Submachine gun
A submachine gun is a firearm that combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol, and is usually between the two in weight and size. They were first experimented with in the form of a stocked pistol being converted from semi to fully automatic, in the early 1900s.
The first dedicated designs were developed in the latter stages of World War I both as improvement on earlier stocked pistols, and to offer an advantage in trench warfare. They rose to prominence as a frontline and commando weapon during World War II, and are now widely used by police [1][2][3][4] and paramilitary organizations. They are ideal for close-range combat in enclosed urban environments, where a weapon's range and accuracy is less important than the ability to easily and instinctively spray a target with bullets. Submachine guns lack long-range power and accuracy compared to higher power rifles, limiting their use in the open. They were also popularized in the 1920's and 30's as weapon of choice of American gangsters, in the form of the famous Thompson submachine gun, commonly referred to as the "Tommy Gun". Stocked automatic weapons firing pistol rounds were developed around the same time during World War I, by Italy, Germany, and the United States.
History
19th century to 1920
The first automatic weapon to fire a pistol round was a scaled down version of the Maxim machine gun, used for demonstrations in marketing the Maxim in the late 1800s, especially when a full size firing range was not available.
The submachine gun (sometimes abbreviated "SMG") appeared during the later stages of World War I. It would have its trial by fire in the brutal world of trench warfare. Fighting in the trenches had become a clumsy and brutal art, involving grenades, pistols, sharpened entrenching tools, and bayonets.
The Italians were the first to develop a submachine gun type of weapon, the Villar Perosa. Introduced in 1915, it is usually called the first submachine gun because it fired a pistol round (the 9 mm Glisenti). Originally developed as an aircraft weapon, it also saw some use by infantry, both for close quarters assaults and as a light machine gun. This odd design was eventually modified to become a traditional submachine gun, the Beretta 1918.
However, some regard the Bergmann MP18 as the first true submachine gun by comparing the dates of the early Bergman prototypes with the Beretta date of service entry. While the Beretta 1918 became standard issue a couple of months prior to the Bergmann MP18 in 1918, the Bergman had tested in prototype form as early as 1916- However, this overlooks that the Beretta was in prototype stage in the same period. Futher complicated matters is that the first program to start was for the Thompson submachine gun. The various dates and achievments of the first generation submachine guns creates a contentious area for firearms historians, with conclusions much to do with their nationality and interpretations.
The Beretta 1918 had a traditional wooden stock, a 25-round box magazine, and had a cyclic rate of fire of 900 rounds per minute. The Germans had been using heavier versions of P08 pistols, equipped with larger capacity snail magazine, and longer barrel; these were semi-automatic. A stocked purposed designed automatic pistol was worked on by Bergmann, which by 1918 had developed the MP18. The MP18 used 9 mm Parabellum round in a snail-magazine. The MP18 was used in significant numbers by the German World War I stormtroopers which, in conjunction with appropriate tactics, achieved some notable successes in the final year of the war. However, they were not enough to prevent Germany's collapse in November 1918.
The Thompson submachine guns had been in development at approximately the same time as the Bergman and Beretta, but development was put on hold in 1917, when the US and the weapon's designer (Thompson) entered the war. The design was completed afterwards and used a different internal system from the MP18 or Beretta, but it had missed its chance to be the first purpose-designed submachine gun to enter service. It would however go on to serve as the basis for later weapons and have the longest active service life of the three.
1920 to 1950
In the inter-war years the submachine gun became notorious as a gangster weapon; the iconic image of pinstripe-suited James Cagney types wielding drum-magazine Thompsons caused some military planners to shun the weapon. It was also used by the police, but many criminals favored the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle. The submachine gun was nevertheless gradually accepted by many militaries, with many countries developing their own designs over the period, especially in the 1930's.
In the USSR, the PPD34 and PPD34/38 were developed. In France the MAS-35 was developed into the MAS-38. In Germany some improvements on the MP18 were employed, namely the MP28/II and the MP34. Also, Nazi Germany adopted the MP38, unique in that it used no wood and a folding metal stock, though it used similar amount of stampings as the MAS. Italy further developed a number of its own designs (see list of Italian submachine guns), with similar attempts at improvements in lower production cost, quality, or weight.
During the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany in 1939, the MP38 production was still just starting and only a few thousand were in service, but it proved very popular especially in towns and cities. From it, the nearly identical, but safer and cheaper to make, MP40 was developed; about a million MP40s were made in World War II. The MP40's design used even more stampings, and less important metals such as aluminium, but still managed to be lighter because it avoided some of the heavier machined parts of the MP38.
Britain adopted the Lanchester submachine gun, based on the MP28/II. However the high cost of manufacture and low rate of production led to the much simpler, cheaper and faster to make Sten submachine gun. The Sten gun was so cheap to make that near the end of World War II, Nazi Germany started manufacturing their own copy of the design (the MP 3008). Britain also used many M1928 Thompsons early on (the intra-war period version with a drum magazine), and also many of the improved version M1 (the one seen only with a stick magazine). After the war, the Sten would be replaced by the Sterling submachine gun.
