German machine gun created during World War II. About 450 thousand pieces were produced. Among the modern-type machines, it was the first development to be mass-produced.
At the beginning of 1943, the name of the weapon MKb42(H) aufschiebend was changed to Maschinenpistole - MP 43A. By that time, Walter's design had been withdrawn from the competition, and Haenel's design had undergone quite significant changes in the bolt part. In April 1943, the MP 43B was created. In the summer of 1943, the designation was changed again, to MP 43/1 and MP 43/2, respectively. Serial production of the MP 43/1 assault rifles began in June 1943 and continued until December 1943, when priority was given to the production of the improved MP 43. In total, about 14 thousand copies of the MP 43/1 were produced.
By the fall of 1943, the design of the MP 43/1 had been slightly modified so that it could be equipped with a standard rifle grenade launcher designed for the Kar.98k carbine. The MP 43/1 is easily distinguishable by its “straight” barrel and square front sight base. During the modification, a ledge was made in the front part of the barrel and the shape of the front sight base was changed. The version with a “stepped” barrel became known as the MP 43. Subsequently, the design of the weapon remained almost unchanged until the end of World War II.
Thanks to Speer modernized machine gun It was put into service in the fall of 1943 under the name MP 43 (German: Maschinenpistole 43 - submachine gun '43). This designation served as a kind of disguise, since Hitler did not want to produce a new class of weapons, fearing that millions of outdated cartridges for rifles and light machine guns would end up in military warehouses.
In September, on the Eastern Front, the 5th SS Wiking Panzer Division conducted the first full-scale military tests of the MP 43. The new carbine was found to be an effective replacement for submachine guns and repeating rifles, increasing the firepower of infantry units and reducing the need for light machine guns.
Hitler received many flattering reviews of the new weapon from the command of the SS, HWaA and Speer personally, as a result of which, at the end of September 1943, an order was issued to begin mass production of the MP 43 and put it into service. In December 1943, the Armament Directorate and the Henel company discussed the final design of the MP 43. As a result of the disputes, a number of changes were made to the design of the product, in particular, the gas chamber was strengthened and equipped with a cylindrical cap with a Grover washer at the end, which simplified the disassembly/assembly of the weapon . At the same time, they abandoned the guides for mounting the ZF41 optical sight. By the end of February 1944, only 22,900 MP 43/1 and MP 43 submachine guns were produced.
On April 6, 1944, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief issued an order where the name MP 43 was replaced by MP 44, and in October 1944 the weapon received a fourth and final name - “assault rifle”, sturmgewehr - StG 44. It is believed that Hitler himself invented this word as a sonorous name for the latest model, which could be exploited for propaganda purposes. However, no changes have been made to the design of the machine itself.
Assembly plants primarily used spare parts for the production of assault rifles, which is why weapons produced in 1945 are marked MP 44, although the designation had already been changed to StG 44. A total of 420,000-440,000 MP 43, MP 44 and StG 44 were produced .Besides C.G. Steyr-Daimler-Puch A.G. also took part in the production of Haenel StG 44. (English), Erfurter Maschinenfabrik (ERMA) (English) and Sauer & Sohn. The StG 44 entered service with selected units of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS, and after the war they were in service with the barracks police of the GDR (1948-1956) and the Airborne Forces of the Yugoslav Army (1945-1950). The production of copies of this machine was launched in Argentina by the company FMAP-DM under the designation CAM 1, in addition, the CITEFA company created several prototypes of the machine based on the StG44. Also in 1950-1965, StG 44, supplied from Czechoslovakia, were in service with the Syrian army. In 2012, at least several thousand machine guns, once removed from the arsenal of regular troops, ended up in the hands of the Syrian opposition, which is actively using them.
Due to problems with mounting grenade launchers and optical sights, the assault rifle could not completely replace the Kar.98k. In addition, the shortage of shortened cartridges was felt throughout the war. So in the report of the high command ground forces dated June 16, 1944, it was stated that the MP 44 would become the standard infantry weapon only if the ammunition problem was resolved. Until the summer of 1944, assault rifles were found on the fronts in very small quantities (mainly in the Waffen-SS); such weapons were used en masse in the final stage of the war. Therefore, these machine guns did not play a significant role in containing the onslaught of the allied armies.
Design
Automation StG 44 is a gas vent type with removal of powder gases through a hole in the barrel wall. The barrel bore is locked by tilting the bolt in a vertical plane. The distortion is carried out through interaction inclined planes on the bolt and bolt frame. Gas chamber - without the possibility of regulation. The gas chamber plug with the auxiliary rod is unscrewed with a special drift only when cleaning the machine. To throw rifle grenades it was necessary to use special equipment. cartridges with 1.5 g (for fragmentation grenades) or 1.9 g (for armor-piercing cumulative grenades) powder charge. Standard weight gunpowder in the 7.92x33 Kurz cartridge - 1.57 g. A gas piston with a rod is connected to the bolt stem.
The trigger mechanism is trigger type. The trigger mechanism allows single and automatic fire. The fire selector is located in the trigger box, and its ends extend outward on the left and right sides in the form of a button with a corrugated surface. To conduct automatic fire, the translator must be moved from left to right to the letter “D”, and for single fire - from right to left to the letter “E”. The machine gun is equipped with a safety lock against accidental shots. This flag-type fuse is located below the fire selector and in the position at the letter “F” it blocks the trigger lever. The return spring is located inside the stock, thereby eliminating the possibility of simply creating a variant with a folding stock.
