The history of the first assault rifle Sturmgewehr Stg.44. German assault rifle Sturmgever: description, performance characteristics Small arms of the Wehrmacht infantry division

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served as a kind of disguise, since Hitler did not want to produce a new class of weapons, fearing that millions of outdated cartridges for rifles and light machine guns would end up in military warehouses. By that time, Walter's design had been withdrawn from the competition, and Haenel's design had undergone significant changes in the bolt part.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. Serial production of 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 Germany, France, Switzerland, the Scandinavian countries, the armed forces of 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 in order 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. Misalignment occurs through the interaction of 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. The standard weight of gunpowder in the 7.92×33 mm Kurtz cartridge is 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 design of the MKb, they could not determine the role of the new type of 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)

Assault rifle Sturmgewehr Stg 44 and intermediate cartridges 7.92×33

Rifle cartridges 7.92×57 and intermediate cartridges 7.92×33 from Polte (pictured right) in clips

The Sturmgewehr Stg 44 assault rifle was successfully used in World War II, both by the Germans and soldiers of the allied forces as trophies, significantly surpassing the most advanced submachine guns, self-loading rifles and carbines of that time in combat and service performance. This determined the development of this type of small arms after the end of the war throughout the world. Currently, assault rifles are in service in most states as the main type of personal small arms.

The history of the Stg 44 assault rifle began with the development by Polte AG (Magdeburg) of an intermediate 7.92x33 mm cartridge of reduced power for firing at a distance of up to 1000 m, in accordance with the requirements put forward by the HWaA (Heereswaffenamt - Wehrmacht Arms Directorate). In 1935-1937 numerous studies were carried out, as a result of which the initial tactical and technical requirements of the HWaA for the design of weapons for a new cartridge were reworked, which led to the creation in 1938 of the concept of light automatic small arms, capable of simultaneously replacing submachine guns, repeating rifles and light machine guns in the army .

On April 18, 1938, HWaA entered into an agreement with Hugo Schmeisser, owner of the company C.G. Haenel Waffen und Fahrradfabrik" (Suhl, Thuringia), a contract for the creation of a new weapon, officially designated MKb (German: Maschinenkarabin - automatic carbine). Schmeisser, who headed the design team, handed over the first prototype of the machine gun to the HWaA at the beginning of 1940. At the end of the same year, a contract for research under the MKb program. received by the Walther company under the leadership of Erich Walther. A version of this company's carbine was presented to officers of the HWaA artillery and technical supply department at the beginning of 1941. Based on the results of firing at the Kummersdorf training ground, the Walter assault rifle showed satisfactory results, however, fine-tuning of its design continued throughout 1941.

In January 1942, the HWaA demanded that C.G. Haenel" and "Walther" will provide 200 carbines each, designated MKb.42(H) and MKb.42(W), respectively. In July, an official demonstration of prototypes from both companies took place, as a result of which HWaA and the leadership of the Ministry of Armaments remained confident that modifications to the assault rifles would be completed in the very near future and production would begin at the end of the summer. It was planned to produce 500 carbines by November, and to increase monthly production to 15,000 by March 1943, however, after the August tests, HWaA introduced new requirements into the technical specifications, which briefly delayed the start of production. According to the new requirements, the machine guns had to have a bayonet lug mounted, and also be able to mount a rifle grenade launcher. In addition to this, C.G. Haenel had problems with a subcontractor, and Walther had problems setting up production equipment. As a result, not a single copy of the MKb.42 was ready by October.

The production of machine guns grew slowly: in November, Walther produced 25 carbines, and in December - 91 (with a planned monthly production of 500 pieces), but thanks to the support of the Ministry of Armaments, the companies managed to solve the main production problems, and already in February the production plan was exceeded (1217 machines instead of thousands). By order of Minister of Armaments Albert Speer, a certain number of MKb.42s were sent to the Eastern Front to undergo military tests. During the tests, it was revealed that the heavier MKb.42(N) was less balanced, but more reliable and simpler than its competitor, so HWaA gave its preference to the Schmeisser design, but required some changes to be made to it:

• replacing the trigger with a Walter trigger system, which is reliable and provides greater accuracy of combat with single shots;
• a different sear design;
• installation of a safety catch instead of the reloading handle inserted into the groove;
• short stroke of the gas piston instead of a long one;
• shorter gas chamber tube;
• replacing large-section windows for the escape of residual powder gases from the gas chamber tube with 7-mm holes, to increase the reliability of the weapon when operating in difficult conditions;
• technological changes in the bolt and bolt carrier with a gas piston;
• removing the guide bushing of the return spring;
• removal of the bayonet tide due to a revision of the tactics of using the machine gun and the adoption of the Gw.Gr.Ger.42 grenade launcher with a different method of mounting on the barrel;
• simplified butt design.

