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Erma EMP
The Erma EMP, also called the Erma EMP 34 & Erma EMP 35 (not to be confused with the Bergmann MP 35/I) or the Erma MPE, is a German submachine gun, which was manufactured from 1931 to 1938 by Erfurter Maschinen- und Werkzeugfabrik Berthold Geipel GmbH (ERMA). The terms EMP and MPE stand for Erma-Maschinenpistole and Maschinenpistole-Erma. The weapon was a further development of the submachine guns VMP (Vollmer Maschinenpistole) VMP 1925, VMP 1928, VMP 1928 and VMP 1930 developed by Heinrich Vollmer.
The weapons designer Heinrich Vollmer developed his first submachine gun with the name VMP 1925 in 1925 based on the Bergmann MP 18. Like the later models, this prototype was equipped with a cooling jacket for the barrel and an additional, front wooden handle. However, the weapon was loaded with a 25-round drum magazine. The prototype was further developed to the models VMP 1928 and VMP 1930. The drum magazine was replaced by a 32-round box magazine and the cooling jacket was dispensed with. There should also have been magazines for 20, 40 and 50 cartridges. The VMP 1930 used a similar telescopic closing spring as the later submachine gun MP 38, MP 40 and MP 41. The patent for this development received Heinrich Vollmer in 1933. These Vollmer submachine guns had a cadence of 600 rounds / min and were for the same cartridges as the later Erma EMP set up.
The development of the VMP models was partly secretly supported and financed by the Reichswehr. Officially, no machine guns, including machine pistols or "machine carbines" (as submachine guns were called in Europe at the time) were allowed to be developed or manufactured in the German Reich because of the Treaty of Versailles. This cooperation was abruptly stopped on the one hand because of the global economic crisis, on the other hand due to the negative attitudes of military leadership toward submachine guns, which were thought of as weapons for criminals rather than soldiers. From the early Vollmer machine pistols, a total of 350 to 400 pieces were produced by the Vollmer plants. Due to the low number of pieces produced, Heinrich Vollmer could not become commercially successful with these models. Therefore, Vollmer turned to the Erma Werke to finance the production and sale of its submachine guns in large numbers. As a result, the VMP 1930 was slightly upgraded and re-equipped with the previous cooling jacket. Vollmer sold his licenses to Erma, who manufactured these weapons in four versions and sold worldwide.
The Erma submachine guns were exported worldwide and produced under license in Spain (where it was called the Coruña MP 41/44) and Switzerland. The weapon was used during the Second World War by the SS and the police in the German Reich. In addition, the EMP was used in the Spanish Civil War and the Chaco War. In addition, the Polish Mors M1939 was developed on a model of the Erma EMP, which were allegedly from Belgium. Ironically, Erma-Vollmer was also in fact the main (of all the very diverse, but few models available) France's submachine gun at the beginning of the war with Germany (although in fact only 1000 of them were used, due to lack the required number of spare magazines).
Volmer also participated in a military competition for a basic submachine gun for the Wehrmacht. On the basis of the EMP 35 model, he created an innovative weapon for those times. We are talking about the EMP 36 model. It was the first weapon that had a folding stock. A special catch on the barrel that allows shooting from inside the vehicle, and the magazine well is slightly ajar to the side. This competition was also joined by Hugo Schmeisser, who presented the Schmeisser MK 36/III model (It was his third design, which is why it has III in its name. The first design was MP 18/I and the second MP 28/II). As a result of the competition, both constructs were combined and the MP 38 was created.
Vollmer VMP
The VMP (Vollmer Maschinenpistole) was a German submachine gun that was designed by Heinrich Vollmer. The term VMP applies to 4 models produced by Vollmer.
- VMP 1925 - Model with a 25-round drum magazine. It has a barrel cover.
- VMP 1926 - Modification of the previous model without a barrel guard. It also has a drum magazine for 25 rounds.
- VMP 1928 - Another modification of the previous model. It has a box magazine placed horizontally on the left side of the weapon. The magazines had a capacity of 20, 40 and 50 rounds.
- VMP 1930 - Another modification of the previous model. It has a longer barrel compared to other prototypes. It was the basis for the creation of the Erma EMP model.
Specifications
(1925 - 1930)
- Type: Submachine Gun
- Country of Origin: Germany
- Caliber: 9×19mm Parabellum
- Weight: 9.92 pounds (4.50 kilograms)
- Length: 37.43 inches (95.1 centimetres)
- Barrel length: 12.60 inches (32.0 centimetres) (Long-barrel), 7.80 inches (19.8 centimetres) (Short-barrel)
- Capacity: 25-round detachable drum magazine, 20, 40 and 50-round detachable box magazine
The Vollmer VMP and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuba | A weapon similar to the VMP 1928 | 1979 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Notes | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enlisted | VMP 1926 | 2021 |
Erma EMP 34/35
Specifications
(1931 - 1938)
- Type: Submachine Gun
- Country of Origin: Germany
- Caliber: 9x19mm, 9mm Bergmann-Bayard, 7.65x21 mm Luger, 7.63x25 mm Mauser, 9mm Mauser Export
- Weight: 4 kg (8 lb 13 oz)
- Length: 95 cm (3 ft 1 in)
- Barrel length: 32 cm (13 in)
- Capacity: 20 or 32-round detachable box magazine
- Fire Modes: Semi-auto / full-auto
The Erma EMP 34 & Erma EMP 35 and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our Agent Tiger (Le Tigre se parfume à la dynamite) | Roger Hanin | Louis Rapière aka Tiger | 1964 | |
| Micaela Pignatelli | Sarita Sanchez | |||
| Various | ||||
| The Olsen Gang | Danish police officers | 1968 | ||
| The Olsen Gang in a Fix | Bavarian mobsters | 1969 | ||
| Papillon | French Gendarmerie | Spanish EMP | 1973 | |
| The Seventh Company Outdoors (La 7ème compagnie au clair de lune) | A German soldier | 1977 | ||
| Cuba | Sean Connery | Maj. Robert Dapes | Spanish EMP | 1979 |
| Cuban Government soldiers and guerillas | ||||
| Lili Marleen | A German soldier | 1981 | ||
| Libertarias | Ana Belén | Pilar | Spanish EMP | 1996 |
| Victoria Abril | Floren | |||
| Blanca Apilánez | Aura | |||
| Laura Mañá | Concha | |||
| Joan Crosas | Boina | |||
| Jorge Sanz | Worker Son | |||
| José Sancho | Worker Father | |||
| Anarchists | ||||
| Stalingrad | A German Soldier | Spanish EMP | 2013 |
Television
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front | A German soldier | Spanish EMP | 2014 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Notes | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battlefield V | EMP | 2018 | |
| Call of Duty: WWII | Erma EMP | Added in June 4th 2019 update; modeled on the Coruña M41/44 | 2019 |
| Enlisted | Hybrid German/Spanish model | 2021 | |
| Silenced model | |||
| Sniper Elite 5 | 2022 |
Anime
| Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spy Classroom - Season 1 | Galgadian soldiers | 2023 |
Erma EMP 36
Specifications
(1936 - 1938)
- Type: Submachine Gun
- Country of Origin: Germany
- Caliber: 9×19mm Parabellum
- Weight: 3,96 kg
- Length: 831 mm
- Barrel length: 250 mm
- Capacity: 32-round detachable box magazine
The Erma EMP 36 and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Notes | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enlisted | 2021 |
See Also
- Erma Werke - A list of weapons produced by Erma Werke
- MP 38 - The basic weapon of the German army at the beginning of the Second World War.
- MP 40 - The basic weapon of the German army since 1940.