At the onset of
World War II,
Switzerland had declared neutrality in the fast-escalating conflict. The prospect of
potential invasion by
Nazi Germany was a real possibility and in preparation for such scenario, the Kriegs Technisch Amt, sent out an ordnance survey to
Swiss Army in May 1940. Upon reviewing the results, the outfit found that the Swiss Army had fewer than 500
submachine guns at their disposal and the matter needed to be rectified urgently. The
Swiss army commissioned
SIG and
W+F Bern, two of the largest domestic small arms producers in Switzerland, to create new submachine gun prototypes for the Army. SIG developed the MP-41, which as an evolution of SIG's prior
MKMO submachine gun platform. Like the MKMO, the MP-41 retained the swiveling magazine housing that folded horizontally into a groove in the fore-end. A prototype without this feature was also designed.
Tests In 1941, the submachine gun trials were held and SIG submitted a batch of 50 units for testing. SIG's competitor was the W+F's
Furrer MP41/44. The submachine gun trials were derailed by Colonel
Adolf Furrer's influence and due to his actions, the Swiss Army ended up choosing the Furrer MP41/44 over SIG MP41. SIG attempted to market the MP41 abroad, but were blocked from doing so by Switzerland's neutrality laws. Only 200 MP41s were produced before the design was abandoned. ==Design and operation==