#bergmann mp18

Bergmann MP18,I

By 1915, the Imperial German Army had begun developing infiltration tactics to overcome the stalemate of the Western Front. The formation of dedicated, specialist Sturmtruppen units in 1915-16 saw the army call for new light weapons suitable for the rapid assaults and close quarter fighting that Sturmtruppen found themselves engaged in.  

The German Army asked the Gewehr-Prüfungs-Kommission (GPK) to begin a programme to select a new lightweight, fully automatic assault weapon. The weapon, chambered in 9x19mm, would later come to be commonly known as the submachine gun. A number of manufacturers developed and submitted designs including Mauser, Rhinemetall, Walther, Bergmann and Schwarzlose.

The GPK’s specification called for a fully automatic weapon that fired from closed-bolt. Despite firing from an open bolt, using a blowback action, the Bergmann MP18,I’s simplicity impressed the GPK and the army adopted the Bergmann at the end of 1917, ordering 50,000. The MP18,I was first issued in 1918, seeing action during the 1918 Spring Offensive. 

MP18,I with a Trommelmagazin, without an over insertion sleeve (source)

Designed by a team lead by Hugo Schmeisser at Bergmann Industriewerke, the MP18,I became the basis for a whole family of submachine guns. Initial prototypes fed from a box magazine, however, it seems that this was changed to  the 32-round Trommelmagazin, which had entered production in late 1916. This suffered from feed issues in the mud of the western front. The ‘snail drums’ were also tedious to load and not an ideal shape for carrying. The MP18,I’s magazine housing was angled at 60 degrees to enable proper feeding. The housing, however, is shorter than a Luger P08′s grip and a special sleeve had to be issued to prevent over insertion which could lead to jams and damage to the feed lips.

Schmeisser’s design was protected by two patents filed in 1917 and early 1918, however, they were placed under the owner of the company, Theodor Bergmann’s name. The MP18,I used a blowback action with a simple trigger mechanism. Its only safety was a safety notch marked ‘S’ into which the retracted bolt could be placed. Schmeisser patented this under his own name in 1920, after he left Bergmann Wekre. These were features that continued to be seen in subsequent submachine guns for decades to come.

Stormtrooper with an MP18,I (source)

The second patent covered the weapon’s hinged receiver design, which allowed it to be easily disassembled, with the disassembly catch at the rear of the receiver tube. The weapon had a 20cm (8 inch) barrel inside a perforated barrel jacket for cooling and a simple tangent rear sight. The MP18,I’s rate of fire was relatively slow at ~450 rounds per minute and despite not having a select fire capability an experienced user could fire single shots. While handy, with an overall length of 81.3cm (32 inches), the MP18,I was heavy weighing 4.17kg (9lb 3oz). 

When the MP18,I was first issued to Sturmtruppen, each submachine gunner was assigned one or two ammunition bearers, although sources suggest ammunition carriers were not always necessary. Combined with hand grenades, pistol carbines, light machine guns like the MG15nA and the MG08/15 and handy carbines like the K98a the Sturmtruppen were extremely well equipped. While these new units made remarkable progress during the Spring Offensive, Germany was unable to maintain the momentum and by the end of the year the Army on the Western Front had collapsed and an armistice was signed.  

By the end of World War One only 17,677 MP18,Is of the 50,000 ordered had been delivered. Despite this the MP18,I began a long line of submachine guns which were developed throughout the interwar period including the MP28,II as well as copies such as the British Lanchester and the Spanish Modelo 1929. Schmeisser’s MP18,I remained in service with German police for decades and influenced many of the submachine gun designs that followed it. 

Sources:

Images: 1 2 3 4 5 6

The Schmeisser Myth - German Submachine Guns Through Two World Wars, M. Helebrant (2016)

‘Maschinenpistole mit Traegheitsverschluss’, T Bergmann, German Patent #319035, 16/12/1920, (source)

‘Maschinenpistole mit Traegheitsverschluss’, T. Bergmann, German Patent #334450, 16/03/1921, (source)

‘Sicherung an selbsttaetigen Feuerwaffen‘, H. Schmeisser, German Patent #351621, 29/031922, (source)

Recent Recap

It’s been quite a while since the last recap and we’ve covered a lot of ground over the last month or so! We’ve had some very in-depth looks at guns like the SIG P210, the Browning Automatic Rifle, Bergmann MP18 and the Chauchat.  We’ve also looked at some pretty obscure firearms like the Rheinmetall Rh4, the AJ Ordnance Thomas 45 and the Tokarev-Maxim Light Machine Gun. There has also been series of posts on development of the BAR and the CETME rifles. With over 30 posts that just scratches the surface so if you missed anything check out the links below!

