The history of Heckler & Koch began during the postwar period when three engineers, Theodor Koch, Edmund Hecklers, and Alex Seidel jointly opened an engineering office in 1950 under the name Heckler & Koch GmbH. In 1956 Heckler & Koch produced the G3 assault rifle which was a milestone in weapon development. The G3 was the standard issue assault rifle for all German forces by the Bundeswehr of the Federal Republic of Germany. In the mid-1960s, Heckler & Koch gained international prominence with the design and the manufacture of the 9mm MP5, soon to become the world's most popular submachine gun, embraced by special operations forces worldwide. A variety of models have been added over the past thirty years but the MP5 remains the pre-eminent arm of its class.
