Bergmann MP18

Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 July 2009 17:55 Written by Administrator Friday, 03 July 2009 00:02

The Bergmann MP 18 was the first submachine gun to be ever designed. It was widely deployed by the German Army during the First World War and was found to be very effective in trench warfare. Subsequently, production was discontinued after the war in the 1920s. The Treaty of Versailles prohibited Germany from developing submachine guns and so the Bergmann MP18 was phased out. However, it influenced the design of many next generation submachine guns.

The MP 18 was designed by Hugo Schmeisser and was introduced into service in 1918. In the hands of Stormtroopers, it was found to be very effective. It fed from a 20 or 32-round box magazine or a 32-round drum magazine and was chambered for the 9mm Parabellum round. The submachine has a wooden stock and designed similar to a carbine weapon.

The dimensions of the MP18 are comparable to that a modern assault rifle. It has a perforated barrel shroud for cooling the barrel—a feature many automatic weapons use till date. It had a range of 70 meters which was quite sufficient for its intended role as close-combat weapon in the trenches.

When Germany lost the First World War, regulations were imposed on firearm design and manufacture and thus the MP18 was discontinued. Only police units could carry the weapon. However after Hitler came to power, a new version designated as the MP28 was introduced and manufactured on a large scale. This submachine gun saw widespread deployment using the Second World War.

The Bergmann MP18 laid the foundations of the submachine gun concept. It can be said without doubt that its influence on the submachine guns of the next generation is really profound.