Hitler finally decided to adopt the model for service. And here, in addition to Albert Speer, Karl Otto Saur, head of the technical department of the Ministry of Armaments, played an important role; through a practical demonstration of the sample, he managed to convince the Fuhrer of the benefits of the new weapon, as a result of which the modernized machine gun was put into service in June 1943 under the designation MP.43 (German: Maschinenpistole-43 - submachine gun 43 years old). This designation served as a kind of disguise, since Hitler did not want to produce a new class of weapons, fearing the thought that millions of obsolete rifle cartridges would end up in military warehouses.

In June 1943, the first large-scale military tests of the MP.43 took place on the Eastern Front in the elite German formation - the 5th SS Viking Panzer Division. In a report on the combat use of new weapons, dated September, more than half of the shooters noted that the MP.43 is an effective replacement for submachine guns and rifles. The combination of its firepower and the ability to conduct two types of fire made such an impression on the SS generals that already in the first report they asked Hitler to allow immediate mass production of the machine gun. The main emphasis was on the superiority of the new weapon in combat over the most widespread example of Soviet automatic weapons - the PPSh submachine gun.

At the end of September 1943, an order was issued to begin mass production of the MP.43. That same fall, the MP.43/1 variant appeared, featuring a modified barrel configuration to accommodate the installation of a 30-mm MKb rifle grenade launcher. Gewehrgranatengerat-43, which was screwed onto the muzzle of the barrel rather than secured with a clamping device. The butt has also undergone changes. On April 6, 1944, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief issued an order in which the name MP.43 was replaced by MP.44, and in October 1944 the weapon received a fourth and final name - “assault rifle”, sturmgewehr - Stg 44. It is believed that this word invented by Hitler himself as a sonorous name for a new model that could be used for propaganda purposes. However, no changes were made to the design of the machine itself. As a result of significant efforts by German engineers, technicians and designers, the Stg 44 became a truly simple, cheap and technologically advanced product. The production of one Stg 44 required 14.3 kg of metal, with the weapon itself weighing 5.5 kg; and 19 man hours and 14 machine hours. The cost of this automatic weapon became only 78 Reichsmarks, while the main weapon of the Wehrmacht infantry, the Mauser 98k repeating carbine, continued to cost 70 marks.

Automation Stg 44 gas-type with removal of powder gases through a side hole in the barrel wall. The barrel bore is locked rigidly by skewing the bolt in a vertical plane. The skew of the bolt during locking is carried out by the interaction of the corresponding inclined planes on the bolt and the bolt frame. Trigger-type trigger mechanism: so-called “with trigger interception”. This design is borrowed from the Czechoslovakian ZH-29 self-loading rifle and allows single and burst fire. A gas chamber with a regulator for the amount of exhaust gases is located above the barrel. The gas piston with rod is integrated with the bolt stem. The trigger mechanism allows for single and automatic fire. The fire selector is located in the trigger box, and its ends extend outward on the left and right sides.

To conduct automatic fire, the translator must be moved to the right to the letter “D”, and for single fire - to the left to the letter “E”. The machine gun is equipped with a safety lock against accidental shots. This flag-type fuse is located below the fire selector and in the position at the letter “F” it blocks the trigger lever. The machine is fed with cartridges from a detachable sector double-row magazine with a capacity of 30 rounds. The ramrod was located unusually - inside the gas piston mechanism. The sector sight allows you to conduct aimed fire at a distance of up to 800 m. The sight divisions are marked on the sighting bar. Each division of the sight corresponds to a change in range by 50 m. The slot and front sight are triangular in shape. Optical and infrared sights could also be installed on the rifle. When firing in bursts at a target with a diameter of 11.5 cm at a distance of 100 m, more than half of the hits were placed in a circle with a diameter of 5.4 cm. Thanks to the use of less powerful cartridges, the recoil force when fired was half that of the Mauser 98k rifle. Evolution of the development of the gas exhaust system of automatic machines designed by H. Schmeisser: Mkb.42(H) – 1st option; Mkb.42(H) – 2nd option; MP.43/1; MP.43/MP.44; Stg 44

