Hugo Schmeisser (24 September 1884 – 12 September 1953) was a German developer of 20th century infantry weapons. Schmeisser was born in

Jena Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a po ...

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...

. His father, Louis Schmeisser (1848–1917), was one of the best-known weapons designers in Europe. The life and work of Hugo Schmeisser mostly took place in the weapons manufacturing city of

Suhl Suhl () is a city in Thuringia, Germany, located SW of Erfurt, NE of Würzburg and N of Nuremberg. With its 37,000 inhabitants, it is the smallest of the six urban districts within Thuringia. Together with its northern neighbour-town Zella- ...

, Thuringia.

Before and during World War I

The

submachine gun A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an autom ...

s of Theodor Bergmann are closely connected with its name recognition and weapons production in the time leading up to the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. Schmeisser also received his fundamental training in weapons technology at Bergmann, where 7.63 mm and 9 mm machine gun rounds were being researched. He remained in Suhl during World War I because of the importance of his expertise in machine gun technology.

Before and during World War II

Manufacturing regulations in the

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1 ...

(June 28, 1919) forbade Germany from developing heavy machine guns, but permitted machine pistols or submachine guns as a suitable weapon for police. This signaled the end of a 30-year cooperation between the Schmeissers and Bergmann as production was licensed to foreign weapons manufacturers. Schmeisser decided to continue work in weapons development. Together with his brother Hans Schmeisser, he created the '' "Industriewerk Auhammer Koch und Co" '' (Industrial Auhammer Koch and Company) in Suhl. Being at the end of World War I, he saw little business, and encumbered by the Treaty of Versailles, the future of the company was unclear. Schmeisser defied the treaty, working to continue development of automatic weapons. It was at this time that the company began cooperating with: C. G. Haenel Waffen- u. Fahrradfabrik Suhl ( C.G. Haenel), beginning a 20-year partnership. For the safety of his

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...

s, Schmeisser created a second company under the name of "Brothers Schmeisser" in the summer of 1922. This shrewd tactic was to prevent the loss of his patents if Auhammer went

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

. In order to prevent bankruptcy on both sides, Auhammer and Haenel merged, with Haenel taking full responsibility and liability for Auhammer business affairs. Schmeisser's attorneys who settled the deal became active

shareholder A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder) of a corporation is an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation, a body politic, a trust or partnership) that is registered by the corporation as the legal o ...

s in the company. Before long, it was obvious that development of many types of automatic weapons was unaffected or even accelerated by the Treaty of Versailles. In the 1920s Schmeisser developed the MP28, which was used extensively by the German police. Bayard signed an agreement with Schmeisser to manufacture and sell weapons to South Africa and Spain, among other countries. It is notable that these same weapons were used during the Spanish Civil War only 10 years later. Despite Schmeisser's success, the company often came within inches of bankruptcy. As the Nazis rose to power during 1933, ten weapons development enterprises in Suhl and

Zella-Mehlis Zella-Mehlis is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the Thuringian Forest, 5 km north of Suhl, and 20 km east of Meiningen. The town of Zella-Mehlis is the site of the original Wal ...

merged under the name of "United Suhl-Zella Mehlis Armament Makers". This central administration was used to coordinate production with the army's needs, and it allowed Schmeisser to make a business acquaintance, which later developed to a friendship, with the aviator

Ernst Udet Ernst Udet (26 April 1896 – 17 November 1941) was a German Reich, German pilot during World War I and a ''Luftwaffe'' Colonel-General (''Generaloberst'') during World War II. Udet joined the Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte, Imperial German Ai ...

, a deputy of

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...

under Germany's ''

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

''. Schmeisser had a direct role in military production decisions, often influencing the decisions of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...

and Göring. After 1935 Haenel experienced an enormous upswing in weapon production. Against the desires of many engineers and technical designers, the Schmeisser brothers continued to enforce patent royalties and manage company funds. Berthold Geipel of Erma designed the MP 36 using Vollmer's EMP. The chief designer,

Heinrich Vollmer Heinrich Vollmer (1885 in Altdorf, Esslingen–1961 in Tübingen) was a German small-arms designer. Vollmer began his manufacturing career by making parts for the German copies of the Maxim gun during the First World War. His first innovation wa ...

, revised the basic construction of Erma

MP-36 The MP 40 (''Maschinenpistole 40'') is a submachine gun chambered for the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge. It was developed in Nazi Germany and used extensively by the Axis powers during World War II. Designed in 1938 by Heinrich Vollmer with ...

and developed from it the well-known German submachine guns of the Second World War, the

MP-38 The MP 40 (''Maschinenpistole 40'') is a submachine gun chambered for the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge. It was developed in Nazi Germany and used extensively by the Axis powers during World War II. Designed in 1938 by Heinrich Vollmer with in ...

and the MP-40. 1.2 million pieces were manufactured for these weapons, and were among the first weapons to be manufactured with die cast parts, metal stamping, and a complete machine-assembly. This method revolutionized weapon production, allowing manufacture at an unprecedented speed. They became internationally known as "Schmeisser MP"s, mainly due to the use of the straight magazine he had patented. Schmeisser's most important work had been underway since 1938. This new automatic weapon, with a short cartridge 7.92 mm, allowed for smart usage of resources and high production. At first named the Mkb 42, it later received the designation of MP-43, and it became one of the first assault rifles. By 1943, 10,000 had been manufactured for the front. For a short time, Hitler stopped production, as he was mysteriously opposed to the new weapon. In 1944, after troop testing verified the new weapon's effectiveness, Hitler authorized mass production of the MP-43 as well as further research into a new MP-44. In April 1944 the new weapon received the designation of ''"Sturmgewehr 44"'' ("Assault Rifle 44"). The

StG 44 The StG 44 (abbreviation of Sturmgewehr 44, "assault rifle 44") is a German assault rifle developed during World War II by Hugo Schmeisser. It is also known by its early designations as the MP 43 and MP 44 (''Maschinenpistole 43'' and ''44''). ...

was arguably Schmeisser's most important weapon development.

