The invention of the submachine gun dates back to the early 20th century, when in 1914 Italian Army Colonel B. A Leveri designed a Vera Perosa submachine gun that fired 9mm pistol rounds, the world's first submachine gun.
However, during the First World War, due to the needs of the war, technical experts began to develop some primary submachine guns, the most representative of which was the German MP18 submachine gun. The MP18 submachine gun uses a free bolt type automatic method, which can fire quickly, and has a high fire density and fire intensity, which is the best among the early submachine guns.
As the war progressed, so did the design of the submachine gun. During the 20s and 30s of the 20th century, many countries began to develop and produce their own submachine guns, the most famous of which are the German ***8 Type 40 submachine gun, the British Stern submachine gun and the American Thomson M1 submachine gun. These submachine guns all have their own unique features and advantages, such as the German ***8 Type 40 submachine gun with compact structure and simple operation, while the British Stern submachine gun has a high rate of fire and firing density.
During the Second World War, submachine guns were widely used and improved. It is generally believed that the submachine gun is a suitable for close combat, which can provide continuous fire support and suppress enemy fire points. Therefore, in the war, all the first teams were equipped with a large number of submachine guns, such as the Soviet PPSH-41 submachine gun, the German MP40 submachine gun and the American M3 submachine gun.
In general, the invention and application of submachine guns are of great importance for both melee combat and special operations. With the needs of war and the continuous development of technology, the design of submachine guns is also constantly improving and perfecting, and it will still be one of the important tools for close combat in the future.