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Reising Submachine Gun
Adopted in early 1942 by the USMC, due largely to a shortage of the Thompson Submachine Gun, the Reising was never especially popular with the Marines since it proved to be a maintenance intensive weapon (something not always possible in the primitive Pacific theatre). It was so unpopular on Guadalcanal that Lt. Col. Merritt Edson, commanding officer of a Marine Raider battalion, ordered all Reising submachine guns issued to his unit to be dumped unceremoniously into a river, so that his men might draw better weapons. (However, this was due to a maintenance error where the individually-fitted Reisings were disassembled en masse and acquired mismatched parts. The replacement Reisings were ordered to be maintained individually and problems were greatly reduced. Dumping the mismatched guns avoided persistent problems.)
One major design flaw in the weapon is the fact that the operating mechanism is a paddle in a slot on the underside of the forestock. If an unfortunate firer's finger slipped into this slot during full auto fire, breakage of bone could potentially result. This slot was also prone to accumulation of dirt or mud in the field, and even when clean made cocking the weapon awkward.
It eventually fell to the wayside though some examples remained in service with various rear echelon units and police forces.
It was favored by some due to its closed bolt operating function, which made it more accurate than the open bolt submachine guns of the time, at the cost of overheating quicker and requiring more maintainance. The Reising was also lend-leased to USSR but has not seen much action.
Specifications
(1941 - 1945)
- Type: Submachine Gun
- Caliber(s): .45 ACP, .22 LR (M65)
- Weight: 3.1 kg (6.83 lb) (M50), 2.8 kg (6.2 lb) (M55)
- Length: 895.35 mm (35.250 in), 565.15 mm (22.3 in) stock retracted (M55)
- Barrel length(s): 279 mm (11.0 in) (M50)
- Capacity: 12 and 20-round box magazines, 30-round aftermarket magazines also exists
- Fire Modes: Safe/Semi-Auto/Full-Auto
The Reising Submachine Gun and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guadalcanal Diary | Lt. In landing party | M50 Model | 1943 | |
| Guadalcanal Diary | Hanging from bunk on troop ship | M55 Model | 1943 | |
| Marine Raiders (film) | Robert Ryan | Capt Dan Craig | M50 model | 1944 |
| Go for Broke! | German officer | M55 mocked up as MP40 | 1951 | |
| The Planters Wife | Jack Hawkins | Jim Frazer | M50 model | 1952 |
| The Day of the Wolves | Various | M50 model | 1971 | |
| U-571 | David Keith | Maj. Coonan | M55 model | 2000 |
| Flags of our Fathers | Himself | Sgt. Mike Strank | M55 model, real life war photo | 2006 |
Television
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Pacific | Jon Seda | John Basilone | M50 model, 20 round magazine | 2010 |
| Combat! | Eric Braeden and other German soldiers | Various | M55 mocked up as MP40 | 1962-1965 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault | "M55 Reising" | Reising M55 | 2004 | |
| Men of War (Video Game) | Reising M50 | 2009 | ||
| Days Gone | "M50 Reising" | Reising M50 | 2019 | |
| Enlisted | Reising M50 | 2021 | ||
| Reising M55 | ||||
| Marauders | "M50 Reising" | Compensator, suppressor, 20-round mag | Reising M50; 12-round default mag, semi/full auto fire selector | 2022 |