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WWII Weapons Used in Combat!
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German Submachine Guns (MP 40)

German MP-40 machine pistol Combat! used authentic German machine-pistols (MP-40, the ones with wooden buttstocks are MP-38s). These weapons are slung from shoulder, have a short hand grip, and no stock. Eric Braeden carries one in "The Hostages," as does the German sergeant in "Odyssey." The weapon has a folding metal stock that in Combat! is usually folded underneath the receiver of the gun, so that on the series it looks as if the weapon just has a pistol grip. The MP-40 was originally conceived in World War I and eventually was used by German forces on all fronts of WWII.

The MP40 (and MP38) is often referred to as a Schmeisser, both on the series Combat! and often by troops of the time. The Schmeisser company produced a weapon similar in design -- but the MP-40 was (manufactured by a different company) was simpler to manufacture  and was less prone to problems in the field.

wpe1CC.jpg (97366 bytes)WWII 4" Figure: WWII German MP-44 Soldier
by 21st Century Toy Company
For the space-conscious  collector! 1:18 scale military action figures with incredible attention to detail. Realistically styled and painted. Comes with accessories, including an MP44 Machine pistol
Learn more...

More figures that come with MP44s:
German Private Kreiger and German Sargeant Jaeger

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Great Illustrated History of the MP-40!

The MP40 Submachine Gun

The MP40 Submachine Gun by Mike Ingram

Of all infantry weapons conceived during the 20th century, few were as important as the submachine gun, a weapon designed specifically for close-quarter combat.

From the back cover:
The MP40 Submachine Gun is the first in-depth study of one of the most important weapons of World War II. It is packed with action photographs and specially commissioned illustrations. These appear alongside the weapon's design and combat history, as well as detailed specifications and comparison data, so that the reader can set the weapon in its context at a glance.

From the front flap:
Of all the new infantry weapons that have made their appearance during the past century, one of the most important to emerge was the submachine gun. Also known as the machine pistol — the terms are interchangeable — the weapon was specifically designed for close-quarter fighting, a type of combat to which the bolt-action rifle was unsuited. The new infantry assault tactics developed in the latter part of World War I called for a high degree of individual firepower at close range to use in clearing the trenches. A pistol was useful in this respect, but it could only fire single shots and had to be frequently reloaded; moreover, it was not very accurate. What was needed was a new weapon, midway between apistol and a rifle, with a large-capacity magazine that would continue to fire repeatedly while the user instinctively adjested his aim; in fact, a miniature machine gun
The MP40 Submachine Gun     The MP40 Submachine Gun is the first illustrated book to describe in detail what was arguably the best such weapon used in World War II — the German MP40 submachine gun. It follows the path of its development from the first SMG designs of World War I through the refinements of later post-war models used by several nations, and its direct predecessor, the MP38, culminating in the robust, mass-produced weapon that was used by the German armies — and their enemies — on all fronts. Types described inside include the MP18, MP28,

Thompson submachinge gun, and later, the M3 'Grease Gun', Sten and Russian PPSh-41. The effect of the MP40 in Germany's savage close-quarter battles is dealt with in full, from the Blitzkrieg of 1940 throught he sands of North Africa to the snows of Russia, and the desperate last-ditch fighting on the soil of Nazi Germany itself. First-hand accounts bring the experience of using a MP40 in combat to life. The book also covers the MP40 in service with other nations during and after the war.

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1: Genesis of the Machine Pistol
Chapter 2: Between the wars
Chapter 3: Machine Pistol Theory
Chapter 4: the MP38 and MP40 in Detail
Chapter 5: the MP40 in Combat
Chapter 6: Other Machine Pistols of World War II
Appendices
Index

The technical data for the MP40, its predecessors and rivals are provided in depth, with details of each weapon's specifications. Photographs are used to illustrate the process of stripping a MP40, and each inidividual component is show, allowing a thorough examination of the weapon. The authoritative text complements the photographs, describing not only how a German soldier would use his weapon in combat, but also how he would clean and maintain it. The book shows the usual distribution of the MP40 in the German forces.
     Heavily illustrated throughout, the book includes artworks featuring cutaway views of the MP40, and comparative tables including all of its closest rivals...

 

Amazon.com logoGerman Automatic Weapons of World War II
by Robert Bruce

Exceptional color photographs (great photography!) and an authoritative text reveal the individual charateristics of weapons used by German soldiers during WWII.

Weapons are shown being handled by firers wearing authentic period uniforms and field equipment placing the weapon in its correct historical context. Weapons profiled include: Mauser Schnellfeuer machine pistol; Maschinenpistole MP40 sub-machine gun; Maschinengewehr (machine gun) MG34  and MG42; Fallschirmjaegergewehr (FG) 42-I and 42-II paratroop assault weapons and the Sturmgewehr StG44 assault rifle.

From the front flap:
In this attractive new treatment, the seven classic automatic weapons of the World War II German Wehrmacht are illustrated in colour photographs — with a difference. Detailed sequences show them in close-up; during step-by-step field stripping; and during handling, loading, and live firing trials in outdoor settings, by gunners wearing authentic period uniforms to put these historic guns in their visual context.

The illustrations are accompanied by concise accounts of each weapon's historical and technical background; and by accessible, non-technical descriptions of its actual firing characteristics, from the viewpoint of the ordinary infantryman, as revealed in these trials by experienced shooters. The reader will learn exactly what it looked like, sounded like and felt like to fire the automatic weapons which took the German soldier from Poland to Stalingrad, and back to the ruins of Berlin.

Hardcover: 128 pages ; Dimensions0.61 x 12.04 x 8.63"
201 color illus.
Publisher: Motorbooks International; ISBN: 1861262698; (November 1998)
List price $44.95
Read more and check Amazon Price...

 

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WWII German tanks
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Luger Pistol - WWII German Handguns
Walther P38 Pistol - WWII German Handguns
German Machine Pistols (MP44, MP40, MP38)
WWII German Machine Guns - MG34 and MG40
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