The MP 18, manufactured by Theodor Bergmann Abteilung Waffenbau, was arguably the first submachine gun used in combat. It was introduced into service in 1918 by the German Army during World War I as the primary weapon of the Sturmtruppen, assault groups specialized in trench combat. Although MP 18 production ended in the 1920s, its design formed the basis of most submachine guns manufactured between 1920 and 1960. History What became known as the "submachine gun" had its genesis in the early 20th century and developed around the concepts of fire and movement and infiltration tactics, specifically for the task of clearing trenches of enemy soldiers, an environment within which engagements were unlikely to occur beyond a range of a few feet. In 1915, the German Rifle Testing Commission at Spandau decided to develop a new weapon for trench warfare. An attempt to modify existing semi-automatic pistols (specifically the Luger and C96 Mauser) failed, as accurate aimed fire in full automatic mode was impossible due to their light weights and high rates of fire of 1,200 rounds per minute. The commission determined that a completely new kind of weapon was needed. Hugo Schmeisser, working for the Bergmann Waffenfabrik, was part of a team composed of Theodor Bergmann and a few other technicians. They designed a new type of weapon to fulfill the requirements, which was designated the Maschinenpistole 18/I. It is not clear whether the I stands for the number 1 or the letter I, although its successor (the MP28) was designated the Maschinenpistole 28/II (suggesting the former). Full-scale production began in early 1918. Though technically not the world's first submachine gun, being beaten by the double-barreled Italian Villar Perosa of 1915, in modern usage of the term the MP 18 is considered the world's first submachine gun, since the Villar Perosa had been designed to be used as a light machine gun on aircraft before it was adapted to infantry use as a single-barreled shoulder-fired weapon (the Beretta SMG) in late 1918. Service history The MP 18 served in the final stages of World War I in 1918, especially in the Kaiserschlacht offensive. More than 25,000 were produced, until the Treaty of Versailles banned production of military SMGs in 1920. The MP 18 proved to be an excellent weapon. Its concept was well-proven in trench fighting. The basic design directly influenced later submachine gun designs and showed its superiority