Erma Werke (Erfurter Maschinenfabrik)

About

Erma Werke (Erfurter Maschinen- und Werkzeugfabrik GmbH) was a German firearms manufacturer founded in 1922, in Thuringia. In the early 1930s, the company acquired licenses to produce the Karabiner 98k, and later attained notoriety producing maschinenpistoles such as the Erma EMP and MP38/MP40 series. After the war, the Thuringia factory fell into disuse and was ordered to be liquidated by the Soviets in 1948. It was reestablished as ERMA-Werke in West Germany in 1949, in Bavaria, and produced appliances and eventual M1 Carbine clones for West German police. The company mostly produced sporting arms and non-lethal pistols throughout the years until declaring bankruptcy in 1997. The company ultimately ended up in possession by Heckler & Koch in 2004, and was closed for good.