Soviet machine gun DPM
Despite the fact that the MT light machine gun was adopted by the army, by 1925 the problem of equipping the armed forces with domestic light machine guns still could not be solved. As before, the troops used a variety of production models from many countries around the world. True, the number of these weapons quickly decreased over time.
To cope with the problem of equipping the army with modern weapons, a design bureau of automatic small arms was created in Kovrov in 1921. It was headed by the internationally recognized weapons specialist Vladimir Grigorievich Fedorov, and his deputy was the famous designer Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev. Every year the team was replenished with capable engineers. Soon the design bureau became a leading center in its field.
Even before the official decision to create the bureau, Fedorov and Degtyarev began working on new machine gun projects in the experimental workshop. Although all of these models, chambered for the 6.5 mm cartridge, had interesting designs, they never went beyond prototypes. The right path was chosen only in 1924, when a solution appeared
on the use of a standard 7.62 mm Mosin rifle cartridge.
At the same time, it was finally possible to solve the problem of creating a light machine gun that meets the needs of the army and is suitable for mass production. Degtyarev developed not just an infantry machine gun, but an entire weapon system. Later modifications could be installed on aircraft and tanks. All of them were light in weight and simple in design, containing few moving parts.
In 1923, a prototype was presented - with belt power and on two small wheels, without a shield. The following year, a modernized model appeared with a flat disk magazine on the bipod. After testing, which took place on June 22, 1924, the command recommended that it be thoroughly tested.
In the summer of 1927, in comparative tests, in which, along with the Degtyarev machine gun, almost all foreign weapons used at that time took part, as well as the German Dreyse 13 machine gun and Tokarev MT, the Degtyarev model demonstrated its obvious superiority. For 20 thousand shots it worked flawlessly, and after 40 thousand shots the failure rate was no more than 0.5. Nevertheless, the sample has undergone further improvement. Degtyarev slightly improved, for example, the bolt, gas piston, firing pin and cartridge ejector. Interesting in this regard is Fedorov’s report dated May 29, 1930 on testing the machine gun for durability. The most important parts were subjected to a load of 25 to 30 thousand rounds, and the rest - from 75 to 100 thousand rounds.
According to Soviet literature, the creator of this machine gun was called the “Russian Maxim” across the border.
Under the name DP1928, the machine gun became the standard weapon of the Soviet infantry. There are different data about the time of its adoption into service. In addition to 1928, which is probably true, 1927 and 1929 are also mentioned. This obviously means the year of testing and the year of the start of mass production.
The DP 1928 light machine gun operates on the principle of using powder gas pressure, has a fixed barrel and rigid engagement of the bolt with the barrel. When the bullet passes the hole in the barrel, part of the powder gases enters the gas chamber through the hole and moves the piston connected to the bolt in the rear direction. In this case, the bolt is disconnected from the barrel and the weapon is automatically reloaded. Using a special tool, the gas pressure can be adjusted.
About a third of the barrel protrudes from the casing, which is equipped with cooling holes. There is a cone-shaped flame arrester on the barrel. The first series of machine guns had cooling fins on the barrel, but then they were abandoned. The barrel is replaceable, but this is a complex operation requiring special tools. Z
Ammunition is supplied from a disk magazine. Under spring pressure, the cartridge is fed down through the disk slot. The capacity of such a disk is 49 rounds, but for correct feeding it is filled with only 47 rounds.
At a time when no army had a light machine gun with such a large ammunition capacity other than the Lewis model, the Soviet armed forces had a weapon with 47 rounds. Subsequently, this turned out to be a decisive factor, although from a tactical point of view such ammunition was still insufficient. In addition, loading the magazine turned out to be a rather difficult process, especially in combat conditions, and the flat magazine body was almost impossible to protect from damage.
The machine gun fires only continuously. The practical rate of fire is from 80 to 100 rounds/min. The maximum flight range of the bullet is 3000 m. The safety is located near the trigger. Pressing the trigger with the index finger, the shooter simultaneously presses the safety with the middle finger, unlocking the trigger. As soon as he releases the stock neck, the trigger is locked. The sector sight is installed at a distance from 100 to 1500 m in increments of 100 m. The length of the sight line is 616 mm. The machine gun is equipped with a bipod mounted under the gas channel. If necessary, the bipod can be folded along the trunk for transportation.
This machine gun had advantages in the form of maneuverability, light weight, strength and reliability of design. However, there were also disadvantages, for example, rapid wear of some parts of the bolt, heating and low service life of the recoil spring. The bipod did not give the machine gun sufficient stability. The military expressed wishes to increase the magazine capacity.
The biggest shortcomings have been eliminated. After numerous experiments, designer Shilin modernized the machine gun, and in 1944 an improved model of the Degtyarev DPM light machine gun was presented. This model had a safety lever, a pistol grip behind the trigger and a lightweight stock. During the attack, the shooter could hold the machine gun suspended at his hip. The recoil spring was also improved. It became stronger and was housed in a protective tube behind the bolt, meaning it was no longer exposed to extreme heat. The walls of the trunk became thicker and stronger. The bipod was moved back, which gave greater stability.
However, the ammunition supply system could not be improved. At first, a belt with a large supply of cartridges was provided, but this problem could only be solved when creating the RP 46 company machine gun.
Modifications of the Degtyarev light machine gun include the DA and DA 2 (coaxial) aviation machine guns that appeared in 1928 and 1930, as well as the DT tank machine gun and the modernized DPM 1944 light machine gun adopted for service in 1929. Thus, at the end of the twenties, the Soviet armed forces They had not only a standard infantry light machine gun, but also an entire weapon system, although in insufficient quantities.
Dp-27
Aviation machine guns with a pistol grip, a modified butt and a 63-round magazine were installed mainly on bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Tank machine guns were equipped with a retractable stock, a more massive barrel, a diopter sight and the same magazine as aircraft weapons. Being equipped with bipods, they were also used in infantry and partisan formations.
The international specialized literature contains unanimous positive assessments of the DP 1928 and DPM 1944 machine guns. They are considered reliable and effective weapons with a simple design. The same applies to their production. Although they were made primarily on metal-cutting machines, the cost of their production was low. Some authors consider these machine guns to be the simplest and cheapest in the world at that time.
The first version of the DP 1928 was used during the Spanish Civil War from 1936 to 1939 by government forces and the International Brigades. They performed well in 1938-1939 in battles with Japanese aggressors on Lake Khasan and Khalkhin Gol, as well as during the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940.
Degtyarev machine gun - DP 28
During the Second World War, Degtyarev machine guns proved their reliability on all fronts. In the most difficult situations, in heat and cold, in dirty conditions, they shot accurately and accurately. German troops used weapons captured as trophies at the first opportunity. According to the classification of the Wehrmacht weapons department, they were listed as light machine guns model 120 (g) and 120/2 (g).
It is not known exactly how many machine guns of this type were manufactured. Soviet sources report that by January 1928 they produced a trial series of 100 units, and in 1928 the industry received an order to produce 2,500 units. The following year, this order grew to 6,500 units, of which 4,000 were infantry. 2000 aviation and 500 tank machine guns.
There is information about measures taken by the military command to establish mass production. It was, first of all, about technological aspects, about the supply of the necessary grades of steel, about the interchangeability of parts of weapons of different models, and in general about the constant improvement of production quality. For this purpose, extensive tests were carried out at that time. They were followed by design changes aimed at improving weapons. Several experimental models of 1931, 1934 and 1938 are known. During World War II, attempts were made to equip these machine guns with cartridge belts. However, the tests carried out by Degtyarev in 1943 ended in failure. Direct rod magazines also turned out to be unsuitable.
As for testing light machine guns, additional clarification is required here. The specialists were not entirely satisfied with the standard machine gun, either from a technological or tactical point of view. Technical shortcomings were characteristic, first of all, of the bolt and the recoil spring. They were eliminated in the modernized version of the DPM 1944. Tactical shortcomings were expressed, first of all, in small ammunition.
The troops needed a maneuverable company machine gun with great firepower. Therefore, its ammunition should have been comparable to heavy machine guns. These weapons of the first line of fire were to be complemented by heavy machine guns operating on the second line and on the flanks. Despite the rather large magazine capacity, Degtyarev’s machine gun could not cope with this tactical task.
Therefore, in 1943, the command announced a competition, which was intended to supplement the standard machine gun with a new model. Soviet literature contains information about several experimental models, which, in addition to the Degtyarev machine gun, included samples from S. G. Simonov and the then little-known designer M. T. Kalashnikov. At first, all these prototypes were designed for a 7.62 mm Mosin rifle cartridge. However, since at this time a new
shortened cartridge M 43, the designers' efforts soon concentrated on it. The most active designers, in addition to those already mentioned, included A. A. Dubinin, P. P. Polyakov, A. I. Shilin and A. I. Sudaev.
Their numerous experimental models, created either independently or as part of teams, were refined and improved after careful testing. As a result, samples of weapons of the required quality appeared. One of them was the RP 46 company machine gun, chambered for the standard M 1908/30 rifle cartridge, and the other was the Degtyarev RPD light machine gun chambered for the shortened M 43 cartridge.
Although this machine gun was ready for mass production even before the start of the war, it was put into service only after 1945. Later, a whole system of the most modern machine guns was added to it, the first of which was the Kalashnikov RPK light machine gun.
Thus, the Degtyarev machine gun remained a standard weapon from the late twenties until the end of the Second World War. This was partly due to the lack of capacity to produce the models mentioned above that were ready for mass production.
Since the appearance of the DP 1928 machine gun, the army's need for this type of weapon has been constantly growing. Despite the constant increase in production rates, there were not enough machine guns until 1942-1943. Even taking into account the fact that the total number of machine guns from 1929 to 1933 increased by more than 7.5 times, and among the 105 thousand machine guns produced from 1933 to 1941, a significant part were DP 1928, the shortage was very noticeable. On the Western Front alone, by the end of September there was a shortage of approximately 3,800 units. A sharp increase in production helped cope with the shortage. In 1944, more than 120 thousand Degtyarev infantry machine guns and about 40 thousand tank machine guns were manufactured. Since these data were not taken from Soviet sources, there is no way to double-check them or compare them with materials from Soviet authors. It is alleged that the annual production of light, mounted and heavy machine guns since 1942 has averaged 450 thousand units. It is emphasized that from July 1941 until the end of the war, the USSR industry supplied 78 times more machine guns to the front than tsarist Russia did during the First World War.
The DP machine gun and its modernized version DPM were in service with the GDR army. Later they were supplemented with Degtyarev RPD and then RPK machine guns. In addition to the USSR, DP machine guns were produced in Poland (DP, DPM) and in China under the designation Model 53.
The Dyagterev machine gun was supplied with a box or pouch for carrying additional magazines and a box or bag for accessories. Accessories included a screwdriver key for disassembling and assembling the machine gun, a device for clearing gas passages, a composite cleaning rod, a rod with a bristle brush, a cartridge case extractor and two drifts for pushing out the pin axes.
The iron magazine box had a lid that opened 180 degrees and a canvas handle for carrying. A canvas pouch with a flap that closed with a wooden button was also used for stores. Inside the pouch there were metal mounts for discs. Three magazines for a Degtyarev machine gun were placed in a box or pouch. Accessories for servicing the machine gun were placed in a metal box or canvas bag.
Characteristics: DP 1928 light machine gun
Caliber, mm........................................................ .....................................7.62
Initial bullet speed (Vq), m/s............................................ .840*
Weapon length, mm................................................... ...........................1266
Rate of fire, rds/min.................................................... ...............600
Ammunition supply........................................disc magazine
for (49) 47 rounds
Weight in charged state, kg...................................8.40
Weight of a full magazine, kg................................................... .........2.82
Weight of empty magazine, kg................................................... ..........1.64
Cartridge................................................. ...................................7.62x54 R
Barrel length, mm................................................... ...........................605**
Rifling/direction................................................... .....................4/p
Sighting firing range, m....................................1500
Effective firing range, m...................................800
* Cartridge with a light bullet.
** Free part - 532 mm.
On May 17, 1718, James Puckle patented his gun, which became the prototype of the machine gun. Since that time, military engineering has come a long way, but machine guns still remain one of the most formidable types of weapons.
