Power called DShK. A unique heavy machine gun of the Red Army. DShK machine gun: history of creation and design features

DShK 1938 with armored shield

Well understanding the importance of large-caliber machine guns for equipping armored personnel carriers, combat boats and ground fortifications in order to destroy armored and air targets, as well as suppress enemy machine gun points, the Soviet military command in the late twenties gave the corresponding task to the designer V. A. Degtyarev. On the basis of his DP 1928 light machine gun, he designed a model of a heavy machine gun, called the DK. In 1930 it was submitted for testing prototype caliber 12.7 mm.

armor-piercing incendiary bullet B-32 for cartridge 12.7*108

The larger the caliber and muzzle velocity of the bullet, the higher its overall penetration ability. However, the mass of a weapon and its rate of fire are also closely related. If it is necessary to achieve a higher muzzle velocity with a larger caliber, then the mass of the weapon must also increase. This has economic consequences. In addition, since parts with greater mass have greater inertia, the rate of fire decreases.
Taking into account all these factors, it was necessary to find best option. Such a compromise at that time was the caliber
12.7 mm. The American military followed the same path. Already at the end of the First World War they adopted a .50 caliber machine gun. During modernization, on its basis in 1933, a heavy machine gun Browning M2 NV. Eleven years later, a machine gun of the Vladimirov KPV system appeared in the Soviet Union. It had an even larger caliber - 14.5 mm.

Cartridges 12.7 for DShK

Degtyarev chose for his machine gun a domestic cartridge for the M 30 tank gun, which had dimensions of 12.7x108. In 1930, such cartridges were produced with armor-piercing bullets, and since 1932, with armor-piercing incendiary bullets. Subsequently, they underwent modernization and received the name M 30/38.
The Degtyarev prototype of the 1930 model was equipped with a frame sight designed for shooting up to 3500 m at ground targets, as well as a round sight with a crosshair at a distance of up to 2400 m for air and fast-moving ground targets. Ammunition was supplied from a 30-round disc magazine. The barrel was connected to the body with a thread and could be replaced. The recoil force was reduced using a muzzle brake. A special machine was created for the machine gun.

Metal one-piece machine gun belt with a capacity of 50 rounds for the DShK (Degtyarev-Shpagina large-caliber) machine gun mod. 1938

Machine gun belt with a capacity of 10 rounds each for DShKM machine gun.

In comparative shooting tests with other machine guns, including the predecessor of the later standard American Browning machine gun, the Soviet model showed promising results. The initial bullet speed was 810 m/s, the rate of fire was from 350 to 400 rounds/min. At a distance of 300 m, the bullet, when hitting the target at an angle of 90°, pierced 16 mm steel armor. The testing commission recommended making some design changes, for example changing the cartridge feeding mechanism from disk to belt. The machine gun was approved for military testing, and in 1931 a trial batch of 50 units was ordered.
It was not possible to determine exactly how many of these machine guns were manufactured. Information in Soviet literature small-scale production concerns not only this sample, but also its second modification, which appeared in the late thirties. According to these data, the troops received a total of about 2,000 12.7 mm heavy machine guns by June 22, 1941. There were hardly more than a thousand examples of the DK model produced before 1935.

DShK 1938 on an anti-aircraft machine

Degtyarev was never able to eliminate the shortcomings identified during the tests, in particular, the poor maneuverability of the machine gun and the too low rate of fire. In order to redirect ground machine guns to air targets, it took too much time, since the developed machine was imperfect. The low rate of fire depended on the operation of a bulky and heavy cartridge feeding mechanism.
G.S. Shpagin took over the conversion of the feed mechanism from a disk magazine to a belt, as a result of which the rate of fire increased significantly, and I.N. Kolesnikov improved the machine he had developed, which made it possible to speed up and simplify the retargeting of the machine gun from ground to air targets.
The improved model passed all tests in April 1938 and was accepted into service on February 26, 1939. Starting next year, its delivery to the troops began. Weapons of this type proved themselves to be excellent during the Second World War as a means of destroying ground, water and air targets. It was not only not inferior to other machine guns of this class, but also superior to them.
In 1940, 566 such machine guns were delivered to the army, and in the first half of the next year - another 234. As of January 1, 1942, the troops had 720 serviceable large-caliber DShK 1938 machine guns, and on July 1 - over 1947. By January 1, 1943, this figure had increased to 5218, and a year later - to 8442. These facts allow us to draw conclusions about the growth of production during the war.
At the end of 1944, the machine gun was somewhat modernized, the supply of cartridges was improved, and the wear resistance of some parts and assemblies was increased. The modification received the designation DShK 1938/46.
This modification of the DShK machine gun was used in the Soviet army until the 1980s. The DShK machine gun was also used in foreign armies, for example, Egypt and Albania. China, East Germany and Czechoslovakia, Indonesia, Korea, Cuba, Poland, Romania, Hungary and even Vietnam. The modification produced in China and Pakistan was called Model 54. It has a caliber of 12.7 mm or .50.
The DShK 1938 heavy machine gun operates on the principle of using the energy of powder gases, has an air-cooled barrel and a rigid bolt-to-barrel coupling. Gas pressure can be adjusted. A special device holds the bolt so that when moving forward it does not hit the base of the barrel. The latter is equipped with radial cooling fins along almost its entire length. The flame arrester has a considerable length.
The practical rate of fire is 80 rounds/min, and the theoretical rate of fire is 600 rounds/min. The cartridges are fed from a metal belt using a special drum device. When the drum rotates, it moves the belt, picks up cartridges from it and feeds them into the machine gun mechanism, where the bolt sends them into the chamber. The belt is designed for 50 rounds of type M 30/38. Shooting is carried out in bursts.
The sighting device consists of an adjustable sight and a protected front sight. The length of the sight line is 1100 mm. The sight can be installed at a distance of up to 3500 m. To engage air targets there is a special sight, developed in 1938, and modernized 3 years later. Although the optimal firing range is indicated as 2000 m, the machine gun can successfully engage manpower at a distance of up to 3500 m, air targets - up to 2400 m and armored vehicles- up to 500 m. At this distance, the bullet penetrates 15 mm armor.

