By the end of the 30s, almost all participants in the coming world war had formed general directions in the development of small arms. The range and accuracy of the attack was reduced, which was compensated by the greater density of fire. As a consequence of this, the beginning of mass rearmament of units with automatic small arms - submachine guns, machine guns, assault rifles.
Accuracy of fire began to fade into the background, while the soldiers advancing in a chain began to be taught shooting on the move. With the advent airborne troops There was a need to create special lightweight weapons.
Maneuver warfare also affected machine guns: they became much lighter and more mobile. New types of small arms appeared (which was dictated, first of all, by the need to fight tanks) - rifle grenades, anti-tank rifles and RPGs with cumulative grenades.
Small arms of the USSR World War II
Rifle division of the Red Army on the eve of the Great Patriotic War was a very formidable force - about 14.5 thousand people. The main type of small arms were rifles and carbines - 10,420 pieces. The share of submachine guns was insignificant - 1204. There were 166, 392 and 33 units of heavy, light and anti-aircraft machine guns, respectively.
The division had its own artillery of 144 guns and 66 mortars. The firepower was supplemented by 16 tanks, 13 armored vehicles and a solid fleet of auxiliary vehicles.
Rifles and carbines
The main small arms of the USSR infantry units of the first period of the war was certainly the famous three-line rifle - the 7.62 mm S.I. Mosin rifle of the 1891 model, modernized in 1930. Its advantages are well known - strength, reliability, ease of maintenance, combined with good ballistics qualities, in particular, with an aiming range of 2 km. 
The three-line rifle is an ideal weapon for newly recruited soldiers, and the simplicity of the design created enormous opportunities for its mass production. But like any weapon, the three-line gun had its drawbacks. The permanently attached bayonet in combination with a long barrel (1670 mm) created inconvenience when moving, especially in wooded areas. The bolt handle caused serious complaints when reloading.
On its basis it was created sniper rifle and a series of carbines of the 1938 and 1944 model. Fate gave the three-line a long life (the last three-line was released in 1965), participation in many wars and an astronomical “circulation” of 37 million copies.
The target range of the SVT-40 is up to 1 km. The SVT-40 served with honor on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. It was also appreciated by our opponents. Historical fact: having captured rich trophies at the beginning of the war, among which there were many SVT-40s, the German army... adopted it for service, and the Finns created their own rifle on the basis of the SVT-40 - TaRaKo.
The creative development of the ideas implemented in the SVT-40 became the AVT-40 automatic rifle. It differed from its predecessor in its ability to fire automatically at a rate of up to 25 rounds per minute. The disadvantage of the AVT-40 is its low accuracy of fire, strong unmasking flame and loud noise at the moment of the shot. Subsequently, as the troops enlisted en masse automatic weapons it was removed from service.
Submachine guns
The Great Patriotic War was the time of the final transition from rifles to automatic weapons. The Red Army began to fight, armed with a small number of PPD-40 - a submachine gun designed by an outstanding Soviet designer Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev. At that time, PPD-40 was in no way inferior to its domestic and foreign counterparts. 
Designed for a pistol cartridge cal. 7.62 x 25 mm, the PPD-40 had an impressive ammunition load of 71 rounds, housed in a drum-type magazine. Weighing about 4 kg, it fired at a rate of 800 rounds per minute with an effective range of up to 200 meters. However, just a few months after the start of the war it was replaced by the legendary PPSh-40 cal. 7.62 x 25 mm.
The creator of the PPSh-40, designer Georgy Semenovich Shpagin, was faced with the task of developing an extremely easy-to-use, reliable, technologically advanced, cheap to produce mass weapon. 
From its predecessor, the PPD-40, the PPSh inherited a drum magazine with 71 rounds. A little later, a simpler and more reliable sector horn magazine with 35 rounds was developed for it. The weight of the equipped machine guns (both versions) was 5.3 and 4.15 kg, respectively. The rate of fire of the PPSh-40 reached 900 rounds per minute with an aiming range of up to 300 meters and the ability to fire single shots.
To master the PPSh-40, a few lessons were enough. It could easily be disassembled into 5 parts made using stamping and welding technology, thanks to which during the war years the Soviet defense industry produced about 5.5 million machine guns.
In the summer of 1942, the young designer Alexey Sudaev presented his brainchild - a 7.62 mm submachine gun. It was strikingly different from its “bigger brothers” PPD and PPSh-40 in its rational layout, higher manufacturability and ease of manufacturing parts using arc welding. 
PPS-42 was 3.5 kg lighter and required three times less manufacturing time. However, despite its quite obvious advantages, it never became a mass weapon, leaving the PPSh-40 to take the lead.
By the beginning of the war, the DP-27 light machine gun (Degtyarev infantry, 7.62mm caliber) had been in service with the Red Army for almost 15 years, having the status of the main light machine gun of infantry units. Its automation was powered by the energy of powder gases. The gas regulator reliably protected the mechanism from contamination and high temperatures.
The DP-27 could only fire automatically, but even a beginner needed a few days to master shooting in short bursts of 3-5 shots. Ammunition of 47 rounds was placed in a disk magazine with a bullet towards the center in one row. The magazine itself was mounted on top of the receiver. The weight of the unloaded machine gun was 8.5 kg. An equipped magazine increased it by almost another 3 kg.