"Pakla's Gun"
Attempts to increase the rate of fire of firearms were made repeatedly, but before the advent of a unitary cartridge they failed due to the complexity and unreliability of the design, the extremely high cost of production and the need to have trained soldiers whose skills would go significantly beyond the automatic manipulation of a gun.
One of the many experimental designs was the so-called “Pakla gun”. The weapon was a gun mounted on a tripod with a cylinder with 11 charges acting as a magazine. The crew of the gun consisted of several people. With coordinated crew actions and no misfires, a rate of fire of up to 9-10 rounds per minute was theoretically achieved. This system was supposed to be used at short distances in naval combat, but due to unreliability this weapon was not widespread. This system illustrates the desire to increase the firepower of rifle fire by increasing the rate of fire.
Lewis machine gun
The Lewis light machine gun was developed in the United States by Samuel McClane, and was used as a light machine gun and aircraft gun during the First World War. Despite the impressive weight, the weapon turned out to be quite successful - the machine gun and its modifications were kept for quite a long time in Britain and its colonies, as well as the USSR.
In our country, Lewis machine guns were used until the Great Patriotic War and are visible in the chronicle of the parade on November 7, 1941. In domestic feature films, this weapon is found relatively rarely, but a frequent imitation of the Lewis machine gun in the form of a “camouflaged DP-27” is present very often. The original Lewis machine gun was depicted, for example, in the film “White Sun of the Desert” (except for the shooting shots).
Hotchkiss machine gun
During the First World War, the Hotchkiss machine gun became the main machine gun of the French army. Only in 1917, with the spread of light machine guns, its production began to decline.
In total, the easel "Hotchkiss" was in service in 20 countries. In France and a number of other countries, these weapons were kept during the Second World War. Hotchkiss was supplied to a limited extent before the First World War and to Russia, where a significant part of these machine guns was lost during the East Prussian operation in the first months of the war. In domestic feature films, the Hotchkiss machine gun can be seen in the film adaptation of Quiet Don, which shows a Cossack attack on German positions, which from a historical point of view may not be typical, but is acceptable.
Maxim machine gun
The Maxim machine gun went down in the history of the Russian Empire and the USSR, remaining officially in service much longer than in other countries. Along with the three-line rifle and revolver, it is strongly associated with the weapons of the first half of the 20th century.
He served from the Russo-Japanese War to the Great Patriotic War inclusive. Powerful and distinguished by a high rate of fire and accuracy of fire, the machine gun had a number of modifications in the USSR and was used as an easel, anti-aircraft and aviation one. The main disadvantages of the easel version of the Maxim were the excessively large mass and water cooling of the barrel. Only in 1943 was the Goryunov machine gun adopted for service, which by the end of the war began to gradually supplant the Maxim. In the initial period of the war, the production of Maxims not only did not decrease, but on the contrary, it increased and, in addition to Tula, was deployed in Izhevsk and Kovrov.
Since 1942, machine guns were produced only with a receiver under a canvas tape. The production of the legendary weapon was stopped in our country only in the victorious year of 1945.
MG-34
The German MG-34 machine gun has a very difficult history of adoption, but, nevertheless, this model can be called one of the first single machine guns. The MG-34 could be used as a light machine gun, or as an easel machine gun on a tripod, as well as as an anti-aircraft and tank gun.
Its low weight gave the weapon high maneuverability, which, combined with a high rate of fire, made it one of the best infantry machine guns of the early World War II. Later, even with the adoption of the MG-42, Germany did not abandon the production of the MG-34; this machine gun is still in service in a number of countries.
DP-27
From the beginning of the 30s, the light machine gun of the Degtyarev system began to enter service with the Red Army, which became the main light machine gun of the Red Army until the mid-40s. The first combat use of the DP-27 is most likely associated with the conflict on the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1929.
The machine gun performed well during the fighting in Spain, Khasan and Khalkhin Gol. However, by the time the Great Patriotic War began, the Degtyarev machine gun was already inferior in a number of parameters such as weight and magazine capacity to a number of newer and more advanced models.
During operation, a number of shortcomings were identified - a small magazine capacity (47 rounds) and an unfortunate location under the barrel of the return spring, which was deformed from frequent shooting. During the war, some work was carried out to eliminate these shortcomings. In particular, the survivability of the weapon was increased by moving the return spring to the rear of the receiver, although the general operating principle of this model has not changed. The new machine gun (DPM) began to enter the army in 1945. On the basis of the machine gun, a very successful DT tank machine gun was created, which became the main Soviet tank machine gun of the Great Patriotic War.
Machine gun "Breda" 30
One of the first places in terms of the number of shortcomings among mass-produced samples can be given to the Italian Breda machine gun, which, perhaps, collected the maximum number of them.
Firstly, the magazine is unsuccessful and only holds 20 rounds, which is clearly not enough for a machine gun. Secondly, each cartridge must be lubricated with oil from a special oil can. Dirt, dust gets in and the weapon instantly fails. One can only guess how it was possible to fight with such a “miracle” in the sands of North Africa.
But even at sub-zero temperatures, the machine gun also does not work. The system was distinguished by its great complexity in production and low rate of fire for a light machine gun. To top it off, there is no handle for carrying the machine gun. However, this system was the main machine gun of the Italian army in World War II.
One of the most pressing problems of infantry armament that arose during the First World War was the availability of a light machine gun, capable of operating in infantry combat formations in all types of combat and under any conditions, providing direct fire support to the infantry. During the war, Russia acquired light machine guns (“machine guns”) from other states. However, the French Chauchat machine guns, as well as the English Lewis ones, which had a more successful design, were worn out by the mid-1920s, the systems of these machine guns were outdated, and there was also a catastrophic shortage of spare parts. The production of the Madsen machine gun (Denmark) under the Russian cartridge, planned for 1918, at the plant established in Kovrov did not take place. In the early 20s, the issue of developing a light machine gun was raised as a priority in the Red Army's weapons system - according to generally accepted views, it was this machine gun that made it possible to solve the problem of combining movement and fire at the level of small units in new conditions. The machine gun became the basis for the new “group tactics” of the infantry. In 22, “exemplary” (“show”) companies were formed whose main task was to cultivate group tactics, as well as saturate the infantry with automatic weapons, which were sorely lacking. When in 1924, according to the new states, a machine gun section was introduced into all rifle platoons, due to a shortage of light machine guns, it had to be armed with one heavy and one light machine gun. Work on a light machine gun was launched at the First Tula Arms Factories, the Kovrov Machine Gun Factory and the Vystrel training ground. In Tula F.V. Tokarev and at the “Shot” courses I.N. Kolesnikov, as a temporary solution to the problem, created an air-cooled light machine gun - type MG.08/18 (Germany) - the mass-produced easel "Maxim" was taken as a basis. The design bureau of the Kovrov plant carried out work for the long term. In this design bureau, under the leadership of Fedorov and his student Degtyarev, experimental work was carried out on a unified family of 6.5 mm automatic weapons. The Fedorov assault rifle was taken as the basis (it should be noted that the “automatic machine” itself was originally called a “light machine gun,” that is, it was considered not as an individual weapon, but as a lightweight light machine gun for arming small groups of infantry). Within this family, several variants of manual, easel, “universal”, aviation and tank machine guns with different barrel cooling and power supply schemes have been developed. However, none of the universal or light machine guns of Fedorov or Fedorov-Degtyarev were accepted for mass production.
Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev (1880-1949), head of the workshop of the PKB of the Kovrov plant, began developing his own model of a light machine gun at the end of 1923. Degtyarev took as a basis the design of his own automatic carbine, which he proposed back in 1915. Then the inventor, having combined the well-known schemes of automatic gas exhaust (a side gas outlet located at the bottom of the barrel), locking the barrel bore using two lugs moved by the striker and his own solutions, received a compact system that earned an approving official review from Fedorov. On July 22, 1924, Degtyarev presented the first prototype of a machine gun with a disk magazine. The commission was headed by N.V. Kuibyshev, head of the “Vystrel” school, Chairman of the Rifle Committee of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army. The commission noted the “outstanding originality of the idea, rate of fire, trouble-free operation and significant ease of use of Comrade Degtyarev’s system.” It should be noted that at the same time the commission recommended the coaxial aviation 6.5-mm Fedorov-Degtyarev machine gun for adoption by the air force of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. A prototype of the Degtyarev machine gun and Kolesnikov and Tokarev machine guns were tested at the shooting range in Kuskovo on October 6, 1924, but dropped out of the competition because the firing pin failed. The commission for selecting a model of a light machine gun (chaired by S.M. Budyonny) soon recommended the Maxim-Tokarev light machine gun for adoption by the Red Army. It was adopted under the designation MT in 1925.
DP light machine gun
The next prototype was presented by Degtyarev in the fall of 1926. On September 27-29, about five thousand shots were fired from two copies, and it was found that the ejector and firing pin had weak force, and the weapon itself was sensitive to dust. In December, they tested the next two machine guns in unfavorable shooting conditions, giving only 0.6% delays for 40,000 rounds, but they were also returned for revision. At the same time, an improved Tokarev model was tested, as well as the German “light machine gun” Dreyse. According to the test results, Degtyarev’s sample surpassed Tokarev’s conversion system and the Dreyse machine gun, which then aroused great interest among the leadership of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army and, by the way, had an option with a high-capacity disc magazine. Despite this, Degtyarev had to make a number of changes to his design: by changing the shape and using chromium-nickel steel, the bolt frame was strengthened, the piston rod and ejector were made from the same steel, and to strengthen the firing pin, it was given a shape close to the shape of the firing pin of a Lewis machine gun. It should be noted that some design solutions in Degtyarev’s machine guns were made under the obvious influence of the thoroughly studied Madsen, Lewis and Hotchkiss light machine guns (the Kovrov plant had complete sets of drawings, as well as ready-made Madsen samples, during the Civil War Lewis machine guns were repaired here). However, in general the weapon had a new and original design. Two copies of the Degtyarev machine gun, after modification, were tested by the Art Committee commission of the Artillery Directorate of the Red Army at the Kovrov plant on January 17-21, 1927. The machine guns were found to have “passed the test.” On February 20, the Commission also recognized “it is possible to present machine guns as samples for all subsequent work and considerations for installing them in production.” Without waiting for the results of the improvements, it was decided to issue an order for one hundred machine guns. On March 26, Artcom approved the “Temporary Specifications for Acceptance of the Degtyarev Light Machine Gun” developed by the Design Bureau of the Kovrov Plant.
The first batch of 10 machine guns was presented to military acceptance on November 12, 1927; the military acceptance party fully accepted the batch of 100 machine guns on January 3, 1928. On January 11, the Revolutionary Military Council ordered the transfer of 60 machine guns for military testing. In addition, machine guns were sent to military educational institutions of various military districts, so that, simultaneously with the tests, the command staff could get acquainted with the new weapons during camp training. Military and field tests continued throughout the year. Based on the results of tests carried out in February at the Scientific Testing Weapons and Machine-Gun Range and the “Vystrel” courses, it was recommended to add a flame arrester to the design, designed to reduce the unmasking and blinding effects of the muzzle flame at dusk and at night. In addition, a number of other comments were made. In August 1928, they tested an improved model with a flame arrester and a slightly modified gas chamber regulator pipe. For 27-28, an order was issued for 2.5 thousand machine guns. At the same time, at a special meeting on June 15, 1928, in which the leaders of the Main Military-Industrial Directorate and the People's Commissariat of Defense took part, recognizing the difficulties of setting up large-scale production of a new machine gun, they set 29-30 years as the deadline for its installation with completely interchangeable parts. At the end of 28, it was decided to stop the production of MT (Maxima-Tokarev) machine guns. As a result, Degtyarev's light machine gun ended up in the Red Army before its official adoption. The machine gun was adopted under the designation “7.62-mm light machine gun mod. 1927" or DP (“Degtyareva, infantry”), the designation DP-27 was also found. The Degtyarev machine gun became the first mass-produced domestically developed machine gun and brought its author into the ranks of the country's main and most authoritative gunsmiths.
The main parts of the machine gun: a replaceable barrel with a flame arrester and a gas chamber; receiver with sighting device; cylindrical barrel casing with front sight and guide tube; bolt with striker; bolt carrier and piston rod; return spring; trigger frame with stock and trigger mechanism; disk store; folding removable bipod.
