StG 44(German) S turm g ewehr 44 - assault rifle 1944) - German automatic weapon (machine gun, assault rifle) chambered for the 7.92x33 mm Kurtz intermediate cartridge, developed at the end of World War II. Also known as MP 43 And MP 44. About 450 thousand pieces were produced. Among modern-type automatic machines, it was the first development to be mass-produced.
At the beginning of 1943, the name of the MKb42(H) weapon was changed to MP 43A(German) Maschinenpistole- submachine gun). 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served as a kind of disguise, since Hitler did not want to produce a new class of weapons, fearing that millions of outdated cartridges for rifles and light machine guns would end up in military warehouses. By that time, Walter's design had been withdrawn from the competition, and Haenel's design had undergone significant changes in the bolt part. In April 1943 it was developed MP 43B. In the summer the designation was changed again to MP 43/1 And MP 43 respectively. Mass production machine guns MP 43/1 began in June 1943 and continued until December 1943, when priority was given to the production of an improved MP 43. In total, about 14 thousand copies of the MP 43/1 were produced.
By the autumn of 1943 the design MP 43/1 was slightly modified so that it could be equipped with a standard rifle grenade launcher developed 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 began to be called MP 43. Subsequently, the design of the weapon remained almost unchanged until the end of World War II.
Thanks to Speer, the modernized MP 43 entered service with the SS Viking Panzer Division, which conducted the first full-scale military tests of the MP 43. It was found that the new carbine was an effective replacement for submachine guns and repeating rifles, increasing the firepower of infantry units and reducing the need to use hand-held rifles. machine guns.
German rangers of the 1st Ski Brigade armed with StG 44 assault rifles in the Pripyat area, Ukraine Hitler received many flattering reviews of the new weapon from SS, HWaA generals 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 Haenel company discussed the final design of the MP 43. As a result of the discussions, 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 optical sight ZF41. By the end of February 1944, only 22,900 MP 43/1 and MP 43 submachine guns were assembled.
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 its fourth and final name - “Assault Rifle”, Sturmgewehr - StG 44. It is believed that Hitler himself invented this word as a sonorous name for a new model that could be used for propaganda purposes. At the same time, no changes were made to the design of the machine itself.
Assembly plants primarily used parts from stocks to produce assault rifles, which is why weapons manufactured in 1945 are marked MP 44, although the designation had already been changed to StG 44. In total, 420,000–440,000 MP 43, MP 44 and StG 44 were produced. In addition C.G. Haenel enterprises also participated in the production of StG 44 Steyr-Daimler-Puch A.G., Erfurter Maschinenfabrik (ERMA) And Sauer & Sohn.
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 of the ground forces dated June 16, 1944 it was said that MP 44 will become a standard infantry weapon only if the ammunition problem is resolved.
In total, about 420,000 copies of the StG 44 were manufactured 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 the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Switzerland, Scandinavian countries, armed forces Czechoslovakia, and the airborne troops of Yugoslavia. Contrary to a common misconception, StG 44 not related to AK, nevertheless, it served as a starting point and model for the development of the latter. The concept of an intermediate cartridge was subsequently borrowed by many countries.
In August 1945, 50 copies of the StG 44 were assembled from parts available in the assembly shops and, together with 10,785 sheets of technical documentation, were transferred to the Red Army to set up 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 to use these developments in the production of Soviet weapons.
Design and principle of operation
Automation StG 44- gas-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. Skew occurs 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 cartridges with a 1.5 g (for fragmentation grenades) or 1.9 g (for armor-piercing cumulative grenades) powder charge. Standard weight gunpowder in the 7.92x33 mm Kurtz cartridge - 1.57 g. The gas piston with rod is combined with the bolt stem.
Additional accessories
Accessory kit for the StG 44 (MP 44) consisted of six magazines, a machine for filling magazines with cartridges, a belt, three barrel covers, a tool for unscrewing the gas chamber and removing the trigger guard, spare parts such as an extractor, extractor springs, etc. , pencil case with a brush on a cord for cleaning the barrel, technical instruction manuals.
Grenade launchers. The weapon was required to be able to fire grenades. The first models of rifles had a thread at the end of the barrel, protected by a nut, as on the MP 38 and MP 40 submachine guns. The thread was intended for attaching a flame arrester.