The machine is fed with ammunition from a detachable sector double-row magazine with a capacity of 30 rounds. Typically, 30-round magazines were equipped with 25 rounds due to the weakness of the springs, which did not always ensure a normal supply of cartridges when the magazine was fully loaded. In March 1945, a magazine with a capacity of 25 rounds was included in the list of accessories for the MP 44, but it is unlikely that such magazines were made in large quantities. Also in March 1945, at the infantry school in Döbritz, a stopper was created for a 30-round magazine, limiting its filling to 25 rounds.
The rifle's sector sight allows for targeted fire at a distance of up to 800 m. The sight divisions are marked on the sighting bar. Each division of the sight corresponds to a change in range by 50 m. The slot and front sight are triangular in shape. The rifle could also be equipped with optical and infrared sights. When firing in bursts at a target with a diameter of 11.5 cm at a distance of 100 m, more than half of the hits fit into a circle with a diameter of 5.4 cm. Thanks to the use of less powerful ammunition, the recoil force when fired was half that of the Mauser 98k rifle. One of the main disadvantages of the StG 44 was its relatively large weight - 5.2 kg for an assault rifle with ammunition, which is one kilogram more than the weight of the Mauser 98k with cartridges and bayonet. Also receiving unflattering reviews was the inconvenient sight and the flames that unmasked the shooter, escaping from the barrel when firing.
There were examples of MKb42(H) both with and without a bayonet mount. All MKb42 and most MP 43/1 were equipped with rails designed to mount an optical sight. Beginning with the MP 43/1, bayonet mounts were abandoned. The MP 43/1 differed from the MKb42(H) mainly in the design of the bolt, a shortened gas exhaust channel, a modified front sight, and a pistol grip with a safety on the left side above the firing mode switch selector. The last two differences are also characteristic of the MKb42(H) aufschie?end.
During serial production, the flame arrester was abandoned, but its attachment point was retained in case of installation of a muffler. In 1944, the sight was simplified. Some samples produced in 1945 did not have stiffening ribs on the body above the magazine.
Post-war development
In total, about 420,000 copies of the StG 44 were made before the end of the war. In the post-war period, it was used by the People's Police of the GDR, the army and police of Germany, France, Switzerland, Scandinavian countries, armed forces Czechoslovakia, and the Airborne Forces of Yugoslavia. Contrary to frequent misconception, the StG 44 is not related to the AK, however, it served as the starting point and model for the creation of the latter. The concept of intermediate ammunition was subsequently adopted by many countries.
At the end of the summer of 1945, 50 copies of the StG 44 were manufactured from parts available in the assembly shops and, together with 10,785 sheets of technical documentation, were given to the Red Army for production in the USSR. In October 1945, Hugo Schmeisser was recruited to work on the so-called “technical commission” of the Red Army. The task of the commission was to collect information on the state of development of the latest German weapons in order to apply these developments in the production of Soviet weapons.
TTX
Weight, kg: 5.2
-Length, mm: 940
-Barrel length, mm: 419
-Cartridge: 7.92x33 mm
-Caliber, mm: 7.92
-Principles of operation: removal of powder gases, locking by tilting the bolt
-Rate of fire, rounds/min: 500-600
-Initial bullet speed, m/s: 685 (bullet weight 8.1 g)
-Sighting range, m: 600
-Maximum range, m: effective: 300 (bursts) 600 (single)
-Type of ammunition: sector magazine for 30 rounds
-Sight: sector
About the AK-47 in general
The Kalashnikov assault rifle, or as it is more often called AK-47, is known all over the world. From its creation in 1947 until it entered service with the USSR Army in 1949, this machine gun was a mandatory participant in all armed conflicts on our planet. For many African tribes, this machine gun has become something more than just a weapon; quite often its image can be found on the national flags of the countries of the continent. Such popularity of the AK is quite understandable; this machine gun is recognized as the most durable and lethal weapon in its class. Despite its power, it is so unpretentious that it copes well not only with the sands and dust of Africa and Eastern countries, but also with the swamps and jungles of Vietnam. Due to its simplicity, the production cost of this machine is low, which determines such production volumes. The widespread use of the AK-47 also occurred due to the fact that modern army, for the most part, have been re-equipped with a modified AK-74 for quite some time, but at the same time, the decommissioned AK-47s are still in excellent condition and continue to work. And of course, there will always be people who will gladly make money on weapons that have been decommissioned, but are still quite usable. Now the army's weapons Russian Federation, and most CIS countries, use various modifications of the AK-47, ranging from small police AKSU to RPK machine guns.
RPK machine gun (Kalashnikov light machine gun)
AKSU (Kalashnikov Automatic Folding Short)
Was there a copy
There are many secrets and questions surrounding the creation of this excellent weapon, but the main one is that Kalashnikov did not invent his own machine gun, but simply copied the weapon from the German Stg-44 assault rifle. This rifle was invented by the famous German gunsmith Hugo Schmeisser back in 1942. Rumors of plagiarism are also fueled by the fact that after the war, more than 50 samples of the Stg-44 rifle were taken to the city of Izhevsk, where the AK-47 was actually created, for technical disassembly. In addition to the rifles themselves, more than 10,000 pages of technical documentation about the Stg-44 were sent to the plant. Of course, after this, evil tongues began to say that Kalashnikov simply slightly changed the Stg-44 and released his AK-47 assault rifle. It is known for certain that after the occupation of the city of Suhl by Allied troops, the production of weapons in Germany was prohibited, and a little later, in 1946, Hugo Schmeisser and his family were offered to go to the Ural factories that produced weapons as a consultant. It is also known that the German lived for some time in Izhevsk and it was after this that the creation of the legend - the AK-47 - was completed.
