Heinrich Vollmer facts for kids

Heinrich Vollmer (born in Altdorf, Esslingen in 1885, died in Tübingen in 1961) was a clever German inventor and engineer. He is famous for designing many important small firearms, especially during and after the World Wars. His inventions helped shape how many guns were made and used.

Vollmer's Early Inventions

Heinrich Vollmer started his career making parts for German copies of the Maxim gun during the First World War. A Maxim gun was one of the first truly automatic machine guns. Vollmer's first big idea was a new way to feed bullets into the MG08/15 machine gun without using a belt. This made it easier to use.

He then created a similar device for the MP/18/I submachine gun. A submachine gun is a small, automatic gun that shoots pistol bullets. Vollmer's invention for the MP/18/I was a round, 60-bullet magazine. It looked like a spool and was carried by a soldier on their hip. A flexible tube connected it to the gun. You can see this invention at the Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung Koblenz (WTS) museum.

Developing Submachine Guns

In the early 1920s, Vollmer began designing his own submachine guns. His first models were called VPG, VPGa, VPF, and VMP1925. These were quite similar to the MP18. The VMP1925 had a wooden handle and used a small 25-bullet drum magazine. This magazine attached directly to the gun.

The VMP1925 was secretly tested by the Reichswehr, which was Germany's army at the time. They also tested designs from other inventors. The Treaty of Versailles had forbidden Germany from having many submachine guns. However, the German police were allowed to have a small number.

Vollmer received secret money to keep working on his designs. This led to the VMP1926. This model was mostly different because it did not have a cooling jacket around the barrel. Next came the VMP1928, which used a 32-bullet box magazine that stuck out from the left side of the gun.

The VMP1930 and a Smart Idea

The last gun in this series was the VMP1930. This model also can be seen at the WTS museum. The VMP1930 had a very important new feature: a "telescoping main spring assembly." This made the gun more reliable. It also made it much easier to put together and take apart in the field.

Vollmer applied for a patent for this invention in 1930, and he received it in 1933. His company, Vollmer Werke, only made about 400 of these guns. Most of them were sold to Bulgaria. In late 1930, the Reichswehr stopped giving Vollmer money. So, he sold the rights to all his designs to a company called Erfurter Maschinenfabrik (ERMA). ERMA continued to develop his designs, creating the Erma EMP.

Other Machine Gun Designs

Vollmer also designed some machine guns. A machine gun is a fully automatic firearm that can fire many bullets quickly. He might have started this work as early as 1916. In 1927, he designed the VMG 1927. Later, he worked with the company Mauser to improve it, creating the MV 31 (Mauser-Vollmer 1931). However, this gun was not chosen for military use.

Instead, the MG 34 general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) became very important. A GPMG is a machine gun that can be used in many different roles. Vollmer also helped develop the MG 34. It was based on an earlier design called the Solothurn S2-100 (MG 30). The MG 34 was eventually used by the German military in large numbers.

Assault Rifles

Between 1935 and 1938, Vollmer also worked on a series of prototype assault rifles. An assault rifle is a military rifle that can switch between firing single shots and automatic bursts. These rifles were known as the Vollmer M35. They used a special type of bullet called an "intermediate cartridge." This cartridge was developed with another company called Gustav Genschow & Company (GECO).

See also

In Spanish: Heinrich Vollmer para niños