The Machinepistole 41, MP 41, was designed in 1941 by Hugo Schmeisser, chief designer at the Erma Werke. It used multiple parts and looks of the Machinepistole 38 (MP 38) and Machinepistole 40 (MP 40), and was technically largely identical to the MP 40. Hugo Schmeisser had developed the Machinepistole 18 and the Machinepistole 28 (MP 18 and MP 28) years before the Second World War and his patented 9 x 19 mm magazine was used in different German Submachine guns. The combination of a MP 40 and MP 28 resulted in this gun. It had a semi auto feature, something the MP 38 and MP 40 lacked. Both the MP 38 and MP 40 used only the full auto firing mode. The MP 41 has single and continuous fire modes, a magazine with 32 rounds, an effective range of 200 meters and a maximum firing rate of 500 rounds per minute. Instead of the metal folding shoulder rest, it had a wooden stock and the nose below barrel on the MP 40 was eliminated. It weighed 3,76 kilograms unloaded.
The Machinepistole 41 saw limited service, it was only issued to the Waffen SS, Police units, and Romanian forces.
