Standschütze Hellriegel
Austro-Hungarian Empire (experimental) · Submachine Gun · Prototype · 1915
Also known as: Hellriegel 1915, Standschütze Hellriegel M1915, Hellriegel M1915
Overview
The Standschütze Hellriegel is an experimental Austro-Hungarian submachine gun developed in 1915 during the First World War, and ranks among the earliest submachine gun designs alongside the Italian Villar-Perosa. It is believed to have operated on a direct blowback action with dual recoil springs and was most likely chambered for the 9x23mm Steyr pistol cartridge, the standard Austro-Hungarian service pistol round. Its most distinctive feature was a short water-cooled barrel encased in a leather-wrapped jacket, fitted with a pair of ports to fill and drain the coolant, intended to sustain heavy automatic fire. Ammunition was fed via a flexible chute from a large drum holding roughly 160 rounds for fixed defensive use, or from a box magazine of about 20 rounds for mobile fire. The design included a folding ladder sight on the receiver, a tube handgrip beneath the barrel jacket, and an over-the-shoulder bracing harness for firing from the hip while advancing. It never progressed beyond the prototype stage; only three photographs taken at a firing range in October 1915 document its existence.
Specifications
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Open Bolt |
| Magazine Capacity | 160 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Drum |
| Muzzle Velocity | 360 m/s (1181 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 490 J (361 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 100 m (109 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 600 rpm |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
Calibers
- 9x23mm Steyr · primary — also known as 9mm Steyr, 9x23mm Largo Steyr, 9mm Steyr M12
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Drum Magazine, Detachable Box Magazine
- Features: Water Cooled Barrel, Leather Wrapped Cooling Jacket, Dual Recoil Springs, Folding Ladder Sight, Flexible Feed Chute, Shoulder Bracing Harness, Tube Handgrip, Dual Feed System, Drum Magazine, Stick Magazine
Service history
Operators
- Austro-Hungarian Army
Conflicts
- World War I (1914-1918)
Production
Production years: 1915
Experimental prototype only; no serial production. Known solely from three October 1915 photographs.
Origin
Country of origin: Austria
Designer: Hellriegel
Discontinued: 1915
Notes
Almost all specifications are conjectural, reconstructed from three surviving 1915 test photographs held in the Austrian National Library's photo archive (Bildarchiv Austria) under the caption 'Maschinengewehr des Standschützen Hellriegel'. No complete examples or detailed records survive. Cartridge, action, magazine capacities and rate of fire are collector estimates rather than documented figures: rate of fire is variously placed between 550 and 650 rpm, with some sources citing up to 850 rpm. No verified weight, length or barrel dimensions exist. The weapon gained wide recognition after appearing in the video game Battlefield 1.
Background
The Standschütze Hellriegel takes its name from 'Standschütze' (a class of Austro-Hungarian territorial militia riflemen tasked with defending Tyrol and Vorarlberg in western Austria) and a designer of surname Hellriegel, otherwise undocumented. The gun was conceived as an offensive 'walking fire' weapon, braced over the shoulder for firing on the move. It faded into obscurity for nearly a century until its appearance in Battlefield 1 made it one of the most recognizable 'forgotten weapons' of the Great War.