The MP18 is a German submachine gun designed by Hugo Schmeisser and manufactured by the Bergmann arms company, introduced into German army service in 1918 during the final months of the First World War and widely regarded by historians of small arms as the first mass-produced, genuinely practical submachine gun fielded by any army. Firing pistol-caliber 9mm Parabellum ammunition from a drum magazine at a fully automatic rate, it gave a single soldier a volume of close-range firepower previously available only to a crew-served machine gun, and it was issued in particular to German Stormtrooper units, whose infiltration tactics relied on small squads moving quickly through and around enemy trench lines rather than advancing in a single continuous wave. Though the Treaty of Versailles that ended the war restricted Germany's postwar production and possession of submachine guns, the MP18's basic layout and drum-magazine feed strongly influenced submachine gun designs developed by other countries in the interwar years that followed.
Facts
Classification
Service Status Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category) Weapon Class (category) Weapon Class Introduced Year FAQs
Was the MP 18 the first true submachine gun?
Yes, it is generally counted as the first true submachine gun, first issued in 1918.
It is generally counted as the first true submachine gun. The Germans identified the MP 18, also called the Bergmann Muskete, as that weapon, and it was first issued in 1918, the last year of the First World War.
Connections
Operated By
Source MilitaryFactory.com: Bergmann MP18/I (Maschinenpistole 18/I)
Source MilitaryFactory.com: Bergmann MP18/I (Maschinenpistole 18/I)
Source MilitaryFactory.com: Bergmann MP18/I (Maschinenpistole 18/I)
Source MilitaryFactory.com: Bergmann MP18/I (Maschinenpistole 18/I)
Used In
Source Wikipedia: MP 18
Source Wikipedia: MP 18
Source Wikipedia: MP 18
Source Wikipedia: MP 18
Source Wikipedia: MP 18
In the Other Atlases
Manufactured By
Also in Business Atlas: the manufacturer of this subject.
Source Wikipedia: MP 18tier 4
Also in Business Atlas: the manufacturer of this subject.
Source Wikipedia: MP 18tier 4
Also in Business Atlas: the manufacturer of this subject.
Source Wikipedia: MP 18tier 4
Sources
1. Wikipedia: MP 18
WikipediaLead section
The MP 18 (Maschinen-Pistole 18) is a German submachine gun designed and manufactured by Bergmann Waffenfabrik. Introduced into service in mid-1918 by the German Army during World War I, the MP 18 was intended for use as a short-range weapon for trench warfare that would provide individual soldiers with increased firepower over a pistol.
Infobox: service
1918-1945 (Germany)
caliber
cartridge = * 9×19mm Parabellum 7.63×25mm Mauser (export) 7.65×21mm Parabellum (export) 9x23mm Largo (export) (MP 28/II) 9x25mm Mauser (export) (MP 28/II) .45 ACP (export) (MP 28/II)
Lead and body text (9x19mm)
The S.T.A., did not chamber a French cartridge but instead used 9×19mm Parabellum.
Lead and body text (9x23mm)
In October 1915 the Austro-Hungarian Standschützen-Battalionen trialed a submachine gun chambered in the 9x23mm Steyr cartridge, known as the Maschinengewehr Hellriegel.
- Infobox: cartridge
- Used In: World War I, infobox wars field: 'World War I'
- Used In: Spanish Civil War, infobox wars field: 'Spanish Civil War'
- Used In: Second Sino-Japanese War, infobox wars field: 'Second Sino-Japanese War'
- Used In: Chinese Civil War, infobox wars field: 'Chinese Civil War'
- Used In: World War II, infobox wars field: 'World War II'
- Used In: Ifni War, infobox wars field: 'Ifni War'
View the Source Wikidata: MP 18
Wikidata Q696172, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source MilitaryFactory.com: Bergmann MP18/I (Maschinenpistole 18/I)
MilitaryFactory.comOperated By: Finnish Defence Forces, Operators
[ Belgium; Bolivia; Finland; France; German Empire; Imperial Japan; Ireland; Nazi Germany; Paraguay; Portugal; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Taiwan; Yemen ]
Operated By: French Armed Forces, Operators
[ Belgium; Bolivia; Finland; France; German Empire; Imperial Japan; Ireland; Nazi Germany; Paraguay; Portugal; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Taiwan; Yemen ]
Operated By: Wehrmacht, Operators
[ Belgium; Bolivia; Finland; France; German Empire; Imperial Japan; Ireland; Nazi Germany; Paraguay; Portugal; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Taiwan; Yemen ]
Operated By: Spanish Armed Forces, Operators
[ Belgium; Bolivia; Finland; France; German Empire; Imperial Japan; Ireland; Nazi Germany; Paraguay; Portugal; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Taiwan; Yemen ]
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