Foreign firepower news

The Norwegian military situation in 1940 was a pretty bleak one in most areas. A lot of equipment was outdated by the start of WW2 in addition to military doctrine and training being mostly based on old ideas, unsuited for modern warfare.

This situation opens for some some challenges when making a project like this. The biggest one is to keep the core gameplay of Day of Infamy, while also having it make sense from a historical perspective. As an example, what does one do when an army did not even have standard issue grenades, helmets or submachine guns? The answer is to research a lot, and to bend reality just a tiny bit. The first weapon I'll be showing off in this article is a perfect example of this.

As I mentioned earlier, the Norwegian military in 1940 did not have a standard submachine gun being issued to troops. The Bergmann MP32 however is probably the closest candidate for this position. It underwent military trials in the 30's and some were also purchased in order to be used by specialized police and army units. Historical sources point to this weapon still being in military weapon storage when the invasion happened in 1940, so there's a chance they were actually used in combat; although not in huge numbers.

The actual weapon is a further improvement of the famous MP18, the worlds first submachine gun. It was produced in Denmark under supervision from the German Bergmann company, and this is probably where the Norwegians got their examples from. The weapon has a few features that are very unique compared to other comparable SMG's of the time. There is no traditional charging handle, instead being replaced by a mechanism in the rear of the gun which mimics a bolt-action-rifle. The magazine is also attached to the right side of the gun, which is the opposite of most other SMG's with a side-mounted magazine. The magazines held 32 rounds of the Mauser 7.63mm calibre. This weapon can be carried by the Norwegian Officer and Assault classes.

The next weapon is probably a lot more famous, at least it seems so when you first glance at it. Seemingly it's a normal Colt 1911 of American manufacture, but that is not the case at all.

In the early 1900's, the Norwegian military was looking for a new standard sidearm, and several tests were being held in order to find a fitting candidate. At first, the military was reluctant to accept foreign designs, and would much rather see a weapon of Norwegian origin being standard issue. Unfortunately for all the Norwegian designs in these tests, they were either too unreliable, or they didnt work at all. One of the entries really made an impression on the military however, and that was the Colt 1911. They actually liked it so much that it was made the standard issue pistol for all branches of the Norwegian military in 1914.

The Norwegians also managed to land a deal which allowed them to produce the guns in Norwegian factories instead of importing them. The job of manufacture was given to the famous Kongsberg arms factory, and production started in 1916. The title of the pistol became the M/1914. Only one mechanical change was done on the M/1914 compared to it's American counterpart. The slide release mechanism was made larger, which made it easier to operate with just one hand. In order to make space for the new part, a hole also had to be cut in one of the grip plates. This, apart from the different markings and visual design on the grip plates are the only differences between a Norwegian M/1914 and an American M1911. In Severe Defiance, the pistol can be used by all Norwegian classes.