If we draw such conclusions, then all the weapons in the world are copied from each other. By and large, the AK-47 assault rifle and the German Stg-44 assault rifle have similarities only in appearance and in the trigger mechanism. But in this matter, Kalashnikov cannot be accused of stealing the idea of this mechanism from Hugo Schmeisser, since the German himself borrowed it from the Kholeka company, which developed the first self-loading rifles ZH-29 back in the 20s.
Self-loading rifle ZH-29
If you look closely at the middle part of the rifle, you can see a similar design in any modern machine gun, but for some reason it never occurs to anyone to say that everything modern weapons copied from this self-loading rifle.
Kalashnikov, in fact, could have taken a German rifle as the basis for creating his machine gun, but the AK-47 is an original invention that is completely different from the German model not only in its tactical and technical characteristics, but also in its internal structure. Almost all the parts and important components in the AK-47 are completely different from the STG-44. Moreover, even the principle of disassembling these automatic rifles is completely different. The difference is visible everywhere, from the locking mechanism, re-locking on the AK-47 and the skew on the STG-44; The fire mode translators for STG and AK are completely different; the trigger principle of operation, despite its similarity, also has different practical implementation. If you consider each part of the machines separately, you will not find anything in common with each other.
STG-44 and AK
If we talk about ammunition for these machine guns, then they have an external resemblance, however, like many other ammunition in the world. This is not surprising, because this form The bullet is recognized as the most successful in all ballistic characteristics. Further, if we talk about the caliber, the AK-47, as you know, uses a 7.62x39 mm caliber cartridge. The STG-44 used the 7.92x33 cartridge. A similar caliber can also be explained quite easily, because before the creation of weapons of this type, the main weapons were various rifles with a caliber of 7.62.
Cartridges for AK and STG-44
If we talk about “plagiarism,” then Kalashnikov could most likely liken his assault rifle to another Russian-made weapon - the Tula Bulkin assault rifle or TKB-415, which, unfortunately, was never fully developed and did not go into serial production, despite a good design and technical characteristics. Unfortunately for those who like to accuse M. Kalashnikov of plagiarism, the AK-47 and TKB-415 also have nothing in common except appearance.
Bulkin assault rifle TKB-415
Bottom line
In conclusion, it must be said that in the AK-47 there are indeed many elements copied from weapons of various types, but this was not done in order to deliberately copy weapons, but in order to collect all the best that was developed in the field of automatic weapons of that time . It was thanks to his ability to evaluate and choose the best that Kalashnikov managed to create such a magnificent weapon, which has been used by countries around the world for more than 50 years and does not become obsolete. It should also be noted that if Kalashnikov copied the STG-44 rifle from Germany, why then the production of this weapon was not continued, because the STG-44 can only be found in private collections or museums, and the Kalashnikov assault rifle not only continued to exist, but also continues constantly modified, each time turning into an increasingly formidable weapon.
Among all the abundance of small arms made by designers in the past century, we can highlight individual standards that had the greatest impact on the upcoming development of the arms industry. The emergence of some of them can be called a true turning point in the history of the development of small arms. A striking example of this can be the history of the first assault rifle Sturmgewehr (Stg.44), which can be safely called the predecessor and inspiration for the emergence of such famous types of weapons as the AK-47 assault rifle and the FN FAL rifle.
The German automatic rifle Sturmgewehr 44 was really good for its time: for the first time, this weapon had space for installing an under-barrel grenade launcher, an optical sight, and other hanging devices. According to legend, the name for this weapon (Sturmgewehr, which means “assault rifle”) was invented by Hitler himself. But all of the above is less than the icing on the cake; the more fundamental achievement of the Stg.44 was its ammunition, which caused a real revolution in the arms business.
The Sturmgever was truly an elite weapon. The world's first infrared night vision sight, the Zielgerät 1229 Vampir, was even developed for it. It consisted of the sight itself (weighed 2.25 kg) and a battery (13.5 kg), which the soldiers carried in a wooden box over their shoulders. The ghoul was used intensively in the last year of the war, although its range did not exceed 100 meters.
The history of the creation of this weapon began a long time before the 2nd World War, back in the middle of the 30s of the last century.
A little history
After the Nazis came to power in Germany, the rapid rearmament of the German army began. It also affected small arms. The German army wanted to have a more advanced small arms weapon than their potential opponents had. The Germans considered the creation of an intermediate cartridge, as well as new weapon systems for it, to be one of the promising areas for the development of small arms.
At that time, all armies in the world used either pistol or rifle cartridges. The rifle ammunition had better accuracy and firing range, but was too massive. This led to an increase in the mass of the weapon, to its complexity, and to a decrease in the amount of ammunition that a fighter could take with him. The flight range of a rifle bullet reached 2 km, although most of the fire contacts occurred at distances of 400-500 meters. In addition, the creation of such ammunition required more resources.
The rifle cartridge was very poorly suited for creating an automatic weapon.
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The pistol cartridge was not massive enough, and its ballistics can hardly be called flawless. It is effective at distances of up to 200 meters, which is obviously not enough for an infantryman’s main weapon. Countless submachine guns made before and during the war were striking proof of this.
Work on the creation of intermediate ammunition has been carried out since the beginning of the twentieth century, but the Germans managed to make the first serial standard: in 1940, the arms company Polte made an intermediate cartridge 7.92x33 mm Kurz.
