Pistols mitraliur

Replica Thompson 1928A1
with box-type magazine.

19th century to 1920
Replica Thompson 1928A1 with box-type magazine.

   The first automatic weapon to fire a pistol round was a scaled-down version of the Maxim machine gun, used for demonstrations in marketing the Maxim in the late 19th century, especially when a full-sized firing range was not available. First-generation submachine guns were characterized by machined metal parts, Blowback designs with the bolt directly behind the barrel. The submachine gun appeared during the later stages of World War I. It first saw action in trench warfare where grenades, pistols, sharpened entrenching tools, improvised clubs, and bayonets were commonly employed.
'Artillery Luger' Lange Pistole 08 with 32 round Trommel-Magazin 08 and removable stock.


     The Italians developed the Villar Perosa, introducing it in 1915. It fired pistol calibre 9 mm Glisenti ammunition, but wasn't a submachine gun in the sense that the weapon type would later be defined, as it couldn't be fired from shoulder and without support. Originally developed as an aircraft weapon, it also saw some use by infantry as a light machine gun. This odd design was eventually modified to become a traditional submachine gun, the OVP 1918 that evolved into the Beretta 1918 after the end of WW1 .


     However, the Bergmann MP18 is the first true submachine gun and had been used intensively starting with Operation Michael in March 1918.


     The Thompson submachine gun program began in roughly the same period. The various dates and achievements of the first generation submachine guns creates a contentious area for firearms historians, with conclusions much to do with their nationality and interpretations. The only pictures of SMGs used in combat and reports of captured SMGs refer to MP18 captured in France after the German Spring Offensive.


     The Beretta 1918 had a traditional wooden stock, a 25-round box magazine, and had a cyclic rate of fire of 900 rounds per minute. The Germans had been using heavier versions of P08 pistols, equipped with larger capacity "snail" drum magazine, and longer barrel; these were semi-automatic. Bergmann, by 1918 had developed the MP18. The MP18 used 9x19mm Parabellum round in a snail-drum magazine. The MP18 was used in significant numbers by the German stormtroopers which, in conjunction with appropriate tactics, achieved some notable successes in the final year of the war. However, they were not enough to prevent Germany's collapse in November 1918.


     The Thompson submachine guns had been in development at approximately the same time as the Bergman and Beretta, but development was put on hold in 1917, when the US and the weapon's designer (Thompson) entered the war. The design was completed afterwards and used a different internal system from the MP18 or Beretta, but it had missed its chance to be the first purpose-designed submachine gun to enter service. It would however go on to serve as the basis for later weapons and have the longest active service life of the three.

'Artillery Luger' Lange Pistole 08
with 32 round Trommel-Magazin 08 and removable stock.

19th century to 1920
Replica Thompson 1928A1 with box-type magazine.

     The first automatic weapon to fire a pistol round was a scaled-down version of the Maxim machine gun, used for demonstrations in marketing the Maxim in the late 19th century, especially when a full-sized firing range was not available. First-generation submachine guns were characterized by machined metal parts, Blowback designs with the bolt directly behind the barrel. The submachine gun appeared during the later stages of World War I. It first saw action in trench warfare where grenades, pistols, sharpened entrenching tools, improvised clubs, and bayonets were commonly employed.
'Artillery Luger' Lange Pistole 08 with 32 round Trommel-Magazin 08 and removable stock.


     The Italians developed the Villar Perosa, introducing it in 1915. It fired pistol calibre 9 mm Glisenti ammunition, but wasn't a submachine gun in the sense that the weapon type would later be defined, as it couldn't be fired from shoulder and without support. Originally developed as an aircraft weapon, it also saw some use by infantry as a light machine gun. This odd design was eventually modified to become a traditional submachine gun, the OVP 1918 that evolved into the Beretta 1918 after the end of WW1 .


However, the Bergmann MP18 is the first true submachine gun and had been used intensively starting with Operation Michael in March 1918.


     The Thompson submachine gun program began in roughly the same period. The various dates and achievements of the first generation submachine guns creates a contentious area for firearms historians, with conclusions much to do with their nationality and interpretations. The only pictures of SMGs used in combat and reports of captured SMGs refer to MP18 captured in France after the German Spring Offensive.

     The Beretta 1918 had a traditional wooden stock, a 25-round box magazine, and had a cyclic rate of fire of 900 rounds per minute. The Germans had been using heavier versions of P08 pistols, equipped with larger capacity "snail" drum magazine, and longer barrel; these were semi-automatic. Bergmann, by 1918 had developed the MP18. The MP18 used 9x19mm Parabellum round in a snail-drum magazine. The MP18 was used in significant numbers by the German stormtroopers which, in conjunction with appropriate tactics, achieved some notable successes in the final year of the war. However, they were not enough to prevent Germany's collapse in November 1918.


     The Thompson submachine guns had been in development at approximately the same time as the Bergman and Beretta, but development was put on hold in 1917, when the US and the weapon's designer (Thompson) entered the war. The design was completed afterwards and used a different internal system from the MP18 or Beretta, but it had missed its chance to be the first purpose-designed submachine gun to enter service. It would however go on to serve as the basis for later weapons and have the longest active service life of the three.