| Type | Semi-automatic rifle |
|---|---|
| Place of origin |  United States |
| In service | 1936–1957 (as the standard US service rifle) |
|---|---|
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | World War II Korean War Arab-Israeli War Hukbalahap Rebellion First Indochina War Suez Crisis Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Northern Ireland Troubles Other conflicts around the world |
| Weight | 9.5 lb (4.31 kg) to 11.6 lb (5.3 kg) |
|---|---|
| Length | 43.5 in (1,100 mm) |
| Barrel length | 24 in (609.6 mm) |
The M1 Garand (officially designated as United States Rifle, Caliber .30, M1 and later simply Rifle, Caliber .30, M1, and also abbreviated as US Rifle, Cal. .30, M1), was the first semi-automatic rifle to be generally issued to the infantry of any nation. Called "the greatest battle implement ever devised" by General George S. Patton, the Garand officially replaced the bolt-action M1903 Springfield as the standard service rifle of the United States Armed Forces in 1936 and was subsequently replaced by the selective fire M14 in 1957. However, the M1 continued to be used in large numbers until 1963 and to a lesser degree until 1966.
The M1 was used heavily by U.S. forces in World War II, the Korean War, and, to a limited extent, the Vietnam War. Most M1 rifles were issued to Army and Marine troops, though many thousands were also lent or provided as foreign aid to America's allies. The Garand is still used by drill teams and military honor guards. It is also widely sought by the civilian population as a hunting rifle, target rifle, and military collectible. The name "Garand" is pronounced variously as /ɡəˈrænd/ or /ˈɡærənd/. According to experts and people who knew John Garand, the weapon's designer, the latter version is preferred. It is now available to civilians in the original .30-06 chambering, as well as in .308 Winchester. Though the U.S. Army became interested in self-loading rifles with the Bang and Murphy-Manning of 1911, and there were pre-production models in 1916,.the M1's origin properly dates to 1919, when armies around the world were realizing standard rifle cartridges were more powerful than necessary for typical engagement ranges, leading to heavier rifles than really required. The Army trials in the 1920s had a .256 inch minimum caliber requirement, compared to the .30-06 then standard.
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MP 40
| Type | Submachine gun |
|---|---|
| Place of origin |  Nazi Germany |
| In service | 1939–Present |
|---|---|
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | World War II, Cold War (Limited) |
| Designer | Heinrich Vollmer |
|---|---|
| Designed | 1938 |
| Manufacturer | Erma Werke |
| Produced | 1940–1945 |
| Number built | Approx. 1 million |
| Variants | MP 36, MP 38, MP 40, MP 40/1, MP 41 |
| Weight | 4 kg (8.82 lb) |
|---|---|
| Length | 833 mm (32.8 in) stock extended / 630 mm (24.8 in) stock folded |
| Barrel length | 251 mm (9.9 in) |
| Cartridge | 9x19mm Parabellum |
|---|---|
| Action | Straight blowback, open bolt |
| Rate of fire | 500 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | ~380 m/s (1,247 ft/s) |
| Effective range | 150 to 200 m |
| Feed system | 32-round detachable box magazine 64-round with dual magazines |
| Sights | Hooded front blade, fixed and flip-up U-notch rear |
The MP 38 and MP 40 (MP designates Maschinenpistole, literally "Machine Pistol") were submachine guns developed in Nazi Germany and used extensively by paratroopers, tank crews, platoon and squad leaders, and other troops during World War II. The MP 40 descended from its predecessor, the MP 38, which was in turn based on the MP 36, a prototype made of machined steel. The MP 36 was developed independently by Erma Werke's Berthold Geipel with funding from the German Army. It took design elements from Heinrich Vollmer's VPM 1930 and EMP. Vollmer then worked on Berthold Geipel's MP 36 and in 1938 submitted a prototype to answer a request from the German Armament services for a new submachine gun, which was adopted as MP 38. The MP 38 was a simplification of the MP 36, and the MP 40 was a further simplification of the MP 38, with certain cost-saving alterations, notably in the more extensive use of stamped steel rather than machined parts.
Other changes resulted from experiences with the several thousand MP 38s in service since 1939, which had been used in action during the invasion of Poland. The changes were incorporated into an intermediate version, the MP 38/40, and then used in the initial MP 40 production version. Just over 1 million were made of all versions in the course of the war.
The MP 40 was often called the "Schmeisser" by the Allies, after weapons designer Hugo Schmeisser. Schmeisser had designed the MP 18, which was the first mass-produced submachine gun, and saw extensive service at the end of the First World War. He did not, however, design the MP 40, although he held a patent on the magazine. He later designed the MP 41, which was an MP 40 with a wooden rifle stock and a selector, identical to those found on the earlier MP 28 submachine gun. The MP 41 was not introduced as a service weapon with the German Army, but saw limited use with some SS and police units. They were also exported to Germany's ally, Romania. The MP 41's production run was brief, as Erma filed a successful patent infringement lawsuit against Schmeisser's employer, Haenel.
Despite the impression given by popular culture, particularly in war films and video games, MP 40s were generally issued only to paratroopers and platoon and squad leaders; the majority of German soldiers carried Karabiner 98k rifles. However, later experience with Soviet tactics - such as the Battle of Stalingrad where entire units armed with submachine guns outgunned their German counterparts in short range urban combat - caused a shift in tactics, and by the end of the war the MP 40 and its derivatives were being issued to entire assault platoons on a limited basis.
There were never enough MP 40s to go around, because raw material and labor costs made it expensive to produce alongside the Kar98 rifles. Starting in 1943, the German army moved to replace both the Kar-98k rifle and MP 40 with the new MP 43/44 assault rifle, also known later as the StG 44.
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