In July 1944, the first version of the attachment for an assault rifle appeared. It was a rifled barrel with several holes designed to remove gases from the channel; the curvature of the barrel was 90 degrees. Resource - 2000 shots. Obviously, a 90-degree curvature angle suited the armored vehicle crew, but not the infantry.
On October 27, 1944, several variants of attachments were demonstrated. The most suitable device for infantry was considered to be an attachment with a curvature of 30 degrees. In November-December 1944, various versions of the attachments were tested at the infantry school in Döbritz. On December 24, we decided to continue testing only 30-degree nozzles, since the 45-degree nozzles failed very quickly.
It was also possible to fire rifle grenades using a curved attachment. To fire a grenade, the ventilation holes in the curved barrel were covered with a special cover so that the expelling cartridge provided the required gas pressure in the curved channel. The firing range remained the same - 250 m, but the accuracy left much to be desired. Approximately 100–150 attachments were produced Vorsatz J and about 550 nozzles Vorsatz Pz.
Decungszielgerat 45– a device designed for firing an assault rifle from full-fledged shelters. It consisted of a frame on which a machine gun was attached with two latches; an additional metal butt with a wooden pistol grip was attached to the lower part of the frame. The trigger mechanism of the handle was connected to the trigger mechanism of the machine gun. For aiming, two mirrors were used, mounted at an angle of 45 degrees. Similar devices were created for Kar.98k, Gewehr 41, 43, MG 34.
Telescopic sights. In the early stages of MKb design, they could not determine the role of the new species small arms on the battlefield. On the right side of all MKb42s, guides were made for mounting an optical sight ZF41. In reality, optical sights were used on this type of weapon only during special tests, which gave a negative result.
In October 1943, comparative tests for shooting accuracy were carried out at the infantry school in Döbritz MP 43/1 and the G43 sniper variant. Both models were equipped with sights ZF4 4X magnification, this sight was developed at the beginning of 1943. To install the new sight, the MP 43/1 rifle’s mount was changed, since the mount for the ZF41 sight was not suitable. After only 30 shots fired in automatic mode, the alignment of the sight relative to the weapon was completely lost. It was not possible to hit the target with 5 single shots.
Tests revealed insufficient manufacturing quality of the ZF4 sights, and the MP 43/1 was completely unsuitable for sniper shooting. However, all MP 43/1s still had guides for mounting the ZF4 optical sight, although the sights themselves were never used in combat. Latest usage information MP 44 with ZF4 sniper scope date back to September 1944.
As before, the mounts were on the right side of the weapon. Next, Reich Minister Speer ordered efforts to be concentrated on improving the K43 as a sniper weapon.
StG 44 could be equipped with an infrared night sight ZG.1229 "Vampire".
Operation and combat use
Until the summer of 1944, assault rifles were found on the fronts in very small quantities (mainly in the Waffen-SS); similar weapons were used en masse in the final stage of the war. Therefore, they did not play a significant role in containing the onslaught of the allied armies.
Video
Shooting from the StG 44, handling weapons, etc.:
Sturmgewehr 44 (in English) |
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Based on the results of military tests of automatic carbines from and carried out at the end of 1942 - beginning of 1943 on the Soviet-German front, it was decided to develop the design of the Haenel company, created under the leadership of Hugo Schmeisser. Significant changes were made to the original design of the MKb.42(H) assault rifle, primarily affecting the trigger device and gas release mechanism. Due to Hitler's reluctance to begin production of a new class of weapons, development was carried out under the designation MP 43 (Machinen Pistole - submachine gun).
The first samples of MP 43 were successfully tested in 1943 on the Eastern Front against Soviet troops, and in 1944 more or less mass production of a new type of weapon began, but under the new name MP 44. After the results of successful front-line tests were presented Hitler and approved by him, the nomenclature of the weapon was changed again, and the model received the final designation StG.44 (Sturm Gewehr-44, assault rifle). The name Sturm Gewehr had a purely propaganda meaning, however, as sometimes happens, it firmly stuck not only to this model, but also to the entire class of hand-held automatic weapons chambered for an intermediate cartridge.
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In general, the MP 44 was a fairly successful model, providing effective fire with single shots at a range of up to 600 meters and automatic fire at a range of up to 300 meters. It was the first mass-produced model of a new class of weapons - assault rifles, and had an undoubted influence on all subsequent developments, including, of course, the Kalashnikov assault rifle. However, it is impossible to talk about Kalashnikov directly borrowing from the Schmeiser design - as follows from the above, the AK and MP 44 designs contain too many fundamentally different solutions (receiver layout, trigger device, barrel locking unit, etc.). The disadvantages of the MP 44 include the excessively large mass of the weapon, too high sights, because of which, when shooting prone, the shooter had to raise his head too high, and shortened magazines for 15 and 20 rounds were even developed for the MP 44. In addition, the butt mount was not strong enough and could be destroyed when using the weapon in hand-to-hand combat.
