Theimer Model 21 submachine gun

Theimer Model 21 submachine gun
A Theimer M21 and M28 submachine gun on display in the Daidoji Kitagawa Memorial Museum. These two samples are owned by the Kitagawa family and is currently owned by Kiriya Kitagawa.
Type	Submachine gun
Place of origin	Gallia-Bruhl
Service history
In service	1921-present
Used by	See Users
Production history
Designed	1919
Manufacturer	Theimer's Patent Firearms and Ordnance Corporation Randgriz Ordnance Corp. RSAF Rainford Group
Produced	1921– (version dependent)
No. built	4.2 million (all variants, depending on source)
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Weight	4.9 kg (10.8 lb) (Mk. II)
Length	860 mm (34 in)
Barrel length	300 mm (12 in)
Cartridge	.45 ATP
Action	Blowback-operated, Berg lock
Rate of fire	appox. 900 rpm (M21) approx. 700-800 rpm (M28) approx. 600-700 rpm (M1/M1A)
Muzzle velocity	935 m/s (3,068 ft/s)
Effective firing range	100 m
Feed system	20 or 30-round detachable box magazine 50-round drum magazine

The Theimer Model 21 submachine gun is a blowback-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed selective-fire submachine gun, invented by Gallian engineer Wolfgang Theimer in 1919. It was originally intended to replace the Gallian MAGS submachine gun, but after the Gallian Army's refusal to replace the latter, it was marketed as a civilian firearm during the 1920s by Theimer.

Despite the MAGS being called a light automatic rifle, in response to Theimer's heavier design, the TM18 Automatic Rifle, The Theimer Model 21 would be the first to be marketed as a "submachine gun".

The Theimer SMG saw early use by the Concordian Armed Forces during the Watermelon Wars against Archadia-Archedes, the Royal Gallian Postal Service, the Royal Gallian Constabulary, the Niflheimian Republican Army, and Alteria. During the prohibition era, the Theimer Model 21 and Model 28 became a signature weapon of various organised crime syndicates in both Concordia and Archadia-Archedes in the 1920s and 1930. It was also used by law enforcement officers and criminals alike.

The Theimer SMG would not be adopted for standard military use until in 1934 by the Lucis Army, when Lucian General Harry Tachibana advised the need for the Lucis Army and other overseas forces to be armed with a small automatic firearm. This move made the Lucis Army as Theimer's biggest customer for the firearm. As a result, Theimer would nickname his creation as the Tommy Gun after the Lucis Army. It became one of the earliest well-known symbols of the Lucis Army during the Second Europan War. Well-loved and liked, it was eventually found in the hands of Lucis Commonwealth soldiers throughout Eordis, being used by Zanarkians, New Akibanders, Rubrumians, Nihhonese, and other Commonwealth nationalities. It was also purchased at large by the Imperial Army of Erebonia. Theimer would later on give the license to produce his gun to Rainford Group.

The expensive cost of the Theimer eventually forced the Lucis Army to develop the SHITA Gun. But despite it, the Tommy Gun saw service throughout the war, as well as during the War of Lorican Aggression until it was retired in 1975. The Theimer currently sees service in certain organisations throughout Eordis, being favoured as a high-caliber submachine gun for defence.

History and Service

Development

During the First Europan War, Allied forces in the trenches were shocked upon the use of Sturmtruppen tactics. Often, soldiers had to focus fire on whoever was armed with an automatic firearm. The Imperials during that time had developed the ZMP 18 (the first submachine gun ever made, but was not classified as such). The Gallian Army developed the MAGS submachine gun in response. It was rushed small-arms automatic firearm that used the principles of Theimer's TM18 Automatic Rifle. However, Gallian General Patrick Kankkunen did not find the MAGS to be satisfactory and therefore approached Theimer to develop a new submachine gun.