The barrel in the receiver was fastened with intermittent screw lugs; a pin lock was used for fixation. On the middle part of the barrel there were 26 transverse ribs designed to improve cooling. However, in practice it turned out that the efficiency of this radiator was very low and, starting in 1938, the fins were eliminated, which simplified production. A conical flame arrester was attached to the muzzle of the barrel using a threaded connection. During the march, the flame arrester was attached in an inverted position to reduce the length of the DP.
And the automatic operation of the machine gun was implemented due to the removal of powder gases through the side hole. The hole was made in the barrel wall at a distance of 185 millimeters from the muzzle. The gas piston had a long stroke. The gas chamber is open type, with a pipe. The piston rod is rigidly connected to the bolt frame and the return spring, mounted on the rod, was placed under the barrel in the guide tube. The gas piston was screwed onto the front end of the rod, while fixing the return spring. Using a pipe regulator with two gas outlet holes with a diameter of 3 and 4 millimeters, the amount of discharged powder gases was adjusted. The barrel bore was locked using a pair of lugs mounted on the sides of the bolt on hinges and moved apart by the extended rear part of the firing pin.
The trigger mechanism consisted of a trigger, a trigger lever with a sear, and an automatic safety. The trigger was supported by a safety at the rear. To turn it off, you need to completely cover the neck of the butt with your palm. The USM was designed only for continuous fire.
The magazine, mounted on top of the receiver, consisted of a pair of disks and a spring. The cartridges in the store were placed along a radius with the toe of the bullet towards the center. By the force of a snail-shaped spiral spring, which twisted when the magazine was loaded, the upper disk rotated relative to the lower one, while cartridges were fed to the receiver window. A magazine of this design was previously developed for the Fedorov aircraft machine gun. Initially, the requirements for a light machine gun assumed that the power system would have 50 rounds, but the disk “Fedorov magazine” designed for fifty 6.5 mm rounds was ready for production, it was decided to maintain its basic dimensions, reducing the drum capacity to 49 7, 62mm cartridges. It must be answered that the design of the magazine with radial placement of cartridges was able to solve the problem of reliability of the power supply system when using a domestic rifle cartridge with a protruding rim of the cartridge case. However, the magazine capacity was soon reduced to 47 rounds because the spring force was not enough to feed the last rounds. Radial stampings of the disks and annular stiffening ribs were designed to reduce their loss during shocks and impacts, as well as to reduce the likelihood of the magazine “seizing.” A spring-loaded magazine latch was mounted in the sight block. During the march, the receiver window was covered with a special shield, which was moved forward before installing the magazine. To equip the store, a special PSM device was used. It should be noted that the magazine, which had a diameter of 265 millimeters, created some inconvenience when carrying the machine gun during battle. After part of the ammunition was used up, the remaining cartridges created noticeable noise when moving. In addition, the weakening of the spring led to the fact that the last cartridges remained in the magazine - because of this, the crews preferred not to fully equip the magazine.
As in many machine guns, designed for significant heating of the barrel and intense burst fire, the shot was fired from the rear sear. Before the first shot, the bolt frame with the bolt was in the rear position, held by the sear, while the return spring was compressed (the compression force was 11 kgf). When the trigger was pressed, the trigger lever dropped, the bolt frame broke off the sear and moved forward, pushing the bolt and firing pin with its vertical stand. The bolt captured the cartridge from the receiver and sent it into the chamber, resting against the stump of the barrel. During further movement of the bolt frame, the firing pin moved the lugs apart with its widened part, the supporting planes of the lugs entered the lugs of the receiver. This locking scheme was very reminiscent of the Swedish Chelman automatic rifle, which was tested in Russia in 1910 (although the rifle combined locking according to the “Friberg-Chelman scheme” and automation based on the recoil of the barrel with a short stroke). After locking, the firing pin and bolt frame continued to move forward for another 8 millimeters; the firing pin reached the cartridge primer, breaking it and firing. After the bullet passed through the gas outlet holes, powder gases entered the gas chamber, hit the piston, which covered the chamber with its bell, and threw back the bolt frame. After the firing pin had passed about 8 millimeters with the frame, it released the lugs, after which the lugs were brought together by the bevels of the figured recess of the frame, along the path of 12 millimeters the barrel bore was unlocked, the bolt was picked up by the bolt frame and pulled back. In this case, the ejector removed the spent cartridge case, which, hitting the firing pin, was thrown out through the window of the receiver in the lower part. The stroke of the bolt frame was 149 millimeters (the bolt was 136 millimeters). After this, the bolt frame hit the trigger frame and moved forward under the action of the return spring. If at this moment the trigger was pressed, the automation cycle was repeated. If the hook was released, the bolt frame stood on the sear with its combat cock, stopping in the rear position. At the same time, the machine gun was ready for the next shot - the presence of only one automatic trigger safety created the danger of an involuntary shot while moving with a loaded machine gun. In this regard, the instructions stated that the machine gun should be loaded only after occupying a position.
The machine gun was equipped with a sector sight with a high block, which was mounted on the receiver, and a bar with notches up to 1500 meters (100 m increments), and a front sight with protective “ears”. The front sight was inserted into a groove on the protrusion of the barrel casing, which resembled the casing of a Madsen light machine gun. The magazine latch also served as protective “ears” for the sight. The wooden butt was made like a Madsen machine gun; it had a semi-pistol neck protrusion and an upper ridge that improved the position of the machine gunner’s head. The length of the butt from the trigger to the back of the head was 360 millimeters, the width of the butt was 42 millimeters. An oil can was placed in the butt. In the wider lower part of the butt of the DP-27 machine gun there was a vertical channel intended for a rear retractable support, but serial machine guns were produced without such a support, and later the channel in the butt was no longer provided. Sling swivels were attached to the barrel casing and to the left of the butt. The bipods were fastened with a folding clamp with a wing screw on the barrel casing; their legs were equipped with openers.
When firing, the machine gun showed good accuracy: the dispersion core during firing in “normal” bursts (from 4 to 6 shots) at a distance of 100 meters was up to 170 mm (in height and width), at 200 meters - 350 mm, at 500 meters - 850 mm, at 800 meters – 1600 mm (height) and 1250 mm (width), at 1 thousand m – 2100 mm (height) and 1850 mm (width). When firing in short bursts (up to 3 shots), the accuracy increased - for example, at a distance of 500 meters, the dispersion core was already 650 mm, and at 1 thousand meters – 1650x1400 mm.
Red Army soldiers near a dugout in Stalingrad are busy cleaning weapons, PPSh-41 submachine guns and a DP-27 machine gun
The DP machine gun consisted of 68 parts (without magazine), of which 4 coil springs and 10 screws (for comparison, the number of parts of the German Dreyse light machine gun was 96, the American Browning BAR model 1922 was 125, the Czech ZB-26 was 143 ). The use of the bolt frame as the lower cover of the receiver, as well as the application of the principle of multifunctionality when using other parts, made it possible to significantly reduce the weight and dimensions of the structure. The advantages of this machine gun also included the ease of disassembly. The machine gun could be disassembled into large parts, and when the bolt frame was removed, the main parts were separated. Accessories for the Degtyarev machine gun included a collapsible cleaning rod, a brush, two drifts, a screwdriver key, a device for cleaning gas passages, a wiper, and a extractor for torn-off cartridge cases (the situation with the rupture of cartridges in the chamber of a machine gun of the Degtyarev system was observed for quite a long time). Spare barrels - two per machine gun - were supplied to special units. boxes. A canvas cover was used to carry and store the machine gun. To fire blank cartridges, a muzzle sleeve with an outlet diameter of 4 millimeters and a special magazine with a window for blank cartridges were used.
The production of machine guns of the DP series was supplied and carried out by the Kovrov plant (State Union Plant named after K.O. Kirkizh, plant No. 2 of the People's Commissariat of Arms, since 1949 - Plant named after V.A. Degtyarev). The infantry Degtyarev was distinguished by its ease of manufacture - its production required two times less pattern measurements and transitions than for a revolver, and three times less than for a rifle. The number of technological operations was four times less than for the Maxim machine gun and three times less than for the MT. This is where Degtyarev’s many years of experience as a practical gunsmith and collaboration with the outstanding gunsmith V.G. Fedorov. In the process of setting up production, changes were made to the heat treatment of the most critical parts, new processing standards were introduced, and steel grades were selected. It can be assumed that one of the main roles in ensuring the required accuracy during large-scale production of automatic weapons with complete interchangeability of parts was played by cooperation in the 20s with German specialists, machine tool and weapons companies. Fedorov invested a lot of work and energy in setting up the production of the Degtyarev machine gun and in standardizing the production of weapons on this basis - during this work, the so-called “Fedorov normals” were introduced into production, that is, a system of fits and tolerances designed to increase the accuracy of weapon production. A great contribution to the organization of production of this machine gun was made by engineer G.A. Aparin, who installed tool and pattern production at the plant.
Soldiers of the Soviet 115th Infantry Division A. Konkov in a trench on Nevskaya Dubrovka. In the foreground is machine gunner V. Pavlov with a DP-27 machine gun
The DP order for 1928 and 1929 already amounted to 6.5 thousand units (of which 500 tank, 2000 aviation and 4000 infantry). After tests in March-April 1930 by a special commission of 13 serial Degtyarev machine guns for survivability, Fedorov stated that “the survivability of the machine gun was raised to 75 - 100 thousand rounds,” and “the survivability of the least resistant parts (firing pins and ejectors) was up to 25 - 30 thousand .shots."
In the 1920s, various magazine-fed light machine guns were created in different countries - the French "Hotchkiss" mod. 1922 and Mle 1924 "Chatelrault", Czech ZB-26, English "Vickers-Berthier", Swiss "Solothurn" M29 and "Furrer" M25, Italian "Breda", Finnish M1926 "Lahti-Zaloranta", Japanese "Type 11" . The Degtyarev machine gun differed favorably from most of them in its relatively high reliability and larger magazine capacity. Let us note that simultaneously with the DP, another important means of infantry support was adopted - the 76-mm regimental gun of the 1927 model.
Soviet machine gun crew at a firing position among the ruins of Stalingrad
Technical characteristics of the DP machine gun:
Cartridge - 7.62 mm sample 1908/30 (7.62x53);
Machine gun weight (without cartridges): without bipod - 7.77 kg, with bipod - 8.5 kg;
Barrel weight – 2.0 kg;
Bipod weight – 0.73 kg;
Machine gun length: without flame arrester - 1147 mm, with flame arrester - 1272 mm;
Barrel length – 605 mm;
The length of the rifled part of the barrel is 527 mm;
Rifling stroke length – 240 mm;
Initial bullet speed – 840 m/s (for a light bullet);
The range of a direct shot at the chest figure is 375 m;
The lethal range of the bullet is 3000 m;
Sighting line length – 616.6 mm;
Combat rate of fire - 100-150 rounds per minute;
Food – disk magazine with a capacity of 47 rounds;
Magazine weight - 1.59 kg (without cartridges) / 2.85 kg (with cartridges);
The height of the firing line is 345-354 mm;
Calculation – 2 people.
YES, DT and others
Since by the time the DP was adopted into service in the Soviet Union, the need to unify machine guns had been recognized, other types were being developed on the basis of the Degtyarev machine gun - primarily aviation and tank ones. Here again, Fedorov’s experience in developing unified weapons came in handy.
Back on May 17, 1926, Artcom approved the technical requirements. assignment to design a unified rapid-firing machine gun, which would be used as a manual machine gun in cavalry and infantry, and synchronized and turret-mounted in aviation. But the creation of an aircraft machine gun based on an infantry one turned out to be more realistic. The practice of “transforming” a light machine gun into a mobile aircraft gun (on pivot, single turret, twin turret mounts) was used back in the First World War. In the period from December 27 to February 28, tests were carried out on the aviation version of the Degtyarev machine gun (“Degtyarev, aviation”, YES). The Scientific and Technical Committee of the Air Force Directorate of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army considered it “possible to approve the presented sample” of the Degtyarev machine gun for inclusion in the serial order plan. In 1928, simultaneously with the PV-1 fixed machine gun designed by A.V. Nadashkevich, created on the basis of the Maxim heavy machine gun, the DA turret aircraft machine gun, which has a three-row (three-tier) magazine for 65 rounds, a pistol grip, and new sighting devices with a weather vane front sight, was adopted into service with the air force.
