Vol. IX No. 1

Hugo Schmeisser’s Bergmann Sub-machine Guns: M.P.18,I to M.P.18,IV & the SIG Bergmann M.P.

Hans-Christian Vortisch

Abstract

In this article, the author examines previous attempts at explaining the unusual nomenclature of the famous German Bergmann M.P.18,I sub-machine gun and its variants, designed by Hugo Schmeisser during and shortly after the First World War. Based on a re-examination of the single known example of the M.P.18,III, the author offers his own theories as to the origin of the nomenclature, suggesting that the model name originates with the designer and/or manufacturer, rather than the military. The various estimates of the exact production numbers of these weapons are also considered, and these are compared with the author’s own serial number database. The available serial numbers suggest that, not only were more guns produced than commonly thought, there were possibly additional examples manufactured for end users other than the German military

Issue: Vol. IX No. 1
Published: 31 July, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52357/armax64570
Peer-reviewed?: Yes

Keywords: Bergmann, Schmeisser, SIG, Germany, sub-machine guns

Bibliographic Information

Hans-Christian Vortisch, ‘Hugo Schmeisser’s Bergmann Sub-machine Guns: M.P.18,I to M.P.18,IV & the SIG Bergmann M.P.’, Armax: The Journal of Contemporary Arms, Vol. IX № 1 (2023), pp. 1–20, <https://doi.org/10.52357/armax64570>.

About the Author

Hans-Christian Vortisch is a German researcher specialising in the interwar period, in firearms used by criminals, and in tracking official inventories. He holds a Master’s degree in English and Scandinavian Studies from the Freie Universität in Berlin. He is currently trying to trace all sub-machine gun use by American criminals in the years between 1921 and 1939.