To throw rifle grenades (fragmentation, armor-piercing or even agitation grenades), it was necessary to use special cartridges with a 1.5 g (for fragmentation) or 1.9 g (for armor-piercing cumulative grenades) powder charge. With the machine gun, it was possible to use special curved-barrel devices Krummlauf Vorsatz J (infantry with a curvature angle of 30 degrees) or Vorsatz Pz (tank with a curvature angle of 90 degrees) for firing from behind a trench and a tank, respectively, designed for 250 rounds and significantly reducing the accuracy of fire. A version of the MP.43/1 assault rifle was created for snipers with a milled mount mounted on the right side of the receiver for ZF-4 4X optical sights or ZG.1229 “Vampire” infrared night sights. The Merz-Werke company also launched the production of an assault rifle with the same designation, which was distinguished by a thread for installation on the barrel of a rifle grenade launcher.

The manufacture of the most critical parts (barrel, bolt, bolt frame with gas piston) and final assembly of MP.43/MP.44/Stg 44 were carried out by the largest arms companies: C.G. Haenel Waffen – und Fahrradfabrik in Suhl (code fxo); Walther in Zella Melis (code ac); Steyr-Daimler-Puch in Steyr (code bnz) and J.P. Sauer & Sohn in Suhl (code ce). The production of stamped parts was carried out by the following companies: Merz-Werke in Frankfurt am Main (code cos) and Wurtembergische Metallwarenfabrik (WMF) in Geislingen (code awt). At the end of the war, the parent company of Mauser-Werke AG from Oberndorf also received an order for the manufacture and assembly of receivers.

In general, the Stg 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. The disadvantages of the Stg 44 include the excessively large mass of the weapon and the sights being placed too high, which is why the shooter had to raise his head too high when shooting while lying down. There were only minor comments regarding the design, including weak springs for the magazine feeder and dust shield. In addition, the butt mount was not strong enough and could be destroyed in hand-to-hand combat.

Currently, there is no documentary evidence of the number of MP.43, MP.44 and Stg 44 produced. The most reliable data on the production of all types of Maschinenkarabiner 42, Maschinen-pistole 43, Maschinen-pistole 44 and Sturmgewehr 44 are given in the German reference book “Uberblck uber Rustungsstand von Waffen." According to this review, a total of about 446,000 rifles were manufactured from November 1942 to April 1945, and their production ended with the end of World War II. However, even before the mid-1950s, the Stg 44 was in service with the police of the GDR and the airborne troops of Yugoslavia. The production of copies of this machine gun was established in Argentina and in the USA (Stg 44 was produced by the G. Attchisson plant under the M1951 brand using the 7.92x33 mm Kurz cartridge and the M1966 cartridge under the 5.56 mm cartridge). As film and photo chronicles prove, Stg 44 was a coveted trophy among both the Soviet troops and the Western allies. Stg 44 was also very popular in the Polish Army. The Lithuanian “forest brothers” also favored him. And in our time, Stg 44 can be found in service with paramilitary forces and simply gangs of wild peoples on the outskirts of the civilized world.

Subsequently, one of the Wehrmacht’s largest weapons specialists, Lieutenant General Erich Schneider, wrote about assault rifles: “Only in 1935, after Germany again became a sovereign state, was it able to resume research work on the creation of modern types of weapons... There was a need to create a hand weapon of a completely new design, which must simultaneously perform the tasks of a submachine gun, a self-loading rifle and a light machine gun. The result of this long-term work was the well-known carbine of the 1944 model, which was used as a semi-automatic rifle (self-loading rifle) for aimed fire with single shots and as an automatic weapon for firing in bursts of 8 shots per second... The infantry and all other branches of the military were in great need of this weapons, and the demand for it could not be fully covered. The new weapon significantly increased the firepower of the infantry. After the war, the construction of such weapons began in other countries.”