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In total, about 500,000 copies of the MP 44 / StG.44 were produced, and with the end of the Second World War its production ended, but it was in service with the GDR police until the mid-1950s. Airborne troops and a number of Yugoslav police forces used these assault rifles until the early 1980s (officially withdrawn from service in 1983, replaced by copies of locally produced AKM M64A and M70AV2) under the designation “Automat, padobranski, 7.9 mm M44, nemacki.” 7.92x33mm cartridges were produced in Yugoslavia until the 1970s.
MP 44 was an automatic weapon built on the basis of automatic weapons gas engine with a long working stroke of the gas piston. The barrel was locked by tilting the bolt downwards, behind the receiver liner.
The receiver is stamped from a steel sheet, and the stamped housing of the trigger mechanism (trigger mechanism) together with the pistol grip is hinged to the receiver and folds down and forward when disassembling the weapon. The stock is wooden; during disassembly it was removed after removing the spring-loaded transverse pin.
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The machine is fed from detachable box-shaped steel magazines with a capacity of 30 rounds. The magazine release is push-button, located on the side surface of the magazine receiver neck (a similar design was later used in American rifle M16).
The sight is sectoral, the safety and fire mode switch are independent, the switch is in the form of a transverse button above the pistol grip, the safety is in the form of a lever on the left of the trigger body, above the trigger guard. The bolt handle is located on the left and moves with the bolt frame when firing. The muzzle of the barrel has a thread for attaching a rifle grenade launcher, usually covered with a protective sleeve.
The MP 44 could be equipped with an active IR sight "Vampire" as well as a special Krummlauf Vorsatz J curved-barrel device, which was placed on the barrel of the weapon and was intended for the crew to fire from inside the tanks through hatches at the enemy in the dead zone near the tank. This device was an arc-shaped “extension” of the barrel, which had a number of holes on the outside of the curved barrel designed to discharge powder gases in order to avoid rupture of the barrel due to increased bullet friction. Because of this, the initial speed of the bullet, deflected 30 degrees down from the axis of the weapon, was reduced to approximately 300 m/s, which was quite enough, since this weapon was intended for very close combat - firing at infantry within a radius of 30-40 meters from the tank . To aim the weapon, a special mirror system was used, mounted on a curved barrel attachment. In total, about 10,000 Krummlauf Vorsatz J kits were produced. In addition, Krummlauf Vorsatz P and Krummlauf Vorsatz V kits were developed, but not mass-produced, providing a downward deviation of the bullet trajectory by 90 and 40 degrees, respectively.
Throughout the history of mankind, many samples have been created. According to military experts, among the wide variety of similar products on special place There are models such as the German STG 44 assault rifle and the Kalashnikov assault rifle. 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
The STG 44 assault rifle (Sturmgewehr 44) is a German assault rifle 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 for the grenade to fly out it was necessary a large number of gases The firing range of the rifle grenade launcher was 250 m.
In 1945, the curved-barrel attachment Deckungszielgerat45 was manufactured. With help of this device the German soldier now has the opportunity to fire grenades from full cover. 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.
Among the variety of small arms created by designers in the last century, we can especially highlight individual samples that had the greatest influence on the further development of arms making. The appearance of some of them can be called a real 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 appearance of such legendary 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 attachments. According to legend, the name for this weapon (Sturmgewehr, which means “assault rifle”) was invented by Hitler himself. However, all of the above is nothing more than icing on the cake; the most important 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 vampire was actively used in the last year of the war, although its range did not exceed one hundred meters.
The history of the creation of this weapon began long before the Second World War, back in the mid-thirties 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 leadership wanted to have more advanced small arms 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 excellent accuracy and firing range, but was overly powerful. This led to an increase in the mass of the weapon, to its complexity, to a decrease in the amount of ammunition that a fighter could take with him. The flight range of a rifle bullet reached two kilometers, although most of the fire contacts occurred at distances of 400-500 meters. In addition, the production of such ammunition required more resources.
The rifle cartridge was very poorly suited for creating automatic weapons.