Marines mounted on T-20 Komsomolets artillery tractors. DT can be seen in the photo. Sevastopol, September 1941
A faceplate was screwed to the front of the receiver of the Degtyarev aircraft machine gun. A kingpin was attached to its lower part, which had a curved swivel for mounting on the installation. Instead of a stock, a notched wooden pistol grip and rear grip were installed. A bushing with a ring sight was attached to the top of the front, and a bushing with a stand for a weather vane front sight was attached to a thread in the muzzle of the barrel. Since the casing was removed and the faceplate was installed, changes occurred in the fastening of the gas piston guide tube. The magazine was equipped with a belt handle on top for quick and easy changing. To ensure shooting in a limited volume, as well as to prevent spent cartridges from entering the aircraft’s mechanisms, a canvas sleeve-catcher bag with a wire frame and a lower fastener was installed on the bottom of the receiver. Let us note that in order to find the best frame configuration, which will ensure reliable removal of cartridges without jamming, slow-motion filming of the work was almost for the first time used in domestic practice. The weight of the DA machine gun was 7.1 kg (without magazine), the length from the edge of the rear handle to the muzzle was 940 millimeters, and the magazine weight was 1.73 kg (without cartridges). As of March 30, 1930, units of the Red Army Air Force had 1.2 thousand YES machine guns and a thousand machine guns were prepared for delivery.
In 1930, the DA-2 twin turret mount also entered service - its development based on the Degtyarev aircraft machine gun was ordered by the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Air Force Directorate in 1927 to the Arms and Machine Gun Trust. The faceplate located in the front of the receiver on each machine gun was replaced with a front mounting coupling. The side bosses of the couplings were used for fastening to the installation, and the bottom bosses were used to hold the gas piston tube. The rear fastening of the machine guns on the installation were coupling bolts that passed through holes made in the rear bosses of the receiver. N.V. took part in the development of the installation. Rukavishnikov and I.I. Bezrukov. The general trigger hook was installed on the pistol grip of the right machine gun in an additional trigger guard. The trigger rod was attached to the holes in the trigger guards. The rod consisted of an adjusting rod and a connecting shaft. On the left machine gun, the safety box and the bolt handle were moved to the left side; a bracket for the front sight vane was installed on its barrel. Since the recoil of coaxial machine guns was very sensitive for the installation and the shooter, active-type muzzle brakes were installed on the machine guns. The muzzle brake had the shape of a kind of parachutes. Behind the muzzle brake there was a special disk that protected the shooter from the muzzle wave - later a brake of this design was installed on large-caliber DShK. The machine guns were connected to the turret through a pin. The installation was equipped with a chin rest and a shoulder rest (until 1932, the machine gun had a chest rest). The weight of the DA-2 with loaded magazines and front sight was 25 kilograms, length - 1140 millimeters, width - 300 millimeters, distance between the axes of the barrel channels - 193 ± 1 millimeters. It is curious that DA and DA-2 were adopted by the Air Force Department without the official execution of an order from the People's Commissariat of Defense. These machine guns were installed on Tur-5 and Tur-6 turrets, as well as in aircraft retractable machine-gun turrets. They tried to install the DA-2, which has a different sight, on the BT-2 light tank. Later, DA, DA-2 and PV-1 were replaced by a special aviation rapid-fire machine gun ShKAS.
Turret TUR-5 for two Degtyarev machine guns. Bags for collecting spent cartridges are clearly visible
Arms and machine gun trust, which, among others, was in charge of the Kovrov plant, August 17, 1928. informed the Artillery Directorate of the Red Army about the readiness of a tank machine gun based on the Degtyarev machine gun. On June 12, 1929, after carrying out appropriate tests, the DT tank machine gun (“Degtyarev, tank”, also called the “tank machine gun of the 1929 model”) in a ball mount, developed by G.S., was adopted as an armament for armored vehicles and tanks. Shpagin. The adoption of this machine gun coincided with the deployment of mass production of tanks - the Degtyarev tank replaced the twin 6.5-mm Fedorov tank machine gun, which was already installed on armored vehicles, and began to be installed on T-24, MS-1 tanks, BA-27 armored vehicles, and on all armored vehicles.
The Degtyarev tank machine gun had no barrel casing. The barrel itself was distinguished by additional turning of the ribs. The DP was equipped with a retractable metal stock with a folding shoulder support, a pistol grip, a compact double-row disc magazine for 63 rounds, and a cartridge case catcher. The safety and pistol grip were the same as the DA's. The safety lever, placed on the right above the trigger guard, was made in the form of a pin with a beveled axis. The rear position of the flag corresponded to the “fire” state, the front position corresponded to the “fuse” state. The sight is a diopter rack mounted. The diopter was made on a special vertical slider and, using spring-loaded latches, was installed in several fixed positions, which corresponded to ranges of 400, 600, 800 and 1000 meters. The sight was equipped with an adjustment screw for zeroing. The front sight was not installed on the machine gun - it was fixed in the front disk of the ball mount. In some cases, the machine gun was removed from the installation and used outside the vehicle, so the DT was equipped with a bracket with a front sight and a removable bipod mounted on the faceplate. The weight of the machine gun with magazine was 10.25 kilograms, length - 1138 millimeters, combat rate of fire - 100 rounds per minute.
The Degtyarev tank machine gun was used as a coaxial machine gun with a large-caliber machine gun or a tank gun, as well as on a special anti-aircraft tank mount. During the Second World War, the Degtyarev tank was often used as a manual machine gun - the combat rate of fire of this machine gun was twice as high as that of the infantry model.
It should be noted that already at the beginning of the Second World War, an option was being developed to replace the DT with a “tank” submachine gun with a large ammunition load (developed on the basis of the PPSh). At the end of World War II, the Finns attempted to do the same on captured tanks using their own Suomi. However, in both cases, DT machine guns remained on the armored vehicles and tanks. On Soviet tanks, only the SGMT could replace the Degtyarev tank machine gun. An interesting fact is that after the forced “decorative” alteration of armored vehicles and tanks in the Military Historical Museum of Armored Weapons and Equipment in Kubinka Degtyarev, the tank turned out to be an “international” machine gun - on a large number of foreign vehicles, “native” machine gun installations are imitated using DT barrels.
Note that in 31, 34 and 38 of the last century, Degtyarev presented modernized versions of the DP. In 1936, he proposed a lightweight airborne version without a casing, with reinforced fins and locking with one lug; in addition, the machine gun was equipped with a compact box magazine having a sector shape. Then the designer presented a machine gun with the same magazine, with the recoil spring moved to the butt. Both machine guns remained experimental. A sight with the possibility of introducing lateral corrections was experimentally installed on the DP; a DP equipped with an optical sight was tested in 1935 - the idea of equipping light machine guns with an optical sight was popular for a long time, even despite unsuccessful practice.
After the battles on Khasan Island in 1938, the command staff received a proposal to adopt a light machine gun with a power supply system similar to the Japanese Type 11 machine guns - with a permanent magazine equipped with cartridges from rifle clips. This proposal was actively supported by G.I. Kulik, head of the GAU. The Kovrovites presented a version of the Degtyarev light machine gun with a Razorenov and Kupinov receiver for rifle clips of the 1891/1930 model, but very soon the question of such a receiver was rightly removed - practice forced the abandonment of clip-on or pack-powered light machine guns, leaving military specialists and gunsmiths with choosing “tape or store”.
For a long time, Degtyarev worked on creating a universal (single) and heavy machine gun. In June-August 28, Artcom, on instructions from the Red Army Headquarters, developed tactical and technical requirements for a new heavy machine gun - the basis of the machine gun, for the purpose of unification, was to be taken from the Degtyarev infantry machine gun chambered in the same cartridge, but with belt feeding. Already in 1930, the designer presented an experimental heavy machine gun with a universal Kolesnikov machine gun, a belt feed receiver (Shpagin system) and a reinforced barrel radiator. The fine-tuning of the Degtyarev easel machine gun (“Degtyarev, easel”, DS) dragged on until the end of the 1930s and did not give positive results. In 1936, Degtyarev presented a universal modification of the DP, which had a lightweight folding integral tripod and a mount for a folding anti-aircraft ring sight. This sample also did not advance beyond the experimental one. The weakness of the standard bipod became the reason for the limited use of installations with additional rods with the Degtyarev infantry machine gun, which form a triangular structure with the bipod. The bore locking and automation system embodied in the Degtyarev machine gun was also used in the large-caliber machine gun and the experimental automatic rifle developed by Degtyarev. Even the first Degtyarev submachine gun, developed in 1929 and having a semi-blowback, bore the design features of the DP machine gun. The designer sought to implement the idea of Fedorov, his teacher, about a unified family of weapons based on his own system.
At the beginning of the Second World War, the Degtyarev KB-2 of the Kovrov plant experimentally created the so-called “heavy fire installation” - a quadruple DP (DT) installation for arming infantry, cavalry, armored vehicles, light tanks, as well as air defense needs. The machine guns were installed in two rows or in a horizontal plane and were equipped with standard disc magazines or box magazines for 20 rounds. In the “anti-aircraft” and “infantry” versions, the installation was mounted on a universal Kolesnikov machine designed for large-caliber DShK. The rate of fire is 2000 rounds per minute. However, this path of “struggle for rate of fire” did not justify itself, and the effect of recoil on installation and dispersion was too great.
DP machine gun service
The Degtyarev machine gun became the most popular machine gun of the USSR Armed Forces for two decades - and these years were the most “military”. The DP machine gun underwent its baptism of fire during the conflict on the Chinese Eastern Railway in the border units of the OGPU - therefore, in April 1929, the Kovrov plant received an additional order for the production of these machine guns. The DP machine gun, as part of the troops of the United State Political Directorate, fought in Central Asia with Basmachi gangs. Later, the DP was used by the Red Army in combat operations on Khasan Island and on the Khalkhin Gol River. Together with other Soviet weapons, it “took part” in the civil war in Spain (here the DP had to “fight side by side” with its long-time competitor, the MG13 “Dreyse”), in the war in China, and fought on the Karelian Isthmus in 1939-40. The DT and DA-2 modifications went almost the same way (on the R-5 and TB-3 aircraft), so we can say that by the beginning of the Second World War, the Degtyarev machine gun had undergone combat tests in a variety of conditions.
In rifle units, the Degtyarev infantry machine gun was introduced into the rifle platoon and squad, in the cavalry - into saber squads. In both cases, a light machine gun along with a rifle grenade launcher were the main support weapons. The DP with a sight notch of up to 1.5 thousand meters was intended to destroy important single and open group targets at ranges of up to 1.2 thousand meters, small living single targets - up to 800 meters, destruction of low-flying aircraft - up to 500 meters, as well as for supporting tanks by firing at PTS crews. The viewing slots of enemy armored vehicles and tanks were fired upon from 100-200 meters. The fire was carried out in short bursts of 2-3 shots or in bursts of 6 shots; continuous long fire was allowed only in extreme cases. Machine gunners with extensive experience could conduct targeted fire with single shots. Machine gun crew - 2 people - a machine gunner (“gunner”) and an assistant (“second number”). An assistant carried the magazines in a special box designed to hold three discs. To bring ammunition, two more soldiers were assigned to the crew. To transport the DP in the cavalry, the VD saddle pack was used.
Machine gunner with DP-27 A. Kushnir and fighter with a Mosin rifle V. Orlik repulse the enemy attack. Southwestern Front, Kharkov direction
To hit air targets, an anti-aircraft tripod of the 1928 model, developed for the Maxim machine gun, could be used. They also developed special motorcycle installations: the M-72 motorcycle had a simple rotating frame, hinged on the sidecar; boxes with spare parts and disks were placed between the sidecar and the motorcycle and on the trunk. The machine gun mount allowed anti-aircraft fire to be fired from the knee without removing it. On the TIZ-AM-600 DT motorcycle, the DT was mounted above the handlebars on a special bracket. To reduce the cost of training and the use of small shooting ranges, a 5.6-mm training Blum machine gun, which used a rimfire cartridge and an original disk magazine, could be attached to the Degtyarev machine gun.