The creation and successful combat use of the Stg 44 became one of the most important stages in the development of small arms after the Second World War. In most countries of the world, samples of this particular class using intermediate cartridges were adopted. In addition, it is the German designation of this weapon that has become most widespread - “Sturmgever” (assault rifle), while the more correct name for it is the term “automatic carbine”. The Stg 44 is, on the whole, a very successful individual small weapon, providing effective single-shot fire at a range of up to 500-600 meters and automatic burst fire at a range of up to 300 meters, while having a large mass and not the best ergonomics.

Adolf Schwitzer, biographer of Hugo Schmeisser, recalled that when he himself asked the designer about participation in the design of the AK, Hugo (according to the biographer) replied with a smile: “I gave some advice.” However, the legend that the Kalashnikov assault rifle was copied from the Stg 44 with the participation of Schmeisser in its development, who was in Soviet captivity, is completely untenable, since the AK assault rifle has too many significant differences with the Sturmgewehr in its design - these are locking devices, layout receiver, trigger, etc. Moreover, according to myth, Hugo Schmeisser was in Izhevsk, while the AK-47 was being developed in Kovrov. Various clones of the historical Stg 44 are now produced as self-loading carbines without the possibility of automatic burst fire and are currently popular among recreational shooting enthusiasts.

Technical characteristics of Stg 44

• Caliber: 7.92×33 (7.92mm Kurz)
• Weapon length: 940 mm
• Barrel length: 419 mm
• Weight without cartridges: 4.6 kg.
• Rate of fire: 500 rounds/min
• Magazine capacity: 30 rounds

German paratroopers (Falshimjagers) armed with Sturmgewehr Stg 44 assault rifles

The Kalashnikov assault rifle gained worldwide fame thanks to its high tactical and technical characteristics. Since 1949 it has been used in many armed conflicts. The Kalashnikov assault rifle, or AK-47, is a weapon whose origins are still unclear. According to some experts, the machine gun was not designed by a Soviet weapons designer, but by his German colleague Hugo Schmeisser and was called “Schmeisser Stg 44”. Kalashnikov created a successful copy of this model. The description of the two samples, their tactical and technical characteristics, contained in the article, will allow a comparison of the Stg 44 and AK-47.

AK-47 is the most reliable weapon for its class. Experts note its remarkable destructive power. The machine gun is quite unpretentious and is considered suitable for effective use in African conditions, as well as in Vietnam and other eastern countries. The AK-47 is not at all afraid of sand and dust. In addition, it can be used in swampy areas. Thanks to the simple design of the weapon, the production of the machine gun is not expensive, which made it possible to produce large quantities of this model in the late forties. Despite the fact that today the armies of many countries have re-equipped personnel with improved models of Kalashnikov assault rifles, the old models are still in working order.

Question about plagiarism

The reason for rumors of plagiarism was the fact that 50 samples of German Stg 44 assault rifles were brought to Izhevsk, where the AK-47 was designed. They were accompanied by 10 thousand pages. This gave critics of the Soviet designer reason to assume that Kalashnikov did not develop his assault rifle himself, but only copied and slightly modified the German Stg 44 assault rifle. In 1946, Hugo Schmeisser, as a consultant, visited some Ural factories. In addition, it is a known fact that in Germany, occupied by the Allied forces of the anti-Hitler coalition, the Stg 44 assault rifle was no longer produced. Despite the fact that the German weapons designer and his family lived in the Soviet Union for a short time, his presence at the Izhevsk factories created many legends and prompted some experts to question the authorship of the designer Kalashnikov in creating the legendary weapon and compare the Stg 44 and AK -47.

conclusions

Weapons experts, after comparing the Stg 44 and the AK-47, came to the following conclusion: the appearance and trigger mechanism in both models have much in common. In response to accusations of plagiarism from critics and those who doubted Kalashnikov’s design abilities, researchers issued a verdict: all weapons used in the world, one way or another, are copied from each other. The German designer himself, when designing the trigger mechanism for his Schmeiser Stg 44, used the developments of the Kholeka company. This manufacturer produced a large batch of the first ZH-29 self-loading rifles back in 1920.

Description of AK-47

The model consists of the following elements:

• Receiver and barrel. The butt and sights are mounted on the box.
• Removable cover.
• Bolt carrier and gas piston.
• Shutter.
• Return mechanism.
• The gas tube for which the barrel lining is designed.
• Trigger mechanism.
• Forend.
• A magazine that contains ammunition.
• Bayonet.

