The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: Edmond on August 06, 2008, 03:37:19 AM
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Before today, there was not even an existing drawing of the Tallinn Arsenal 1923 SMG.
Enjoy!
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z69/Quickload/German%20SMGs/Tallinn/th_TallinnArsenal.jpg) (http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z69/Quickload/German%20SMGs/Tallinn/TallinnArsenal.jpg)
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z69/Quickload/German%20SMGs/Tallinn/th_SMGTallinn.jpg) (http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z69/Quickload/German%20SMGs/Tallinn/SMGTallinn.jpg)
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Estonia is a country where already in the 1920s the military was seriously interested in sub-machine guns. In1926, using Bergmann MP 18 as a model, Estonia designed its own sub-machine gun A.T. (Arsenal-Tallinn) and launched its industrial production in 1927 at Tallinn War Factory ARSENAL. The Estonian armed forces and the Defence League ordered 537 guns. Altogether ARSENAL Factory built 630 A.T. sub-machine guns, including smaller lots for the police force, border guards and Latvia.
A.T. was not a copy of Bergmann sub-machine gun. The Estonian sub-machine gun like the Estonian standard military pistol Browning 1903 used 9x20SR cartridges. The gun had the magazine for 50 cartridges and the sight for 600 m. The most unique feature of the design was the trigger mechanism. It was suitable both for single shot and cyclic fire. The firing mode was set with a small selector lever in trigger guard, just like in Madsen light machine gun.
In the spring of 1937 War Ministry sold all of the 565 A.T. sub-machine guns available in Estonia, all Browning 1903 pistols and the rest of the weaponry to Spain. Instead the government bought in 1937-1938 caliber 9x19 Suomi sub-machine guns (485 guns) and FN 1935 pistols.
In 1938 Arsenal Factory designed a completely new sub-machine gun with a retarded blowback system which was successfully tested. Production was planned to begin in 1940 but the loss of national independence disrupted the project.
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The police and armies of many countries used the pistol FN Browning Model 1903 (hereafter the Browning 1903), but only in Sweden and in Estonia was it used as a primary standard weapon by the military forces.
In the early days of the Republic of Estonia, during the War of Independence, 1918-1920, the Estonian Army used mainly Russian revolvers Nagant 1895 and 100 Webley. 455 calibre revolvers were received in 1919 as British aid, but in general, there was a great need for pistols.
Right after the war, in 1921the problem was addressed when Browning 1903 was selected as the primary standard weapon for the military forces. The Versailles treaty allowed 7,65mm calibre pistols to be purchased from German manufacturers and the manufactures of more powerful military pistols (USA, Spain) too far for Estonia. The Estonian Army and Defence League (National Guard) ordered 4522 pistols from the Belgian company Fabrique Nationale dureing 1921-1925, and approximately 100 more after that. Browning 1903 pistols constituted almost 80 percent of all pistols used in the Estonian Army and Defence League (a total of about 5800 pistols). The second most numerous pistol in the Estonian Army was the Russian Nagant 1895 (up to 900 revolvers), but these weapons were mostly stored in warehouses.
Estonia bought all Browning 1903 with wooden stock-holster together with two types of magazines; weapon’s frame back had the marking “SÕM” (abbrevation for Sõjaministeerium, “Ministry of War”) Cartridges 9x20SR were bought on a regular bases from Belgium. Smaller parts of Browning 1903 (barrel bushings, springs etc.), calibre 22 barrels and also 9mm barrels were produced in Estonia. Around the year 1930, the harness workshop of the Estonian Army produced hundred of leather holsters for Browning 1903.
The cartridge 9x20SR was the main pistol cartridge in military forces. National military factory “Arsenal” in Tallinn produced all its serial-production submachine guns A.T. (up to 630 units) to use cartridge 9x20SR and dureing 1934-1936 about 140 military 7,65mm pistol themselves for personal use.
Estonia and many other European countries sold arms to the Spanish Civil War combatants during 1936-1938. In May 1937, Estonian’s Ministry of War sold most of its old armament (combat aircrafts Bristol “Bulldog” and H. Potez 25; ammunition; and all pistols Browning 1903, submachine guns produced by “Arsenal” and also 9mm revolvers Nagant), which probably went to the Basque region. Therefore, in 1937 all of the 9x20SR armament system was eliminated in Estonia.
To replace the sold weapons, already in summer of 1937 5338 new military pistols Browning FN 1935 from Belgium and 485 submachine guns “Suomi” from Finland were ordered for the Estonian Army and Defence Laeague. That wary 9x19 became the new pistol cartridge of the Estonian Army. Pistols Browning 1935 (called in Estonia by the name Browning Model 1937) were brought without shoulder stock-holsters. During 1938-1939, 5500 shoulder stock-holsters were procused in “Arsenal” (leather parts were produced in the army harness workshop) and about 800 leather holsters of Browning 1903, which remained in Estonia, were rebuilt to be used with Browning 1935. “Arsenal” also produced during 1939-1940 in small quantities various spare parts for Browning 1935 (sights, triggers, hammers etc.). Plans existed in the spring of 1940 to start a full production of Browning 1935 in “Arsenal”, but this plan didn’t materialise due to the loss of statehood.
At the beginning of World War II in 1939, the Estonian Army and the Defence League had 6600 pistols, including more than 5300 Browning 1935, 923 old revolvers Nagant, 96 Parabellum 9x19 and 7,65x22,59 Colt .45ACP, 40 revolvers Webley .455.
Between two World Wars, the Republic of Estonia (population 1 million, peacetime army 12 thousand men) had military pistols of higher quality than some big countries. In case of war, the number of pistols would have been increased. In Estonia there were almost 16 thousand privately owned pistols and revolvers, including thousands with calibre 7,62 and 7,65mm.