FEG Model 37M

History of the FEG 37M

Hungarian engineer Rudolf Frommer climbed the corporate ranks of Budapest-based FEG (Femaru-Fegyver). From 1900 he was the chief designer of the company, which supplied weapons to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and later the Hungarian National Army. In 1912, the Austro-Hungarian Reserve received the 12M pistol (also known as the "Frommer Stop"), caliber 7.65 mm, which served during the First World War (1914-1918).

After the war, when Austria-Hungary was no longer an established state entity, the newly formed Hungarian Army adopted the same pistol in 1919, albeit under the designation "Pistol 19M".

In use, the 12M/19M line proved to be sophisticated and practical. In the 1920s, the Hungarian Army was looking for a simplified product for the official sidearm, and Frommer developed the Model 29M in 1929. The weapon relies on a recoil operating system and has an external hammer, but is otherwise an improvement over the complex 12M/19M line.

The weapon was introduced in 1930.

By the middle of the decade, the Hungarian Army needed additional pistols to increase their small arms stockpile, for which Frommer modified the Model 29M, introducing the Model 37M in 1937. Although he died briefly in 1936, the pistol was widely adopted by the Hungarian government.

It holds 9 x 17mm short (.380 ACP) cartridges.

The

Model 37M proved to be a clean looking gun, no doubt influenced by the famous American Colt M1911 developed by John Browning. This includes a long slide that hides the action, barrel and recoil spring, and a fixed grip covered by a two-piece grip pad. The trigger is solid in shape and fits in a circular annular retainer.

The rail includes a ribbed rear for gripping, and its eject port is on the right side of the frame. The hammer is partially exposed at the rear, while the rear of the pistol grip serves as a grip safety that requires a conscious hand grip when firing. The weapon is fed from a spring-loaded 7-round detachable magazine mounted on the bottom of the grip. There is an extension on the top of the magazine as part of the handle. The same semi-automatic recoil system or operation as the 29M is retained, as does the 9x17mm short (.380 ACP) chamber.

In all respects, the 37M is indeed the 29M, with a new airframe and slightly revised physics.

Hungary entered World War II (1939-1945) as part of the Axis powers, aligned with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Thus, the 37M was drafted into the army and was an active weapon in the short Slovak-Hungarian War (23 March 1939 to 4 April 1939), which led to a tactical victory in Hungary. Hungarian troops were part of the invasion of Yugoslavia (April 1941) and participated in the German invasion of the Soviet Union through Operation Barbarossa in June 1941.

During the second half of the war, the Hungarian government held secret negotiations with Britain and the United States to end their involvement. When Hitler discovered communication, German troops invaded and occupied Hungary.

This occupation lasted until 1945, when combined Soviet and Romanian forces expelled the German occupiers.

During the occupation, the FEG factory continued to produce 37 million pistols and the conquering Germans ordered a stockpile of 50,000 7.65mm pistols. These are issued to Air Force units in need of reliable, ready-to-use semi-automatic pistols, although Army units also receive a large inventory of 7.65mm (0.32 ACP) pistols.

The German version featured a manual thumb-operated safety breech mounted on the left side of the frame near the hammer, but overall the pistol conformed to the original 1937 Hungarian design. The Luftwaffe variant is clearly marked on the left - the slide has "P. MOD.

37 KAL 7. 65" on the side to indicate the model and chamber. While in service in Germany, these pistols were named "Pistole 37(u)" - the small "u" ??indicates their Hungarian origin ("Ung" = "Hungarian").

Production of the FEG pistol totaled some 85,000 units.

FEG Model 37M Specification

ROLES

STRUCTURAL

PERFORMANCE

VARIANTS