All parts and mechanisms of the machine gun are contained in the receiver, which consists of two parts: the body and a special removable cover on top, the task of which is to protect the internal mechanisms of the machine gun from dirt and dust. The inside of the receiver is equipped with four guide “rails”. They set the movement of the bolt group. The front part of the receiver is equipped with special cutouts that are used as lugs when closing the barrel channel. With the help of the right combat stop, the movement of ammunition supplied from the right row of the machine gun magazine is directed. The left stop is designed for a cartridge from the left magazine row.

Operating principle

The machine uses the energy of powder gases, which are discharged through a special upper hole in the barrel. Before firing, ammunition is fed into the barrel chamber. The shooter, using a special handle, pulls the bolt frame back. This procedure is called “pulling the shutter.” Having passed the full length of the free stroke, the frame interacts with the bolt protrusion with its figured groove. She turns it counterclockwise. After the protrusions leave the lugs located on the receiver, the barrel channel is unlocked. Then the frame and bolt begin to move together.

USM in a Kalashnikov assault rifle

Comparing the Stg 44 and the AK-47, we can conclude that both models of small arms are equipped with a trigger-type firing mechanism. The Kalashnikov assault rifle trigger has a U-shaped mainspring. For its manufacture, triple twisted wire is used. The trigger mechanism allows both single firing and continuous burst firing. The fire mode is switched using a special rotary part (switch). The double-action safety lever is designed to lock the trigger and sear. As a result of overlapping the longitudinal groove between the receiver and the detachable cover, the rear movement of the bolt frame is blocked. However, this does not exclude the backward movement of the moving parts necessary when checking the chamber. However, in order to send the next ammunition there, this move is not enough.

The trigger mechanism in the model of Hugo Schmeisser: about the similarities with the AK-47

The German rifle also uses a trigger type trigger. The weapon is designed for single and burst firing. The trigger box is equipped with a translator that regulates single and automatic fire. The ends of the translator come out from both sides of the body in the form of two buttons. For convenient use they have a corrugated surface. To fire a single shot, the translator must be moved to the right to the “E” position. Automatic fire is possible if the interpreter stands at the "D" mark. In order to make the operation of the German rifle safe, the designer developed a special safety catch for the weapon. It is located below the translator. To lock the trigger lever, this fuse should be moved to the “F” position.

Differences

The difference between the Stg 44 and AK-47 is the location of their return springs. In the German rifle, the place for the spring was the inside of the butt. This completely eliminates the possibility of creating a modernized model with a folding stock.

Due to the design differences of the receivers, different assembly and disassembly procedures are provided for the models. The design of a German rifle, when disassembling it, allows the weapon to be “broken” into two parts. One of them will contain the trigger mechanism and stock, and the second will contain the receiver, chamber, barrel, fore-end and gas release mechanism. American designers decided to implement a similar scheme in various modifications of their M16 assault rifle, the main small arms of the United States Army. Kalashnikov assault rifles are equipped with integral firing mechanisms. The AK-47 can be disassembled without disconnecting the stock.

About ammunition

The detachable sector double-row magazine Stg 44 is designed for 30 rounds of ammunition. Since the magazines were equipped with weak springs, German soldiers had to load their rifles with 25 rounds. Only in this way was it possible to ensure a normal supply of ammunition. Since 1945, new magazines have been developed for this model, designed to hold 25 rounds of ammunition. They were produced in small batches. In the same year, a new magazine was created, equipped with a special stopper that limited the supply to 25 rounds.

The AK-47 is supplied with ammunition from a box-shaped, sector-type, double-row magazine with a capacity of 30 rounds. The magazine itself is presented in the form of a body, which contains a locking bar, a cover, a spring and a feeder. Initially, a magazine with a stamped steel body was intended for the Kalashnikov assault rifle. Over time, plastic products were created from polycarbonate and Kalashnikov assault rifle magazines are characterized by such qualities as reliability when supplying ammunition and high “survivability”, even during rough use. The design used in the AK has been copied by a number of foreign weapons manufacturers.