It was powerful weapon with an aiming range of 1.5 km and a combat rate of fire of up to 150 rounds per minute. In the firing position, the machine gun rested on a bipod. A flame arrester was screwed onto the end of the barrel, significantly reducing its unmasking effect. The DP-27 was serviced by a gunner and his assistant. In total, about 800 thousand machine guns were produced.
Small arms of the Wehrmacht of World War II
Basic strategy German army- offensive or blitzkrieg (blitzkrieg - lightning war). The decisive role in it was assigned to large tank formations, carrying out deep breakthroughs of the enemy’s defenses in cooperation with artillery and aviation.
Tank units bypassed powerful fortified areas, destroying control centers and rear communications, without which the enemy quickly lost their combat effectiveness. The defeat was completed by motorized units ground forces.
Small arms of the Wehrmacht infantry division
The staff of the German infantry division of the 1940 model assumed the presence of 12,609 rifles and carbines, 312 submachine guns (machine guns), light and heavy machine guns - 425 and 110 pieces, respectively, 90 anti-tank rifles and 3,600 pistols.The Wehrmacht's small arms generally met the high wartime requirements. It was reliable, trouble-free, simple, easy to manufacture and maintain, which contributed to its serial production.
Rifles, carbines, machine guns
Mauser 98K
Mauser 98K is an improved version of the Mauser 98 rifle, developed in late XIX century by the brothers Paul and Wilhelm Mauser, founders of the world famous arms company. Equipping the German army with it began in 1935. 
Mauser 98K
The weapon was loaded with a clip of five 7.92 mm cartridges. A trained soldier could shoot 15 times within a minute at a range of up to 1.5 km. The Mauser 98K was very compact. Its main characteristics: weight, length, barrel length - 4.1 kg x 1250 x 740 mm. The indisputable advantages of the rifle are evidenced by numerous conflicts involving it, longevity and a truly sky-high “circulation” - more than 15 million units.
MP-40 "Schmeisser" assault rifle
Perhaps the most famous Wehrmacht small arms of the Second World War was the famous MP-40 submachine gun, a modification of its predecessor, the MP-36, created by Heinrich Vollmer. However, as fate would have it, he is better known under the name “Schmeisser”, obtained thanks to the stamp on the store - “PATENT SCHMEISSER”. The stigma simply meant that, in addition to G. Vollmer, Hugo Schmeisser also participated in the creation of the MP-40, but only as the creator of the store. 
MP-40 "Schmeisser" assault rifle
Initially, the MP-40 was intended to arm the command staff of infantry units, but later it was transferred to the disposal of tank crews, armored vehicle drivers, paratroopers and special forces soldiers.
However, the MP-40 was absolutely unsuitable for infantry units, since it was exclusively a melee weapon. In a fierce battle on open area having a weapon with a firing range of 70 to 150 meters meant for a German soldier to be practically unarmed in front of his enemy, armed with Mosin and Tokarev rifles with a firing range of 400 to 800 meters.
StG-44 assault rifle
Assault rifle StG-44 (sturmgewehr) cal. 7.92mm is another legend of the Third Reich. This is certainly an outstanding creation by Hugo Schmeisser - the prototype of many post-war assault rifles and machine guns, including the famous AK-47. 
The StG-44 could conduct single and automatic fire. Its weight with a full magazine was 5.22 kg. IN sighting range- 800 meters - the Sturmgewehr was in no way inferior to its main competitors. There were three versions of the magazine - for 15, 20 and 30 shots with a rate of up to 500 rounds per second. The option of using a rifle with underbarrel grenade launcher and an infrared sight.
Not without its shortcomings. The assault rifle was heavier than the Mauser-98K by a whole kilogram. Its wooden butt sometimes could not withstand hand-to-hand combat and simply broke. The flame escaping from the barrel revealed the location of the shooter, and the long magazine and sighting devices forced him to raise his head high in a prone position.
MG-42 caliber 7.92 mm is quite rightly called one of the best machine guns Second World War. It was developed at Grossfus by engineers Werner Gruner and Kurt Horn. Those who experienced its firepower were very outspoken. Our soldiers called it a “lawn mower,” and the allies called it “Hitler’s circular saw.”
Depending on the type of bolt, the machine gun fired accurately at a speed of up to 1500 rpm at a range of up to 1 km. Ammunition was supplied using a machine gun belt with 50 - 250 rounds of ammunition. The uniqueness of the MG-42 was complemented by relatively little big amount parts – 200 and high technology of their production by stamping and spot welding.
The barrel, hot from shooting, was replaced with a spare one in a few seconds using a special clamp. In total, about 450 thousand machine guns were produced. The unique technical developments embodied in the MG-42 were borrowed by gunsmiths from many countries around the world when creating their machine guns.
The holiday is approaching Great Victory- the day when the Soviet people defeated the fascist infection. It is worth recognizing that the forces of the opponents at the beginning of World War II were unequal. The Wehrmacht is significantly superior to the Soviet army in armament. In confirmation of this “dozen” small arms of Wehrmacht soldiers.
1. Mauser 98k
A German-made repeating rifle that entered service in 1935. In the Wehrmacht troops, this weapon was one of the most common and popular. In a number of parameters, the Mauser 98k was superior to the Soviet Mosin rifle. In particular, the Mauser weighed less, was shorter, had a more reliable bolt and a rate of fire of 15 rounds per minute, versus 10 for the Mosin rifle. The German counterpart paid for all this with a shorter firing range and weaker stopping power.