The DP machine gun quickly gained popularity, as it successfully combined firepower and maneuverability. However, along with its advantages, the machine gun also had some disadvantages that appeared during operation. First of all, this concerned the inconvenience of operation and the peculiarities of the disk magazine equipment. Quickly replacing a hot barrel was complicated by the lack of a handle on it, as well as the need to separate the pipe and bipod. The replacement, even under favorable conditions, took about 30 seconds for a trained crew. An open gas chamber located under the barrel prevented the accumulation of soot in the gas outlet assembly, but together with the open bolt frame, it increased the likelihood of clogging on sandy soils. Clogging of the gas piston socket and screwing of its head caused the moving part to not move to the front extreme position. However, the automatic machine gun as a whole demonstrated quite high reliability. The fastening of swivels and bipods was unreliable and created additional clinging parts that reduced the ease of carrying. Working with the gas regulator was also inconvenient - to rearrange it, the cotter pin was removed, the nut was unscrewed, the regulator was pushed back, turned and secured again. It was possible to fire while moving only using a belt, and the lack of a fore-end and a large magazine made such shooting inconvenient. The machine gunner put a belt around his neck in the form of a loop, attached it in front of the magazine to the cutout of the casing with a swivel, and a mitten was needed to hold the machine gun by the casing.
In the armament of rifle divisions, the share of machine guns was constantly increasing, primarily due to light machine guns - if in 1925 a rifle division of 15.3 thousand people. personnel had 74 heavy machine guns, then already in 1929 there were 12.8 thousand people. there were 81 light and 189 heavy machine guns. In 1935, these figures for 13 thousand people were already 354 light and 180 heavy machine guns. In the Red Army, as in some other armies, the light machine gun was the main means of saturating troops with automatic weapons. The state of April 1941 (the last pre-war) provided for the following ratios:
wartime rifle division - by 14,483 people. personnel had 174 heavy and 392 light machine guns;
reduced division - 5864 people. personnel had 163 heavy and 324 light machine guns;
mountain rifle division - for 8829 people. personnel had 110 heavy and 314 light machine guns.
Soviet assault squad wearing SN-42 steel breastplates and DP-27 machine guns. Guardsmen-stormtroopers after completing a combat mission. 1st ShISBr. 1st Belorussian Front, summer 1944
The DP was in service with the cavalry, marines, and NKVD troops. The Second World War, which began in Europe, a clear percentage increase in the number of automatic weapons in the German Wehrmacht, and the ongoing reorganization of the Red Army required an increase in the production of tank and light machine guns, as well as changes in the organization of production. In 1940, they began to increase the production capacity of light machine guns used in the production. By this time, the technology for manufacturing barrel bores by mandrel had already been developed, which made it possible to speed up the production of barrels several times and significantly reduce the cost - together with the transition to the use of barrels with a cylindrical smooth outer surface, it played an important role in increasing the output and reducing the cost of Degtyarev infantry machine guns. The order for 1941, approved on February 7, included 39 thousand Degtyarev infantry and tank machine guns. Since April 17, 1941, the OGK has been working at Kovrov Plant No. 2 for the production of DT and DP machine guns. From April 30, the production of DP machine guns was launched in the new building “L”. The People's Commissariat of Armaments gave the new production the rights of a branch of the enterprise (later - a separate Kovrov Mechanical Plant).
From 1939 to mid-1941, the number of light machine guns in the army increased by 44%; as of June 22, 1941, there were 170.4 thousand light machine guns in the Red Army. This type of weapon was one of those with which the formations of the western districts were provided even beyond the staff. For example, in the Fifth Army of the Kyiv Special Military District, the staffing level with light machine guns was about 114.5%. During this period, Degtyarev's tank machine guns received interesting use - by the General Staff Directive of May 16, 1941, 50 newly formed tank regiments of mechanized corps received guns before they were equipped with tanks to fight enemy armored vehicles, as well as 80 DT machine guns per regiment - for self-defense. The Degtyarev tank was also installed on combat snowmobiles during the war.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, obsolete DA-2s found a new use - as anti-aircraft machine guns to combat aircraft flying at low altitude. On July 16, 1941, Osipov, Head of the Main Directorate of Air Defense, wrote to Yakovlev, Head of the GAU: “The shortage of anti-aircraft machine guns can be largely eliminated if up to 1.5 thousand coaxial DA-2 machine guns and so many are adapted for anti-aircraft fire in a short time PV-1 machine guns removed from aircraft.” For this purpose, the DA and DA-2 machine guns were installed on a 1928 model anti-aircraft tripod through a kingpin - in particular, such installations were used near Leningrad in 1941. The weather vane front sight was replaced by a ring one from a machine-gun anti-aircraft sight. In addition, DA-2 was installed on the U-2 (Po-2) light night bomber.
During the Second World War, the main manufacturer of Degtyarev's infantry and tank machine guns was workshop No. 1 of plant No. 2; their production was also carried out in the Urals, DP and at the Arsenal plant (Leningrad). In the conditions of military production, it was necessary to reduce the requirements for the finishing of small arms - for example, the finishing processing of external parts and parts not involved in the operation of automation was canceled. In addition, the spare parts standards were reduced - instead of 22 discs for each machine gun required before the start of the war, only 12 were given. Despite this, all technological documentation was carried out “according to letter B”, that is, it required strict compliance with all standards and did not allow changes in the shape, materials of parts and sizes at all factories involved in production. The production of light machine guns, despite difficult conditions, remained relatively stable. V.N. Novikov, Deputy People's Commissar of Armaments, wrote in his memoirs: “this machine gun did not cause much tension in the People’s Commissariat of Armaments.” During the second half of 1941, the troops received 45,300 light machine guns, in 1942 - 172,800, in 1943 - 250,200, in 1944 - 179,700. On May 9, 1945, there were 390 thousand light machine guns in the active army. During the entire war, losses of light machine guns amounted to 427.5 thousand pieces, that is, 51.3% of the total resource (taking into account those supplied during the war and pre-war reserves).
The scale of use of machine guns can be judged by the following figures. Between July and November 1942, the GAU transferred 5,302 machine guns of all types to the fronts in the southwestern direction. In March-July 1943, in preparation for the Battle of Kursk, the troops of the Steppe, Voronezh, Central Fronts and the Eleventh Army received 31.6 thousand light and heavy machine guns. The troops that went on the offensive near Kursk had 60.7 thousand machine guns of all types. In April 1944, at the beginning of the Crimean operation, the troops of the Separate Primorsky Army, the Fourth Ukrainian Front and air defense units had 10,622 heavy and light machine guns (approximately 1 machine gun per 43 personnel). The share of machine guns in the infantry armament also changed. If a rifle company in July 1941 had 6 light machine guns, a year later it had 12 light machine guns, in 1943 it had 1 heavy machine gun and 18 light machine guns, and in December 1944 it had 2 heavy machine guns and 12 light machine guns. That is, during the war, the number of machine guns in a rifle company, the main tactical unit, more than doubled. If in July 41 the rifle division was armed with 270 machine guns of various types, then in December of the same year - 359, a year later this figure was already 605, and in June 45 - 561. The decrease in the share of machine guns by the end of the war is due to with an increase in the number of submachine guns. Requests for light machine guns were declining, so from January 1 to May 10, 1945, only 14,500 were delivered (in addition, modernized DPs were supplied at this time). By the end of the war, the rifle regiment had 108 light and 54 heavy machine guns for 2,398 people.
A Soviet machine gunner fires from a DP-27 light machine gun. A.E. Porozhnyakov “Great Patriotic War”
During the war, the rules for using machine guns were also revised, although this was required to a lesser extent for manual ones. The “Combat Manual of the Infantry” of 1942 established the opening range of fire from a light machine gun from a distance of 800 meters, but sudden fire from a range of 600 meters was also recommended as the most effective. In addition, the division of the battle formation into “fettering” and “shock” groups was abolished. Now the light machine gun operated in various conditions in the platoon and squad chains. Now the main thing for him was fire in short bursts, the combat rate of fire was 80 rounds per minute.
In winter conditions, ski units carried Maxim and DP machine guns on drag boats in a state of readiness to open fire. To drop machine guns to partisans and paratroopers, the PDMM-42 parachute landing bag was used. At the beginning of the war, paratroopers-machine gunners had already mastered jumping with standard Degtyarev infantry machine guns on a belt; instead, they often used a “manual” version of a more compact tank machine gun, with a larger capacity magazine that was less prone to deaths. In general, the Degtyarev machine gun turned out to be a very reliable weapon. This was also recognized by opponents - for example, captured DPs were willingly used by Finnish machine gunners.
However, the experience of using the Degtyarev infantry machine gun pointed to the need for a lighter and more compact model while maintaining ballistic characteristics. In 1942, a competition was announced for the development of a new light machine gun system, the weight of which does not exceed 7.5 kilograms. From July 6 to July 21, 1942, experimental machine guns developed at the Degtyarev Design Bureau (with magazine and belt feed), as well as those developed by Vladimirov, Simonov, Goryunov, as well as novice designers, including Kalashnikov, underwent field testing. All samples presented in these tests received a list of comments for improvement, but as a result the competition did not produce an acceptable sample.
DPM light machine gun
The work on modernizing the Degtyarev infantry machine gun was more successful, especially since the production of the modernized version can be carried out much faster. At this time, several design teams were working at plant No. 2, solving their own range of problems. And if KB-2, under the leadership of V.A. Degtyarev, mainly worked on new designs, the tasks of modernizing the produced samples were solved in the Department of the Chief Designer. The work on modernizing machine guns was led by A.I. Shilin, however, Degtyarev himself did not let them out of sight. Under his control, a group of designers, which included P.P. Polyakov, A.A. Dubynin, A.I. Skvortsov A.G. Belyaev, carried out work on the modernization of the blast furnace in 1944. The main goal of this work was to improve the controllability and reliability of the machine gun. N.D. Yakovlev, head of the GAU, and D.F. Ustinov, People's Commissar of Armaments, in August 1944 submitted for approval to the State. Defense Committee changes made to the design, indicating: “In connection with design changes in the modernized machine guns:
- the survivability of the recoil spring has been increased, making it possible to replace it without removing the machine gun from the firing position;
- the possibility of losing the bipod is excluded;
- accuracy and accuracy of fire improves;
- improving ease of use in combat conditions.”
The changes were approved by the decision of the State Defense Committee on October 14, 1944. The machine gun was adopted under the designation DPM (“Degtyarev, infantry, modernized”).
Differences of the DPM machine gun:
- the return spring from under the barrel, where it heated up and settled, was moved to the rear part of the receiver (they tried to move the spring back in 1931, this can be seen in the experimental Degtyarev machine gun presented at that time). To install the spring, a tubular rod was put on the tail of the striker, and a guide tube was inserted into the buttplate, which protruded above the neck of the butt. In this regard, the coupling was eliminated, and the rod was manufactured as a single part with the piston. In addition, the disassembly order has changed - now it begins with the guide tube and the return spring. The same changes were made to the Degtyarev tank machine gun (DTM). This made it possible to disassemble the machine gun and eliminate minor faults without removing it from the ball mount;
- we installed a pistol grip control in the form of a slope, which was welded to the trigger guard, and two wooden cheeks attached to it with screws;
- simplified the shape of the butt;
- on the light machine gun, instead of an automatic fuse, a non-automatic safety lever was introduced, similar to the Degtyarev tank machine gun - the beveled axis of the fuse pin was located under the trigger lever. Locking occurred with the flag in the forward position. This fuse was more reliable, as it acted on the sear, which made it safer to carry a loaded machine gun;
- the leaf spring in the ejection mechanism was replaced with a cylindrical screw one. The ejector was installed in the bolt socket, and a pin was used to hold it, which also served as its axis;
- the folding bipod was made integral, and the mounting hinges were moved somewhat back and higher relative to the axis of the barrel bore. On the top of the casing, a clamp was installed from two welded plates, which formed eyes for attaching the bipod legs using screws. The bipods have become stronger. There was no need to separate their barrels to replace them;
- the weight of the machine gun has decreased.