Even before the war, the concept of rearming the army with a weapon made for an intermediate cartridge was created in Germany. At that time, the German army had three main types of small arms: a submachine gun, a repeating rifle and light machine gun. The new automatic weapon, made for an intermediate cartridge, was supposed to completely replace the submachine gun and repeating rifle, and also partly the light machine gun. The German military hoped to significantly increase the firepower of rifle formations with the help of the new weapon.
In 1938, the Wehrmacht Armament Directorate entered into an agreement with the arms company C.G. Haenel, whose owner was Hugo Schmeisser, an agreement to create an automatic carbine for a new intermediate cartridge. The new weapon received the abbreviation MKb.
At the beginning of 1940, he handed over to his customers the first standards of a new gun manufactured for the 7.92x33 mm Kurz cartridge. In the same year, another popular German arms company, Walther, received a similar task.
At the very beginning of 1942, both companies presented their modified MKb standards (MKbH and MKbW), they were presented to Hitler. The weapon made by Walther was considered very complex and capricious. The Schmeisser standard had a more conventional structure and robust construction, it was more comfortable to disassemble, and had the best features.
The new gun received the designation MKb.42 and was sent to the Eastern Front for subsequent testing. Front-line tests completely confirmed the superiority of the standard made by Haenel, but the military demanded certain modifications to the design.
By mid-1943, the Schmeisser rifle was put into service and its name was once again changed. Now this weapon was designated by the abbreviation MP-43A (MP-431). More than 14 thousand units of such weapons were made. Then another small modification of the gun followed; it received the name MP-43 and actually did not change until the very end of the war. First, in 1944, the rifle received a new abbreviation - MP-44.
In September 1943, the brand new rifle was handed over to large-scale military tests, it was armed with the 5th SS Wiking Panzer Division on the Eastern Front. The new automatic rifle received the most enticing reviews; it significantly increased the firepower of infantry units.
After which the new weapon was demonstrated to Hitler. Previously, he received a huge number of beautiful reviews about him from the generals and the management of the military-industrial complex of Germany. The fact is that Hitler was against the development and adoption of a new class of rifle. But it is believed that the final name of this automatic rifle - “assault rifle” or StG.44 - was invented personally by the Fuhrer.
The Sturmgever entered service with the Waffen-SS and selected Wehrmacht units. In total, before the end of the war, about 400 thousand units of this weapon were produced (for comparison, about 2 million MP-38/40 units were produced throughout the war). This weapon began to appear only at the final stage of the war and did not have a significant impact on its course. The problem was not its quantity (it is quite convincing), but the lack of ammunition for the Stg.44.
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German generals also note the damning situation with ammunition for the newest assault rifle in their own memoirs. But overall, Stg.44 performed well the best side both in terms of accuracy, and in simplicity of design, and in terms of its own manufacturability.
After the end of the war, the Sturmgever was used by the police of the GDR, the army of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the armed forces of several other European states. There is information that in Syria, warehouses containing several thousand units of this weapon were captured by the opposition and this moment These machines are heavily used by both sides of the conflict.
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Device Description
The Stg.44 automation works by removing part of the powder gases from the barrel bore. The gases move the bolt frame and bolt back. The barrel bore is locked by tilting the bolt.
Trigger mechanism of hammer type. Stg.44 is capable of conducting both single fire and burst fire. The safety locks the trigger.
Feeding is done from a box-shaped double-stack magazine with a capacity of 30 rounds. The sight is sectoral, it allows shooting at a distance of up to 800 meters.
The return spring is located inside the wooden stock, making it impossible to create a modification with a folding stock.
Advantages and disadvantages of Stg.44
The Sturmgever can be called a revolutionary prototype of a small arms weapon. But, like any new weapon, the Stg.44 had its “childhood illnesses.” The developers simply did not have enough time to remove them. In addition, we should not forget that the Stg.44 was the first weapon of its kind.
Disadvantages:
- very heavy weight compared to an ordinary rifle;
- fragility of the receiver;
- poor sights;
- weak spring in stores;
- lack of fore-end.
Advantages:
- good shooting accuracy at close and medium distances;
- convenience and compactness;
- good rate of fire;
- excellent ammunition properties;
- versatility in combat conditions.
As you can see, the shortcomings of the Stg.44 are not critical, and they could simply be removed by carrying out only a small modernization of the gun. But the Germans did not have time to correct their mistakes.
Some experts believe that if Stg.44 had appeared a couple of years earlier, the war could have had a different end. But history does not tolerate subjunctive moods.
Sturmgewehr (Stg.44) and Kalashnikov assault rifle
In April 1945, the Americans occupied the town of Suhl in Thuringia, where Hugo Schmeisser's company was located. The gunsmith himself was arrested, but after the Americans made sure that he was not a Nazi and had not committed any atrocities, the designer was released. The Yankees were not at all intrigued by his weapon. They believed that their M1 carbine was even better than the Stg.44.
They thought completely differently in the Russian Union. Work on the creation of a weapon for the intermediate cartridge began in the USSR back in 1943, immediately after the appearance of the first German captured models. After the city in Germany where Schmeisser’s enterprise was located went to the Russian zone of occupation, all technical documentation for Stg.44 was removed from the plant.
Next - more. In 1946, stern people came to 62-year-old Schmeisser and made him an offer from the category of those that cannot be rejected. He, as well as the employees of his office, together with their families, headed to the USSR, and more specifically, to the city of Izhevsk, where at that time intense work was underway on the creation of a new machine gun.