The pistol cartridge was not powerful enough, and its ballistics can hardly be called ideal. It is effective at distances of up to 200 meters, which is clearly not enough for an infantryman’s main weapon. Numerous submachine guns made before and during the war were clear 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 create the first production model: in 1940, the Polte arms company created an intermediate cartridge 7.92x33 mm Kurz.
Even before the start of the war, the concept of rearming the army with weapons created for an intermediate cartridge was created in Germany. On that moment 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, as well as partially replace the light machine gun. The German military hoped to significantly increase the firepower of rifle formations with the help of new weapons.
In 1938, the Wehrmacht Armament Directorate entered into an agreement with the arms company C.G. Haenel, owned by Hugo Schmeisser, contracted to create an automatic carbine chambered 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 samples of new weapons chambered for the 7.92x33 mm Kurz cartridge. In the same year, another well-known German arms company, Walther, received a similar task.
At the very beginning of 1942, both companies presented their modified MKb samples (MKbH and MKbW), they were presented to Hitler. The weapons created by Walther were considered too complex and capricious. Schmeisser's sample had a simpler structure and robust design, it was more convenient to disassemble, and had better characteristics.
The new weapon was designated MKb.42 and was sent to the Eastern Front for further testing. Front-line tests finally confirmed the superiority of the model created by Haenel, but the military demanded some changes be made 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 manufactured. This was followed by another slight modification of the weapon, it received the name MP-43 and remained virtually unchanged until the very end of the war. At the beginning of 1944, the rifle received a new abbreviation - MP-44.
In September 1943 new rifle was subjected 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 flattering reviews; it significantly increased the firepower of infantry units.
After this, the new weapon was demonstrated to Hitler. Prior to this, he received a large number of excellent reviews about him from the generals and the leadership of the German military-industrial complex. 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, about 400 thousand units of this weapon were produced before the end of the war (for comparison, about 2 million MP-38/40 were produced during the entire war). These weapons 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 impressive), but the lack of ammunition for the Stg.44.
The catastrophic situation with ammunition for the new assault rifle is also noted by German generals in their memoirs. However, in general, Stg.44 proved to be best side both in terms of accuracy, and in simplicity of design, and in its manufacturability.
After the end of the war, the Sturmgever was used by the GDR police, the German army, and the armed forces of several other European countries. There is information that in Syria, warehouses containing several thousand units of these weapons were seized by the opposition and now these assault rifles are actively used by both sides of the conflict.
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.
Food is supplied 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 recoil 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 model of small arms. However, like any new weapon, Stg.44 had its “childhood illnesses”. The developers simply did not have enough time to eliminate them. In addition, we should not forget that the Stg.44 was the first weapon of its kind.
Flaws:
- too much weight compared to a conventional rifle;
- fragility of the receiver;
- unsuccessful aiming devices;
- weak spring in stores;
- lack of fore-end.
Advantages:
- excellent shooting accuracy at close and medium distances;
- convenience and compactness;
- excellent rate of fire;
- good ammunition characteristics;
- versatility in combat conditions.
As you can see, the shortcomings of the Stg.44 are not critical, and they could be easily eliminated with only a slight modernization of the weapon. But the Germans did not have time to correct their mistakes.
Some experts believe that if Stg.44 had appeared a few years earlier, the war could have had a different ending. 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 were convinced that he was not a Nazi and had not committed crimes, the designer was released. The Americans were absolutely not interested in his weapons. They believed that their M1 carbine was much better than the Stg.44.
They thought completely differently in the Soviet Union. Work on the creation of weapons for the intermediate cartridge began in the USSR back in 1943, immediately after the appearance of the first German captured samples. After the city in Germany where Schmeisser’s plant was located went to the Soviet occupation zone, all technical documentation for Stg.44 was removed from the plant.
Further more. In 1946, serious people came to 62-year-old Schmeisser and made him an offer that they couldn’t refuse. He, as well as the employees of his company, together with their families, went 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 are still going on and their intensity does not subside. Was the AK a copy of the German assault rifle? No, of course, they differ and very seriously. But to the question whether the Stg.44 was a prototype for the creation of a Soviet assault rifle, one can definitely answer in the affirmative. To do this, just look at them appearance and design.
