Sub Machine Guns & Machine Pistols

If one weapon can lay claim to having come of age during World War Two, then it is the submachine gun.  The SMG made its debut in the closing stages of the Great War, and was then mostly ignored.  The streets of Thirties Chicago and other US cities echoed to the sound of its gunfire, which convinced many military men the weapon had no place in warfare.  Yet by 1945 there were to be a multitude of designs in service, and it had gained an importance equal to the rifle in small unit actions.

Despite the many variations in use, the straightforward principle of the SMG means most weapons of the era share the same description.  The weapon was fed from a detachable, spring fed magazine, with capacity dependent upon model and supply.  To load, the magazine was inserted into the weapon and the cocking handle drawn back fully until it locked.  This action drew the bolt group back against and so coiled the return spring.  The first round in the magazine now came into line with the chamber.  To fire, the trigger was squeezed, releasing the bolt group which was propelled forward by the tension of the return spring.  In a simultaneous action, the bolt stripped, chambered and fired the first round.  The blowback of the propellant charge then forced the bolt group back, bringing another round into line, and the return spring then pushed the bolt forward again, repeating the cycle. 

What takes an age to describe in theory takes only an instant to accomplish in reality.  The SMG would continue to fire until the trigger was released, or the ammunition supply was exhausted or fouled the mechanism.  The advantages over the bolt action rifle described previously are enormous.  Unfortunately, so are the practical limitations of the weapon.  The ammunition used in all submachine guns was derived from existing pistol rounds.  It was impossible to use a more powerful round with such a simple firing system.  This meant that range was restricted to no more than 100 metres, or more realistically less than that as the 'stopping power' declines notably as the distance increases.  This meant it was impossible to issue the weapon in isolation; it had to be used as a supplement to the existing rifles and light machine guns deployed at squad level, otherwise the unit would be hamstrung to engage the enemy at more than close range.  First the Red Army, and then the German Army saw fit to ignore these limitations and equipped whole squads with nothing more than the SMG. 

What tempted them was the enormous volume of fire which could be produced.  The rate of fire varies between individual weapons, but broadly falls between 400 and 800 rounds per minute.  These figures have to be viewed in the context that no SMG had a magazine capacity of much above 70 rounds, and the average magazine held approximately 30 rounds.  With a rate of fire around 600 rpm, an average magazine could be expended in just three seconds.  At close quarters, the unleashing of such fire could have the most dreadful effects.  Also, the choice of low power pistol ammunition meant that some semblance of accuracy could be maintained.  Paramount in Russian and German thinking was the knowledge that even an ill trained recruit could be expected to hit something with such a weapon assuming, of course, he could close to suitable range to engage.

In British and American use, the SMG was issued more conservatively, it being a great asset in street fighting or close quarter combat in the many defended woods which barred the path to the Reich.  It also served in lieu of the rifle for many rear echelon personnel.

One aspect common to submachine guns concerns the magazine feed.  The specifications reproduced below refer to the maximum capacity of the magazines issued.  Many soldiers quickly found that a magazine filled to the limit was more likely to jam or mis-feed.  It was therefore not uncommon for the load to be reduced by anything between two to even five rounds.  Below are listed some of the more important types of submachine gun which served during World War Two.

The British Army

The Sten Mark II (Machine Carbine)

The Sten Mk II, showing the simplicity of its design and manufacture

The final version, the Sten Mk V, showing the improvements on the earlier design

The term universally applied to describe the Sten is crude.  It is an apt description, as the weapon was a particularly basic item.  It was designed to be as fast and simple to produce as possible.  The original Mark I was slightly longer (90 cm) and heavier (3.25 kg) than its successor.  1941 saw dark days for Britain, and further savings were called for, resulting in the Mark II.  The Mark III simplified the design even further.

The Sten was not a popular replacement for the Thompson in British and Commonwealth service.  It was notably lighter and more accurate, but lacked its robustness and stopping power.  The Sten was quickly nicknamed the 'Tin Tommy Gun'.  By 1944 the Mark V appeared, reintroducing wooden furniture and even a fore pistol grip, and was chiefly issued to Airborne troops.

The basic ammunition issue was five magazines for a total of 160 rounds, one magazine loaded and four carried in one of the webbing pouches.  A purpose made carrier was available for parachute troops, which held seven magazines.

The United States Army

M3

The M3 'Grease Gun', nicknamed for its resemblance to the mechanics tool.  It could be adapted to fire 9 mm ammunition by replacing barrel, magazine and breech

The US Army began the war with the Thompson submachine gun, but became interested in the design process used to churn out the British Sten in such numbers.  This study resulted in the M3 which appeared during 1942.

The M3 was greeted with the same enthusiasm as the Sten, and was nicknamed the 'Grease Gun'.  It fired the same heavy .45 cal round as the Thompson, but was far easier to produce.  The rate of fire was particularly slow, and there was no function to select single shots as in the Sten.  There were numerous design flaws which only showed up in combat, and refinements were constantly made culminating in the M3A1 which officially replaced the Thompson in 1944.

Ammunition issue is somewhat difficult to assess for the M3.  Most contemporary photographs show men wearing normal rifle belts.  I am reliably informed the reason for this was that Infantrymen carried their magazines in the General Purpose ammunition bag, no purpose made webbing being provided as the SMG was an 'irregular' item for them.  As a result, they could carry as many available magazines as would cram into the bag.  A five pocket magazine pouch was not available until after the war in Europe.  A three pocket pouch was used by Ranger and Airborne forces whose issue of the M1 and M3 was more routine.  In either case, at least six magazines, total 180 rounds, would seem reasonable.

