The submachine gun was born from the desire of gunsmiths to provide the single infantryman the power of the machine gun with the portability that was the rifle in the earlier part of the 20th Century - more so during the First World War. It would not be until the Second World War that the submachine gun would truly take the stage as a viable infantry weapon on all sides of the conflict.
The M1 Thompson stands as one of the finer examples of the submachine gun to emerge from the Second World War. Complicated and difficult to produce in large quantities, the system was nevertheless reliable and well received by both American and British troops alike. The 30-round clip offered up the ability to fire the powerful man-stopping .45 ACP caliber ammunition with a good rate of fire. Likewise, the British were more apt to use their own production submachine gun known as the Sten series. This weapon was portable and highly reliable and would end up in various forms by the end of the war. Consequently, the Germans were always in need of infantry weapons to supply their ever-growing fronts.
The MP40 was such a weapon, offering up nearly identical performance of the American M1 Thompson and well suited to mass production techniques. Which ever flavor you look at, the submachine really came into its own. Today it serves a much defined purpose within the evolution of special forces groups around the world. The German Heckler & Koch MP5 series of submachine guns remains the best in the world, offering up a tremendous pedigree and numerous reliable yet specialized variants to boot. The ability for the single infantry man to "sweep" a room with a high rated firing submachine gun has never been more important than it is today - an age where close quarters combat is the norm as much as is battlefield engagements. |