Thank you for following, reading and supporting HF. If you enjoy the content please consider supporting Historical Firearms through Patreon! You can also help spread the word about HF and the content I cover by sharing links with friends and sharing on social media, don’t forget you can also follow HF on facebook. As always if you have any questions, suggestions feel free to send me a message here.

~ Matt

Pistols:

SIG P210

North & Cheney Model 1799

AJ Ordnance Thomas 45

Rifles:

CETME Modelo A Prototype

CETME Modelo C

Springfield Model 1875 Officer’s Rifle

L22A2 Carbine

Mauser Model 1917 ‘Trench Carbine’

Rheinmetall Rh4

Submachine Guns:

Bergmann MP18,I

Beretta Modello 12

Zastava M56

Subametralladora Modelo 1929

Experimental Danish Submachine Gun

Machine Guns:

FN Light Automatic Rifle - Heavy Barrel

X11 Belt-Fed Bren Derivative

The Chauchat

Tripod Mounted BAR

Maxim-Tokarev Light Machine Gun

M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle

M1922 Cavalry Machine Rifle

Browning Automatic Rifle M1918A1

In Action:

In Action: Webley Mk VI & Aerial Lewis Gun

In Action: M1928A1, M1903, M1918A2 & Lewis Gun

In Action: FG-42 & PPSh-41

Miscellaneous: 

ARP Whistle

Standard Beaverette Light Armoured Car MkI/II

September HF Patreon Wallpaper - HK VP70M

October HF Patreon Wallpaper - Savage M1907

Owen Gun In Action: How Lieutenant Albert Chowne Won the Victoria Cross

M2 & Owen Gun In Action: How Trooper John Carter won the Distinguished Conduct Medal

For more content and to stay up to date check out Historical Firearms’ facebook page which has some additional pictures and other content.

Mauser Model 1917 ‘Trench Carbine’

In 1917, Mauser Werke responded to a request from the German Army’s Gewehr-Prufungs-Kommission (GPK) to submit a new weapon to equip Sturmtruppen. This weapon would later become known as the submachine gun. The GPK began its search in 1915, with a number of manufacturers developing designs including Rhinemetall, Walther, Bergmann and Schwarzlose. 

Mauser’s submission consisted of a development from their popular C96 pistol. Chambered in 9x19mm the Model 1917 ‘Trench Carbine’ was semi-automatic only so did not completely meet the GPK’s specification for a close-bolt automatic submachine gun. The Model 1917, unlike the C96 pistol, fed from an impressive double stack, double feed 40-round detachable magazine - 10 and 20 round magazines were also made. The carbine’s receiver has no stripper clip guide like the pistols it was based on. 

From the few available images of the surviving examples it appears that the later serial number guns (including #31, see images #2 & #3) had extended magazine housings when compared to the earlier Model 1917 prototypes (such as serial #5, see image #4). As a result the shorter magazines (see in image #4) would not have fitted the later guns. The shape of the hammers and the design of the sights as well as the shape of the ejection port also varies between the early and late examples.

Pre-war commercial C96 carbine with front sight protector and detachable stock (source)

The carbine had a full fixed stock and a foregrip similar to earlier Mauser C96 carbines such as the commercial Jagdkarabiner. One clear difference from other C96s is that Mauser extended the rear of the receiver to prevent hammer bite. The carbine also had a disassembly plunger inside the trigger guard. The small magazine release was located below the trigger guard. The Model 1917 may have been a better fit for Sturmtruppen than the Lange Pistole 08 with its more ergonomic stock, however, Mauser’s carbine would certainly not have been a cheap weapon to manufacture. 

While the GPK considered the Mauser carbine it did not adopt the weapon. Instead, the Bergmann MP18,I was later selected, despite firing from an open bolt, as it met the fully automatic requirement and its simplicity impressed the GPK. Mauser’s 40-round box magazine was certainly superior, however, the MP18,I fed from the 32-round Trommelmagazin as this was had been in production since late 1916. Mauser made an estimated 40 Model 1917 carbines and while tested none were issued. Perhaps as few as four examples survive today.

Sources:

Images: 1 2 3 4

The Schmeisser Myth - German Submachine Guns Through Two World Wars, M. Helebrant (2016)

From a 1919 report from the British Army’s School of Musketry at Hythe, on the German MP18.I submachine gun. The British army failed to understand the practical application of the submachine gun as a supplement to the infantry sections firepower.

Instead, the British Army saw the submachine gun as a carbine, to be issued to troops that didn’t need or couldn’t carry a rifle. They failed to appreciate the submachine gun’s potential. The British would later describe submachine guns as ‘machine carbines’ - a practice that continued into the early 1950s. 

A Thompson M1921 being demonstrated to British officers and men at Bisley in July 1921 (source)

As a result the British Army maintained an ambivalent and dismissive attitude towards submachine guns throughout the interwar period and entered the Second World War without a submachine gun. 

Source:

The Schmeisser Myth, M. Helebrant, (2016)