In the previous article, we talked about the most famous submachine guns of the third, post-war generation. Their development began either during the war years, or shortly after its end. The main trends in the work of designers have become an increase in reliability (and here the Swedes have achieved a lot), compactness and dirt and dust resistance (and here the Uzi comes out on top), strength (here everyone is "beaten" by the French iron MAC 49), and all other indicators depended on the patron. The 9 × 19 mm Parabellum cartridge dominated here, but the Soviet TT cartridge, yes, was used very widely, but not in new samples. After the appearance of the AK-47, the USSR completely abandoned the production of new PP models, and sent all the old samples to the allies and the national liberation movement.
However, it would be a mistake to think that in the West, where there were many different firms that produced weapons, they would limit themselves only to the samples described in the previous materials. There were many of them who remained "in the shadow of the famous", and today we will also tell about them.
French PPs
Well, we will start with sunny France, where in 1949 the MAT 49 was adopted, and the main requirement for the designers was … its national origin. Until the last screw! So that everyone can see that "France … has not perished", that the French weapons school is still at its best and can create weapons of the highest quality. All this is true, of course. But what happened between 1945 and 1949? Weren't there any other PP samples in France at that time?
Recall that after the end of the war, the French troops used mainly captured weapons of defeated Germany, and in addition, they returned to the production of the pre-war MAS-38. The terms of reference for a completely new submachine gun were also issued. And for four years, several leading arms firms have offered their models of submachine guns of the future, sometimes very curious in design.
The army wanted a weapon chambered for 9x19 mm "Parabellum", with an effective range of up to 200 m. Attention was also paid to ergonomics. The submachine gun was supposed to be convenient for the shooter, and not only when shooting. For some reason, the French believed that weapons had to be folded during transportation in order to occupy a minimum volume. And here you should always remember one important popular saying: "Make the fool pray to God, he will break his forehead." That is, none of these requirements should be taken too seriously. Everything should be in moderation…
Folding "Universal"
Well, such a well-known company as Societe des Armes a Feu Portatives Hotchkiss et Cie, that is, simply the Hotchkiss company, was also involved in the development of the new PP. And by 1949, their sample was ready, like everyone else. Officially, it was named "Universal" because the firm assumed that it could be used by a wide variety of troops.
Outwardly, he was not particularly different from the submachine gun pistols of his time. The barrel length 273 mm (30 calibers) made it possible to obtain good shooting characteristics. The receiver had the simplest outline. Automation "Hotchkiss Universal" was also distinguished by its utmost simplicity and did not contain any innovations. The shutter is like a shutter. The reloading handle is connected to a movable shutter that closes the groove from dirt. When firing, it remained in place. True, the fire mode switch was inconvenient: by pressing the button on the right, single fire was turned on, on the left - in bursts. And it was necessary to constantly keep in mind which one to press. The flag translator, as practice has shown, is always preferable in this case.
The cartridges were fed from a 32-round box magazine. But then “miracles” began, connected with the fact that the company considered the main thing in the design of its PP to be the possibility … to develop. And she was subordinated to this goal without a trace. By the way, folding the Universal was not difficult. Everything was provided for this. First of all, it was necessary to fold the magazine, turning it forward along with the receiver, after which it was pushed into the receiver until it stops (!), After which it was also possible to push the barrel inside the receiver, compressing the mainspring, which reduced the total length of the submachine gun … But that was not all. Now it was necessary to turn the butt down and forward. At the same time, he pressed on the pistol grip of the original device - U-shaped and hollow inside. She took a horizontal position and went to the trigger guard. There was also a U-shaped cutout on the butt plate, into which the magazine fell, and a special lock on the butt tube caught on the tooth on the magazine shaft. The submachine gun was laid out in the reverse order, but the design did not provide for intermediate positions - that is, "either - or".
The full length of the "Universal" when unfolded was 776 mm. Folded - 540 mm. And the recessed barrel saved another 100 mm. The weight of the PP without cartridges was 3, 63 kg. The rate of fire is about 650 rounds per minute. Effective range up to 150-200 m.
