Mors submachine gun

Mors
Mors (left) in the Polish Army Museum in Warsaw
Type	Submachine gun
Place of origin	Poland
Service history
In service	1939
Production history
Designer	Piotr Wilniewczyc Jan Skrzypiński
Designed	1936-39
Number built	36
Specifications
Weight	4.25 kg (without magazine)
Length	970 mm
Barrel length	300 mm
Cartridge	9x19mm Parabellum
Action	blowback
Rate of fire	500-550 rpm
Muzzle velocity	400 m/s (1,312 fts)
Effective range	440 m
Feed system	24 round magazine
Sights	Adjustable Iron Sights

Pistolet maszynowy wz.39 Mors (Mors is Latin for death, Polish for walrus) was a Polish submachine gun designed by Piotr Wilniewczyc and Jan Skrzypiński between 1936 and 1938. It was to have become the standard submachine gun of the Polish Army some time in the 1940s. However, its production was halted by the 1939 invasion of Poland and World War II.

Mors (left) in the Polish Army Museum

The design was generally modelled after the German ERMA EMP-35. Common feature of both was a wooden butt and forward pistol grip, most noticeable difference was magazine sticking downwards in Mors instead of to the left side. The SMG was to be issued to some of the infantry units, as well as to tank crews and boarding parties of the Polish Navy and armoured trains. Later the idea of equipping tank crews was abandoned due to size. After extensive tests the construction proved to be reliable and durable. The first series was ordered in March 1939 and additional purchases was planned. However, until September 1939 the Fabryka Karabinów in Warsaw produced only 39 pieces, 3 of them being prototypes. After the start of hostilities, all were issued to one infantry battalion and were used with success during the battle for Warsaw.

Only 2 or 3 units survived: one in the Polish Army Museum in Warsaw (acquired from the Soviet Union in late 1980s), one in Russia and one probably in Budapest in museum.

External links

• Wz. 1939 Mors