Kulsprutegevär m/40

The Kulsprutegevär m/40, Kg m/40 (Machine rifle model 40) is an automatic rifle used by the Swedish Army during the 1940s. A small number were also manufactured in Germany by Knorr-Bremse for the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS, under the name MG35/36A, though they were mostly nicknamed "the Knorr-Bremse". The German models were chambered for the higher pressure 7.92×57mm Mauser and weigh 10 kg.

The Swedish Kg m/1940 loads its magazine from the side, similar to the FG 42. It also has the ability to use 20 round magazines from Swedish type M1918 BARs. In 1940 there was a desperate need for machine guns in Sweden. The production rate of the Kg m/37 (Swedish BAR variant) was rather slow and not suitable for modern production.

In 1940, an LMG was accepted called system SAV (Svenska Automat Vapen = Swedish Automatic Weapons). The design was made by a German called Hans Lauf at Magdeburg Maschinenfabrik AG. However, the patent starts from 22 November 1933 in Sweden. He had two fellow applicants from Sweden: Ivar Staeck and Torsten Lindfors.

Staeck and Lindfors got the patent for the double gas canal system and the double trigger construction. This prototype was called "LH33" and it later became the Kg m/40. In 1935 Hans Lauf became manager for the AG Knorr-Bremse, Berlin-Lichtenberg. There he got a patent on September 19, 1935, for a similar weapon called the "LH35" which was modified to "LH36" and this prototype was later accepted as the German MG 35/36. Wendelin Przykalla at Knorr-Bremse AG made some further improvements 1939. The weapon was most likely only designed at Knorr-Bremse but manufactured in Waffenfabrik Steyr.

Users

•  Finland Used some small numbers during World War II
•  Nazi Germany
•  Norway
•  Sweden

See also

• Bren light machine gun
• FG-42
• FM-24/29
• Huot automatic rifle
• Lahti-Saloranta M/26
• M1941 Johnson machine gun
• MG 30
• SVT-40

References