The submachine gun was tested all in the same 1949 year and was even recommended for adoption, since it was decided that it was convenient for paratroopers and crews of tanks and combat vehicles. But while the court, yes, the case, MAT 49 managed to appear and the military turned out to take the "Universal".
True, the Venezuelan army, which, incidentally, turned out to be the only buyer of this model, showed interest in the "universal" submachine gun. The fact is that all the "collapsible" tricks of the designers led to the fact that this software turned out to be too complicated, and therefore expensive. As a result, in 1952 Venezuela received the last batch of "Universal", and more "Hotchkiss" did not release them. Some of them still managed to get into the parachute units of the French army, which were fighting at that time in Indochina. It is known that, in general, they proved to be no worse than other samples, but their ability to fold in real was never useful to anyone!
Folded submachine gun "Universal". It should be noted that the magazine is not pushed back to the stop and therefore is not held by a special protrusion at the end of the barrel at the bottom.
"Gevarm" D4
And also in France there was a firm "Guevarm", which released about the same time the submachine gun D4. Moreover, he was even in service with the French police and was exported. The design was traditional: a free bolt, firing from an open bolt, the reloading handle was on the left. A wire stock, a sight with an entirely L-shaped shape, and settings at 50 and 100 meters. The cartridge is still the same: 9x19 mm "Parabellum", weapon weight - 3, 3 kg. With the stock folded, the length was 535 mm. Extended - 782 mm. The rate of fire was 600 rds / min. This submachine gun did not stand out in anything outstanding among others, except for the unusual shape of the barrel casing, which because of this resembled the barrel of a Hotchkiss machine gun, and perhaps the fact that it was later often seen in films with the participation of Pierre Richard.
Submachine gun "Gevarm" D4.
Italian PP
And now let's turn to the designs of Italian engineers who began working on post-war models of submachine guns also during the Second World War. An unusual design in 1943 was proposed by the designer Giuseppe Oliani. His OG-43 submachine gun was produced by the Armaguerra Cremona company and to this day only one sample of this submachine gun has been preserved, and even that one is in a private collection in Switzerland.
It was also one of the first weapons in its class with magazines in the pistol grip and … a "telescopic" bolt, a significant part of the mass of which was in front of him, not behind. But this was clearly not enough for the designer, and he provided for the use of the most advanced technologies for the production of his sample, that is, stamping of its main parts from sheet metal. But … outwardly, he was rather unusual. So, he had a pistol grip, but … under the barrel in front, but it was supposed to hold it from behind directly by the magazine inserted behind the trigger bracket.
The military did not like this very much, and they demanded … to improve this sample, so that one could understand how to "bring it to a more familiar form." Therefore, in 1944, Oliani presented them with a modification already with a "traditional" layout, which received the designation "Armaguerra" OG-44. He now had a "normal" pistol grip, stamped with the receiver, and the magazine receiver was in front of the trigger guard.
Stores in it were used box-type, with a two-row arrangement of cartridges, from the Beretta M38A submachine gun, of various capacities from 20 to 40 cartridges. The crossover sight of the 43 and 44 models had settings at 100 and 200 meters. The weight of the OG-44 without cartridges was 3.2 kg. The OG-44 could be produced with a wooden fixed stock, or a folding metal stock from the OG-43.
But the most important thing is that the OG-43 submachine gun "Armaguerra", although produced in small quantities, certainly influenced a number of post-war models, setting, so to speak, a vector of development. For example, its layout solutions are well traced in the Walter MPL / MPK submachine guns, Franchi LF-57 and in a number of others …
Franchi LF-57 submachine gun, created by Luigi Franchi of Brescia in 1956. The automation has a free L-shaped shutter. The bolt handle is stationary when firing. Fixed sight at 200 m. Rate of fire within 450-470 rds / min. Completely stamped from metal. In 1962 he entered service with the Italian Navy. It was actively supplied to Africa (Angola, Congo-Brazzaville, Zaire, Katanga, Mozambique, Nigeria) and even to the USA.