America and its allies used the Thompson submachine gun, especially the simplified M1 version that did away with the Tommy's drum magazine and some of the machined parts. Because it was still expensive to produce, the M3 "Grease Gun" was adopted in 1942, followed by the slightly improved M3A1 in 1944. The M3 was not necessarily more effective, but was made with cheap stamped metal, making it much more affordable. It could be configured to fire either .45 ACP ammunition, which the Thompson and M1911 pistol also fired, or the 9 mm Parabellum, widely used by Allies and Axis. It would be among the longest serving of the submachine guns designed during the war, being produced into the 1960s and serving in US forces officially into the 1980s.
Finland had developed the M/31 Suomi before the Winter War in which it saw much use. The weapon fired 9 mm Parabellum rounds from a drum magazine with the capacity of 70 (although often loaded with up to 74). Although America used stick magazines in the Thompson, and Russians carried only a few drum magazines (usually one drum, if any, and the rest ammo as stick magazines), the Suomi was mostly deployed with drums. They were also less prone to jamming than the stick or "casket" magazines developed for the weapon. The weapon was used till the end of Lapland war and several years after World War II ended.
By the end of World War II, the USSR had fielded the largest number of submachine guns, such as the PPSH, with whole infantry battalions being armed with little else. Even in the hands of conscripted soldiers just out of basic training, the volume of fire produced by massed submachine guns could be overwhelming. The German forces formed similar troops of their in response to this. The discovery made during World War II that a high rate of fire was more effective than the slower but more accurate fire (such as provided by bolt-action and semi-automatic rifles) was one of the main causes for the development of the assault rifle.
1950 to Present
After the Korean war, the submachine gun's popularity in the military continued but began a slow decline, primarily being replaced by assault rifles, which filled a niche between the submachine guns and the battle rifle.
The Personal defense weapon is has been a replacement in many roles, a type orginating form 1980s NATO requirment and seeing more widespread service in the 21st century. Significantly the submachine gun continues to be used by police and special operations forces, however.
Modern
Following World War II, the role of submachine guns was greatly diminished with the introduction of modern compact assault rifles, such as the CAR-15 and Heckler & Koch HK53. Submachine guns are still used by special forces, air crews, armored vehicle crews, counter-terrorist units, and Naval personnel.
Submachine guns lend themselves to moderation with suppressors, particularly so in cases where the weapon is loaded with subsonic ammunition. The Sten and modern-day Heckler & Koch MP5 have all been manufactured with quiet, integral silencers, and such weapons are favourites of special forces and police units.
Prominent recent examples of the submachine gun are the Israel Military Industries Uzi submachine gun, the Heckler & Koch MP5 series, the Ingram MAC-10, the Skorpion, the Sterling and the FN P90 (itself part of a new generation of 'personal defence weapons', firing cartridges intermediate in power between a pistol and assault rifle round). A small number of pistols have been available in fully automatic or burst-fire variants, such as the Glock 18, the Stechkin APS, the Beretta 93R and the Heckler & Koch VP70.
Covert Use
The submachine gun offers the small size concealment and close quarters combat advantages. Many special forces and covert operators use submachine guns as the primary weapon, due to small size and effectiveness in close quarters environment. A couple of submachine guns in particular were designed as a VIP personal defense weapon (PDW). High ranking officials can use the submachine gun as a defensive weapon in case of a kidnapping. Winston Churchill was known to keep a Sten in his staff car. Some PDWs can be disguised as another object. See ARES FMG and PP-90.
Legality
In the United States, submachine guns have been categorized as NFA weapons (also known as Title II weapons), so being because they are regulated under the National Firearms Act of 1934 and as amended by Title II of the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the Firearms Owners' Protection Act of 1986. NFA firearms can be legally owned by civilians only if state and local law permit it, all the proper paperwork is submitted and approved, and a one time tax of $200 is paid. Corporations are subject to the same provisions with the exception that paperwork does not have to be approved by local law enforcement and fingerprint cards and photographs do not have to be submitted with the transfer form. Certain submachine guns have also been available in specially-modified semi-automatic form, with non-removable 16 inch (406 mm) barrels and receivers modified so as to prevent conversion into a fully automatic firearm; in this case, the submachine guns are treated as rifles, and are not subject to further regulations beyond those required for ownership of a rifle. Short barreled semi-automatic versions are also available under U.S. law, and regulated as short barreled rifles, which are BATFE title II regulated but, unlike full automatic weapons, can still be manufactured and transferred to civlilians. Additionally, some submachine guns, have redesigned into semiautomatic pistols which cannot have any type of shoulder stock, but are regulated as pistols under U.S. federal law.
In Europe, Switzerland allows the private ownership of semi-automatic submachine guns as sporting firearms. Fully automatic submachine guns may only be owned by collectors and may not be fired in fully automatic mode. Czech Republic allows the ownership of all kinds of automatic weapons up to .50 caliber to collectors who obtain an exception from the ministry of interior. In the United Kingdom, however they are prohibited except for use by the police and military. The exception is relatively hard to obtain and depends largely on the discretion of the local police department. Finland and Sweden allows ownership of submachine guns and other automatic weapons, though subject to licensing. Private ownership of submachine guns and indeed all automatic weapons (except weapons disabled and forming part of a collection) are banned in all Australian states though they are used by the various states' police services (mainly if not exclusively by specialist counter-terrorist or SWAT units) and the Australia military.
Compare machine pistol, carbine.