Mors M1939
| Mors M1939 | |
|---|---|
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| general information | |
| Military designation: | 9 mm pistolet maszynowy wz. 39 Mors |
| Country of operation: | Poland |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Piotr Wilniewczyc, Jan Skrzypiński / Radom Arms Factory |
| Development year: | 1937 |
| Manufacturer country: | Poland |
| Production time: | 1939 |
| Weapon Category: | Submachine gun |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 970 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 4.37 kg |
| Barrel length : | 300 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 9 × 19 mm |
| Possible magazine fillings : | probably 25 cartridges |
| Ammunition supply : | Bar magazine |
| Cadence : | 500 rounds / min |
| Fire types: | Single, continuous fire |
| Visor : | open sights |
| Closure : | pneumatically delayed mass closure |
| Charging principle: | shooting recoil gun |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Mors M1939 , also called 9 mm pistolet maszynowy wz. Known as 39 Mors , it was a Polish submachine gun manufactured in 1939 for testing purposes. A total of 50 pieces of the weapon were produced. This makes the Mors M1939 one of the rarest submachine guns of the Second World War . Some machine guns were used by Polish troops in the fight against the German Wehrmacht in 1939 .
history
There are said to have been no machine guns in Poland until 1936. As in many other countries, the need for submachine guns for the armed forces was not recognized by the military leadership for a long time. Therefore, the development of such a weapon was prevented for a long time. When the need for such weapons in Poland was recognized, some copies of the foreign submachine guns Thompson M1928 A1 , Suomi M-31 and Erma EMP were purchased for trial purposes. The two Polish weapon designers Piotr Wilniewczyc and Jan Skrzypiński dealt with the development of a submachine gun. From 1937 various prototypes (mainly based on the Erma EMP model) were manufactured and tested. All the different prototypes had some problems in common. With continuous fire the weapons were due to the excess cadence difficult to control (approximately 1200 rounds / min) and the relatively low weight, which had a negative impact on the precision. In addition, there were regular technical malfunctions during the tests. In 1938 one of the improved experimental weapons was patented. However, this prototype (rate: approx. 750 rounds / min) still had the same problems. In a short time two new weapons were designed, one of which was immediately withdrawn. After a few more modifications, the second model was able to establish itself as a better weapon. This model was used by the Polish armed forces under the name “9 mm pistolet maszynowy wz. 39 Mors “officially introduced. At the same time, 36 weapons were commissioned for a troop test. It is possible that up to 50 pieces were made for these purposes.
When Poland was attacked by the German troops in September 1939 ( attack on Poland ), only these experimental weapons existed. Some of them were used at the Battle of Warsaw (1939) in the fight against the Wehrmacht (by the 3rd Rifle Battalion and the headquarters company of the 39th Infantry Division, both stationed in Rembertów ). After the outbreak of the war, it was feared that the German occupiers would use the M1939 to their advantage and have it mass- produced. Therefore all documentation about the Mors M1939 was either destroyed or hidden after the outbreak of war. According to contemporary witnesses, some Mors machine guns were buried by Polish soldiers after the surrender of Poland. Only four incomplete specimens of the weapon have survived worldwide.
construction
The stock and the arrangement of the magazine and pistol grip were taken from the German Erma EMP submachine gun . However, the magazine slot is at the bottom, not on the left side as with the Erma EMP. The Mors submachine guns are shooting, unlocked recoil loaders. The M1939 has two special technical features. On the one hand the pneumatically delayed mass lock, on the other hand the construction of the magazine shaft. In the closure piece there is a cavity with an opening to the outside that is open when the closure is closed. When the shutter slides back, this opening closes. This creates an increased pressure in the cavity of the closure, which slows it down. This construction is intended to ensure a low cadence. After the last shot, the slide remains in the open position and the magazine is loosened. The magazine does not fall out, but can be removed by the shooter without resistance. When a full magazine is inserted into the magazine well, the bolt closes automatically and the weapon is ready for use again. The Mors M1939 has two triggers with which the fire mode can be selected. The front trigger must be used for continuous fire, the rear trigger for single fire. There is a one-legged tripod in the front handle that can be pulled out if necessary. This allows the submachine gun to be stabilized while firing, similar to a bipod . The cocking handle is on the right. The muzzle velocity is 385–400 meters per second, the maximum operational range 200 meters.
literature
- Michael Heidler: Submachine guns 1939–1945: Development - Types - Technology . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2019, ISBN 978-3-613-04186-8 .
- Günter Wollert, Reiner Lidschun: Infantry weapons yesterday . (1918-1945). In: Illustrated encyclopedia of infantry weapons from around the world . 3. Edition. tape 1 + 2 . Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-89488-036-8 , weapons, p. 365-367 .
Web links
- Mors wz.39 (Article about Mors M1939, last accessed on May 16, 2018)