2. Luger pistol
This 9mm pistol was designed by Georg Luger back in 1900. Modern experts consider this pistol to be the best during the Second World War. The design of the Luger was very reliable, it had an energy-efficient design, low accuracy of fire, high accuracy and rate of fire. The only significant flaw of this weapon was the inability to close the locking levers with the structure, as a result of which the Luger could become clogged with dirt and stop shooting.
3. MP 38/40
Thanks to Soviet and Russian cinema, this “Maschinenpistole” became one of the symbols of the Nazi war machine. The reality, as always, is much less poetic. The MP 38/40, popular in media culture, has never been the main small arms for most Wehrmacht units. They armed them with drivers, tank crews, special forces detachments, rear guard detachments, as well as junior officers of the ground forces. The German infantry was mostly armed with Mauser 98k. Only occasionally MP 38/40s were handed over to assault troops in some quantity as “additional” weapons.
4. FG-42
The German semi-automatic rifle FG-42 was intended for paratroopers. It is believed that the impetus for the creation of this rifle was Operation Mercury to capture the island of Crete. Due to the specifics of parachutes, the Wehrmacht landing force carried only light weapons. All heavy and auxiliary weapons were dropped separately in special containers. This approach caused large losses on the part of the landing party. The FG-42 rifle was a fairly good solution. I used 7.92×57 mm caliber cartridges, which fit into 10-20 magazines.
5.MG 42
During World War II, Germany used many different machine guns, but it was the MG 42 that became one of the symbols of the aggressor in the yard with the MP 38/40 submachine gun. This machine gun was created in 1942 and partially replaced the not very reliable MG 34. Despite the fact that new machine gun was incredibly effective, it had two important drawbacks. Firstly, the MG 42 was very sensitive to contamination. Secondly, it had an expensive and labor-intensive production technology.
6. Gewehr 43
Before the start of World War II, the Wehrmacht command was least interested in the possibility of using self-loading rifles. It was believed that the infantry should be armed with conventional rifles, and have light machine guns for support. Everything changed in 1941 with the outbreak of war. The Gewehr 43 semi-automatic rifle is one of the best in its class, second only to its Soviet and American counterparts. Its qualities are very similar to the domestic SVT-40. There was also a sniper version of this weapon.
7. StG 44
Assault Sturmgewehr rifle 44 was not the best weapon during World War II. It was heavy, completely uncomfortable, and difficult to maintain. Despite all these flaws, the StG 44 became the first machine gun modern type. As you can easily guess from the name, it was produced already in 1944, and although this rifle could not save the Wehrmacht from defeat, it brought about a revolution in the field of handguns.
8.Stielhandgranate
Another “symbol” of the Wehrmacht. This anti-personnel hand grenade was widely used by German troops in World War II. It was a favorite trophy of soldiers of the anti-Hitler coalition on all fronts, due to its safety and convenience. At the time of the 40s of the 20th century, Stielhandgranate was almost the only grenade completely protected from arbitrary detonation. However, it also had a number of disadvantages. For example, these grenades could not be stored in a warehouse for a long time. They also often leaked, which led to wetness and damage to the explosive.
9. Faustpatrone
The first single-action anti-tank grenade launcher in human history. In the Soviet army, the name “Faustpatron” was later assigned to all German anti-tank grenade launchers. The weapon was created in 1942 specifically “for” the Eastern Front. The thing is that German soldiers at that time were completely deprived of the means of close combat with Soviet light and medium tanks.
10. PzB 38
The German anti-tank rifle Panzerbüchse Modell 1938 is one of the most little-known types of small arms from the Second World War. The thing is that it was discontinued in 1942, as it turned out to be extremely ineffective against Soviet medium tanks. However, this weapon is confirmation that it was not only the Red Army that used such guns.
Continuing the weapons theme, we will introduce you to how a ball shoots from a bearing.
The name "wunderwaffe", or "miracle weapon", was coined by the German Ministry of Propaganda and was used by the Third Reich for a number of large-scale research projects aimed at creating a new type of weapon, its size, capabilities and functions many times superior to all existing models.
Wonder weapon, or "Wunderwaffe"...
During World War II, the Ministry of Propaganda Nazi Germany that was the name of their superweapon, which was created by last word science and technology and in many ways should have become revolutionary during the conduct of hostilities.
It must be said that most of these miracles never entered production, barely appeared on the battlefield, or were created too late and in too small quantities to have any impact on the course of the war.
As events progressed and Germany's position worsened after 1942, claims about the Wunderwaffe began to cause noticeable inconvenience to the Propaganda Ministry. Ideas are ideas, but the reality is that the release of any new weapon requires lengthy preparation: it takes years to test and develop. So hopes that Germany could perfect its mega-weapon by the end of the war were in vain. And the samples that entered service caused waves of disappointment even among the German military devoted to propaganda.
However, something else is surprising: the Nazis actually had the technological know-how to develop many wonderful innovations. And if the war had dragged on much longer, then there was a possibility that they would have been able to perfect the weapons and establish mass production, changing the course of the war.
The Axis powers could have won the war.
Fortunately for the Allies, Germany was unable to capitalize on its technological advances. Here are 15 examples of Hitler's most formidable "wunderwaffe".
