Manowar's Hungarian Weapons Király Danuvia Submachine Guns & Machine Pistols

Király Danuvia Submachine Gun Model 1939
Király Géppisztoly / Danuvia Gépkarabély 39.Minta

Danuvia 39.M on top and Danuvia 43.M on bottom

Made by Danuvia Gépgyár, Budapest, 1939-43 Quantity: approx. 11,000 (not all sources agree) Caliber: 39.M 9x25mm Mauser. Delayed blowback, selective fire Muzzle velocity 425-463 m/sec, Cyclic rate: 730-780 rpm 40-round staggered row foldable/detachable box magazine 1046mm [41.2"] overall, 500mm [19.68"] barrel Weight 3.7kg [8.2 lbs], 4.15kg with loaded mag Effective range 600m Tangent ramp type rear sight graduated 50-600 meters

Theoretically the submachine gun was best suited for close quarters in-city fighting from house to house. The Hungarian Army leadership did not believe in widely using submachine guns. Police and Gendarmerie leaders were more interested. On Jan 25, 1939 the Haditechnikai Intézet (HTI) [Institute of Military Technology] compared the German M1938 9mm Schmeisser submachine gun with the Hungarian Pal Kiraly designed submachine gun. They decided to go with the Kiraly gun. Main reasons: lighter weight, longer barrel, more accuracy, higher muzzle velocity, larger magazine capacity and easier maintenance. It was adopted for service by the Honvédség (Hungarian Army) on 8/12/1939. It was referred to as the 39.M.
This Kiraly submachine gun (sometimes referred to as Roham Puska - Sturmgewehr, also called 'Machine Carbine') was designed in 1937. The design of this weapon, which is chambered for the 9mm Mauser cartridge, is credited to Danuvia's engineer, Pál D. Király and resembles in many respects that of the Swiss SIG MKMO and MKMS (shown on the left) submachine guns. Any resemblance to the Beretta M1938 is only skindeep. Previously Pál Király was an engineer at SIG and he was the co-designer of the MKMO. The folding magazine system of the Model 39 is similar to that of the SIG MKMO. The magazine, even when loaded, can be folded forward into a recess in the stock, where a plate then slides over it. The folded in magazine was liked by the troops, because enemy sniper spotters could not differentiate between regular rifles and machine guns from the distance. The weapon had a 500mm [19.7"] carbine-length barrel to increase accuracy.

In 1940 1566 39.M's were ordered by the military for the Police [Rendõrség] and Gendarmerie [Csendõrség], however the Honvédség liked it so much, that they withheld this first shipment for their own use. For the Police & Gendarmerie they sent 1000 German Bergman M1935/I 9mm machine pistos instead. The 39.M functioned well under subzero conditions on the Russian front. The only complaint was the inconsistency of ammunition supply, because this was the only weapon on the front issued with the 9x25mm Mauser cartridge. Cartridge dimensions: Case Length: 24.9mm [.980"], Rim Dia.: 9.9mm [.389"], Overall 35mm [1.377"] long, Bullet Wgt: 125gr/8.15g.

The standard Model 39 submachine gun has a one-piece stock. After testing the 39M for paratroopers they found it too long, so a version with a folding wooden butt was produced for paratroopers as the Model 39/A (or 39/AM). These guns were supplied with a special carbine sling. 276 folding stock Model 39/A guns were delivered in 1941.

Function: The fire selector/safety is the circular cap located on the rear of the receiver and is operated by rotating the cap to align with one of the three settings: 'E' for semiautomatic fire, 'S' for full automatic fire and 'Z' for safe setting. Direct translation E = Egyenként (one-by-one), S = Sorozat (in-a-row), Z = Zárva (closed). After a loaded magazine is inserted, a bolt handle is pulled back, the bolt stays in the rear position. After the trigger is pulled, a spring loaded bolt moves forward, pushes a cartridge into the chamber, and the firing pin is released initiating the firing. Blowback gas starts the reloading process again. The weight of the heavy bolt carrier provides the necessary delay. At the single shot (semi-auto) setting, the bolt stays in the rear position.

By 1942 the demand overwhelmed the production. Quality of the production of spare parts started to slide, which caused problems on the front. Most of the problems were the non-heat treated magazines' lips wearing out too quick. The leadership again considered the German Bergmann and Schmeisser submachine guns, but decided to stay with the Kiraly 39.M, and reinstated the strict quality control. The Hungarians received an amount of MP40 machine pistols from the Germans. Unfortunately these MP40's had the same problems, their non-heat treated magazines only lasted 500-600 rounds due to excessive lip wear.
The large number of captured Soviet 7.62x25mm PPSh41 submachine guns were not a significant help. They were very inaccurate, 'spray-and-pray' guns. The magazines tended to jam and 5-10 rounds had to be removed from the drums to get them to start feeding properly.
By 1943 the military's demand grew to 162,000 39M's. Manufacturing reached 4000 a month.
On Oct 12 1942 a new submachine gun was introduced by Kiraly. This improved version eliminated the common problems associated with the 39M. See the 2 guns side by side at the top of this page. The new designation was Kiraly-Danuvia 43.M Geppisztoly.

This Submachine Gun was issued with a standard 35.M type Sword bayonet. 480mm overall, 340mm long double edged blade. 15mm dia socket sleeve.