Orita M1941
Encyclopedia
Orita was a 9mm submachine gun
manufactured in Romania
during World War II
and for several years afterwards. It was named for Captain Marin Orița (Military Technical Corps, Romanian Army), who is credited in Romania with its design. (Other sources describe the Orița as a joint Czech-Romanian project; the Czech Leopold Jašek and the Romanian Nicolae Sterca are also considered to have contributed to its design.) The manufacturer was CMC (Uzinele Metallurgice Copșa Mică și Cugir), and the first version, Model 1941, entered operational service with the Romanian Army in 1943. An improved version (Model 1948, with either fixed wooden stock or folding metal stock) remained in service with the Romanian Army until it was replaced by the Romanian version
of the AK-47
assault rifle
. The Orița was also in service with the Romanian paramilitaries ("Gărzile Patriotice") until the 1970s.
Submachine gun
A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...
manufactured in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and for several years afterwards. It was named for Captain Marin Orița (Military Technical Corps, Romanian Army), who is credited in Romania with its design. (Other sources describe the Orița as a joint Czech-Romanian project; the Czech Leopold Jašek and the Romanian Nicolae Sterca are also considered to have contributed to its design.) The manufacturer was CMC (Uzinele Metallurgice Copșa Mică și Cugir), and the first version, Model 1941, entered operational service with the Romanian Army in 1943. An improved version (Model 1948, with either fixed wooden stock or folding metal stock) remained in service with the Romanian Army until it was replaced by the Romanian version
Pistol Mitraliera model 1963/1965
The Pistol Mitralieră model 1963 is an assault rifle patterned after the AK-47, and chambered in the 7.62x39mm cartridge. It's exported as the AIM....
of the AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
. The Orița was also in service with the Romanian paramilitaries ("Gărzile Patriotice") until the 1970s.
Sources
. (In Hungarian.)- Axworthy, Mark, Cornel I. Scafeș, and Cristian Crăciunoiu. (1995) Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941–1945. London: Arms and Armour ISBN 1-85409-267-7.
- König, Carol. Căpitanul Marin Orița—Inventator român de prestigiu din al doilea sfert al secolului al XX‑lea. Muzeul Militar Central, Studii și materiale de muzeografie și istorie militară, 10 (1977): 229–33. (In Romanian.).
External links
- Orița Model 1941 Photograph from the Romanian Ministry of Defence.
- Orița Model 1941 Technical drawing.
- Orița submachine guns Photograph from the National Military Museum of Romania.