Self-propelled mine Goliath
"Goliath", or "Sonder Kraftfarzeug" (abbr. Sd.Kfz. 302/303a/303b/3036) - ground tracked self-propelled mine. The Allies called "Goliath" by a less romantic nickname - "gold pan".
"Goliaths" were introduced in 1942 and were a tracked vehicle with dimensions of 150 × 85 × 56 cm. This design carried 75-100 kg of explosives, which is considerable, given its personal growth. The mine was intended to destroy tanks, dense infantry formations and even destruction of buildings. Everything would be fine, but there was one detail that made the Goliath vulnerable: the wedge without a crew was controlled by wire at a distance.
The Allies quickly realized that to neutralize the car, it was enough to cut the wire. Without control, Goliath was helpless and useless. Although in total over 5,000 Goliaths were produced, their design was ahead of modern technology, the weapon was not successful: high cost, vulnerability and low maneuverability played a role. Many examples of these "killing machines" survived the war and today can be found among museum exhibits throughout Europe and the United States.
Artillery gun V-3
Like its predecessors the V-1 and V-2, the "Punitive Weapon" or V-3 was another in a series of "vengeance weapons" aimed at wiping out London and Antwerp from the face of the earth.
The "English gun", as it is sometimes called, the V-3 was a multi-chamber gun, created specifically for the landscapes where the Nazi troops, shelling London across the English Channel.
Although the projectile range of this “centipede” did not exceed the firing range of other German experimental artillery guns due to problems with the timely ignition of auxiliary charges, its rate of fire should theoretically be much higher and reach one shot per minute, which would allow the battery of such guns to literally fall asleep London is shelled.
Tests in May 1944 showed that the V-3 could fire at a range of up to 58 miles. However, only two V-3s were actually built, and only the second was actually used in combat. From January to February 1945 the cannon fired 183 times in the direction of Luxembourg. And it proved its complete...failure. Of the 183 shells, only 142 landed, 10 people were shell-shocked, and 35 were wounded.
London, against which the V-3 was created, turned out to be unattainable.
Guided aerial bomb Henschel Hs 293
This German guided bomb was perhaps the most effective guided weapon from the Second World War. She destroyed numerous merchant ships and destroyers.
Henschel looked like a radio-controlled glider with rocket engine below and a warhead with 300 kg of explosives. They were intended for use against unarmored ships. About 1,000 bombs were manufactured for use by German military aircraft.
A variant for use against armored vehicles Fritz-X was produced a little later.
After dropping the bomb from the plane, the rocket booster accelerated it to a speed of 600 km/h. Then the planning stage began towards the target, using radio command control. The Hs 293 was aimed at the target from the aircraft by the navigator-operator using the handle on the Kehl transmitter control panel. To prevent the navigator from visually losing sight of the bomb, a signal tracer was installed on its “tail”.
One of the disadvantages was that the bomber had to maintain a straight trajectory, moving at a constant speed and altitude, positioned parallel to the target in order to maintain some visible line with the missile. This meant that the bomber was unable to divert and maneuver as incoming enemy fighters attempted to intercept it.
The use of radio-controlled bombs was first proposed in August 1943: then the first victim of the prototype of the modern anti-ship missile was the British sloop HMS Heron.
However, it didn’t take long for the allies to look for an opportunity to connect to the missile’s radio frequency in order to throw it off course. It goes without saying that the discovery of Henschel's control frequency significantly reduced its efficiency.
Silver Bird
The Silver Bird is a project of a high-altitude partially orbital bomber-spacecraft by the Austrian scientist Dr. Eugen Zenger and physicist Irena Bredt. Originally developed in the late 1930s, the Silbervogel was an intercontinental spaceplane that could be used as a long-range bomber. He was considered for the America Bomber mission.
It was designed to carry more than 4,000 kg of explosives, equipped unique system CCTV, and is believed to have been able to be invisible.
Sounds like the ultimate weapon, doesn't it?
However, it was too revolutionary for its time. Engineers and designers faced all sorts of technical and other difficulties, sometimes insurmountable, in connection with the “birdie”. For example, the prototypes overheated greatly, and cooling means had not yet been invented...
Ultimately, the entire project was abandoned in 1942, and money and resources were diverted to other ideas.
Interestingly, after the war, Zenger and Bredt were highly regarded by the expert community and participated in the creation of the French National Space Program. And their “Silver Bird” was taken as an example of the design concept for the American project X-20 Daina-Sor...
Until now, a design design called “Zengera-Bredt” is used for regenerative engine cooling. Thus, the Nazi attempt to create a long-range space bomber to attack the United States ultimately contributed to the successful development of space programs around the world. It's for the better.
1944 assault rifle StG-44
Many are considering assault StG rifle 44 as the first example of an automatic weapon. The rifle's design was so successful that modern machines, such as the M-16 and AK-47, borrowed it as a basis.
Legend has it that Hitler himself was greatly impressed by the weapon. The StG-44 had a unique design that took advantage of the characteristics of a carbine, an assault rifle, and a submachine gun. The weapon was equipped with the newest inventions of its time: optical and infrared sights were installed on the rifle. The last one weighed about 2 kg and was connected to a battery of about 15 kg, which the shooter carried on his back. It's not compact at all, but very cool for the 1940s!
The rifle could also be equipped with a “curved barrel” to fire around corners. Nazi Germany was the first to try to implement this idea. There were different variations of the "bent trunk": 30°, 45°, 60° and 90°. However, they had a short lifespan. After firing a certain number of rounds (300 for the 30° version and 160 rounds for the 45° version), the barrel could be ejected.
