SIG MP-41 Neuhausen Submachine Gun is a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

submachine gun A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine (firearms), magazine-fed automatic firearm, 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 descri ...

Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft SIG Group AG is a Swiss multinational corporation and one of the biggest manufacturers in the packaging industry. Originally founded 1853 as a railway car producer named ''Schweizerische Waggonfabrik'' ("Swiss Wagon Factory"), it was renamed ...

in 1941. It was one of submachine gun candidates for

Swiss Army The Swiss Armed Forces (; ; ; ; ) are the military and security force of Switzerland, consisting of land and air service branches. Under the country's militia system, regular soldiers constitute a small part of the military and the rest are ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, but was not chosen. Instead, the Furrer MP41/44 was adopted, mainly due to Colonel Adolf Furrer's influence in the Swiss Army at the time.McNab, Chris (2018). ''Modern Small Arms - 300 of the World's Greatest Small Arms'', Amber Books Ltd, The MP41 is a rare firearm, with only about 200 samples ever produced.

History

At the onset of

, Switzerland had declared neutrality in the fast-escalating conflict. The prospect of potential invasion by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

was a real possibility and in preparation for such scenario, the Kriegs Technisch Amt, sent out an ordnance survey to

in May 1940. Upon reviewing the results, the outfit found that the Swiss Army had fewer than 500

s at their disposal and the matter needed to be rectified urgently.
The

Swiss army The Swiss Armed Forces (; ; ; ; ) are the military and security force of Switzerland, consisting of land and air service branches. Under the country's militia system, regular soldiers constitute a small part of the military and the rest are ...

commissioned SIG and

W+F Bern W, or w, is the twenty-third letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''double-u'',Pronounced in formal situation ...

, two of the largest domestic small arms producers in Switzerland, to create new submachine gun prototypes for the Army. SIG developed the MP-41, which as an evolution of SIG's prior MKMO submachine gun platform. Like the MKMO, the MP-41 retained the swiveling magazine housing that folded horizontally into a groove in the fore-end. A prototype without this feature was also designed.

Tests

In 1941, the submachine gun trials were held and SIG submitted a batch of 50 units for testing. SIG's competitor was the W+F's Furrer MP41/44. The submachine gun trials were derailed by Colonel Adolf Furrer's influence and due to his actions, the Swiss Army ended up choosing the Furrer MP41/44 over SIG MP41. SIG attempted to market the MP41 abroad, but were blocked from doing so by Switzerland's neutrality laws. Only 200 MP41s were produced before the design was abandoned.

Design and operation

The SIG MP 41 (although it was predated by the MK33 and MK37 from the 1930s) was a Straight Forward blow back. The weapon was made of forged steel which made it heavy to carry and handle but the firearm worked well. The weapon used 9mm parabellum from a 40-round box magazine and had an 850 rpm cycle rate.

Notes

* The Swiss government body for war preparations. * Furrer MP41/44 was the more expensive of the two choices. It was also the more complex design, and its components were difficult to clean and maintain in field conditions. Military experts regard adoption of Furrer SMG a mistake on the Swiss Army's part.

References

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External links