World War II was the most devastating conflict the world has ever seen for more reason than one, but arguably the biggest reason was because it was the first truly modern war fought on a massive scale that we have never witnessed since.
Gone were the days of stagnant trench warfare or where armies would line up to shoot directly into the ranks of one another with single shot rifles. Instead, World War II was much more mobile and fought with newer weapons that were rapidly evolving and far deadlier than the weapons of previous wars.
One of these newer types of weapons at the time was the submachine gun. Submachine guns are compact, shoulder-fired firearms capable of fully automatic fire that are loaded with pistol ammunition. While offering less range a rifle, they were far more effective for close quarters combat and clearing rooms of enemy soldiers.
While submachine guns were introduced during World War I, their use in that war was very limited. It was World War II where submachine guns were first used on a wide scale by the armed forces on both sides of the conflict, and warfare as we know it would never be the same again.
Here are the top fifteen submachine guns of World War II that completely redefined the way close quarters combat was fought:
1 – Thompson M1928A1 (.45 ACP)

The standard issue submachine gun for the United States at the start of the war was the Thompson M1928A1. The M1928A1 was capable of accepting the 50 or 100-round drum magazines that the ‘Tommy guns’ were well-known for, as well as having a Cutts muzzle brake at the end of the barrel, delayed blowback action, and a charging handle located over the top of the receiver. M1928A1 Thompsons saw most service with American troops in the early years of America’s involvement in the war, particularly in the Pacific and North African campaigns, and it was also sold in large numbers to the British before America entered the war.
2 – Thompson M1/M1A1 (.45 ACP)

The Thompson M1 was unveiled in the spring of 1942 as an upgrade to the M1928A1 Thompson. It moved the charging handle to the side of the receiver, removed the muzzle brake at the end of the barrel, simplified the rear sight, and switched from the M1928A1’s delayed blowback action to a straight blowback action. The result was a gun that was far cheaper and quicker to manufacture. In late 1942, the M1 was upgraded to the M1A1, which was the same gun only with protective covers on the side of the rear sight. The M1 and M1A1 could also not accept the drum magazines that the M1928A1 could.
3 – United Defense M42 (9mm)

Contrary to what a lot of people think, the Thompson was not the only American submachine gun of the Second World War. While very effective in combat, the Thompson was also expensive to manufacture and was very heavy, especially when loaded. As a result, the military was already searching for potential replacements early in the war effort. One alternative design that was considered was the United Defense M42. While never put into mass production, the M42 saw limited service with OSS (Office of Strategic Services) agents and was also issued to partisan forces fighting back against the Axis powers in Europe and the Pacific as well.
4 – M3/M3A1 Submachine Gun (.45 ACP)

The submachine gun that ended up replacing the Thompson for the United States was the M3 and later the M3A1 ‘Grease Gun.’ The Grease Gun was much lighter and cheaper to make than the Thompson. However, plans to completely phase out the Thompson were never carried through because of production delays with the M3, so the Thompson remained in service up until the end of the war. The Grease Gun continued to see service with the United States military in limited numbers all the way up until the early 1990s.
5 – Sten Gun (9mm)

The Sten was the primary British submachine gun of World War II. It was designed to be very cheap so it could be mass produced. Whereas the typical Thompson M1928A1 cost $200 to purchase, the Sten was only $11. The gun was a godsend for the British who were in dire need of submachine guns at the start of the war, and it was also widely issued to partisan forces in Europe as well. With over four million units made, it was the second most produced submachine gun of the war, only behind the Soviet PPSh. Speaking of which…
6 – PPSh-41 (7.62x25mm Tokarev)

The PPSh-41, or Machine Pistol 41, was the standard issue submachine gun of the Soviet forces during the war. The Soviet Union produced the PPSh on a mass scale with over 6 million made in total, and it had one of the highest rates of fire of any submachine gun during the war. German soldiers armed with Mauser rifles and MP40s often found themselves outclassed when confronted with entire Soviet platoons that were equipped with the PPSh. One of the PPSh’s drawbacks is that each gun shipped with two 71-round drum magazines that were specially fitted for that gun. If a soldier picked up a drum magazine intended for another PPSh, it may or may not have fed reliably.
7 – PPS (7.62x25mm Tokarev)

