Erma EMP-44
Erma Werke (Erfurter Maschinenfabrik B. Geipel GmbH) · Submachine Gun · Prototype · 1943
Also known as: EMP 44, Erma EMP 44, Erma MPE
Overview
The Erma EMP-44 is a German prototype submachine gun developed by Erma Werke in 1943 under the wartime Primitiv-Waffen-Programm, an effort to produce a cheap, easily manufactured weapon comparable to the British Sten. Built almost entirely from stamped and welded steel tubing, including a crude skeleton stock made of welded pipes, it fired the 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge from an open bolt by straight blowback. Its most distinctive feature was a twin rotating magazine housing that accepted two 32-round MP 40 magazines, allowing a fresh magazine to be swung into the feed position. The design was rejected by the Heereswaffenamt and never entered series production.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 2950 g (104.1 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 4970 g (175.3 oz) |
| Overall Length | 720 mm (28.35") |
| Barrel Length | 250 mm (9.84") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Magazine Capacity | 32 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 380 m/s (1247 fps) |
| Effective Range | 200 m (219 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 500 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Steel |
| Finish | Phosphate |
Calibers
- 9x19mm Parabellum · primary · 9mm NATO — also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, 9x19mm
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Bolt Safety Notch
- Features: Open Bolt Operation, Stamped Steel Construction, Twin Rotating Magazine Housing, Fixed Iron Sights, Select Fire
Service history
Operators
- Wehrmacht (evaluation only)
Conflicts
- World War II (1939-1945)
Production
Estimated total produced: 1 · Production years: 1943
Single prototype rejected by the Heereswaffenamt; never mass-produced.
Origin
Country of origin: Germany
Designer: Erma Werke
Discontinued: 1943
Notes
Only a single documented prototype was built (serial number 15, manufactured February 1943). Length is sometimes cited as 720 mm; design references also quote 892–950 mm depending on stock configuration, and barrel lengths of either 250 mm or 308 mm. Weight and muzzle velocity figures are estimates drawn from secondary sources.
Background
Conceived under the Primitiv-Waffen-Programm to imitate the cheaply made British Sten gun, the EMP-44 was deliberately crude, with a stock fabricated from welded steel pipes. Despite its low manufacturing cost, German ordnance authorities found it inferior to the MP 40 already in service and declined to adopt it.