf" or "27" means the production of "Erma"
This weapon was well received by the German soldiers, the machine gun was also popular with the Allied soldiers when they got it as a trophy. But he was far from perfect: fighting in Russia, soldiers armed MP-40 assault rifle , found that soviet soldiers, armed with a PPSh-41 assault rifle with a 71-round disk magazine, are stronger than them in battle.
German soldiers often used captured weapons PPSh-41
Not only that soviet weapons had a great firepower, it was simpler and proved to be more reliable in field conditions. With firepower in mind, Erma introduced the MP-40/1 at the end of 1943. The machine was specially equipped with two disc magazines with 30 rounds each placed side by side. When one ended, the soldier simply moved the second magazine to the place of the first. Although this solution increased the capacity to 60 rounds, it weighed the machine down to 5.4 kg. The MP-40 was also produced with a wooden stock. Under the designation MP-41, it was used by paramilitary militarized formations and police units.
In war as in war
By the end of the war, more than one million MP-40 assault rifles had been produced. It was reported that the communist partisans used the MP-40 to shoot the leader of the Italian fascists, Benito Mussolini, capturing him in 1945. After the war, the machine was used by the French and remained in service with the AFV crews of the Norwegian army in the 1980s.
Shooting from the MP-40, no one shoots from the hip
With the front line approaching for a Germany under pressure from both East and West, the need for simple, easy-to-make weapons became critical. The answer to the request was MP-3008. A weapon very familiar to British forces is the modified "Sten" Mk 1 SMG. The main difference was that the store was placed vertically down. The MP-3008 assault rifle weighed 2.95 kg, and the Sten weighed 3.235 kg.
The German "Sten" had initial speed bullets 381 m/s and rate of fire 500 rds/min. They made about 10,000 MP-3008 assault rifles and used them against the advancing allies.
MP-3008 is a modified for manufacturability "Sten" Mk 1 SMG
"Erma" EMR-44 is a rather raw, crude weapon made of sheet steel and pipes. The ingenious design, which used a 30-round magazine from the MP-40, was not put into mass production.