WWII German MP40 Torso
The MP 40 was one of the most defining weapons of ww2, with an estimated 1.1 million being produced of all variants. At the outbreak of the war it was primarily reserved for use by officers, although by the end of the war it was being issued to entire assault platoons to counter the Soviets who often had entire units armed with sub-machine guns. The revolutionary StG 44 began to replace the MP 40 as the standard weapon of the German Army by early 1943, but many MP 40s would be in use until the very end of the war, used to deadly effect in urban combat from Stalingrad back to Berlin.
The German Army (Wehrmacht) were a formidable force in WW2. With excellent leadership, superior training, and generally well equipped, they would have almost uninterrupted success early in the war, and fought bitterly to the very end of it. 18 million soldiers would serve in the German army, of which about 10 million became casualties. German operational doctrine dictated an emphasis of sweeping pincer and lateral movements to destroy the enemy as quickly as possible in what would become known as "Blitzkrieg."