Light machine gun of the Degtyarev system (DPM) mod. 1944
The modernized Degtyarev tank machine gun was put into service at the same time - October 14, 1944, production of the DT was stopped on January 1, 1945. Some lightly loaded parts, such as the retractable butt of a DT machine gun, were made by cold stamping to reduce cost. During the work, a variant of the DPM with a retractable stock as in the DT was proposed, but they settled on a wooden permanent stock, as it was more reliable and convenient. In addition, it was proposed to equip the modernized Degtyarev tank machine gun with a weighted barrel with longitudinal valleys (as in the experimental DS-42), but this option was also abandoned. In total, from 1941 to 1945, Kovrov Plant No. 2 produced 809,823 DP, DT, DPM and DTM machine guns.
In addition to the Soviet Union, DP (DPM) machine guns were in service with the armies of the GDR, China, Vietnam, Cuba, North Korea, Poland, Mongolia, Somalia, and Seychelles. The DPM machine gun was produced in China under the designation “Type 53”; this version was used in Vietnam and was in service with the Albanian army.
The “Degtyarev Infantry” in service with the Soviet Army replaced the new Degtyarev RPD light machine gun chambered for an intermediate 7.62-mm cartridge of the 1943 model. Stocks of DP and DPM remaining in warehouses “surfaced” in the 80s - 90s during post-perestroika military conflicts. These machine guns also fought in Yugoslavia.
Company machine gun model 1946 (RP-46)
The large dead weight and bulkiness of the disk magazine of the Degtyarev machine gun caused repeated attempts to replace it with belt feed both before the start of the Second World War and during it. In addition, belt feeding made it possible to increase the fire power in short periods of time and thereby fill the gap between the capabilities of heavy and light machine guns. The war revealed the desire to increase the density of anti-personnel fire in the most important directions - if in 42 in the defense the density of rifle and machine-gun fire per linear meter of the front was from 3 to 5 bullets, then in the summer of 1943 during the Battle of Kursk this figure was already 13-14 bullets .
In total, 7 variants of the receiver for the tape were developed for the Degtyarev infantry machine gun (including the modernized one). Debuggers P.P. Polyakov and A.A. Dubinin in 1942 developed another version of the receiver for a metal or canvas tape for the DP light machine gun. In June of the same year, machine guns with this receiver (the parts were stamped) were tested at the GAU test site, but they were returned for revision. Degtyarev presented two variants of a tape receiver in 1943 (one of the variants used a Shpagin drum receiver). But the heavy weight of the machine gun, reaching 11 kilograms, the inconvenience of using the power system, as well as the workload of the Kovrov plant No. 2 with more pressing orders caused the interruption of this work.
However, work in this direction has not stopped completely. The successful development of belt feeding in the RPD machine gun was the basis for resuming work on introducing similar feeding for the DPM for rifle cartridges. In May 1944, a standard DP and a modernized DP, not yet adopted for service, were tested, equipped with a receiver developed by P.P. Polyakov and A.A. Dubinin - regular participants in the modernization of the Degtyarev Infantry - under the leadership of designer Shilin, with the participation of mechanic-debugger Lobanov. As a result, this version of the receiver was adopted.
The mechanism for feeding the link metal belt was driven by the movement of the bolt frame handle during its movement - a similar principle was used in the 12.7-mm DShK machine gun, but now the movement of the handle was transmitted to the receiver through a special sliding bracket, and not through a swinging lever. The tape is a metal link, with a closed link. Serving is on the right. A special tray served to guide the tape. The receiver cover latch was located similarly to the magazine latch on the DP (DPM). The barrel was made heavier to allow firing in long bursts. The new barrel, the need to drive the tape feed and the effort to feed cartridges from the tape required changes to the design of the gas outlet unit. The design, controls and layout of the machine gun were otherwise the same as the basic DPM. The rate of fire reached 250 rounds per minute, which was three times higher than the rate of fire of the DPM and was comparable to heavy machine guns. In terms of fire efficiency at ranges of up to 1000 meters, it was close to single and mounted machine guns, although the absence of a machine gun did not provide the same controllability and accuracy.
On May 24, 1946, the machine gun thus modernized was adopted by a decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR under the designation “7.62-mm company machine gun model 1946 (RP-46).” The RP-46 was the last offspring of the unified “DP family” (RPD, although it was a development of the same scheme, became a fundamentally new weapon). The name “company machine gun” indicates the desire to fill the niche of automatic support weapons at the company level - heavy machine guns were the means of the battalion commander, manual ones were in platoons and squads. According to their characteristics, heavy machine guns did not correspond to the increased mobility of the infantry, they could only operate on the flanks or in the second line, and rarely provided timely and sufficient support to the front lines of the infantry in conditions of increased transience and maneuverability of the battle - especially on rough terrain, populated areas and mountains. At the same time, a light machine gun of the same caliber did not develop fire with the required power. In essence, the talk was about a temporary replacement of the “single” machine gun, which was not yet in the weapon system, or about the next step towards the creation of a domestic single machine gun. The RP-46 machine gun, which was 3 times lighter than the SGM, was significantly superior to this standard machine gun in maneuverability. In addition, the RP-46 was included in the armament complex of light armored vehicles (airborne ASU-57) as an auxiliary self-defense weapon.
The combination of a system proven in production and a receiver assembled from cold stamped parts made it possible to quickly launch the production of a new machine gun. Belt feeding reduced the weight of the ammunition carried by the crew - if the RP-46 without ammunition weighed 2.5 kg more than the DP, then the total weight of the RP-46 with 500 rounds of ammunition was 10 kg less than that of the DP which had the same supply of cartridges. The machine gun was equipped with a folding shoulder support and a carrying handle. But a separate cartridge box caused difficulties in combat, since changing the position of the RP-46 in most cases required removing the tape and loading it in a new position.
The RP-46 was in service for 15 years. It and the mounted SGM were replaced by a single PK machine gun. In addition to the USSR, the RP-46 was in service in Algeria, Albania, Angola, Bulgaria, Benin, Kampuchea, Congo, China, Cuba, Libya, Nigeria, Togo, Tanzania. In China, a copy of the RP-46 was produced under the designation “Type 58”, and in the DPRK - “Type 64”. Although the RP-46 was significantly inferior to its “parent” in terms of production volume, it is still found in some countries today.
Technical characteristics of the RP-46 machine gun:
Cartridge - 7.62 mm model 1908/30 (7.62x53);
Weight – 13 kg (with equipped belt);
The length of the machine gun with a flame arrester is 1272 mm;
Barrel length – 605 mm;
The length of the rifled part of the barrel is 550 mm;
Rifling – 4 rectangular, right-handed;
Rifling stroke length – 240 mm;
Initial bullet speed (heavy) – 825 m/s;
Sighting range – 1500 m;
Direct shot range – 500 m;
The lethal range of the bullet is 3800 m;
Sighting line length – 615 mm;
Rate of fire – 600 rounds per minute;
Combat rate of fire – up to 250 rounds per minute;
Food – metal belt for 200/250 rounds;
Weight of the loaded belt – 8.33/9.63 kg;
Calculation – 2 people.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Bakhirev V.V., Kirillov I.I. Designer V.A. Degtyarev. M., Voenizdat, 1979.
2. Combat regulations of the Red Army infantry, part. 1.2. M., "Military Publishing House", 1945-46.
3. Bolotin D.N. Soviet small arms and cartridges. St. Petersburg, Polygon, 1995.
4. Bolotin D.N. Soviet small arms for 50 years. Leningrad, VIMAIVVS Publishing House, 1967.
5. Vladimirsky A.V. On the Kiev direction. M., Voenizdat, 1989.
6. Pack transport of the Red Army. Brief description and operation. M., 1944.
7. The secrecy has been removed. M., Voenizdat, 1993.
8. Degtyarev V.A. My life. Tula, Regional Book Publishing House, 1952.
9. Egorov P. Combat use of ski units // Military Bulletin 1943 No. 23-24.
10. Plant named after. V.A. Degtyareva, Touches of history. Kovrov, 1999.
11 Klementyev V. About the armament of the mountain infantry // Military Bulletin 1946 No. 17-18.
12. Malimon A.A. Domestic machine guns (notes of a gunsmith tester). M., Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, 1999.
13. Material part of small arms. Edited by A.A. Blagonravova. Book 2. M., “Gosvoenizdat”, 1946.
14. Monetchikov S. They made Victory // Weapons 2000 No. 6.
15. Manual on shooting. Rifle platoon weapon. M., Department of Publishing House of NGOs of the USSR, 1935.
16. Manual on shooting. Basics of shooting with infantry weapons. M., Voenizdat, 1946.
17. Novikov V.N. On the eve and on the days of testing. L/., Politizdat, 1988.
18. Basics of small arms design. Edited by V.N. Zaitseva. M., Voenizdat, 1953.
19. Okhotnikov N. Small arms of the Soviet Army in the Great Patriotic War // Military Historical Journal 1969 No. 1.
20. Portnov M.E., Slostin V.I. Chronicle of the development of domestic weapons. First issue. Weapon. M., “Army collection”, 1995.
21. Fedorov V.G. The evolution of string weapons, vol.2. L/., "Voenizdat", 1939.
22. Khorkov A.G. Stormy June. M., Voenizdat, 1991.
23. Yakovlev N.D. About artillery and a little about myself. L/., “Higher School”, 1984.
24. Yanchuk A.M. Reference ballistic and design data of small arms. M., Publication of the Artillery Academy of the Red Army, 1935.
25. Hogg, /., Weeks J. Military Small Arms of the 20th Century. Northbrook, DBI Books, 1996.
Based on materials from the article "Degtyarev Infantry", Semyon Fedoseev
Ctrl Enter
Noticed osh Y bku Select text and click Ctrl+Enter
The light machine gun is the main support weapon for infantry units at the platoon-company level. In addition to a high rate of fire, it has increased accuracy and range. It is used against enemy personnel and can also destroy light unarmored vehicles with appropriate ammunition.
A light machine gun is indispensable both in defense and offensive operations. The basic requirements for such weapons are reliability, reliability and efficiency. It was thanks to such indicators that the Degtyarev light machine gun became one of the most common weapons of Soviet units in the Second World War.
The technical characteristics of the DP (Degtyarev Infantry) turned out to be so good that the weapon was used as a captured weapon by both the Germans and the Finns. In the post-war period, it was actively supplied to the ATS countries, and is still in service with some states.
The history of the creation of the Degtyarev light machine gun
The development of DP began back in 1923 on the personal initiative of V. A. Degtyarev. Already the following year, during testing, the technical and operational characteristics of the weapon were noted, which predetermined its further serial production.
In 1927, the DP machine gun was adopted by the Red Army. However, work on its modernization continued. Some design changes were made, which led to the appearance of the 1931, 1934 and 1938 models. All of them came into use during the war.
With the beginning of the Soviet-Finnish War, captured DPs were used in the ranks of the Finnish army due to its superiority over the Lahti-Solaranta machine gun, which was in service. During World War II, the DP was also used as a captured weapon by German units.
In August 1944, some design changes were introduced, which led to the creation of a modernized version of the Degtyarev machine gun (DPM or RPD 44). After the war, both versions were withdrawn from service, and the existing samples were supplied to the Allies.
The removal of DP and PDM from service was due to the experience gained during the war. Conducting combat operations has shown the high efficiency of single machine guns, combining firepower with mobility of use. Based on the DPM, the RP-46 was developed in 1946 with belt feed and a heavier barrel for more power.
Design Features
The RPD light machine gun is designed on an automatic basis using the principle of removal of powder gases. The piston is designed for a long stroke, the gas regulator is located under the barrel. The cartridges were ejected downward. The fire was conducted from a removable bipod, however, due to frequent losses, in the DPM it became non-removable.
The Degtyarev infantry machine gun had a thin-walled, removable barrel. During prolonged shooting, it often overheated and failed. Replacement was carried out using a special key and hand protection from burns. The recoil spring also overheated and failed, which was considered one of the few disadvantages of the dp.
The machine gun was powered by round disks with cartridges, “plates”. The cartridges in them were located in a circle, with bullets towards the center, which ensured the reliability of their delivery. However, the mass of empty magazines, the difficulty of transportation and the likelihood of damage reduced the convenience and effectiveness of using these weapons.