But this is not the most interesting thing. Who created the legendary Soviet machine gun? An illiterate boy with seven years of education or an experienced world-famous gunsmith who last years devoted his life to working on such a weapon? The question, as they say, is rhetorical. According to the recollections of people who were familiar with Kalashnikov, he did not know how to draw and could not make basic calculations. Although, everyone emphasizes that the guy’s hands were truly golden. But this is clearly not enough to create new weapons.
In 1948, Kalashnikov was sent to work 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 Mikhail Timofeevich’s memoirs there is not a single word about the Germans.
Although, the history of the creation of the legendary machine gun is a separate topic that clearly goes beyond the scope of our material.
We can also add that in 1952 Schmeisser was released to Germany, where a year later he suddenly died.
Specifications
- weight, kg: 5.2;
- length, mm: 940;
- barrel length, mm: 419;
- muzzle velocity, 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 article is devoted to the hottest topic in the arms world about plagiarism of the Soviet assault rifle Mikhail Kalashnikov AK-47 from an assault rifle by Hugo SchmeisserStG-44(MP -43-Latin). For reference on Russian/domestic qualifications, automatic small arms using an intermediate cartridge are called “automatic”, according to foreign classification this type The weapon is called an “assault rifle,” so this article will focus on “machine guns.” The reason for the dispute is the poor education of people in this topic (technical and historical vacuum) and the unwillingness to look deeper into the essence of the dispute, plus a great desire to rewrite history based on arguments and distorted facts. Below in the article everything will be laid out on the “shelves” without “foaming around the mouth”, what comes from, when and why.
Proponents of plagiarism insist exclusively on:
- AK-47 visually similar in layout to StG-44, the use of an intermediate cartridge and gas-operated automation, which had no analogues
- Hugo Schmeisser was brought to the USSR to create a future AK-47
- Mikhail Kalashnikov could not create AK-47, since he had no technical education, no experience in creating firearms, and after its creation he did not create a single type of weapon. Simply put, there wouldn’t be enough “brains”
Visual similarity between AK-47 and STG -47
The design of the machines is similar in layout (visually) and there is nothing else in common between them. Technical similarities between AK-47 And STG-44, the same as that of an angle grinder and a hammer drill. If you look into the design of the machine guns, then the technical difference between them is HUGE, namely the HUGE similarity of the machine guns: top-mounted gas-operated automatics and an intermediate cartridge (7.62x41 mm for AK-47, to be more precise, after 1948, 7.62x39 mm and 7.92x33 mm for StG-44).
| Machine | StG-44 | AK-47 |
| Barrel caliber | 7.92x33 mm | 7.62x41/39 mm |
| Automation | Gas outlet, use of an upper receiver | Gas outlet, use of a guide rod |
| Shutter travel | longer, since it is necessary to remove the misalignment of the shutter, and then extract the sleeve | short, the cartridge case is extracted immediately |
| Locking the barrel | shutter skew | rotation of the cylinder with lugs |
| Fuse | flag | the fuse is combined with a fire translator in the flag switch |
| Fire translator | button | |
| The receiver is made by milling | The receiver is made by stamping | |
| Magazine mount | high shaft for the magazine, push-button magazine fastening | the magazine shaft is located directly in the receiver, the magazine fastening is a latch |
| Recoil spring | bigger size, half placed in the shutter | smaller size, placed inside the receiver on the guide rod |
| Not complete disassembly | removing the butt and breaking the receiver into two parts | Removing the receiver cover |
| Protection of automation from dirt | folding window - opens after the start of shooting | protected directly by the bolt |
From the table we can see that the technical approach to automatic machines is completely different. Complete and incomplete disassembly of machine guns have nothing in common. ShutterStG-44slides inside the upper receiver, atAK-47the bolt slides along grooves in the receiver. The difference is obvious in the recoil springs and the way they are located. Due to the large return springStG-44, which is necessary to return the shutter with a long stroke (remove the misalignment of the shutter and make extraction sleeves), so the machinecannot be produced with or without a folding stock. The triggers for the machines are different.
Let's compare the layout right away AK-46, which turned into AK-47. Here we are immediately struck by the familiar method of not completely disassembling an assault rifle by dividing the receiver into upper and lower parts. Which immediately hints at the similarity of assembly/disassembly with StG-44. But this method of disassembly and assembly has been familiar to Kalashnikov since the beginning of 1942, when he created the Kalashnikov submachine gun model 1942, and six months later he created the Kalashnikov machine gun 1942/43, the drawings of which were ready back in 1942. That is, a year and a half before the creation of MP-43 (future StG-44).