Disputes about the relationship between the Kalashnikov assault rifle and Stg.44 continue to this day and their intensity does not subside. Was the AK a copy of the German assault rifle? No, naturally, they differ and very seriously. But to the question whether Stg.44 was a model for the creation of a Russian machine gun, one can definitely give an affirmative answer. To do this, it is quite easy to look at their appearance and design.
But this is not the most exciting thing. Who made the famous Russian machine gun? An illiterate boy with seven years of education, or an experienced gunsmith with a worldwide reputation, who last years gave life to work on a similar weapon? The question, as they say, is rhetorical. According to the memoirs of people who were familiar with Kalashnikov, he did not know how to draw and was not able to make simple calculations. Although, everyone emphasizes that the guy’s hands were truly golden. But this is obviously not enough to create a new weapon.
In 1948, Kalashnikov was focused on working at the Izhmash Design Bureau, where the machine gun was being finalized at that time. Hugo Schmeisser also worked there during this period; they certainly could not help but meet. But in Misha Timofeevich’s memoirs there is not a single word about the Germans.
Although, the history of the creation of the famous machine gun is a separate topic, which obviously goes beyond the scope of our material.
We can also add that in 1952 Schmeisser was released to Germany, where a year later he died in one moment.
Technical properties
- weight, kg: 5.2;
- length, mm: 940;
- barrel length, mm: 419;
- initial bullet speed, m/s: 685 (bullet weight 8.1 g);
- caliber, mm: 7.92;
- cartridge: 7.92×33 mm;
- sighting range, m: 600;
- type of ammunition: sector magazine for 30 rounds;
- sight: sector;
- rate of fire, rounds/min: 500-600.
The lethal force of German quality is the Sturmgever 44 assault rifle, which changed the tactics of combat. At the end of the 30s, the most powerful armies in the world were equipped with two types small arms: submachine gun for close combat and various types of rifles and carbines for positional combat.
Characteristics of the German assault rifle Sturmgever
The first perfectly helped military units cope with the assigned tasks at close range, but were useless for firing at a distance of more than 500 m. The rifles had an aiming and lethal range measured in several kilometers, but their rate of fire was insufficient for close combat.
Therefore, there was a need to create a weapon that would occupy a niche between SMGs and rifles. And it became an assault rifle - “Sturmgever” (MG-44), which became a role model in the design of modern machine guns. Thus, the German STG 44 Sturmweger assault rifle can be considered the prototype of all modern weapons.
History of the creation of the Sturmweger STG 44 (sturmgewehr) assault rifle
| date | Event |
| Early 1940 | Creation of an intermediate cartridge 7.92x33 mm Kurz (short) |
| Mid 1940 | Start of development of new small arms chambered for intermediate cartridges by Walter |
| Late 1940 | Creation by Schmeisser's company of a new weapon chambered for an intermediate cartridge |
| 1942 | Field tests of two samples |
| 1943 | Adoption of prototypes labeled MP-43A (or MP-431) |
| 1944 | Launch of a modified version of the Schmeisser under the marking StG.44 (MG.44) |
Rifle cartridges have inconvenient dimensions for use in automatic weapons. The destructive power of pistol cartridges at a distance of more than 200 m was insufficient. The development of an intermediate cartridge made it possible to move on to the creation of a fundamentally new weapon for effective combat at medium distance.
The Walter company began developing a prototype weapon chambered for an intermediate cartridge in mid-1940 according to technical specifications government controlled Armaments.
At the end of the same year, Hugo Schmeisser's company presented a ready-made sample of the "Gever" (Sturmgewehr stg 44), which was still quite crude, but already had positive reviews specialists.
In 1942, field tests of samples from two competing companies took place. The Walter company's weapons turned out to be quite complex in design, capricious and not very easy to use.
Approval was received by the Sturmgewer developed by Schmeisser, subject to the elimination of identified minor deficiencies.
this year an assault rifle labeled StG.44 was launched into production
In 1943, an experimental batch of MP-43A was delivered to some units on the Eastern Front for testing in combat conditions. And as a result, it was launched into series in 1944 under the marking StG.44 (“Sturmgever 44” - assault rifle 44).
Tactical and technical characteristics of the rifle
| Parameter | Meaning |
| Chuck type | 7.92×33 mm Kurtz |
| Caliber, mm | 7,92 |
| Weight without cartridges, kg | 4,6 |
| Weight with cartridges, kg | 5,22 |
| Total length, mm | 940 |
| Barrel length, mm | 419 |
| Barrel rifling | right-handed, 4 pcs. |
| USM | striker type |
| Recharge principle | removal of powder gases |
| Rate of fire, rds/min | 500 |
| Fuse type | flag on the left side at the top of the pistol grip |
| Aim | front sight with namushnik, the presence of a mount for an optical sight |
| Sighting range, m | 800 |
| Effective range, m | 300 |
| Initial bullet speed, m/s | 685 |
| Ammunition | detachable magazine for 30 rounds |
Design and device
Main innovative idea, implemented in this weapon, is the use of powder gases to reload the cartridge. For this purpose, a gas outlet tube is used, and the skew of the shutter produces locking.
Photo by Sturmweger. Scheme incomplete disassembly StG.44 There is no regulation of the gas chamber. Removing its plug with an auxiliary rod is carried out with a special drift when cleaning the weapon. The bolt stem is combined with a gas piston.
The trigger-type USP allows you to fire both single shots and bursts. The recoil spring is placed in the stock, which makes it impossible to create a modification without a stock.
