The MP 40 was a submachine gun and was heavily used by infantrymen, paratroopers, platoon and squad leaders on the Eastern and Western Front. By the end of World War II, an estimated 1.1 million MP 40s had been produced of all variants.

Although the MP40 was a reliable weapon, a weakness was its 32-round magazine. The double column, single-feed magazine caused increased friction against remaining cartridges moving upwards towards the feed lips, occasionally resulting in feed failures. Misuse of the magazine as a handhold could result in a misalignment of the cartridge feed as well. German soldiers were specifically trained to hold the submachine gun properly to avoid this from occurring.