Hugo Schmeisser was not a “pioneer” in the creation of automatic small arms. Gas-operated automatic, barrel locking by skewed bolt, intermediate cartridges like StG-44 was used by John Garand when creating the M1 Garbine rifle in 1923. It should also be noted that the use of gas-operated automatics in small arms began in early 1940, when the USSR began producing small arms with gas-operated automatics in 1927 with the adoption of the DP-27 machine gun, and the first sample of the Degtyarev self-loading rifle was presented in 1917 .
Weapons with automatic gas release, rotary locking of the barrel and automatic firing, like a machine gun AK-47 was created back in 1883 by the Mexican gunsmith Manuel Mondragon when creating the M1883/M1908 automatic rifle. In 1923, this design was used by Isaac Lewis (photo-1, photo-2) when creating a machine gun. In the USSR, this design was used by Bulkin in 1944 when creating the AB-44 assault rifle.
How we see automatic circuits of machines AK-47 And STG-44 existed long before the Second World War. Logically, it turns out that Hugo Schmeiser himself plagiarized.
Hugo Schmeisser helped create the AK-47 with the USSR
This statement is not true, since Hugo Schmeisser was brought to Izhevsk by the USSR at the end of October 1946, he began work in November 1946, that is, two months before the final GAU competition. It turns out that Hugo Schmeisser arrived after Vasily Lyuty (leading GAU specialist on small arms and mortar weapons) gave an opinion on the correction and modernization of the competitive AK-46 to level AK-47. Mikhail Kalashnikov worked in Izhevsk, and Hugo Schmeisser in Kovrov; there are 1000 km between these cities. If there was a need for the knowledge of Hugo Schmeisser to create a machine gun, then he would have worked in Izhevsk. Also remote work at that time was not possible due to the lack of modern technologies - graphic editors and analogues of the Internet. After returning home to Germany in June 1952, Hugo Schmeisser did not publish information about his involvement in the creation AK-47. Additionally, there is information that Werner Gruner, the creator of the German MG-38 machine gun, who was in the field of electric welding and stamping, helped produce the AK-47 using the stamping method. Then the question arises “why,” if the AK-47, before the adoption of the AKM in 1959, was manufactured with a milled receiver, and not by stamping, like the STG-44. Plus, the USSR had experience in manufacturing weapons using the stamping method in manufacturing PPSh and PPS.
There wouldn't be enough "brains"
At the time of creation AK-47 Kalashnikov had a technical education, which he received at the Moscow Aviation Institute (he was sent for training in mid-1942, after the introduction of his second submachine gun), which was evacuated to Samarkand (Kazakh SSR) at the end of 1941. In mid-1942, he had experience in creating two submachine guns with different automation systems. Before the war, Kalashnikov was a tank driver and created a device for more efficient shooting from TT through the viewing slots of tanks. The first experimental submachine gun had gas-operated automatics - samples and drawings have not been preserved. The second surviving experimental Klyushnikov submachine gun of the 1942 model with a semi-blowback was distinguished by a screw coupling to slow down the bolt; this semi-blowback was first used in the design of a weapon by Kalashnikov. In mid-1943, Kalashnikov presented a prototype of a machine gun, which began to be designed simultaneously with a submachine gun, but due to the busyness of work on the experimental Kalashnikov submachine gun of 1942. In October 1944, Kalashnikov presented the GAU with the Kalashnikov SKK-44 self-loading carbine, but preference was given to the Simonov SKS carbine, which was a famous weapons designer. So, experience and technical education at the time of creation AK-47 Kalashnikov had it. In 1943 he was transferred to the staff of the design bureau with a salary.
The second important point is that when creating AK-47 Kalashnikov worked in the team of Alexander Alekseevich Zaitsev and Vasily Ivanovich Solovyov. Also, when creating the machine, the designers had to communicate a lot with technologists, metallurgy specialists, and lathes.
The third important point is the big technical difference between the AK-46 and AK-47, which was announced for testing for the GAU in 1946, that according to the terms of the competition it was impossible to make serious technical modifications. Appearance of the usual design for testing in December 1946 AK-47 associated with Vasily Lyuty. Vasily Lyuty was at that time one of the main members of the GAU commission, who recommended that Kalashnikov make technical changes and technical solutions from other assault rifles that took part in the competition. The main technical solutions were borrowed from the Bulkin AB-46/TKB-415 assault rifle, which was in the lead throughout the competition. As we can see, Kalashnikov borrowed a bolt group with rotary locking of the barrel and receiver from the Bulkin assault rifle. Initially, the AK-46 had a different gas piston that did not have a rigid fastening with a bolt and a different receiver design. Lyuty's task was to adopt modern weapons, which he did with the hands of Kalashnikov.