About sights

The German rifle is equipped with a sector sight, allowing effective shooting at a distance of up to 800 meters. The device is represented by a special aiming bar with markings marked on it.

Each of them is designed for a range of 50 meters. A triangular shape is provided for the slot and front sight. Additionally, the German rifle can be equipped with an optical and infrared sight. The use of low-power ammunition ensures safe operation of optical devices.

The Kalashnikov assault rifle also uses a sighting device, which is of the sector type. The gradation on the sighting bar is designed up to 800 meters. Unlike the German rifle, the “step” of one division corresponds to 100 meters. Additionally, the bar has a special division, which is indicated by the letter “P”, indicating that the weapon is set for a direct shot. The distance for conducting such fire is 350 meters. The mane of the sight became the location for the rear sight with a rectangular slot. The muzzle of the barrel is equipped with a front sight. It is installed on a massive triangular base. In an effort to determine the average point of impact, the shooter can screw the front sight in or out. To adjust the weapon in a horizontal plane, the front sight must be moved in the desired direction. For some modifications, special brackets have been developed that allow you to install optical and night sights on weapons.

About additional accessories

Military equipment, not provided with reliable manpower cover, became very vulnerable to enemy infantry. It disabled military equipment with the help of magnetic mines, and the use of tanks and self-propelled guns during combat creates a significant “dead zone” - a space that is completely inaccessible from the enemy’s standard small arms and cannon weapons. For Hugo Schmeisser's shooting model, a special device was designed that allows the weapon to be used from cover.

This device was a special curved-barrel attachment. Initially it was planned to use a 7.92x57 mm cartridge. However, it turned out to be too powerful for the curved trunk. As a result, this ammunition was replaced with a 7.92x33 mm cartridge. The curvature of the trunk is made at an angle of 90 degrees. The nozzle has a service life of up to 2 thousand shots. Later, similar devices with a curvature of 30 degrees were made.

The Kalashnikov assault rifle does not have such attachments. The AK-47 is equipped with a bayonet, which makes it possible to use it effectively in hand-to-hand combat. The product is mounted on the barrel with a special latch. Initially, the length of the double-edged blade, equipped with a fuller, was 20 cm. Later, the size was reduced to 15 cm. The blade began to be used for economic purposes.

Performance characteristics of the Kalash

The Kalashnikov assault rifle has the following parameters:

• Caliber - 7.62 mm. 7.62x39 mm ammunition has been developed for the weapon.
• The length of the weapon is 87 cm. Depending on the modification, the dimensions of the AK-47 also vary. AKS has a length of 868 mm.
• The barrel length of the original AK-47 is 415 mm.
• Weight without ammunition - 4.3 kg. The weight of the AK-47 with full ammunition is 4.876 kg.
• Effective firing range is no more than 800 m.
• Within one minute, you can fire up to 600 shots and 400 in bursts.
• In single fire mode, the AK-47 fires from 90 to 100 shots per minute.
• The bullet has an initial speed of 715 m/s.

About the tactical and technical characteristics of the Stg 44

• The weapon weighs 5.2 kg.
• The length of the rifle is 94 cm.
• Barrel size - 419 mm.
• The caliber used is 7.92 mm.
• Ammunition length - 7.92x33 mm.
• The rifle operates on the principle of removing powder gases with locking due to tilting the bolt.
• Within one minute, up to 600 shots can be fired with the Stg 44.
• The target range is 600 m.
• Burst shooting is effective from a single distance - from 600.
• The rifle is equipped with a sector sight.

Finally

Among small arms enthusiasts, there are often debates about the similarities and differences between the Soviet AK-47 and the German assault rifle. The reason for the discussion was their distant external similarity. It is on this fact that small arms experts focus their attention. During the production of assault rifles, the Germans observed maximum savings in materials. In addition, production was carried out using stamped metal parts. German rifles are very comfortable to hold in your hands. However, not a single copy of Stg 44 was created anywhere. Unsuccessful attempts were made in Spain and Latin America. The situation was different with the Soviet AK-47.

This machine gun, unlike the assault rifle, has better ergonomics. Copies of the Kalashnikov assault rifle are being created almost all over the world today.

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.

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, sights located too high, which is why the shooter had to raise his head too high when shooting prone, 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.