Theimer came across a patent issued to Gallian engineer Alan Berg in 1916, while searching for a way to allow his weapon to operate safely without the complexity of a recoil or gas-operated reloading mechanism. The Berg Lock was based on the adhesion of inclined metal surfaces under pressure. Theimer gained financial backing from Kankkunen and founded Theimer Ordnance. As the development progressed, the limits of the Berg lock were discovered, and rather than the firearm working as a locked breech, the weapon was instead designed to function as a friction-delayed blowback action. Theimer developed the weapon to chamber and fire his patented .45 ATP. Loaded with drum mags, it was envisioned by Theimer as a "hand-held machine gun" that fired off 50 rounds per magazine. During trials against its possible replacement over the MAGS, political intervention came being that the Gallian High Command at that time did not want a Darscen-developed submachine gun to be employed, hence the trials were rigged, despite Theimer's weapon showing 95% success rates over the MAGS.

Even though the Imperials made the ZMP 18, credited as the first submachine gun created; Theimer would coin the term on his weapon as the "submachine gun".

Early Usage

Following the failure of the trials and the end of the war, Theimer marketed his gun as a civilian gun, but the Theimer's prohibitive price proved too costly for an average civilian to buy at that time. As a result, sales were poor.

Theimer M21s were sold in small quantities to the Royal Gallian Postal Service so that personnel could protect mails from robbers. It was also sold to the Concordian Armed Forces, who used the Theimer M21 in the Watermelon War against the Royal Archadian Army. It was also used throughout Alteria as a hunting weapon, as well as for law enforcement personnel. The Theimer become popular as a point-defence weapon for countering ambushes against the Archadians during the Watermelon War, which saw the creation of four-man fire teams. Federal sales were then followed to sales to police forces in Concordia.

The Theimer M21 was not without complaints, with its cumbersome weight, inaccuracy at ranges over 50 metres, and lack of penetrating power using the .45 ATP cartridge.

During the Niflheimian War of Independence, the Theimer made its way to Niflheim and was used by the Niflheimian Republican Army. A total of 600 units were purchased, although only 154 of these actually made it after a ruling by the Lucis Parliament caused the Concordian Customs to seize and prevent the weapon from making its way to Niflheim. During the conflict, the poorly-trained Niflheimian rebels found that the Theimer was not effective, being that the troops who used it had a lack of training.

The Theimer would achieve early notoriety in the hands of Prohibition and Great Depression-era gangsters and law enforcement personnel who pursued them. It was depicted in many Concordian films during this era.

Adoption by the Lucis Army

In the 1930s, the atmosphere in Eordis was changing and many felt that another war was about to spark. The discovery of Quenminese use of the Imperial ZMP 18, and the development of a new Imperial submachine gun called the ZMP 40 during their respestive aggressions throughout several territories grew the Allied High Command concerned. In Great Lucis, Lucian General Harry Tachibana feared that the Imperials would be armed with more automatic weapons. Being that the Lucis Army did not have any compact automatic weapons equipped, he immediately found interest in Theimer's Model 21. However, Gallian Army officials attempted to intervene with the Allied High Command to prevent Theimer's firearm from being adopted. Fortunately for Theimer, Tachibana was a highly respected commander and used his influence to have Theimer's firearm tested against the Gallian MAGS submachine gun.

In 1933, during the Lucis Army's trials, General Tachibana was present and Theimer's gun once again proved superior over the MAGS submachine gun, despite its hefty weight. When the trial was finished, Tachibana ruled out that Theimer's gun had won the trial, frustrating Gallian Army Officials and delighting Theimer. Immediately, Tachibana ordered Theimer to produce the Theimer M28 variant. Tachibana requested the removal of the Berg Lock after discovering that it was not needed, hence Lucian Theimer SMGs were changed to a simple blowback mechanism, omitting the Berg lock. Many Theimer M21s were converted into M28s, giving it the designation of M21/28.