Initially AK-47 could be called AKZ-47-according to the abbreviations of the main designers of the assault rifle—Avtomat Kalashnikov-Zaitsev model 1947. But one of the highest military officials considered that a modern and formidable weapon had been created, and the inclusion of Zaitsev’s surname was not appropriate, after which Zaitsev and Solovyov found themselves in the “shadow” of Kalashnikov:
“A machine gun is a formidable modern weapon. How can Zaitsev appear in its name? What does a bunny mean? It’s not serious. Here’s a Kalash - yes!”
Mikhail Kalashnikov did not know how to draw, yes, this is true, which is confirmed in his memoirs by Alexander Zaitsev, who was engaged in drawing work. But to be fair, many gunsmiths of that time did not know how to draw and did not have a technical education. Hugo Schmeisser also did not know how to draw and did not have a technical education. You can remember John Browning, who, without a technical education, became the most famous gunsmith in the World and created more than 50 types of small arms. Already at the age of 4, before he could read and write, he already knew the names of all parts of small arms. Among the domestic gunsmiths without technical education, we must highlight Mikhail Margolin, who, without education and being completely BLIND, from the age of 18 was able to create a small-caliber machine gun, a rifle, and a sports pistol MTs-1/MTsM. And creating more advanced weapons based on created weapon samples should not come as a surprise; none of the gunsmiths created anything from scratch or reinvented gunpowder. If you take any weapon, you can easily discern plagiarism in it. Plagiarism in the weapons world must be understood as a complete copying of a weapon, and not its individual components, and how you can create what has been created can only be modernized.
There is a rumor that Mikhail Kalashnikov is just a pseudo-designer who was promoted to gunsmiths and that after AK-47 they did not create anything. But then the question arises, who created Saiga, AK-74, AKSU, APK, PK, PKM, PP "Bison", PKT, RPK
Conclusion
Machine designs AK-47 And StG-44 have no common technical solutions, but plagiarism is out of the question. If we were talking about plagiarism, then there would be 100% copying of the machine. Stealing, copying, disassembling and creating an owl at that time was the norm/necessity and all countries of the World were doing this despite the moral standards of copyright. Hugo Schmeisser could not help in creating the AK-47, since he was 1000 km from Mikhail Kalashnikov, and technical shortcomings and recommendations for creating AK-47 Vasily Lyuty were drawn up 1 month before the arrival of Hugo Schmeisser in the USSR, that is, the technical specifications for the creation AK-47 have already been embodied in metal. At the time of its creation, Mikhail Kalashnikov had practical and theoretical experience in creating small arms, and also had a technical education, which he received in Samarkand (Kazakhstan) at the Moscow Aviation Institute, where he was sent by Anatoly Blagonravov, and a year later he was accepted into the design bureau in Kovrov. Mikhail Kalashnikov did not single-handedly create the AK-47; its creation was influenced by the design of the Bulkin AB-46 assault rifle and the supervision of Vasily Lyuty, who gave recommendations for improving the AK-46 and lobbied for Kalashnikov’s design. Do not forget about the help of Alexander Zaitsev and Vasily Solovyov, who found themselves in the “shadow” of Kalashnikov. The domestic design school of small arms had outstanding gunsmiths (Shpagin, Degtyarev, Bulkin, Lyuty, Tokarev, Simonov, Shpagin, Dementyev, Sudaev, ....) rich experience in creating successful models of small arms. Domestic gunsmiths did not need the help of German captured gunsmiths.
Well, a couple of questions for those who believe that the AK-47 is still a plagiarism of the STG-44:
- What prevented the military from sending Hugo Schmeisser to the same design bureau as Kalashnikov to help?
- If it is believed that the AK-46 is a copy of the StG-44, fine, so be it, but the AK-46 was not produced, and the AK-47 has little in common with the design of the AK-46.
P.S. For people who, after facts and arguments, continue to believe in Kalashnikov’s plagiarism, then this is their right...."
It's crap everywhere: the designs are crap, the competition is crap, the designer is crap... But how did the “candy” turn out?