StG-44 was a revolution, but too late to have time to have an impact real impact on the course of the war in Europe.
Fat Gustav
"Fat Gustav" is the largest artillery piece that was built during World War II and used for its intended purpose.
Developed at the Krupp factory, the Gustav was one of two super-heavy railway guns. The second was "Dora". The Gustav weighed about 1,350 tons, and could fire a 7-ton projectile (bullets the size of two oil drums) at a range of up to 28 miles.
Impressive, isn't it?! Why didn't the Allies surrender and admit defeat as soon as this monster was released on the warpath?
It took 2,500 soldiers and three days to build the double railways to maneuver this thing. For transportation, "Fat Gustav" was disassembled into several components and then assembled on site. Its size prevented the cannon from being assembled quickly: it took only half an hour for just one barrel to be loaded or unloaded. Germany reportedly attached an entire Luftwaffe squadron to the Gustav to provide cover for its assembly.
The only time the Nazis successfully used this mastodon for battle was the siege of Sevastopol in 1942. "Fat Gustav" fired a total of 42 shells, nine of which hit ammunition depots located in the rocks, which were completely destroyed.
This monstrosity was a technical marvel, as terrifying as it was impractical. Gustav and Dora were destroyed in 1945 to prevent them from falling into Allied hands. But Soviet engineers were able to restore the Gustav from ruins. And his traces are lost in the Soviet Union.
Fritz-X radio controlled bomb
The Fritz-X guided radio bomb, like its predecessor Hs 293, was created to destroy ships. But, unlike the Hs, the Fritz-X could hit heavily armored targets. "Fritz-X" had excellent aerodynamic properties, 4 small wings and a cruciform tail.
In the eyes of the Allies, this weapon was the embodiment of evil. Founder of modern guided bomb, "Fritz-X" could carry 320 kg of explosives and was controlled using a joystick, making it the world's first precision weapon.
This weapon was used very effectively near Malta and Sicily in 1943. On September 9, 1943, the Germans dropped several bombs on the Italian battleship Rome, claiming to have killed everyone on board. They also sank the British cruiser HMS Spartan, the destroyer HMS Janus, the cruiser HMS Uganda and the hospital ship Newfoundland.
This bomb alone put the American light cruiser USS Savannah out of action for a year. In total, more than 2,000 bombs were made, but only 200 were dropped on targets.
The main difficulty was that if they could not suddenly change the direction of flight. As with the Hs 293, the bombers had to fly directly over the target, which made them easy prey for the Allies - Nazi aircraft began to suffer heavy losses.
Mouse
Full name of this fully enclosed armored vehicle - Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus, or "Mouse". Designed by the founder of the Porsche company, it is the heaviest tank in the history of tank building: the German super-tank weighed 188 tons.
Actually, its mass ultimately became the reason why “Mouse” was not put into production. It didn't have a powerful enough engine to propel this beast at acceptable speeds.
According to the designer's specifications, the "Mouse" was supposed to run at a speed of 12 miles per hour. However, the prototype could only reach 8 mph. In addition, the tank was too heavy to cross the bridge, but it had the ability to pass under water in some cases. The main use of the Mouse was that it could simply push through enemy defenses without fear of any damage. But the tank was too impractical and expensive.
When the war ended, there were two prototypes: one was completed, the second was under development. The Nazis tried to destroy them so that the Mice would not fall into the hands of the Allies. However, the Soviet army salvaged the wreckage of both tanks. On this moment Only one Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus tank, assembled from parts of these specimens, has survived in the world, in the Armored Museum in Kubinka.
Rat
Did you think the Mouse tank was big? Well... Compared to the Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte projects, it was just a toy!
"Rat" Landkreuzer P. 1000 - the largest and most heavy tank, designed by Nazi Germany! According to the plans, this land cruiser was supposed to weigh 1000 tons, be about 40 meters long, and 14 meters wide. It housed a crew of 20 people.
The huge size of the car was a constant source of headaches for designers. It was too impractical to have such a monster in service, since, for example, many bridges would not support it.
Albert Speer, who was responsible for coming up with the idea for the Rat, thought the tank was ridiculous. It was thanks to him that construction did not even begin, and not even a prototype was created. At the same time, even Hitler doubted that the “Rat” could actually perform all its functions without special preparation of the battlefield for its appearance.
Speer, being one of the few who could imagine land battleships and high-tech miracle machines in Hitler's fantasies, canceled the program in 1943. The Fuhrer was satisfied, since he relied on other weapons for his quick attacks. Interestingly, in fact, during the winding down of the project, plans were drawn up for an even larger land cruiser "P. 1500 Monster", which would carry the most heavy weapons in the world - an 800-mm gun from "Dora"!
Horten Ho 229
Today it is spoken of as the world's first stealth bomber, with the Ho-229 being the first jet-powered flying device.
Germany urgently needed an aviation solution, which Goering formulated as "1000x1000x1000": aircraft that could carry 1000 kg bombs over a distance of 1000 km at a speed of 1000 km/h. A jet plane was the most logical answer - subject to some modifications. Walter and Reimar Horten, two German aviator inventors, came up with their solution - the Horten Ho 229.