Another Soviet-made submachine gun used prominently in the war was the PPS. It was even cheaper and easier to produce than the PPSh, and each gun could be machined and assembled out of the factory in less than three hours. Over two million units were produced in total, and it came standard with a 35-round magazine rather than the drum magazines that the PPSh usually used.
8 – Owen Gun

The Owen Gun, also known as the Owen Machine Carbine, was unique for being the only Australian-produced submachine gun during the war. It helped equip the Australian and New Zealand forces from 1942 onwards, and was also distinctive for its magazine that extended above the barrel and receiver of the gun. The Owen was known for being more reliable than the Thompson in the jungle combat of the Pacific, and it was widely praised by the soldiers who carried it for this reason. There were brief plans to equip American soldiers with the Owen, but this never came to fruition.
9 – MAS-38 (7.65mm Longue)

The MAS-38 was a French-produced submachine gun that was just entering mass production when the German army conquered France in 1940. As a result, the Germans took control of the MAS factory and distributed the MAS-38 primarily as as a secondary arm to their forces stationed in France as well as the Vichy French (the forces of the French government that were installed by the Nazis). The MAS-38 was known for its accuracy but also for being underpowered compared to other submachine guns of the era due to its 7.65mm Longue cartridge.
10 – Suomi KP/-31 (9mm or .32 ACP)

The Suomi KP/-31 was one of the lesser-known and yet most influential submachine guns of the Second World War. It was the primary submachine gun of the Finnish military, who used it to great effect against invading Soviet forces in the Winter War of 1939-40. As a result, the Soviet military was convinced of the effectiveness of submachine guns and began producing the PPSh on a much larger scale. Without the presence of the Suomi, the PPSh may never have produced in as great of numbers as it was. The Suomi was known for being very accurate and controllable for a submachine gun, but at the expense of being rather heavy and somewhat complicated to produce.
11 – Swedish K (9mm)

Also known as the Carl Gustav m/45, the Swedish K was not actually used in World War II but is still noteworthy. It was developed because the Swedish military was looking for an effective submachine gun to help equip their armed forces in the potential event of a German invasion; it was formally adopted by the Swedish army in 1945 as the war was drawing to a close. The gun actually found its greatest success after the war when it found favor with U.S. Special Forces; the Navy SEALs used the weapon to great effect during close quarters combat operations during the Vietnam War.
12 – ZK-383 (9mm)

The ZK-383 was a Czech-made submachine gun that was introduced in 1938. Closely resembling the German WW1-era MP18, the ZK-383 continued production even after Germany took control of Czechoslovakia, and was primarily issued to SS units during the war. The ZK-383’s distinguishing features were the fact that the barrel could be easily removed for cleaning, and by removing the bolt weight, the user could greatly increase the cyclic rate of fire.
13 – MP40 (9mm)

The MP40 was the standard issue submachine gun for the German Wehrmacht in the war. Also known as the Schmeisser, the MP40 was a simplified version of the Germans’ earlier MP38 submachine gun. The MP40 was very maneuverable and easy to control. Its main deficiency was that it was natural for a soldier to want to hold onto the magazine with their supporting hand, but this would increase reliability issues due to single-feed/double-stacked magazine. This was why German troops were trained to hold onto the weapon by its underside instead. Over a million units were produced during the war.
14 – Type 100 (8x22mm Nambu)

The Type 100 was the standard issue submachine gun of the Japanese military during the war, although that’s not saying much since only around 10,000 units were produced in total. Somewhat inspired by the WW1-era German MP18, the Type 100 was noted for its reliability, limited recoil, and ability to mount a bayonet. The Japanese military did not take the idea of issuing their troops submachine guns seriously until 1944, by which point the war had already turned decisively against them and the gun was unable to go into large scale production due to limited resources.
15 – Beretta Model 38 (9mm)

The Beretta Model 38 was the standard issue Italian submachine gun during World War II. The Model 38 was known for being very durable and accurate for a submachine gun, as well as for having demonstrated a high level of craftsmanship like Beretta has long been known for. The Model 38 was distinguishable for its double triggers; the front trigger fired the weapon in semi-automatic and the rear trigger in fully-automatic. Large numbers of these guns were also utilized by the German forces to help supplement the MP38 and MP40. Over a million units were produced.

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