- Not to be confused with the Leuchtpistole variant of the same name.
The Sturmpistole (English: Assault Pistol) was an Austrian twin-barrelled submachine gun that was produced by ŒWG.
History[]
The Sturmpistole was developed in 1917 to meet the demand for an equivalent weapon to the Italian Villar Perosa submachine gun for the Austro-Hungarian Army. It was issued to Austrian stormtroopers on the Italian Front from late 1917 to 1918. It is not known how many were produced before the end of the war.
Design[]
The Sturmpistole was a straight copy of the Villar Perosa, rechambered in the standard Austrian pistol cartridge, 9×23mm Steyr. It used the same delayed-blowback operation as the standard Villar Perosa. The Sturmpistole was manufactured using some brass components, and is distinguishable from the Villar Perosa in that it fed from straight magazines to accommodate the Steyr cartridge. It was issued on a fixed wooden apparatus, which was designed to double as both a stationary mount and to be strapped to the user's back for easy transport.