The Danuvia/Király submachine guns were Hungarian submachine guns designed by Pál Király in the late 1930s and used during World War II and the 1950s.
== History == The 9×25mm Danuvia submachine gun was designed by Hungarian engineer Pál Király in the late 1930s, and was produced by the titular Danuvia company. The guns were issued to Hungarian army troops in 1939 and remained in service throughout World War II and until the early 1950s. A total of around 10,000 were roughly made between 1939 and 1944, according to the Hadtörténeti Intézet és Múzeum(hu). The Danuvia was a large, sturdy weapon, similar to a carbine. Inspired by the SIG MKMS, the Danuvia used the more powerful 9×25mm Mauser round, and incorporated lever-delayed blowback in order to better manage this high energy cartridge. The Danuvia's magazine can be folded forward into a recess in the stock where a plate then slides over it. The gun was well-liked by troops it was issued to; it reportedly functioned well in the sub-zero, muddy conditions on the Eastern Front. The only difficulty was the availability of 9×25mm Mauser ammunition. It was used by the Hungarian army, military police and police forces and stayed in service until the early 1950s when it was gradually replaced by the PPSh-41 and the Kucher K1.
== Design == The Danuvia featured a patented two-part lever-delayed blowback bolt. The fire selector switch is a circular cap on the rear of the receiver and is rotated to one of three settings: E (Egyes)(semiautomatic fire), S(Sorozat) (full automatic), or Z (Zárt)(the safety setting). The ejection port and cocking handle are on the right side of the receiver. It had a ramp-type rear sight above the ejection port and a post foresight at end of the barrel.
Variants
Géppisztoly 39M
The original Danuvia was the Géppisztoly (Submachine gun) 39M which had a fixed full length wooden stock a vertical magazine that holds 40 rounds and is designed to look like the 35M rifle due to complaints from Gendarmes and has a bayonet lug.
=== Géppisztoly 39/AM === Paratroopers found the size and length of the 39M to long, because of this 276 39Ms were made with folding wooden buttstocks, similar to some Type 100 SMGs modified also for use with paratroopers.
Géppisztoly 43M
In 1943 a new version with a forward folding metal stock, wood fore stock and a pistol grip was designated the Géppisztoly 43M. The 43M was the most produced version and had a shortened barrel and a forward-angled magazine containing 40 rounds.
=== Géppisztoly 44M === In 1944 the 44M was developed as a simplified 9x19 Parabellum improvement over the 43M, it removed the toggle locking action in favour of a straight blowback action, however very few were made due to the Soviet invasion of Hungary. It would later serve as the main inspiration for the Kucher K1.
=== Géppisztoly 50M === The 50M was made to repurpose old 43Ms still in storage by cutting them down, giving them a new barrel shroud and rechambering them to 7.62 Tokarev. They were used by guard personal and police and notebly not by the Army, some of these likely saw combat in the 1956 revolution in Hungary.
Gallery
References
== External links == Kiraly 43M: Hungary's Overpowered Submachine Gun submachine guns (en) Modern Arms Entry
