The Wimmersperg Spz ("Sp" stands for STEN-pistole, "z" for zweiteilig. English: Sten pistol, made of two parts) was a family of German
assault rifles that was in the planning stage during the latter days of
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
.
Overview
The overall weapon is largely made up from
Sten Mk II submachine gun components (which the Germans copied as
Gerät Potsdam), most notably the receiver and buttstock. The magazine and magazine release are from 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''). ...
, and so were the barrel blanks. There were three variants designed. The Spz-l (''lange Bauart'', long variant) used a conventional layout with separate pistol grip, while in the Spz-kr (''kurze Bauart mit Regler für Serienfeuer'', short model with burst-fire switch) and Spz-kv (''kurze Bauart mit Verschlußzündung'', striker-fired short model) the magazine itself was the pistol grip. The Spz-l and Spz-kr were hammer-fired, while the Spz-kv was striker-fired. All variants were
gas-operated
Gas-operation is a system of operation used to provide energy to operate locked breech, autoloading firearms. In gas-operation, a portion of high-pressure gas from the cartridge being fired is used to power a mechanism to dispose of the spent ...
, had swappable barrels, and were designed for
selective fire
Selective fire is the capability of a weapon to be adjusted to fire in semi-automatic, fully automatic, and/or burst mode. The modes are chosen by means of a selector switch, which varies depending on the weapon's design. Some selective-fire w ...
. Single-shot fire could be applied by pulling the trigger half way, while pulling the trigger further to the rear produced burst fire.
[''Sturmgewehr! From Firepower to Striking Power'', Hans-Dieter Handrich, ] This function predates the similar operation used on the present day
Steyr AUG
The Steyr AUG () is an Austrian bullpup assault rifle chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO intermediate cartridge, designed in the 1960s by Steyr-Daimler-Puch, and now manufactured by Steyr Arms GmbH & Co KG.
It was adopted by the Austrian A ...
series of rifles.
There is no trace of these weapons in official Nazi documents or even in some German manufacturer's archives. Wimmersperg however had contacts with
Mauser
Mauser, originally Königlich Württembergische Gewehrfabrik ("Royal Württemberg Rifle Factory"), was a German arms manufacturer. Their line of bolt-action rifles and semi-automatic pistols has been produced since the 1870s for the German arm ...
, Simson & Co, and Fokker for some of his other designs. It is possible that Wimmersperg designed the Spz's on behalf of the metal goods factory Spreewerke.
Currently, there is only one true-to-scale museum grade replica of the Spz-l in the world. This was digitally reconstructed by a German designer on the basis of the original construction plans and then built by him.
The gun was designed by Heinrich von Wimmersperg of Austria, who after World War II, moved to
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
, USA. He also designed the ''Wimmersperg Maschinengewehr'' in 1937, a double-barreled, combined gas/recoil operated firearm fed from either magazines or a belt feed with 7.92×57mm cartridges — which was unusual for that the top barrel acted as a gas piston. The over/under barrels fire and reload vice versa. In his later years, he patented designs for
car seats for infants and toddlers.
See also
*
List of assault rifles
An assault rifle is a rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge, a detachable magazine, and can switch between semi-automatic/ fully automatic fire. Assault rifles are currently the standard service rifles in most modern armies. Some rifles lis ...
*
Interdynamics MKS
The MKS is a gas-operated, select-fire rifle of the 5.56×45mm NATO caliber and was manufactured in Sweden by Interdynamics AB. It featured a magazine insert that acted as the pistol grip similar to the Uzi submachine gun but was found uncomfor ...
- Same weapon with similar configuration
References
{{WWIIGermanInfWeapons
7.92×33mm Kurz assault rifles
World War II infantry weapons of Germany
Research and development in Nazi Germany
Rifles of Germany