The M28 offered a lower rate of fire, but significantly gave it a better handling. Tachibana also noticed many Lucian soldiers complaining of its heavy weight, hence the drum magazine was swapped out in favour of 20 and 30-round box magazines. More than 1.7 million Theimer SMGs made its way to different Commonwealth countries. It was also adopted by the Imperial Army of Erebonia under the advice of Erebonian Marshal David Philipp Schwimmer, who was Tachibana's close friend.

Second Europan War

The Theimer SMG was used in the Second Europan War in the hands of Allied troops as a weapon for scouts, non-commissioned officers, patrol leaders, commissioned officers, tank crewmen, and soldiers performing raids on Imperial positions. The Theimer would be the most iconic weapon used by the Lucian Commandos, as well as Rubrumian commandos. It was prized for its high rate of fire and high stopping power, which made it effective in the kinds of close combat that Commando units were to undertake. Even with the adoption of the SHITA Gun by the Lucis Army in 1940, the Theimer still remained in use with certain units. Certain Commando units in the UK have the Theimer SMG as their emblem and insignia in homage to the success of the weapon's use during the war.

During the East Africanna Campaign and the Middle East Campaign, Theimer SMGS were used by the Lucis Army, Zanarkian Army, New Akiba Army, Erebonian Army, Rubrumian Army, and other Commonwealth and Allied forces. The Theimer M28 proved to be reliable in desert and mountainous terrain. In defensive situations, especially during the Battle of Ridge 61, Siege of Tobruq, and the famous Battle of Sania, 50-round drum magazines were used by Commonwealth troops to increase their ammo capacity. According to various sources, then-Lucian General Archibald Sugiyama called the Theimer as The Instrument of Doom, being that his troops that used it often had many success against Imperial forces, especially in raids and ambush situations. During the Asianna and the Pacific Campaign, the Theimer SMG was used extensively in jungle patrols and ambushes. Although it was criticized for its weight, it was prized for its high firepower at close range.

The Theimer also found use in the Joyonghean Campaign, where the Theimer was once again used in the field by Commonwealth Forces. Although the SHITA Gun, including the more reliable Zanarkian Owen-Stirling gun was adopted, the Theimer remained in use for Commonwealth troops throughout Joyonghea. Certain troops, including Zanarkians and New Akibanders refused to swap their Theimers for Shita's or Owen-Stirling's. Its use by Lucian Forces eventually found its way with the Joyonghean Sovereign Army, who adopted it along with the Shita and Owen-Stirling guns.

The Gallian Army introduced the M43/M43A1 Grease Gun in 1943 with plans to produce the latter in numbers sufficient to cancel future orders for the Theimer, while gradually withdrawing it from first-line service. However, due to certain delays, requests for modifications, and political intervention, the M43/M43A1 never replaced the Theimer, and purchases continued throughout the war. Despite the M43 being cheaper than the Theimer, the latter outnumbered the former's wartime production by three to one.

Users

Current Users

Alteria
Basel-Ebel: Still in use in certain army units as a reservist weapon, as well as law enforcement personnel.
Erebonian Empire: Still in use by the Thors Military Academy, Railway Military Police, as well as law enforcement personnel.
Gallia-Bruhl: Still in use as a personal defence weapon by Lanseal students and a substitute weapon by the Gallian militia.
Jutland-Gimli
New Akiba: Still in use in certain army units as a reservist weapon.
Nihhon-koku: Still in use as a personal defence weapon by tank crews, academies, and law enforcement personnel.
Rubrum: Still in use in certain army units as a reservist weapon, particularly by the Rubrumian Mountain Regiment.
Taoyuan: Still in use by the Taoyuanese Constabulary.
United Kingdom: Still in use in certain army units as a reservist weapon, and by other law enforcement personnel.
Zanarkand: Still in use in certain army units as a reservist weapon.

Former Users

Altissia
Bethausia: 1940-1975
Concordia and the Soryu
Joyonghea: 1940-1971
Lestallum
Nibelheim-Saxe-Hanover
Tenebrae and Solheim