British and United States

M1A1 (Thompson)

The M1A1, simplified for mass production but still unable to meet demand, despite its overwhelming popularity.  The magazine is the 20 round version

The classic 'Tommy Gun', with its large 50 round drum.  The amendments between the two versions are pronounced

The 'Tommy Gun' provided one of the most enduring symbols of World War Two.  It was derived from the M1928 which, thanks to Gangsters and 'G' men, gained worldwide notoriety in the pre-war years.

The original M1928 was slightly longer at 86 cm, and marginally heavier.  It was easily recognisable thanks to its pronounced fifty round drum magazine.  When war broke out, the British Army recognised the need for submachine guns, and ordered the M1928 from America.  When the United States entered the war, they too turned to the Tommy Gun.  It soon proved impossible to meet supply without amending the original design, so the weapon was simplified as the M1A1 detailed above. This eliminated the impressive but troublesome 50 round drum in favour of 20 or 30 round magazines.

It is a tribute to the design of the weapon that, even though both armies introduced lighter and simpler weapons to replace the Thompson, it was still to be found in action in allied hands on every front throughout the course of the war.

The Australian Army

The Owen

The instantly recognisable Owen, with its magazine here detached.  All weapons were camouflaged from 1943 onwards

The Owen gun emerged out of a desperate need for a reliable submachine gun that the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzacs) could use in the jungle theatre of the Far East.

The Australians were never very happy with their Sten guns, or their own Austen version.  A young Lieutenant believed he could do better, and designed the above weapon which bears his name.  The Owen had several interesting features, but was otherwise a conventional submachine gun.  The top mounted magazine was unique for its type, and fitted an odd 33 rounds.  The placement of the magazine was found to aid movement through the often impenetrable terrain of Asia, though it did affect the sights.  The troops quickly adopted the weapon and found it to give superb service under the most arduous conditions.

It did not see service outside of Asia, but proved a superior type to the Sten.  It was not replaced until some 20 years after the war by the F1, itself a variant of the Sterling which carried over the top mounted magazine.

The Red Army

PPSh-41 (Pistolet Pulemet Shpagin)

The PPSh41, designed by Georgi Shpagin, displaying the 71 round drum.  A curved 35 round magazine was also available

The 'Pah-Pah-Shah was issued on a scale unsurpassed by any other such weapon, becoming the very emblem of the Russian Infantryman

The weapon did not arrive in the hands of the troops until 1942, by which time the Red Army was fighting for its life.  The lethal effect of the PPSh was much appreciated by the soldiers in the field.  Unlike the Sten or M3, the weapon was finished to a high standard and more importantly proved utterly reliable even in the depths of a Russian winter.  In fact, it proved so popular that the German Army seized any captured examples for their own use, even modifying some to fire their own 9 mm round.

In 1943, an even simpler weapon emerged, the PPS-43.  It had been designed and issued during the siege of Leningrad in 1942.  It was more akin to the Sten and M3 in appearance, weighed 3.4 kg empty and 3.9 kg loaded and was 82 cm long.  It fitted the same 35 round magazine as the PPSh, but not the drum.  Rate of fire was reduced to 700 rpm, muzzle velocity remaining the same.  It could never hope to supplant the PPSh in use, but served alongside it from 1943 onwards.

Ammunition load is again hazy, most pictures seeming to show each man carried just one loaded drum and a second spare.  A fair few people have dropped me a line on this issue, a belated thanks to all who did as it's taken me sometime to update the page.  David from Vancouver has been told by relatives of Red Army veterans that normally only one drum magazine was carried, with the curved 35 round box magazine preferred.  Another David gives the basic allowance as being either two drum or four box magazines, while Gin reckons early war it was three drum magazines, dropped to one when box magazines became available.  Dima Fedorov recommends a total of two drum magazines or three box magazines from 1943 onwards.

It would seem safe to assume then that there was no single method used by the Red Army in this respect!

The German Army

Maschinen Pistole 40 (MP40)

The MP40, displaying its unusual left handed cocking handle

The 'Schmeisser' remains one of the best known German weapons of the war, despite the fact it was not connected with that designer in any way.  Germany was the only nation to enter the war already producing a simple machine pistol for its troops.  The original weapon, the MP38, suffered from a tetchy safety system, which was anything but safe.  This was rectified and production simplified with the MP40. 

There were never enough MP40s around to satisfy demand, and many other captured weapons and inter war designs were also issued; but the MP40 endured throughout the war in Europe.  It was a prized trophy in both Western and, oddly, Red Army units.

I initially said the basic ammunition load was seven magazines, one retained in the weapon and six carried in two pouches, each holding three magazines for a total of 224 rounds.  However, on reading through my material again I notice that 'officially' there were six magazines issued, total 192 rounds, carried in the pouches as described above.

The Italian Army

Beretta Modello 1938A

The original Beretta, here fitted with the 10 round magazine.  A variety of capacities were available for this excellent weapon, popular among both Allied and German troops

The stripped down mid-war 38/42, which retained the twin trigger arrangement for single and automatic fire.  It managed to retain the reliability of the M1938 in the revised format 

The Beretta 38A was the most reliable and prized Italian smallarm of World War Two, though it had scant opposition.

The Berretta evolved from a pre-war police carbine into an effective submachine gun, and carried over the accuracy of its single shot predecessor into the automatic version.  The Beretta had a distinctive appearance, most notably the pair of triggers seen above.  The forward trigger brought single shot fire, the one closest to the grip automatic.  

Such a lovingly machined weapon could not survive long in an industrial war, and a less complicated version was sought.  The 38/42 did away with much of the wooden furniture and shortened the barrel considerably.  Length was trimmed to 80 cm and weight (presumably loaded) to 3.2 kg.  Rate of fire and muzzle velocity were also marginally reduced.  Unlike the Sten gun though, the design retained its innate reliability and both weapons served in large numbers. 

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