Degtyarev’s machine gun was supplemented with the following components:
- a composite cleaning rod designed for cleaning the barrel;
- screwdriver wrench for working with components;
- cranked wiper for cleaning the chamber through the upper receiver window;
- device for cleaning gas paths;
- drifts for pushing out axles and studs;
- extractor for cleaning weapons from detached cartridge cases.
All tools were stored in a special box or bag. During and after the war, work was carried out to create a silencer, but it was never completed. All developments, including mufflers for the new RP-46, were considered inappropriate.
The principle of operation of a machine gun
The operating principle of the Degtyarev machine gun is based on magazine feeding and removal of powder gases. The weapon design allowed up to 80 rounds per minute. However, given the overheating of the barrel and the recoil spring, firing was often limited to short bursts.
The firing principle is based on the following mechanisms:
- when the firing pin moves, the lugs move to the sides, locking the barrel due to the movement of the bolt frame;
- after the shot, the gas piston ensures the rear movement of the bolt frame, then the firing pin is pulled back and unlocks the bolt.
When shooting prone, a long ribbon was attached to the machine gun at both ends. The soldier pulled it with his foot, pressing the weapon to his shoulder, which increased shooting accuracy by reducing vibrations from recoil.
Cartridges for RPD
The caliber of the Degtyarev machine gun is 7.62 mm chambered for 7.62x54 mm R cartridges.
Depending on the period of use, the following cartridges were supplied to the weapon:
- Light bullets of the 1908 model, designed for targeted destruction of infantry within 800 meters, destructive power remains up to 2500 m;
- Heavy bullets from 1930 with a range of up to 3500 m. They were used for shooting only in the absence of light ones;
- Cartridges with armor-piercing bullets of the 1930 model (B-30). Used against lightly armored vehicles (armored vehicles, tankettes) at a distance of up to 300 meters;
- Armor-piercing incendiary bullets of 1932 (B-32) were used against armored vehicles (tanks, gun emplacements, aircraft) with a focus on setting fire to fuel tanks;
- Tracer bullets (T-30 and T-46) - designed for target designation, aiming and fire adjustment.
The RPD magazine has some similarities with the Lewis machine gun, however, in practice their devices differ. For example, Lewis's magazine rotates due to the energy of the shutter and a complex system of levers. Degtyarev uses a pre-cocked spring for this in the magazine itself.
Performance characteristics of the Degtyarev light machine gun
The tactical and technical characteristics of the Degtyarev machine gun are as follows:
- weapon weight including bipod - 9.12 kg;
- weight of empty and loaded magazine - 1.6 and 2.8 kg, respectively;
- total length - 1270 mm;
- barrel length - 604.5 mm without flame arrester;
- caliber - 7.62;
- rate of fire - 500-600 rounds per minute, combat - 80;
- initial speed of a light bullet - 840 km/h;
- sighting range - 1500 meters, maximum - 2500;
- food - flat disc magazine for 47 rounds;
- sight - sector;
- The principle of operation is the removal of powder gases and locking with sliding lugs.
Some design characteristics of different samples may differ. The exact performance characteristics of the Degtyarev machine gun depend on the year of manufacture and modification. The type of ammunition used should also be taken into account.
Advantages and disadvantages of weapons
The advantages of the Degtyarev machine gun were revealed during testing. The receiving committee noted the ease of use, reliability and rate of fire of the weapon. It was these qualities that made him in demand for the army.
The advantages of DP were also appreciated during combat operations during the Soviet-Finnish and Great Patriotic Wars. The technical characteristics of the weapon made it possible to use it in almost any operation and weather conditions.
However, the design characteristics of the Degtyarev machine gun also have some disadvantages:
- removable bipods on early models - these were often deformed or lost in battle, which reduced the accuracy and ease of shooting;
- overheating of the barrel - replacing it in combat conditions was inconvenient, which did not allow quickly restoring the DP after intense shooting; a similar problem arose with the recoil spring;
- chambers - the first magazines were designed for 49 rounds and were easily deformed, later the patronage decreased to 47, but the weight of the magazine created difficulties for quick reloading.
Despite its shortcomings, the DP has become widespread in infantry formations. Modifications have been developed to allow the machine gun to be used in other branches of the military, including aviation.
Types of machine gun
The Degtyarev machine gun was constantly improved in terms of improving technical and design characteristics, as well as for the use of weapons in various techniques. There are several modifications that are most widespread.
With the end of the war, most of them were withdrawn from service and sent to warehouses or as exports to the Allies. Taking into account such supplies, the DP also took part in post-war conflicts in Korea, Vietnam and other countries.
Small-caliber DP
A small-caliber modification of the DP was developed in the mid-1930s as a test model. The caliber of such a weapon is 5.6 mm chambered for a rimfire cartridge. Designer - M. Margolin.
This modification was used to train Soviet soldiers in shooting. It was not widely used, nor was it mass produced. For training purposes, a machine gun substitute for the Blum system was used instead.
DP with muffler
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, development of a silencer for DP was actively carried out. Several of these modifications were handed over to the troops in the Battle of Moscow. They did not become widespread, and already in 1942 similar designs were sent for revision.
Post-war tests were short-lived - the presence of a muffler did not ensure trouble-free sound suppression. Developments in this direction were stopped due to inexpediency.
DPM (Degtyarev infantry modernized)
The modernized Degtyarev DPM machine gun is a structural and technical improvement of the original from 1944. This is not really a modification, since we are not talking about an alternative weapon for specific purposes, but about a general increase in its effectiveness and reliability.
In this machine gun, the main attention is paid to the existing shortcomings of the DP. The recoil spring is placed in a special tube in the trigger frame under the butt. This significantly reduced its overheating during shooting.
The replacement of the barrel was simplified, and the bipod became an irremovable part of the weapon. The design of the butt and the handle were slightly changed. The weapon has become more stable and convenient. Combat characteristics and most technical characteristics remained unchanged.
YES (Degtyarev Aviation)
Degtyarev Aviation (DA) - modification used on R-5, U-2 and TB-3 aircraft. The casing was removed from the machine gun, protecting the machine gunner’s hands from burns. This provided better barrel cooling during prolonged shooting. For convenience, the butt was replaced with two handles. The magazine held up to 60 rounds.
The DA entered service back in 1928, and in 1930 its own modification, the DA-2, a twin unit, was developed. However, such machine guns were not widely used due to the small caliber of cartridges. Already in 1934, a specially developed ShKAS with a rate of fire of 1800 rounds per minute began to enter aviation service.
DT/DTM (Degtyarev tank)
Easel Degtyarev Tank (DT) - a modification designed jointly with G. S. Shpagin in 1929. Used in most tanks and armored vehicles. Taking into account the internal cramped conditions, the wooden stock was replaced with a retractable metal one. A special canvas sleeve catcher was also provided. For ease of use, Shpagin developed an installation that made it possible to aim the machine gun in the horizontal and vertical directions. If the vehicle failed, the weapon was removed and could be used by the crew for further combat operations. For this, removable bipods were used.
Given its more compact size and reduced weight, the DT was actively used in airborne units. In 1944, in place of the DPM, it was improved to the DTM - the main attention was paid to protecting the return mainspring from overheating.
If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them
During the Second World War, the Degtyarev light machine gun firmly took third place in terms of popularity, second only to the Mosin rifle and PPSh-41.
Technical characteristics of the Degtyarev DP light machine gun:
caliber – 7.62,
weight 8.5 kilograms,
machine gun length with flame arrester – 1230 mm,
disk magazine capacity - 47 rounds,
magazine weight – 2.7 kg,
the initial flight speed of a 1908 model bullet is 840 m/s,
sighting range – 1500 m,
rate of fire - about 600 rounds per minute,
practical rate of fire is about 80 rounds per minute.
How does Degtyarev’s machine gun fire?
When you press the trigger, the trigger lever moves down and releases the bolt frame. The bolt frame, under the influence of a compressed recoil spring, begins to move forward. The thickening on the rear of the firing pin, acting on the lugs, pushes the bolt forward, while spreading the lugs to the sides. At the same time, the bolt, moving forward, sends another cartridge from the magazine into the barrel. The firing pin hits the cartridge capsule - a shot. After the shot, the powder gases, acting on the gas piston, push it back. The barrel bore is unlocked, the bolt begins to move back along with the bolt frame, and at the same time the spent cartridge case is removed from the chamber - the process is completed. The machine gun is ready for a new shot.
History of creation
Autumn of '41. German troops are rushing to Moscow, wanting to finish the campaign before the onset of cold weather. Despite the heroic resistance of the Red Army soldiers, the Wehrmacht tank and motorized rifle divisions are rapidly advancing towards the goal. The Red Army soldiers did not lack the courage and determination to defend the capital. There is not enough firepower to hold off the advancing enemy. At the end of October 1941, a plane landed at a military airfield in the city of Kovrov, located hundreds of kilometers from the front line. Several high-ranking officers got out of it, got into waiting cars, and the motorcade rushed towards the arms factory. Until now, history hides the identity of the mysterious guest... But there was no need to guess who he came to - this was Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev, head of the PKB of the State Union Plant No. 2 and at that time, probably the main gunsmith of the Soviet country. The result of this mysterious visit was that just before the start of the battle for Moscow, the Red Army soldiers had in their hands a much-needed anti-tank rifle designed by Degtyarev. One hundred and fifty mandatory test shots for the light machine gun of his own invention, the DP-27, were also canceled. The weapon proved itself so well in battle that only five test rounds were left for it: two shots to check the automatics and three to adjust, if necessary, the accuracy of the battle. Our story is about this amazing machine gun and its talented creator. The legendary "tar"
The experience of the wars of the early twentieth century clearly showed that the tactics and strategy of infantry combat operations were rapidly changing. Its maneuverability, military-technical equipment and the ability of fighters to conduct dense, targeted fire come to the fore. The density of fire, in turn, depended on the rate of fire and reliability of the weapon. “The main question in the infantry weapons system that the First World War left behind was the question of the light machine gun. The new infantry tactics relied primarily on machine-gun fire."
In March twenty-one, the tenth congress of the RCPB took place. Soviet history textbooks note two main decisions taken at the congress: the abolition of the policy of war communism and the transition to the NEP, as well as the replacement of surplus appropriation with a tax in kind. There was another event that historians are not so willing to talk about. This photograph shows delegates of the congress who volunteered to go to Kronstadt to suppress the rebellion that broke out there. The Bolsheviks were always ready to fight. Meanwhile, among the many issues considered at the congress, the problem of military development in the Soviet republic was widely discussed. The Red Army, having ended the civil war, was armed with a limited number of old-style weapons created before the First World War. When in 1924, according to the new states of the Red Army, a machine-gun section was introduced into each rifle platoon, due to a shortage of light machine guns, it had to be armed with one light and one heavy machine gun. Moreover, the existing French Chauchat machine guns and the more successful English Lewis machine guns were badly worn out by the mid-twenties, had no spare parts, and belonged to structurally outdated systems. The main striking force of the infantry remained the Mosin “three-line” and the Maxim heavy machine gun. With all its undoubted advantages, primarily the simplicity and reliability of the design, the Maxim system machine gun also had a number of flaws: it was quite high, and therefore easily noticeable to enemy soldiers. And of course, the main drawback was the weight of the weapon - more than 70 kilograms. Carrying such a weight with you under enemy fire was not an easy task, and even deadly. So realities dictated the urgent need to develop a new domestic light machine gun. “What was required was not only heavy machine guns with their power, with their long range of aimed fire, with their ability to conduct intense fire, but also light machine guns around which small infantry units could operate (with the support of which, together with which) up to the separation or link. These, of course, were supposed to be light machine guns.” One of those who was the first to get involved in the work was the famous gunsmith designer Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev.
The creator of the machine gun Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev
Degtyarev Vasily Alekseevich, was born in 1880 in Tula into a family of hereditary gunsmiths. After graduating from the parish school at the age of eleven, he went to work at the Tula Arms Factory. In 1901, Vasily Degtyarev was drafted into the army. He ended up in an experimental weapons workshop at the officer school in Oranienbaum. Service in the workshop provided an opportunity to become familiar with the design of the latest foreign weapons. After completing his military service, Degtyarev becomes a civilian employee of the Sestroretsk arms factory. Here a meeting took place that predetermined the future fate of the future famous designer. Degtyarev met the talented weapons engineer Vladimir Fedorov. In 1918, at the invitation of his friend and teacher Vladimir Fedorov, Degtyarev came to the city of Kovrov to the arms factory being built here. He is appointed head of the workshop of the design bureau, and later becomes its head. It was here that Vasily Degtyarev created his famous weapons, including the legendary DP-27 machine gun, as well as its numerous modifications. In 1940 he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. The famous Soviet designer, Major General of the Engineering and Artillery Service Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev died in January 1949. For outstanding services in the design of weapons, he was posthumously awarded the Stalin Prize.