Sectional diagram of Sturmgever STG 44 - Photo The main sight is a front sight, there are guides for attaching an optical sight. But there was no need to replace the conventional one with an optical one in combat conditions - their effectiveness is almost the same.
MP 44 automatic, photo from standard sight for StG.44 
The stormtrooper was powered by a detachable double-row magazine with 30 rounds of ammunition. Due to the weakness of its spring, in real conditions it was loaded with 5 fewer rounds.
Among the design disadvantages, the following should be noted:
- sighting devices turned out to be unsuccessful - they did not provide the desired accuracy at medium and long distances;
- relatively heavy weight;
- weak receiver;
- low elasticity of the magazine spring;
- the handguard is not very comfortable for the shooter.
The listed shortcomings are a consequence of the “dampness” of the weapon. Designers in Germany were engaged in eliminating them until the end of the war.
Sturmgewehr 44 and Kalashnikov assault rifle
There is an opinion that Kalashnikov copied his assault rifle from the Schmeisser STG 44, there are arguments for and against this assumption. A visual comparison shows that the layout and general form They are similar, but there are significant differences in the design. What is common is the idea of using an intermediate cartridge and venting the powder gases for reloading.
Another fact that makes you think. After the surrender of the Nazi troops, Hugo Schmeisser, the creator of the Sturmgewehr, worked in a design bureau in Izhevsk. Kalashnikov at this time was creating his creation in Kovrov, but was on business trips to Izhevsk several times.
There is no confirmed information about whether he met with Schmeisser or not. It is possible that after taking a closer look at the Sturmgewehr 44, Kalashnikov consulted with his German colleague on some issues.
At the same time, it is known that the leader of Kalashnikov was the famous Soviet weapons designer Sudaev, who developed his own version of an assault rifle with a gas outlet tube, the prototype of which can be seen in the photo below.
Of the significant differences between the AK-47 and StG.44, the following cannot be ignored:
- size and location of the return spring;
- type of barrel locking;
- location of the shutter handle,
- disassembly principle.
Whether the Kalashnikov technical group used Schmeisser's brainchild as the basis for creating the AK-47 or not is anyone's guess. But the German designer implemented the two main ideas that made it possible to create a new generation of small arms in his weapons earlier - the use of an intermediate cartridge and the removal of powder gas for reloading.
Modifications of the Sturmweger rifle
German designers had practically no time to fine-tune and create modifications.
The appearance of the Sturmgewehr before the end of World War II led to the fact that it had no official modifications (except for modern models for airsoft).
It can be noted that prototypes of special devices were invented and manufactured - attachments for shooting from cover (a “crooked” barrel) and an infrared sight for firing at night. “Curved” barrels had very low shooting accuracy and were of no practical use.
Sturmgever - photo with a muzzle attachment - “crooked barrel” for shooting from around a corner And infrared sights had two drawbacks that did not give them the “green light” for widespread use: the aimed fire range was only up to 100 m and the need to carry an additional backpack with a battery. And with high humidity, their image was very blurry. I had to use a moisture meter to correct aimed shooting.
Sturmgever 44 - photo with night vision sight with power battery There were even attempts to use an under-barrel grenade launcher, but they were unsuccessful - effective ammunition had not yet been developed at that time.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages are as follows:
- simplicity of design and mechanics - possibility in short term manufacture a large number of;
- good fighting qualities when firing at medium distance;
- high rate of fire;
- ergonomics and compactness;
- small number of spare parts in combat units;
- simple instructions for use that can be mastered without special training.
But the Sturmgewehr 44 also has a number of shortcomings that the Germans simply did not have time to correct:
- unsuccessful sight options, both front sight and additional optical;
- the inconvenience of the forend - during intense fire it would heat up, burn your hands and require a pharmacy for the shooter;
- weak return and magazine springs;
- fragile connection of the butt - in hand-to-hand combat it often broke, and there was no point in drilling for additional fastening of the butt, since the operation of the return spring was disrupted;
- there were a lot of stamped parts that bent when struck - the functioning of the weapon became problematic.
Throughout the history of mankind, many samples have been created. According to military experts, among the wide variety of similar products, models such as the German STG 44 assault rifle and the Kalashnikov assault rifle occupy a special place. was widely used by warring parties during the Great Patriotic War. There are many similarities between the German STG 44 assault rifle and the AK. Mostly professionals are aware of all the design features of both models. Not everyone knows that the predecessor of the Belgian development FN FAL, adopted by NATO and becoming the main competitor to many modern models firearms, including AK-47, - German assault rifle STG 44.
This fact gives reason to show greater interest in the weapons of Wehrmacht soldiers. Information about the history of creation, device and technical specifications German assault rifle STG 44 is presented in the article.
Introduction to weapons
Assault rifle STG 44 (Sturmgewehr 44) is a German machine gun created during the Second World War. In total, German industry produced 450 thousand units. According to experts, the German assault rifle STG 44 is the first mass-produced model of assault rifles. Compared to submachine guns used during the war, the rifle has an improved firing rate. This became possible thanks to the use of more powerful ammunition in the German STG 44 assault rifle (photo of the weapon is presented in the article). Such a cartridge is also called “intermediate”. Unlike pistol cartridges used in pistols and submachine guns, rifle ammunition has improved ballistic properties.
