Hugo Schmeisser - Before and During World War I

Before and During World War I

The submachine guns of Theodor Bergmann are closely connected with its name recognition and weapons production in the time leading up to the First World War. 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 crucial importance of his expertise in machine gun technology.

After two years in World War I, trench warfare had solidified on the Western Front. Using only carbines, raids at up to 100 m from the trenches seemed nearly impossible. Artillery fire and bayonet attacks led to heavy losses on both sides of the front. Between 1917 and 1918, Schmeisser developed an automatic weapon with a practical range of 200 m. These MP 18s soon became the basic armament of combat teams, which broke through the front in March 1918 during Operation Michael. These troops, exclusively equipped with MPs, hand grenades, and pistols, broke through the front and went on a full offensive against their enemies. These offensive infantry tactics became the forerunners to tank warfare during World War II. Thirty-five thousand MP 18s were produced by Bergmann alone.