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. The airborne troops and a number of police forces of Yugoslavia used these machine guns until the early 1980s (officially withdrawn from service in 1983, replaced by copies of the 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.

The MP 44 was an automatic weapon built on the basis of an automatic weapon with a gas engine with a long 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.

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 the American M16 rifle).
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.

Closing the topic Kalashnikov vs Schmeisser

This is not so much for my regular readers, but for distribution as a link during the next seasonal exacerbations :)

So, the Kalashnikov AK assault rifle and the Schmeisser Sturmgewehr. What is their relationship?

Usually the most narrow-minded people start talking about the strong external similarity between the AK and Stg.44. What. in general, this is not surprising - the weapon has the same purpose, the era is also the same, the layout, due to the decisions made, and the purpose are also similar. Only this arrangement did not begin with the Sturmgewehr; Schmeiser was not a pioneer here.

Here is a light machine gun (or automatic rifle) designed by the American Lewis, model 1923. The thing, although small-scale, was well known for its time and was tested in a variety of countries.
If we ignore the bipod and dimensions of the machine gun, which are determined by a conventional rifle cartridge, then what do we see? the same separate pistol grip, the same magazine attached to the bottom, the same upper location of the gas outlet and even the same long piston stroke and locking by turning the bolt (hello, AK)

Next, the cartridge.
Firstly, Schmeiser had nothing to do with the creation of the intermediate cartridge. In 1940, as part of the HWaA contract, he was given a TTT and a finished cartridge created by the Polte company. Moreover, work in Germany on a special army intermediate cartridge began in 1935, and in the world in general - in 1918 (see picture). Moreover, such work was well known in the USSR. Back in the mid-thirties, V.E. Markevich called for making submachine guns (automatic carbines) not for pistol cartridges, but for rifle cartridges of reduced caliber and power, pointing out the .25 Remington cartridge as a good starting point
Why didn’t the idea of ​​an intermediate cartridge, which seemed to be in the air, “take off” neither in 1918, nor in the twenties, nor in the thirties?
Of course, we cannot know all the exact reasons, but no one is stopping us from making reasonable assumptions. So.
1) High-ranking military officials are conservative by nature, and do not like to risk their careers in the name of systems whose usefulness is not obvious. And most of the high-ranking military of that period were raised and trained in the era of repeating rifles with a magazine cut-off, volley shooting and bayonet attacks in close formation. The idea of ​​arming ordinary infantrymen en masse with rapid-firing automatic weapons was largely alien to most of these military leaders.
2) Despite the obvious savings in materials and costs for the production and delivery of each intermediate cartridge, the significantly increased cartridge consumption in automatic weapons compared to magazine rifles still meant an increase in the load on both production and logistics.
3) By the end of the First World War, the machine gun had become an integral element of infantry weapons. The use of significantly weakened intermediate cartridges in machine guns, especially easel ones, meant a sharp loss in the effectiveness of their fire on all types of targets, which, in turn, meant the need to introduce a new “weakened” cartridge in parallel with existing rifle cartridges (and not instead of them), which also complicated logistics
4) Until the end of the thirties, typical targets for individual infantry small arms fire included not only enemy soldiers, but also targets such as horses (cavalry in many countries was still considered an important branch of the military), as well as armored cars and low-flying airplanes. The use of weakened “intermediate” cartridges could sharply reduce the infantry’s ability to combat these targets, which was also considered unacceptable

so in the interwar period in the USSR, a self-loading rifle chambered for a conventional three-line cartridge became a promising type of infantry weapon, and the “advanced” Germans generally left the usual Mauser magazine as the infantryman’s main weapon, building the squad’s firepower on the basis of a single machine gun.

The Second World War, with its increased (compared to the First World War) mechanization and rapidly developing operations, clearly demonstrated that in combat clashes of large masses of infantry, the main importance is not the accuracy of fire or the power of ammunition, but the total number of shots fired towards the enemy. According to data collected after the war, on average, one killed soldier fired from several thousand to several tens of thousands of shots. Moreover, cavalry quickly disappeared from the scene, and the development of armored vehicles and aviation made them less vulnerable to even the most powerful rifle cartridges. It must be said that the understanding of this fact (once again) came to German military experts back in the mid-thirties, and they began serious work on weapons chambered for an intermediate cartridge.
At the same time, the sharp increase in the popularity of the serial “Sturmgewehr” that appeared in 1943-44 was most facilitated by the fur-bearing animal that was sneaking up on the Wehrmacht (and all of Nazi Germany) - the Siberian Arctic fox. Because logistically it turned out to be cheaper to arm the infantry with assault rifles alone, because the magazine was clearly outdated, self-loading guns were expensive and there were very few of them, and there were no longer enough machine guns for everyone. Well, the effective firing range will drop noticeably - so anyway, in a real mass battle, infantry further than 300 meters will only shoot cartridges on empty.

