MP40 machine gun with belt Germany 1940

MP40 machine gun, 9mm, Germany 1940 (WW2). With leather strap.

The MP40 (Maschinenpistole 40) was an automatic submachine gun used extensively by Nazi Germany's troops (usually officers and paratroopers) during World War II. Designed by Heinrich Vollmer, of Erma, to equip soldiers with an assault weapon, mainly mechanised infantry units and paratroopers, it was manufactured until the end of the conflict. An excellent weapon for short-range combat (urban areas, forests, etc.), it was, however, ineffective in open terrain combat due to its limited range. This was one of the reasons for the design of the Stg-44, the predecessor of modern assault rifles.