Externally, it was a sleek tailless machine, resembling a glider, equipped with two jet engines Jumo 004C. The Horten brothers claimed that the mixture of charcoal and resin they used absorbed electromagnetic waves and made the plane "invisible" on radar. This was also facilitated by the small visible area of the “flying wing” and its smooth, drop-like design.
Test flights were successfully carried out in 1944; a total of 6 aircraft were in production at various stages of production, as well as for the needs fighter aircraft The Luftwaffe ordered units for 20 vehicles. Two cars took off into the air. At the end of the war, the Allies discovered a single prototype in the factory where the Hortens were produced.
Reimar Horten went to Argentina, where he continued his design activities until his death in 1994. Walter Horten became a general in the West German Air Force and died in 1998.
The only Horten Ho 229 was taken to the USA, where it was studied and used as a model for today's stealth aircraft. And the original is on display in Washington, National Museum aviation and space.
Acoustic cannon
German scientists tried to think non-trivially. An example of their original approach is the development of a “sound gun”, which could literally “tear a person” with its vibrations.
The sonic gun project was the brainchild of Dr. Richard Wallauszek. This device consisted of a parabolic reflector, the diameter of which was 3250 mm, and an injector with an ignition system supplying methane and oxygen. The explosive mixture of gases was ignited by the device at regular intervals, creating a constant roar of the required frequency of 44 Hz. The sound impact was supposed to destroy all life within a radius of 50 m in less than a minute.
Of course, we are not scientists, but it is quite difficult to believe in the plausibility of the directed action of such a device. It has only been tested on animals. The huge size of the device made it an excellent target. And any damage to the parabolic reflectors would make the gun completely unarmed. It seems that Hitler agreed that this project should never go into production.
Hurricane Cannon
Aerodynamics researcher Dr. Mario Zippermeyer was an Austrian inventor and member of the Austrian National Socialist Party. He worked on designs for futuristic guns. In his research, he came to the conclusion that “hurricane” air under high pressure is capable of destroying much in its path, including enemy aircraft. The result of the development was the “hurricane cannon” - the device was supposed to produce vortices due to explosions in the combustion chamber and the direction shock waves through special tips. The vortex flows were supposed to shoot down planes.
The gun model was tested with wooden shields at a distance of 200 m - from hurricane vortices, the shields shattered into splinters. The gun was considered successful and was put into production at full size.
A total of two hurricane cannons were built. The first tests of the combat weapon were less impressive than the tests of the models. The manufactured samples were unable to reach the required frequency to be effective enough. Zippermeyer tried to increase the range, but that didn't work either. The scientist did not have time to complete his development before the end of the war.
Allied forces discovered the rusty remains of one hurricane cannon on the Hillersleben training grounds. The second cannon was destroyed at the end of the war. Dr. Zippermeyer himself lived in Austria and continued his research in Europe, unlike many of his fellow tribesmen who happily began working for the USSR or the USA after World War II.
Space gun
Well, since there were acoustic and hurricane cannons, then why not make a space cannon? Its development was carried out by Nazi scientists. Theoretically, this should have been a weapon capable of focusing directional solar radiation to a point on Earth. The idea was first voiced in 1929 by physicist Hermann Oberth. His design for a space station with a 100-meter mirror that could capture and reflect sunlight, directing it to Earth, was adopted.
During the war, the Nazis used Oberth's concept and began developing a slightly modified version of the "solar" gun.
They believed that the enormous energy of the mirrors could literally boil the water of the earth's oceans and burn out all living things, turning them into dust and ashes. There was an experimental model space gun- it was captured by American troops in 1945. The Germans themselves recognized the project as a failure: the technology was too avant-garde.
V-2
Not as fantastic as many Nazi inventions, the V-2 was one of the few examples of the wunderwaffe that proved its worth.
The "weapon of retaliation", the V-2 missiles, were developed quite quickly, went into production and were successfully used against London. The project began in 1930, but was not finalized until 1942. Hitler was not initially impressed by the missile's power, calling it "just an artillery shell with a long range and enormous cost."
In fact, the V-2 became the first in the world ballistic missile long-range. An absolute innovation, it used extremely powerful liquid ethanol as fuel.
The rocket was single-stage, launched vertically; in the active part of the trajectory, an autonomous gyroscopic control system, equipped with a software mechanism and instruments for measuring speed, came into action. This made it almost elusive - no one could intercept such a device on the way to the target for a long time.
Once the descent began, the rocket traveled at speeds of up to 6,000 km per hour until it penetrated several feet below ground level. Then she exploded.
When the V-2 was sent to London in 1944, the death toll was impressive - 10,000 people died and areas of the city were leveled almost to rubble.
The rockets were developed at the research center and manufactured in the underground Mittelwerk factory under the supervision of the project leader, Dr. Wernher von Braun. Used in Mittelwerk forced labor prisoners concentration camp Mittelbau-Dora. After the war, both Americans and Soviet troops tried to capture as many V-2 samples as possible. Dr. von Braun surrendered to the US and played important role in the creation of their space program. In essence, Dr. von Braun's rocket ushered in the space age.
Bell
They called it "The Bell"...
The project started under the code name "Chronos". And had highest class secrecy. This is the weapon whose existence we are still looking for.
According to its characteristics, it was similar to a huge bell - 2.7 m wide and 4 m high. It was created from an unknown metal alloy and was located on secret factory in Lublin, Poland, near the Czech border.
The bell consisted of two cylinders rotating clockwise, in which a purplish substance (liquid metal), called by the Germans “Xerum 525,” was accelerated to high speeds.