About the history of the German assault rifle STG 44
The development of intermediate cartridges, carried out in 1935 by the Magdeburg arms company Polte, laid the foundation for the creation of the German rifle. The caliber of 7.92 mm ammunition made it possible to fire effectively at distances of no more than a thousand meters. This indicator met the requirements for cartridges from the Wehrmacht Arms Directorate. The situation changed in 1937. Now, after numerous studies conducted by German gunsmiths, the management of the Directorate has come to the conclusion that a more effective cartridge is needed. Since the existing weapons were structurally unsuitable for the tactical and technical capabilities of the new ammunition, in 1938 a concept was formulated according to which the main emphasis was on light automatic rifle models that would become a worthy replacement for submachine guns, repeating rifles and light machine guns.
Start of production
The history of the production of the German assault rifle STG 44 begins with the conclusion of an agreement between the Armament Directorate and the company C.G. Heanel, owned by Hugo Schmeisser. According to the contract, the arms company was to produce an automatic carbine chambered for a new intermediate cartridge. The MKb rifle became such a weapon. In 1940, the first samples were handed over to the customer. Walther also received a similar order. Two years later, both companies submitted their samples - models MKbH and MKbW - for Hitler's consideration. The latter (MKbW rifle), according to experts, turned out to be too complex and “capricious”. The device provided by C.G. Heanel, was considered the best. This type of rifle is characterized by: robust construction and high performance characteristics. In addition, the reliability, durability of the weapon and ease of disassembly were appreciated. In the documentation this model is listed as MKb.42. The Minister of the Wehrmacht Armament Directorate put forward a proposal, after making some design changes, to send several of these samples to the Eastern Front.
What was improved in MKb.42?
- The trigger was replaced with a Walter trigger system. According to experts, such a replacement will have a beneficial effect on the accuracy of combat during single shooting.
- Changes affected the design of the sear.
- The rifle was equipped with a safety catch.
- The gas chamber tube was shortened and equipped with 7-mm holes designed to allow the remaining powder gases to escape. Thanks to this, difficult weather conditions are no longer an obstacle to using the rifle.
- The guide bushing was removed from the return spring.
- The tide for mounting the bayonet was abolished.
- The butt design has been simplified.
1943-1944
The modified model was already listed in the documentation as MP-43A. It soon entered service and was supplied to the Eastern Front for soldiers of the 5th SS Wiking Panzer Division. In 1943, German industry produced over 14 thousand units of such weapons. In 1944, a new abbreviation was provided for the model - MP-44. Some historians suggest that it was Hitler who renamed the MP-44 to the Stumgever STG 44.
The characteristics of the first German assault rifle were appreciated by the Nazis. The use of such weapons had a positive effect on the firepower of the German infantry. Selected units of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS were armed with German assault rifles (Sturmgewehr) STG 44. By the end of the war, Germany had produced at least 400 thousand weapons. However, these models began to be widely used in the final phase of World War II. The reason for this was the shortage of cartridges for the German STG 44 assault rifle. Photos of the cartridges are presented in the article. According to military experts, the lack of ammunition prevented the weapon from having a major impact on the course of World War II.
Post-war time
Nazi generals paid a lot of attention to the topic of the German STG 44 assault rifle in their memoirs. Despite the lack of ammunition, the weapon performed at its best. Even after the end of World War II, the first German assault rifle STG 44 is not forgotten. Until 1970, the model was in service with the police and army of both Germany itself and several other Western countries. According to some information sources, during the conflict in Syria, both warring parties used German STG 44 assault rifles.
Device Description
The rifle is equipped with a gas-operated type of automatic operation. Powder gases are discharged through special holes in the barrel. The barrel channel is locked by tilting the bolt. The rifle is equipped with a non-adjustable gas chamber. If it is necessary to clean the machine, the chamber plugs and the auxiliary rod are unscrewed. A special punch is provided for this procedure. The German assault rifle STG 44 is equipped with a trigger-type trigger. The weapon is designed for single and burst firing. The mode is regulated by a special translator, the location of which is the trigger guard. The ends of the translator are located on both sides of the receiver and are designed in the form of buttons with a corrugated surface. In order to fire in bursts from the German STG 44 assault rifle, the translator should be installed in position D. Single fire is possible in position E. In order to protect the owner from unplanned shots, the designers equipped the weapon with a safety lever, which is located on the receiver below the translator. The trigger lever is locked if the safety is installed in position F. The place for the return spring is inner part butt. This design feature of the rifle eliminates any possibility of designing modifications with a folding stock.
About ammunition
Cartridges numbering 30 are contained in a detachable sector double-row magazine. Wehrmacht soldiers equipped their rifles with 25 cartridges. This was explained by the presence of weak springs in the stores, unable to ensure a high-quality supply of ammunition. In 1945, a batch of magazines designed to hold 25 rounds was produced. That same year, German designers invented special locking devices that limited equipment to 25 rounds of standard magazines.
About sights
The German rifle is equipped with a sector sight, which ensures effective shooting at distances of no more than 800 m. The sighting bar is equipped with special divisions, each of which is equal to a distance of 50 m. The slots and front sights in this model of weapon have triangular shape. Options for rifles with optical and infrared sights were not excluded.
About additional accessories
Included with the rifle were:
- Six stores.
- A special machine with which stores were loaded with ammunition.
- Belt.
- Three barrel covers.
- A special tool used to unscrew the gas chamber. In addition, this device was used to dismantle trigger guards.
- Pencil case. It contained a brush for cleaning the barrel channel.
- Manual.
About grenade launchers
The Wehrmacht Armament Directorate formulated a requirement that an assault rifle must be suitable for firing grenades. The first models of weapons were characterized by the presence of a special thread on which flame arresters were mounted. They decided to use the threaded mount to install grenade launchers on German STG 44 assault rifles. The characteristics of the weapon turned out to be insufficiently reliable for this. It turned out that such a design was futile. In order to adapt the grenade launcher to the assault model, a batch of rifles (MP 43) was developed, in which the front part of the barrel contained a special ledge. In addition, the pedestals for the front sights had to be redone.