Degtyarev began developing his own model of a light machine gun at the end of 1923. Taking as a basis the developments he obtained when creating an automatic carbine, and this was back in 1915, he applied them when designing a new machine gun. The automatic machine gun had a gas engine with a gas chamber located under the barrel and a long stroke of the gas piston. The amount of powder gases discharged behind the piston was regulated using a pipe regulator with two gas outlet holes. The barrel was locked using two lugs, hinged on the sides of the bolt and moved to the sides by the widened rear part of the firing pin. The leading link of the automation was the bolt frame, which connected all parts of the moving system. Says Semyon Fedoseev, a historian and weapons expert: “Degtyarev found a rather ingenious way to lighten a machine gun. In fact, the receiver of a machine gun does not have a bottom; the bottom is the movable bolt frame itself.” The flat bolt frame, which also served as the lower cover of the receiver, and the compact placement of the bolt assembly ensured a significant reduction in the size and weight of the entire machine gun. The simplicity and elegance of the solution found by the designer is striking. But it is precisely due to this simplicity that the survivability of the mechanism has significantly increased. Says Semyon Fedoseev, a historian and weapons expert: “The disk magazine made it possible quite easily, as it seemed, to solve the issue of combining easily portable magazines and a large magazine capacity. True, if Fedorov-Degtyarev’s disk magazine held 50 rounds, then in Degtyarev’s magazine, due to the transition to a three-line cartridge, the capacity had to be reduced first to 49, and then to 47 rounds. However, this is a fairly large capacity."
Testing a prototype machine gun
During testing of the prototype, 70 thousand shots were fired at a rate of 10 thousand. The machine gun fired almost without delay. But all this will happen later, and before that... On July 22, 1924, Degtyarev presented his first model of a machine gun with a disc magazine to the court of a specially created commission. The commission members noted the outstanding originality of the idea, trouble-free operation, rate of fire and significant ease of use of Comrade Degtyarev’s system. On October 6, the machine gun took part in tests at the shooting range of the Vystrel school in Kuskovo and failed. The firing pin, made of low-quality metal, broke at the most inopportune moment. The commission, chaired by Budyonny, recognized the model of the Maxim-Tokarev system as the winner. In fact, it was a conversion of the heavy-duty Maxim into a light machine gun. Received the designation MT, this machine gun was quite bulky - without cartridges it weighed almost 13 kilograms, and it also had an unreliable cartridge belt feed. Degtyarev presented his next model only in the fall of 1926. Again disappointment - it also had shortcomings: weakness of ejectors and strikers, sensitivity of the system to dust. Finally, in January 1927, by the commission of the artillery committee of the artillery department of the Red Army, two modified copies of the Degtyarev machine gun were recognized as having passed the tests. And six months later, a significant event occurred - it was decided to conduct comparative tests of an improved model of the Maxim-Tokarev machine gun, the German Dreyse light machine gun and a machine gun designed by Degtyarev. “We must remember that in the 20s we developed quite broad military-technical cooperation with Weimar Germany and the Dreyse machine gun aroused quite wide interest in the Soviet Union. However, the Degtyarev system showed certain advantages over the Dreyse machine gun, which was recorded in the decision of the relevant commission.” This is what his deputy Sergei Kamenev wrote to the People’s Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs Kliment Voroshilov at the end of this peculiar competition:
“The comparison gave the following results: in first place is undoubtedly our Degtyarev machine gun, in second place is Dreyze and in third is Maxim-Tokarev. The Dreyze machine gun was interesting to us when we did not yet have light machine guns of our own production. Now our Degtyarev machine gun is in many ways better than Dreyse.”
“It must be said that they learned about the machine gun quite quickly abroad. At that time, such news spread quite quickly; great secrecy was not made of such work. A certain standard of secrecy was observed, but still they found out quickly enough, appreciated quickly enough, and even Degtyarev received, unofficially, the nickname of the Russian Browning. Considering the authority John Moses Browning had abroad at that time, one can understand how much the new weapon was appreciated.”
Noting the high survivability of the machine gun mechanism, its excellent firing characteristics, simplicity of design and the fact that its production took almost half the time compared to foreign analogues, it was decided to accept the Degtyarev machine gun into service with the Red Army. It was named DP-27 - Degtyarev infantry model 1927.
Production of the Degtyarev machine gun
Let's remember the rate of fire is 600 rounds per minute, that's exactly how many times in such a short period of time all the mechanisms of the weapon come into interaction. We have already talked about the simplicity of the DP-27 device. The production of a DP required two times less pattern measurements and transitions than for a revolver. The total number of technological operations turned out to be 4 times less than for the Maxim and 3 times less than for the MT machine gun. And when the donning process was used to make machine gun barrels, the time for its production was reduced even more. The essence of darning is to press a special “mandrel” blank through the bore with shaped protrusions corresponding to the number, size and inclination of the rifling. It has long been noted that the fewer parts in a mechanism, the more reliable it is.
Disassembly and assembly of the Degtyarev machine gun
There are 47 parts in the Degtyarev Infantry, and only a small part of them were subject to manual finishing during manufacture, which significantly speeded up the process of its assembly. True, some experts claim that Degtyarev has not 47 parts, but 68. We have the opportunity to check this by disassembling the Degtyarev machine gun.
Separate the butt plate from the butt - holding the machine gun by the neck of the butt, unscrew the butt plate pin and remove it. Supporting the receiver in front of the trigger guard, hit the butt from above to separate the buttplate and remove it along with the butt, moving the latter down.
Remove the bipod - supporting the casing, release the wing and remove the clamp screw. Fold back the upper half-ring of the clamp, and then remove the bipod. Separate the bolt carrier together with the gas piston and bolt. Disassemble the bolt by pulling out the firing pin and separating the lugs. Next, you should disassemble the bolt frame and gas piston - placing the frame vertically and squeezing the recoil spring down the rod, unscrew the head of the gas piston using a wrench; remove the return spring, remove the support coupling.
Field military tests of the machine gun continued throughout 1928. It was recommended to introduce flame arresters to reduce the unmasking and blinding effect of the muzzle flame at night. They decided to equip the removable magazine with 47 rounds, although it was designed for 49. This happened due to the weakness of the magazine spring - its elasticity was not enough to push out the last rounds. So in the column “magazine capacity” the number 47 appeared. In general, many complaints were made against the DP-27 magazine.
Disadvantages and problems of the Degtyarev machine gun
Says Semyon Fedoseev, a historian and weapons expert: “The disk, of course, turned out to be a fairly ingenious and reliably working solution. But, firstly, special bags were required to carry it - container bags. They are familiar to everyone, even to those who have never seen these weapons in their lives. You can watch the film “Two Soldiers”, where the actions of the DP machine gun crew are shown quite well. Secondly, the snail-shaped spiral spring in the disk weakened quite quickly. Usually, because of this, the disc was underloaded with cartridges. The disk was not so easy to equip, but although Maxim’s machine gun belt itself was also not very easy to equip.” Another problem was related to the rapid settlement of the return spring. It was located under the trunk and quite close to it. With intense firing, the barrel became very hot and, in turn, heated the spring. Says Semyon Fedoseev, a historian and weapons expert: “Another inconvenient moment was replacing the barrel. The fact is that, although a light machine gun does not fire in such long bursts as easel ones, the barrel still overheats and in order to ensure the necessary intensity of fire in combat conditions, a replaceable barrel is still optimal. Either you need to use a rather cumbersome cooling system, or you need to make the barrel replaceable. Most light machine guns of the 20-30s, including the DP, adopted a replaceable barrel. But the barrel did not have a special handle, so replacing the barrel required some skill and experience.”
Installing a machine gun on a motorcycle, for example on the M-72
Despite the shortcomings in the troops, the DP-27 light machine gun immediately received high praise and soon became the main type of automatic weapon in rifle units. But not only in them. Pay attention to this curious design:
- with its help, the infantry Degtyarev was mounted on a motorcycle, for example on the M-72. A simple rotating frame was hinged on the sidecar of a motorcycle. Such fasteners even allowed anti-aircraft fire.
Degtyarev in a tank
And in 1929, “tank tar” appeared. Given the limited space in the tank's cabin, the wooden stock was replaced with a retractable metal one. Instead of a bulky single-row magazine, a more compact three-row one was used - it held 63 rounds. In total, the ammunition consisted of up to 25 magazines, depending on the type of armored vehicle, which, to save space, was packed in special racks. The spent cartridges were collected in a canvas cartridge catcher. The DT was installed on tanks using a special ball mount developed by designer Georgy Shpagin. This installation ensured free and quick aiming of the machine gun at the target in the horizontal and vertical planes, and its reliable fixation in any position. In addition, the massive parts of the ball mount well protected the shooter in battle from bullets and shell fragments. If the tank crew had to leave the vehicle for any reason, the DT-29 was easily removed from the ball mount and turned into a light machine gun.
YES Degtyarev on airplanes
At the end of the 20s, Degtyarev’s machine gun literally rose into the sky. Back in 1925, the designer began processing its DP into an aircraft one. The casing that protected the infantrymen’s hands from burns when carried was removed from the new machine gun - now it was simply not needed. As in the DT-29, in the DA (Degtyarev Aviation) the single-row disk magazine was replaced by a three-row one of smaller diameter. Combat at high speeds required increasing the rate of fire of the weapon; this problem could most easily be solved by connecting several machine guns on one common installation. In 1930, a coaxial machine gun of the Degtyarev system called DA-2 entered service. The DA-2 machine gun, although it had a high rate of fire, had all the disadvantages of twin installations: bulkiness and inconvenience in operation, which is especially sensitive in aircraft weapons. The shooting range was also low.
Machine guns of the Degtyarev family DP-27, DT-29, DA and DA-2 became an integral part of the Red Army's weapons.
Says Semyon Fedoseev, historian, weapons expert: “Tank and aviation machine guns were created directly on the basis of the DP machine gun. They differed in stores, controls, and the presence or absence of a non-automatic fuse. Let’s say, the 1927 DP did not have a non-automatic safety, there was only an automatic safety that blocked the trigger, and the DT (tank) machine gun received a flag safety.” By the beginning of the war, the RKK had over 170 thousand light machine guns. This was one of the types of weapons with which formations of the western military districts were provided even beyond their staff. The combat use of the DP revealed the need to make a number of design amendments aimed at increasing the reliability and controllability of the weapon.
DPM Degtyarev infantry modernized
In October 1944, the DPM (Degtyarev Infantry Modernized) was adopted by the Soviet army. In the DPM, changes affected, first of all, the recoil spring. It was moved from under the barrel to the rear of the receiver. The bolt frame with piston and ejector were also changed, the stock was simplified, a pistol grip was added, and the automatic safety was replaced with a flag safety. The reinforced folding bipod was made permanent (removable bipods were often lost).
Use of a machine gun by German and Finnish troops
The enemy also earned the Degtyarev machine gun - Wehrmacht soldiers used captured DPs as weapons of a limited standard. Finnish sources indicate that during the winter war the Finnish army captured more than 3,000 DP machine guns and about 150 DT-29s. The Finns liked the machine guns so much that they curtailed the production of their own machine guns and switched to producing magazines and spare parts for Degtyarev’s machine guns.
Says Semyon Fedoseev, a historian and weapons expert: “The machine gun received the nickname “Emma” from the Finns. In general, a female nickname for a formidable weapon is not such a common occurrence, but it is assumed that an example of this was the corresponding foxtrot, popular at that time, and the disk of the DP machine gun resembled a gramophone record. This is the version of the appearance of this nickname.” In 1946, based on the DPM, a new light machine gun was developed, called RP-46. The disk magazine was replaced with a belt-fed one, which significantly increased the rate of fire. Other changes were made, but that's another story and about a different weapon.
Black and white and color photographs:
You might be interested in:
Loading...