When the Bell was activated, it affected the territory within a radius of 200 m: all electronic equipment failed, almost all experimental animals died. Moreover, the liquid in their bodies, including blood, broke up into fractions. The plants became discolored and their chlorophyll disappeared. It is said that many scientists working on the project died during the first tests.
The weapon could penetrate underground and operate high above the ground, reaching lower layers atmosphere... Its terrifying radio emissions could cause the death of millions.
The main source of information about this miracle weapon is considered to be Igor Witkowski, a Polish journalist, who said that he read about the Bell in the secret transcripts of the KGB, whose agents took the testimony of SS officer Jakob Sporrenberg. Jacob said that the project was carried out under the leadership of General Kammler, an engineer who disappeared after the war. Many believe that Kammler was secretly taken to the United States, probably even with a working prototype of the Bell.
The only material evidence of the project's existence is a reinforced concrete structure called "Henge", preserved three kilometers from the site where the Bell was created, which can be considered as a test site for experiments with weapons.
The further into the depths of time the years of battles with the Nazi occupiers go, the more myths and idle speculations, often accidental, sometimes malicious, those events become overgrown. One of them is that the German troops were completely armed with the notorious Schmeissers, which are an unsurpassed example of an assault rifle of all times and peoples before the advent of the Kalashnikov assault rifle. What the Wehrmacht small arms of the Second World War actually were like, whether they were as great as they are “painted”, it is worth looking into in more detail to understand the real situation.
The blitzkrieg strategy, which consisted of a lightning-fast defeat of enemy troops with an overwhelming advantage of tank formations covered, assigned motorized ground forces almost an auxiliary role - to complete the final defeat of a demoralized enemy, and not to conduct bloody battles with the massive use of rapid-fire small arms.
Perhaps this is why, by the beginning of the war with the USSR, the vast majority of German soldiers were armed with rifles rather than machine guns, which is confirmed by archival documents. So, the Wehrmacht infantry division in 1940 should have had:
- Rifles and carbines – 12,609 pcs.
- Submachine guns, which would later be called machine guns - 312 pcs.
- Light machine guns - 425 pcs., heavy machine guns - 110 pcs.
- Pistols – 3,600 pcs.
- Anti-tank rifles – 90 pcs.
As can be seen from the above document, small arms, its ratio in terms of the number of species had a significant advantage towards traditional weapons ground forces - rifles. Therefore, by the beginning of the war, the infantry formations of the Red Army, mostly armed with excellent Mosin rifles, were in no way inferior to the enemy in this matter, and the standard number of submachine guns of the Red Army rifle division was even significantly greater - 1,024 units.
Later, in connection with the experience of battles, when the presence of rapid-fire, quickly reloaded small arms made it possible to gain an advantage due to the density of fire, the Soviet and German high commands decided to massively equip the troops with automatic hand-held weapons, but this did not happen immediately.
The most popular small arms of the German army by 1939 was the Mauser rifle - Mauser 98K. It was a modernized version of a weapon developed by German designers at the end of the previous century, repeating the fate of the famous “Mosinka” model of 1891, after which it underwent numerous “upgrades”, being in service with the Red Army, and then the Soviet Army until the end of the 50s. Specifications Mauser 98K rifles are also very similar:
An experienced soldier was able to aim and fire 15 shots from it in one minute. Equipping the German army with these simple, unpretentious weapons began in 1935. In total, more than 15 million units were manufactured, which undoubtedly indicates its reliability and demand among the troops.
The G41 self-loading rifle, on instructions from the Wehrmacht, was developed by German designers from the Mauser and Walther arms concerns. After the state tests The Walter system was considered the most successful.
The rifle had a number of serious shortcomings that emerged during operation, which dispels another myth about the superiority of German weapons. As a result, the G41 underwent significant modernization in 1943, primarily related to the replacement of the gas exhaust system borrowed from the Soviet SVT-40 rifle, and became known as the G43. In 1944, it was renamed the K43 carbine, without making any design changes. This rifle, in terms of technical data and reliability, was significantly inferior to self-loading rifles produced in the Soviet Union, which is recognized by gunsmiths.
Submachine guns (PP) - machine guns
By the beginning of the war, the Wehrmacht had several types of automatic weapons, many of which had been developed back in the 1920s, often produced in limited series for police use, as well as for export sale:
Basic technical data of the MP 38, produced in 1941:
- Caliber – 9 mm.
- Cartridge – 9 x 19 mm.
- Length with folded stock – 630 mm.
- Magazine capacity of 32 rounds.
- Target firing range – 200 m.
- Weight with loaded magazine – 4.85 kg.
- Rate of fire – 400 rounds/min.
By the way, by September 1, 1939, the Wehrmacht had only 8.7 thousand MP 38 units in service. However, after taking into account and eliminating the shortcomings of the new weapon identified in the battles during the occupation of Poland, the designers made changes, mainly related to reliability, and the weapon became mass produced. In total, during the war years, the German army received more than 1.2 million units of the MP 38 and its subsequent modifications - MP 38/40, MP 40.
It was MP 38 that was called Schmeisser by the Red Army soldiers. Most probable cause This was due to the stamp on the magazines chambered for them with the name of the German designer, co-owner of the weapons manufacturing company, Hugo Schmeisser. His surname is also associated with a very common myth that he developed in 1944 assault rifle Stg-44 or Schmeisser assault rifle, externally similar to the famous Kalashnikov invention, is its prototype.