The installation of grenade launchers became possible only after these design modifications were completed. Since ammunition for grenade launchers, unlike rifle grenade launchers, was represented by a wide range, the designers faced a problem due to the lack of a special expulsion cartridge. Since during the use of automatic weapons, powder gases are consumed when feeding ammunition, the required pressure was not enough to fire a grenade from a rifle. The designers should have developed a special device.
In 1944, two expelling cartridges were created: one with a charge of 1.5 g was intended for firing fragmentation grenades, and the second with a charge of 1.9 g was intended for armor-piercing cumulative grenades. In 1945, the weapon was successfully tested. However, according to experts, special sights should also be developed for rifles that fire grenades, which was never done.
About curved-barrel devices
Assault rifles were adapted for shooting from trenches and from behind tanks. Such firing became possible thanks to the presence of special curved-barrel attachments. The service life of such devices did not exceed 250 shots. Initially it was planned to use 7.92x57 mm rifle ammunition. But during testing it turned out that the power of such cartridges was too great for curved-barrel attachments, which failed after only a hundred shots. The gunsmiths decided to use 7.92x33 mm cartridges.
1944 was the year the first curved-barrel device for an assault rifle appeared. The nozzle was presented in the form of a rifled barrel bent at 90 degrees. Special openings were provided for the product through which powder gases escaped. The designers managed to increase the service life of the nozzle, compared to the first samples, to 2 thousand shots. A bevel angle of 90 degrees was provided. However, the German infantrymen were not satisfied with this indicator of curvature. The designers had to change the angle to 45 degrees. However, after the tests, it turned out that such a bevel angle entails rapid wear of the nozzles. As a result, the curvature had to be reduced to 30 degrees. With the help of these devices, German soldiers could also fire grenades. Especially for this purpose, the holes in the nozzles were covered, since a large amount of gases was required for the grenade to fly out. The firing range of the rifle grenade launcher was 250 m.
In 1945, the curved-barrel attachment Deckungszielgerat45 was manufactured. With the help of this device, the German soldier had the opportunity to shoot grenades from a full-fledged shelter. The device was a frame to which a rifle was attached using special latches. The lower part of the frame was equipped with an additional metal butt and a wooden pistol grip. Its trigger mechanism was connected to the trigger of the rifle. Aiming was carried out using two mirrors installed at an angle of 45 degrees.
TTX
- STG 44 refers to automatic weapons.
- Weight - 5.2 kg.
- The size of the entire rifle is 94 cm, the barrel is 419 mm.
- The weapon fires 7.92x33 mm ammunition. Caliber 7.92 mm.
- The projectile weighs 8.1 g.
- The fired bullet has a speed of 685 m/s.
- Automation uses the principle of removal of powder gases.
- The barrel channel is locked by tilting the bolt.
- The aimed shooting range is 600 m.
- Ammunition supply sector store.
- Within one minute you can fire up to 500-600 shots.
- Country of origin - Third Reich.
- The rifle was created by designer Hugo Schmeisser.
- The rifle entered service in 1942.
- The total number of rifle units produced is 466 thousand.
About the advantages and disadvantages
According to experts, the STG 44 is a revolutionary example of automatic small arms. The rifle has the following advantages:
- Excellent accuracy of hits when shooting at close and medium distances.
- Compactness. The rifle was very easy to use.
- Excellent rate of fire.
- Good ammunition characteristics.
- Versatility.
Despite the presence of undeniable advantages, STG 44 is not without some disadvantages. The weaknesses of the rifle include:
- The presence of a weak magazine spring.
- Unlike other rifle models, the STG 44 has a large mass.
- The presence of a fragile receiver and unsuccessful sighting devices.
- The German assault rifle does not have a handguard.
According to military experts, these shortcomings were not critical. By carrying out a small modernization weak sides German rifles would have been easily eliminated. However, the Nazis no longer had time for this.
According to military experts, the German STG 44 assault rifle and the AK are very similar. In 1945, the Americans occupied the city of Sühl. It was in this city that the company of H. Schmeisser was located. Having made sure that the businessman was not a Nazi, the Americans did not detain him, and showed absolutely no interest in STG 44. US soldiers were convinced that their automatic rifles were better than German rifles.
In the Soviet Union, work on the creation of an intermediate cartridge has been carried out since 1943. The impetus for this was the appearance of captured rifle models among Soviet designers. In 1945, all technical documentation on the assault rifle was removed from Schmeisser's enterprises in the USSR.
In 1946, 62-year-old Hugo Schmeisser and his family went to Soviet Union, namely in Izhevsk. In this city, Soviet designers carried out work to create a new machine gun. A German gunsmith was invited to the enterprise as an expert. Soviet designers used technical documentation for the German Schmeisser assault rifle. It is for this reason that debates about the origin of the Soviet “Kalash” are still raging among specialists and amateurs of automatic small arms. Some argue that the AK is a successful copy of the STG 44.
Finally
Using captured German rifles, Soviet soldiers stormed Berlin. STG 44 had a huge impact on the further post-war development of automatic weapons.
In addition to the Kalashnikov, the design of the German rifle was used by Belgian designers during its creation. Experts do not rule out that the STG 44 was also the prototype for the American rifle, since both models are very similar in design. In the ranking of the best small arms automatic weapons german rifle ranks 9th.
