this post was submitted on 14 Jan 2026
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A young boy watches a well dressed man aim a sub machine gun sometime between 1947 and 1955, possibly in May (lemmy.zip)
submitted 1 week ago by stoy@lemmy.zip to c/historyphotos@piefed.social
5 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/56966004

There is very little to go on here, the photo seems to have been taken in the Gothemburg area, possibly at a competition of some sort.

I am no gun expert, I don't know what kind of SMG the man is holding.

I just found this photo interesting as it is unusual to see a person not in uniform holding any military weapon in Sweden.

The photo is in the public domain.

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[–] breadsmasher@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Im no gun wizard, but that looks to my untrained eye to be a PPD-40 with a box magazine instead of a drum?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PPD-40?wprov=sfti1

Im assuming its a PPD and not PPSh because of the .. back bit by his eye above the stock (not the sights)

[–] Lupus@feddit.org 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The wooden stock and the magazine assembly look more like a suomi KP/-31. On the ppd the wood either extends beyond the magazine shaft or it is a two-part wooden stock but it also extends beyond the magazine.

Only thing I can't quite make fit with the suomi is the air cooling holes in the barrel cover, I can't find any pictures of a suomi or ppd with only two holes in a row, they all seem to have more.

You're right about it not being a ppsh, as far as I know they had curved stick magazines not straight ones.

[–] stoy@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I think I have found it!

I think it is a Swedish "kpist m/37-39".

https://smallarmsreview.com/swedish-quality-the-kpist-m-37-and-m-37-39-submachine-guns/

The m/37 has the magazine slightly angled backwards due to it using the 9x20mm Browning Long cartridge, which I don't see in the picture.

The m/37-39 has a straight magazine as it is designed to use 9x19 Parabellum cartridges.

The m/37-39 was also produced in far greater numbers than the m/37.

Here you can find more info

https://smallarmsreview.com/swedish-quality-the-kpist-m-37-and-m-37-39-submachine-guns/

[–] Lupus@feddit.org 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Yeah that looks correct, good job!