Posted on 01/13/2021 6:27:20 AM PST by Onthebrink
The submachine gun was developed during the First World War, and Germany’s MG18 is largely recognized as the first successful example of the new class of weapon. Typically chambered with pistol cartridges, such weapons gave extra firepower to NCOs, squad leaders, and scouts during the Second World War.
6 Best World War II Submachine Guns
During the conflict, nations such as the United States supplied submachine guns to tankers and other troops who couldn’t carry a full rifle, while the SMG was also supplied by the German and British militaries to paratroopers and other elite soldiers. While picking out the best World War II submachine guns is a tall task, here is a sampling of the most famous and dangerous styles of this weapon from both the allied and axis sides of the conflict:
(Excerpt) Read more at 19fortyfive.com ...
that’s MP 18 not MG
Even including the Sten is questionable, given its unreliability.
Should have included the Soviet PPS-43 SMG and the M3 Greasegun. Both were crude and easy (and cheap) to produce but were in effective use during the war. The PPS-43 was designed and made during the siege of Leningrad and uses the same 7.62X25 round as the PPsH-41.
Apparently, 19Fortyfive's criteria for "expert" is somewhat lower than most.
Agreed. It was like they wanted to choose only one from each power, rather than a ranking of the actual best SMGs.
The Sten deserved to included for the same reason that the T-34 is seen by some as the best tank of WW2 - quantity has a quality all of its own. There were LOTS of Stens and they were in use into the 1960s.
The Thompson probably should not have been included. It was a good weapon, but complicated, expensive, and heavy. That’s why the M-3 was invented. But it is a architype. It’s amazing how many soldier pictures it is in, not to mention comics like Sgt. Rock.
The M-3 must at least be adequate since it was still in service when I was in the Army.
Dunno ‘bout the PPS-43, but the 11 ACR’s museum featured one that was captured in Vietnam, do I guess it had a long service life, too.
No Thompson SMG?
The very first SMG ever developed, to which all following SMGs owe their very existence? And ubiquitous to boot. 1.5 million were produced. Compare to the MP40 at 1.1 million produced.
No, I beg to differ. The Thompson deserves to be #1 on the list IMHO.
The first submachinegun was the MP-18 Bergmann. It saw service in WW1 and WW2.
The Thompson was manufactured until 1920.
The Thompson was NOT manufactured until 1920.
The Greasegun was kind of lousy as an SMG, though: slow rate of fire and heavy. We used to joke that you could "run between the rounds" when it fired.
I made the mistake of carrying one for about two weeks in Vietnam. It looked cool but with two magazines taped together a la Steve McQueen, it weighed exactly as much as my loaded M14 but shot only at much closer range and a lot less accurately. I got my M14 back after just one firefight across a 200m rice paddy.
As a track driver, I was issued an M3A1.
Never fired it. Kinda regret that.
I preferred an M16/M203 and left the M3A1 in the track.
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