Erma EMP
Erma Werke (Erfurter Maschinenfabrik B. Geipel GmbH) · Submachine Gun · Out Of Production · 1932
Also known as: EMP, EMP 35, MPE, Maschinenpistole Erma, Vollmer EMP, Erma-Vollmer
Overview
The Erma EMP (Erma Maschinenpistole), also called the MPE, was a German submachine gun manufactured by Erfurter Maschinenfabrik (Erma) from 1932 to 1945, based on patents acquired from designer Heinrich Vollmer. Distinctive features include a wooden full stock with a vertical wooden foregrip, a side-mounted box magazine, a perforated barrel jacket, and Vollmer's signature telescoping recoil-spring assembly that protected the spring inside a steel tube. Roughly 10,000 were produced and exported to Spain, France, Mexico, Yugoslavia, and China before German police and Waffen-SS adoption.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4100 g (144.6 oz) |
| Overall Length | 950 mm (37.40") |
| Barrel Length | 250 mm (9.84") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 32 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 395 m/s (1296 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 581 J (429 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 150 m (164 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 200 m (219 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 500 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 9x19mm Parabellum · primary · 9mm NATO — also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, 9x19mm
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Bolt Safety Notch
- Features: Open Bolt, Left Side Mounted Magazine, Wooden Full Stock, Vertical Wooden Foregrip, Vollmer Telescoping Recoil Spring, Tangent Rear Sight, Perforated Barrel Jacket
Variants
- Erma EMP-25 (short barrel) — Barrel Length Variant
- Erma EMP-30 (long barrel) — Barrel Length Variant
- Erma EMP 44 — Wartime Simplified Derivative
Service history
Operators
- Republican Forces (International Brigades) · adopted 1936
- Nationalist Forces · adopted 1936
- Waffen-SS · adopted 1939 · as MPE
- French Army
- Yugoslav Royal Army
Conflicts
- Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
- World War II (1939-1945)
- Chaco War (1932-1935)
Production
Estimated total produced: 10,000 · Production years: 1932-1945
Approximately 10,000 produced across three main variants distinguished by barrel length, sight type, and presence of the forward grip. Exported widely to Spain, France, Mexico, Yugoslavia, and China before WWII; later issued to German police and Waffen-SS units.
Origin
Country of origin: Germany
Designer: Heinrich Vollmer
Discontinued: 1945
Notes
Vollmer originally produced the design himself starting in 1925 (the VPM 1925/26/30 series) before selling manufacturing rights to Erma in 1931. The EMP's vertical wooden foregrip is its most recognizable visual feature and made it widely sought-after by Spanish Civil War combatants on both sides. Some versions were produced without the foregrip. The much-simplified wartime EMP 44 is a separate stamped-steel design and not a true variant.
Background
Heinrich Vollmer designed the EMP independently after losing a German Army contract in the late 1920s, then licensed it to Erma when the Treaty of Versailles still restricted German automatic-weapon production. Its iconic vertical wooden foregrip - at the time considered exotic on a submachine gun - would influence the visual design of submachine guns for decades, including the M1928 Thompson and the Soviet PPD.