Pistols and machine guns
Rifles and machine guns were the main weapons of Wehrmacht soldiers, but we should not forget about officer or additional weapons - pistols, as well as machine guns - hand and easel, which were a significant force during the fighting. They will be discussed in more detail in the following articles.
Speaking about the confrontation with Nazi Germany, it should be remembered that in fact Soviet Union fought with the entire “united” Nazis, so the Romanian, Italian and many other countries’ troops had not only World War II Wehrmacht small arms produced directly in Germany, Czechoslovakia, which was a real arms forge, but also their own production. As a rule, it was worse quality, less reliable, even if it was produced under the patents of German gunsmiths.
10 May 2015, 15:41
Second World War- a significant and difficult period in the history of mankind. Countries merged in a mad fight, throwing millions human lives on the altar of victory. At that time, weapons manufacturing became the main type of production, which was given great value and attention. However, as they say, victory is forged by man, and weapons only help him in this. We decided to show the weapons of the Soviet troops and the Wehrmacht, collecting the most common and famous types of small arms of the two countries.
Small arms of the USSR army:
The armament of the USSR before the start of the Great Patriotic War met the needs of that time. The Mosin repeating rifle of the 1891 model with a caliber of 7.62 millimeters was the only example of a non-automatic weapon. This rifle performed well in the Second World War and was in service with the Soviet army until the early 60s.
Mosin rifle different years release.
In parallel with the Mosin rifle, the Soviet infantry was equipped with Tokarev self-loading rifles: SVT-38 and SVT-40, improved in 1940, as well as Self-loading carbines Simonova (SKS).
Tokarev self-loading rifle (SVT).
Simonov self-loading carbine (SKS)
Also present in the troops were Simonov automatic rifles (ABC-36) - at the beginning of the war there were almost 1.5 million units.
Simonov automatic rifle (AVS)
The presence of such huge number automatic and self-loading rifles covered the lack of submachine guns. Only at the beginning of 1941 did the production of the Shpagin PP (PPSh-41) begin, which for a long time became the standard of reliability and simplicity.
Shpagin submachine gun (PPSh-41).
Degtyarev submachine gun.
In addition, the Soviet troops were armed with Degtyarev machine guns: Degtyarev infantry (DP); Degtyarev heavy machine gun (DS); Degtyarev tank (DT); Degtyarev-Shpagin heavy machine gun (DShK); SG-43 heavy machine gun.
Degtyarev infantry machine gun (DP).
Degtyarev-Shpagin heavy machine gun (DShK).
SG-43 heavy machine gun
The Sudaev PPS-43 submachine gun was recognized as the best example of submachine guns during the Second World War.
Sudaev submachine gun (PPS-43).
One of the main features of infantry weapons Soviet army at the beginning of the Second World War there was a complete absence of anti-tank rifles. And this was reflected already in the first days of hostilities. In July 1941, Simonov and Degtyarev, by order of the high command, designed a five-shot PTRS shotgun (Simonov) and a single-shot PTRD (Degtyarev).
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Simonov anti-tank rifle (PTRS).
Degtyarev anti-tank rifle (PTRD).
The TT pistol (Tula, Tokarev) was developed at the Tula Arms Factory by the legendary Russian gunsmith Fedor Tokarev. Development of new self-loading pistol, intended to replace the standard outdated Nagan revolver of the 1895 model, was started in the second half of the 1920s.
TT pistol.
Also in service with Soviet soldiers There were pistols: a Nagan system revolver and a Korovin pistol.
Nagan system revolver.
Korovin pistol.
During the entire Great Patriotic War, the USSR military industry produced more than 12 million carbines and rifles, more than 1.5 million all types of machine guns, and more than 6 million submachine guns. Since 1942, almost 450 thousand machine tools and light machine guns, 2 million submachine guns and more than 3 million self-loading and repeating rifles.
Small arms of the Wehrmacht army:
The fascist infantry divisions, as the main tactical troops, were armed with repeating rifles with 98 and 98k Mauser bayonets.
Mauser 98k.
Also in service German troops the following rifles were available: FG-2; Gewehr 41; Gewehr 43; StG 44; StG 45(M); Volkssturmgewehr 1-5.
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FG-2 rifle
Gewehr 41 rifle
Gewehr 43 rifle
Although the Treaty of Versailles for Germany included a ban on the production of submachine guns, German gunsmiths still continued to produce this type of weapon. Shortly after the formation of the Wehrmacht, the MP.38 submachine gun appeared in its appearance, which, due to its small size, open barrel without forearm and folding butt, quickly established itself and was adopted for service back in 1938.
MP.38 submachine gun.
The experience gained in combat required the subsequent modernization of the MP.38. This is how the MP.40 submachine gun appeared, which featured a more simplified and cheaper design (in parallel, some changes were made to the MP.38, which later received the designation MP.38/40). Compactness, reliability, and an almost optimal rate of fire were justified advantages of this weapon. German soldiers called it the “bullet pump.”
MP.40 submachine gun.
The battles on the Eastern Front showed that the submachine gun still needed to improve its accuracy. This problem was addressed by the German designer Hugo Schmeisser, who equipped the MP.40 design with a wooden stock and a device for switching to a single fire. True, the production of such MP.41s was insignificant.
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