No one rejects the fact that serious work in the USSR towards the creation of an intermediate cartridge and weapons for it began under the influence of German trophies (captured in the winter of 1942-43 near Leningrad MKb.42), but then they proceeded completely independently. Direct proof of this is that by 1945, when the ever-memorable Hugo SchMeiser was still sitting in the design bureau of the Haenel company and trying to come up with an even cheaper Stg.45 for the Wehrmacht, the USSR already had prototypes of a whole family of weapons chambered for an intermediate cartridge - repeating and self-loading carbines, light machine guns and machine guns
So by the time the valiant Red Army came to visit Herr Schmeiser and said “Hyundai hoch” to him, the USSR already had Sudaev AS-44 assault rifles prepared for military testing, as well as their competitors from Tokarev, Degtyarev and many other designers, like these ones:

Sudaev AS-44 assault rifle, 1944

Tokarev assault rifle, 1945

as you can see, no Schmeiser was needed in Izhevsk to create such machines
Well, in 1946, the next stage of the competition was already underway in the USSR, in which, in addition to other designers, Sergeant Kalashnikov also took part. Who at that time, I note, was an employee of the small arms research site in Shchurovo near Moscow. Where he had the opportunity to become closely acquainted and study not only a wide variety of foreign weapons (both captured and received under Lend-Lease), but also experienced domestic systems that were tested at the same training ground. In addition, the range staff, extremely experienced and knowledgeable officers, could also share their experience with the young sergeant.
further the story is basically known - after failure in the first round of the 1946 competition, Kalashnikov receives permission to participate in the second, and goes to remake his machine gun (the future experimental AK-47) to the city of Kovrov (the patrimony of the famous designer Degtyarev and his school). And Kovrov, if you look at the map, is located about 900 kilometers from Izhevsk, where at the same time Hugo Schmeiser was languishing in the dungeons of the bloody KGB.
Of course, the Soviet story about how a single, self-taught sergeant created an excellent machine gun “out of nothing” is hard to believe. Naturally, he was helped by both the designer Zaitsev assigned to him in Kovrov, and the employees of the training ground. Kalashnikov (or maybe Zaitsev - you’ll never know now) boldly borrowed successful solutions from machine guns - competitors in the competition, primarily, probably, from Tula Bulkin. It must be said that there is nothing reprehensible in this, and moreover, at that time any borrowing leading to success was only welcomed. In fact, all intellectual property in the USSR belonged to all the people (that is, the state)...
So it is absolutely impossible to see any trace of Hugo Schmeisser’s personal hand in the creation of the AK-47, even indirectly: there are so many differences in the layout of all the main components of the AK and Stg. Yes, there are many “borrowed” solutions in AK. What can I say - there are practically no original, fundamentally new components in it, just like in the Sturmgever (don’t believe me? Compare the design of the Stg.44 and, say, the Czech ZB-26 machine gun, which was made in 1926...). The whole key lies in the technical and engineering solutions for the layout and integration of known solutions into one working whole. And here AK and Stg differ very much.

And finally, the third stage - when Kalashnikov with a finished AK arrives in Izhevsk in 1947 to set up mass production. The AK design has already been “settled” by this point, and all that a German specialist can theoretically help at this stage is setting up mass production with extensive use of stamping. True, this was also a bummer - the Izhevsk plant turned out to be technologically unprepared to withstand the required quality of stamping, heat treatment and riveting of receivers, so in 1950 Izhmash designers had to re-create a milled receiver for the AK (which helped Schmeiser, who “ate the dog” on stamping they needed a fifth leg just like a dog does).
so Schmeisser (together with Barnitz and his other colleagues) continued to eat Soviet bread for some time without much benefit, and then was peacefully sent back to his historical homeland.