After World War II

On 3 April 1945 American troops began to occupy the city of Suhl. Weapons manufacturing was prohibited during this time. Hugo Schmeisser and his brother Hans were interrogated for weeks by weapon expert teams of the American and British

secret service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. Fo ...

s. At the end of June 1945, American troops evacuated Suhl and all of

. One month later, the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

assumed control over the area, starting a civilian works project to manufacture weapons for the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

. By August 1945, the Red Army had created 50 StG 44s from existing assembly parts, and had begun inspecting their design. 10,785 sheets of technical designs were confiscated by the Soviets as part of their research. Schmeisser was one of 16 Germans for which a special department (no. 58) was created at factory number 74, later known as

Izhmash JSC Kalashnikov Concern (), known until 2013 as the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant (), is a Russian defense manufacturing concern and joint-stock company headquartered in the city of Izhevsk in the Republic of Udmurtia as well as the capital ci ...

. Schmeisser was appointed as one of the five designers of the group, together with Kurt Horn and

Werner Gruner Werner Gruner (1904–1995) was a small-arms designer, mechanical engineer, university teacher and from 1958 to 1961 rector of the Dresden University of Technology. Life and work before 1945 Gruner was born on June 7, 1904 in the village Ter ...

(both from Grossfuss) and Oscar Schink (from Gustloff), under the formal leadership of Karl Barnitzke (also from Gustloff). There is some evidence that Schmeisser was uncooperative with the Soviets; he received the most negative review by his Soviet handlers in this group of designers. In these Soviet reviews, Schmeisser was described as a "practical man", whose lack of formal training showed whenever he was presented with any design problems. Schmeisser worked in Izhevsk until 1952 when he and other German specialists returned to Germany. At short notice, his stay in the Soviet Union was extended beyond that of the other weapon specialists by a half year. He finally returned home on 9 June 1952. Schmeisser died on 12 September 1953, and was buried in Suhl. The 50th anniversary of his death was honored by a ceremony held in Suhl, as he is recognized as one of the most important technical designers of infantry weapons of the 20th century. There is a theory about participation of Hugo Schmeisser in the design and development of the Kalashnikov AK-47 rifle due to its undeniable similarities to the Sturmgewehr 44. There are two main reasons why this theory may not be true: First, the AK-47 was designed and first experimental specimen were produced at the factory No.2, located in the city of Kovrov, the same factory that hosted design bureau of Vasilij Degtyarov. Kalashnikov moved to Izhevsk only in 1948, when serial manufacture of AK-47 was ordered for troop trials. Second, when production of the recently adopted AK was transferred from the factory No.524 to the factory No. 74 in 1949, the official orders expressly prohibited German engineers that worked there from access to classified developments, including the AK. However, the Soviets were under no obligation to disclose to Schmeisser the purpose of the work they employed him to complete.

Designs

Schmeisser had no role in the development of the MP-40 submachine gun despite its nickname "Schmeisser". * Bergmann Nr. 7 mod. 1903 Mars pistol; externally resembling the

Mauser C96 The Mauser C96 (''Construktion 96'') is a semi-automatic pistol that was originally produced by German arms manufacturer Mauser from 1896 to 1937. Unlicensed copies of the gun were also manufactured in Spain and China in the first half of the 2 ...

. 16,000 units made together by Bergmann's company and by Anciens Etablissements Pieper (under license), most chambered in 9mm Largo. *

Bergmann MG 15nA machine gun The Bergmann MG 15nA was a World War I light machine gun produced by Germany starting in 1915. It used 100- and 200-round belts and utilized a bipod, which allowed the weapon to be mounted on a flat surface for more accurate firing. It was bri ...

; light machine gun (by World War I standards, 12.9 kg) manufactured in 5,000 units towards the end of the war. * Bergmann MP 18; about 17,000 made, not counting various clones and close copies. * Haenel Schmeisser mod. I pocket pistol in 6.35 mm, based on two Schmeisser patents. Some 40,000 were made. * Haenel mod. 1928 air pistol; externally resembling the Parabellum P08. about 25,000 units sold. * MP 28 * Haenel mod. 33 Junior; an air rifle resembling the Kar98. * MP 41, about 26,500 made mostly for export to the Nazi Germany allies. *

MkB 42(H) The Maschinenkarabiner 42(H) or MKb 42(H) (machine carbine Model 1942 (Haenel)) was an early German assault rifle firing an intermediate round of World War II. Designed in 1940-41 by Hugo Schmeisser working for ''C. G. Haenel Waffen und Fah ...

* MP 43/1 *

(former MP 43, MP 44) * StG 45(H); new roller-delayed design; one captured prototype was tested at

Aberdeen Proving Grounds Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) (sometimes erroneously called Aberdeen Proving ''Grounds'') is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work a ...

Bibliography

External links