Reising Submachine Gun

Adopted in early 1942 by the USMC, due largely to a shortage of the Thompson Submachine Gun, the Reising was never especially popular with the Marines since it proved to be a maintenance intensive weapon (something not always possible in the primitive Pacific theatre). It was so unpopular on Guadalcanal that Lt. Col. Merritt Edson, commanding officer of a Marine Raider battalion, ordered all Reising submachine guns issued to his unit to be dumped unceremoniously into a river, so that his men might draw better weapons. (However, this was due to a maintenance error where the individually-fitted Reisings were disassembled en masse and acquired mismatched parts. The replacement Reisings were ordered to be maintained individually and problems were greatly reduced. Dumping the mismatched guns avoided persistent problems.)
One major design flaw in the weapon is the fact that the operating mechanism is a paddle in a slot on the underside of the forestock. If an unfortunate firer's finger slipped into this slot during full auto fire, breakage of bone could potentially result. This slot was also prone to accumulation of dirt or mud in the field, and even when clean made cocking the weapon awkward.
It eventually fell to the wayside though some examples remained in service with various rear echelon units and police forces. 
It was favored by some due to its closed bolt operating function, which made it more accurate than the open bolt submachine guns of the time, at the cost of overheating quicker and requiring more maintainance. The Reising was also lend-leased to USSR but has not seen much action.
==Specifications==
(1941 - 1945)
* Type: Submachine Gun
* Caliber(s): .45 ACP, .22 LR (M65)
* Weight: 3.1 kg (6.83 lb) (M50), 2.8 kg (6.2 lb) (M55)
* Length: 895.35 mm (35.250 in), 565.15 mm (22.3 in) stock retracted (M55)
* Barrel length(s): 279 mm (11.0 in) (M50)
* Capacity: 12 and 20-round box magazines, 30-round aftermarket magazines also exists
* Fire Modes: Safe/Semi-Auto/Full-Auto
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==Film==
Title 	Actor 	Character 	Note 	Date
Guadalcanal Diary 	Lt. In landing party	 	M50 Model 	1943
Guadalcanal Diary 	 	Hanging from bunk on troop ship	M55 Model 	1943
Marine Raiders (film)	Robert Ryan 	Capt Dan Craig 	M50 model 	1944
Go for Broke! 	 	German officer 	M55 mocked up as MP40 	1951
The Planters Wife 	Jack Hawkins 	Jim Frazer 	M50 model 	1952
The Day of the Wolves	Various 	 	M50 model 	1971
U-571 	David Keith 	Maj. Coonan 	M55 model 	2000
Flags of our Fathers 	Himself 	Sgt. Mike Strank 	M55 model, real life war photo	2006
==Television==
Title 	Actor 	Character 	Note 	Date
The Pacific	Jon Seda 	John Basilone	M50 model, 20 round magazine	2010
Combat! 	Eric Braeden and other German soldiers	Various 	M55 mocked up as MP40 	1962-1965
==Video Games==
Game Title 	Appears as 	Mods 	Notation 	Release Date
Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault	"M55 Reising"	 	Reising M55 	2004
Men of War (Video Game) 	 	 	Reising M50 	2009
Days Gone 	"M50 Reising"	 	Reising M50 	2019
Enlisted 	"M50 Reising"	 	Reising M50 	2021
Enlisted 	"M55 Reising"	 	Reising M55 	2021
Marauders 	"M50 Reising"	Compensator, suppressor, 20-round mag	Reising M50; 12-round default mag, semi/full auto fire selector	2022
Category:Gun
Category:Submachine Gun