Berthold Geipel

Efurter Maschinenfabrik (ERMA) was founded in 1922 by Berthhold Geipel.
He was most liked for designing the MP34, MP40 Schmeisser sub-machine gun, also the MG34.  His first factory was in Efurt, Thuringia in Bavaria.

In 1925 he hung-around at times with Heinrich Vollmer who designed his own kind of a submachine gun VMP 1925 and VMP 1940.

Heinrich Vollmer 

VMP 1925

These Vollmer designs had a vertical pistol grip fashioned after those on American Thompson 1921 submachine guns.

U.S. Thompson 1921 Submachine Gun

The VMP 1930 model was marketed as the ERMA Maschinenpistole (MPE 30) Maschinenpistole Erma in 1932.

MPE 1930

MASCHINENPISTOLE 34  (MP34)

VMP 1940

Machinepistole 38/40 (MP38/40)

Machinengewehr 34 (MG34)

Geipel designed K98 bayonet variants before he was arrested by the Allies in 1945.

He was then let loose after they removed the Nazi thoughts from his mind.


The link seen here (below) shows a newsreel dipicting the denazification concept:

https://youtu.be/5rg1LWg4Dxs



The Thuringia region became a Soviet occupation zone so Geipels' ERMA Werk Factory was liquidated on August 31, 1948.

Later on in 1952 it was re-established after the Nazi memories were removed and re-located to a nicer area in Dachau.

Berthold Geipel and son Rudolph

His son Rudolph took charge then in 1997 ERMA went bankrupt and was aquired by Suhler und Sportwaffen, a Division of Steyr-Mannlicher.