Weight – 9.21 lbs (4.18kg)
Length – 32.8 in (832mm)
Barrel Length – 7.9 in (200mm)
Cartridge – 9x19mm Parabellum, 7.63x25mm Mauser
Action – Open-bolt blowback
Rate of Fire – 1,247 ft/s (380m/s)
Feed System – 32 round detachable drum magazine; TM08
In honor of Battlefield 1, coming out October 21, 2016, we decided to do a little research on this particular World War I era weaponry. One we came across, is the Maschinenpistole 18/I, also known as the MP-18.
The MP-18 is a German submachine gun, first designed by Hugo Schmeisser in 1916 and manufactured by Theodor Bergmann.
It was first introduced on the battlefield towards the end of the war in 1918 by the German Army. The weapon was specialized for close quarters trench combat.
Production of the MP-18 ended in the 1920s. The MP-18 is the basis of design for most submachine guns that were manufactured between the years of 1920 and 1960. Notice the similarities between the MP-18 and the World War II German MP-40?
The MP-18 was developed around the idea of infiltration, fire and movement, specifically in the trenches to clear out enemy troops. In trench combat, engagements were likely to occur up to a few feet at most, and because of this, the MP-18 was made for close quarters combat.