MP34(ö) and the SS???

[Alan Smith]

Here is another (slightly darker) version of the foregoing photo. These are photos that I found on the internet; the notations with them indicated that the photos were taken at Stalingrad on the Eastern Front.

[Alan Smith]

On the caliber issue (re: MP34 chambered for 9mm Mauser), I believe that the below photos are of WWII German production/procured ammo for the MP34.


The ammo shown is not part of my collection (but I sure wish it was . . . I would love to have a box to go with my 660 code 1939 dated Luftwaffe proofed MP34).

[bmg17a1]

Thanks for posting the much more legible pictures. Unfortunately, the stocks of neither gun is visible which helps to identify the MP30 do to its odd configuration. In my opinion, the soldier leaning down has an MP30 not an MP34. It does not have the cover latch release button on top of the cover or the forward bolt lock safety on it. The MP34s have both. The MP34s were an upgrade of the MP30 and I believe none were manufactured without the cover latch button and forward bolt lock.
MP30s were equipped with the bayonet mount.
The gun in the hands of the other standing soldier would likely also be an MP30 but the details are indistinct.
Nice example of the MP34!!
FWIW

[luger 41]

Mp34

I disagree I once owned an Mp34 like the one in the picture with Steyr logo
on top of receiver no catch and a bayonet lug, pre 39 production and
in 9mm Para, had stamped WaA as well, so most likely issued to German
forces from old stocks.

[JoeW]

According to Götz, the Austrian army adoopted the MP34 in 9mm Mauser, while the police adopted it in 9mm Steyr caliber. This is supported by Austrian books on the arming of the Austrian army and the Austrian Sicherheitswache (police). Of course after the Anschluss, the German police took all Sicherheitswache MP34s into service in 9mm Steyr until they were converted to 9mm Para. The MP34 was discussed in the Fischer Ordnungspolizei weapons manual from 1941 through 1944. The MP35 did not appear in the ORPO manual until the 1943 edition.


The attached image is from the 1941 ORPO weapons manual.

[bmg17a1]

I disagree I once owned an Mp34 like the one in the picture with Steyr logo
on top of receiver no catch and a bayonet lug, pre 39 production and
in 9mm Para, had stamped WaA as well, so most likely issued to German
forces from old stocks.

Yes, In the US some of the registered examples of MG34s have MP30 stocks, long MP30 bolts and topcovers on them. Some of the MP34 kits that were imported years ago also had mix of MP30 and MP34 parts. Use of unused parts in production from earlier production models in later models was very common with many smgs and hmgs to extract the largest possible production numbers for issue. Of course, with mixed parts, it is not possible to determine dates of assembly, source of parts, etc and other questions of the many anomalies with these guns simply because the number of samples observed are entirely too small to make any kind of accurate assessment and the documentation is scarce. One of the MP34s I had was a mixed part gun of incorrect MP30 parts including the topcover but it was unmarked. An MP30 of mine, which I still own, came to me with an MP34 stock on it, and other registered MP30s I have seen also had MP34 stocks. The gun you mentioned could easily have been factory assembled of course. The topcovers are not dated so there is no way to tell if that gun was factory assembled or assembled later. The waffens suggest that it went through an official inspection. Was that inspection at Steyr and under what circumstances? We'll never know. Logically, in my opinion, one can assume with some confidence that few MP34s were factory assembled with MP30 parts, and no doubt they were. However, it is abundantly clear that mixing the parts was very common later on. FWIW

[luger 41]

Mp34

Mine had the Mp34 stock no Mp30 parts and matching numbers it was
made that way, these were manufactured like this until the German
production started some time in 1939 so all earlier guns without the top
latch would have been reissued as seen in photos.