DShK 1938 on an anti-aircraft machine

Used as machines various designs. To combat ground and air targets, the already mentioned special Kolesnikov machine with all-round visibility was used. When mounted on a wheeled machine with or without a protective shield, the machine gun was primarily used to engage armored vehicles. After removing the wheels, the machine could be transformed into a tripod anti-aircraft machine.
During the war, machine guns of this type were also installed on self-propelled carriages, on trucks, railway platforms, on heavy tanks, ships and boats. Twin or quadruple installations were often used. They were often equipped with a searchlight.
Characteristics: heavy machine gun DShK 1938
Caliber, mm........................................................ .....................................12.7
Initial bullet speed (Vq), m/s............................................ .....850
Weapon length, mm................................................... ...........................1626
Rate of fire, rds/min.................................................... ...............600
Ammunition supply...................................metal belt
for 50 rounds
Weight in uncharged state without machine, kg...........33.30
Weight of the wheeled machine, kg................................................... .....142.10
Weight of full belt, kg................................................... ...................9.00
Cartridge................... 12.7x108
Barrel length, mm................................................... ...........................1000
Rifling/direction................................................... .....................4/p
Sighting firing range, m....................................3500
Effective firing range, m...................................2000*
* Optimal distance.

DShK 1938 on an anti-aircraft machine

DShKM machine gun incomplete disassembly: 1 — barrel with a gas chamber, front sight and muzzle brake; 2 — bolt frame with gas piston; 3 - shutter; 4 — combat stops; 5 - drummer; 6 - wedge; 7 — butt plate with buffer; 8 - body trigger mechanism; 9 — cover and base of the receiver and feed drive lever; 10 - receiver.

Soviet machine gun DShKM in anti-aircraft version

With the start of work on a machine gun with a caliber of 12-20 millimeters in 1925, it was decided to create it on the basis of a magazine-fed light machine gun in order to reduce the weight of the machine gun being created. Work began at the design bureau of the Tula Arms Plant on the basis of the 12.7-mm Vickers cartridge and on the basis of the German Dreyse (P-5) machine gun. The design bureau of the Kovrov plant was developing a machine gun based on the Degtyarev light machine gun for more powerful cartridges. A new 12.7-mm cartridge with an armor-piercing bullet was created in 1930, and at the end of the year the first experimental large-caliber Degtyarev machine gun with a Kladov disc magazine with a capacity of 30 rounds was assembled. In February 1931, after testing, preference was given to the DK (“Degtyarev large-caliber”) as easier to manufacture and lighter. The recreation center was put into service; in 1932, a small series was produced at the plant named after. Kirkizha (Kovrov), however, in 1933 only 12 machine guns were produced.

Experimental installation of the DShK machine gun

Military tests did not live up to expectations. In 1935, production of the Degtyarev heavy machine gun was stopped. By this time, a version of the DAK-32 had been created that had a Shpagin receiver, but tests in 1932-1933 showed the need to refine the system. Shpagin remade his version in 1937. A drum feed mechanism was created that did not require significant changes to the machine gun system. The belt-fed machine gun survived on December 17, 1938 field testing. On February 26 of the following year, by resolution of the Defense Committee, it was adopted under the designation “12.7 mm heavy machine gun arr. 1938 DShK (Degtyarev-Shpagina large-caliber)” which was installed on the Kolesnikov universal machine. Work was also carried out on the DShK aircraft installation, but it soon became clear that a special large-caliber aircraft machine gun was needed.

The automatic operation of the machine gun was carried out due to the removal of powder gases. A closed gas chamber was located under the barrel and was equipped with a pipe regulator. The barrel had fins along its entire length. The muzzle was equipped with a single-chamber active-type muzzle brake. By moving the bolt lugs to the sides, the barrel bore was locked. The ejector and reflector were assembled in the gate. A pair of spring shock absorbers of the butt plate served to soften the impact of the moving system and give it an initial rolling impulse. A return spring, mounted on the gas piston rod, activated the impact mechanism. The trigger lever was blocked by a safety lever mounted on the buttplate (setting the safety to the front position).

DShK 12.7 heavy machine gun, machine in position for firing at ground targets

Feeding – belt, feeding – from the left side. The loose tape, which has semi-closed links, was placed in a special metal box attached to the left side of the machine bracket. The bolt carrier handle activated the DShK drum receiver: while moving backward, the handle bumped into the fork of the swinging feed lever and turned it. A pawl located at the other end of the lever rotated the drum 60 degrees, and the drum, in turn, pulled the tape. There were four cartridges in the drum at a time. As the drum rotated, the cartridge was gradually squeezed out of the belt link and fed into the receiving window of the receiver. The shutter moving forward caught it.

The folding frame sight, used for firing at ground targets, had a notch up to 3.5 thousand meters in increments of 100 m. The machine gun's markings included the manufacturer's mark, year of manufacture, serial number (series designation - two-letter, serial number machine gun). The mark was placed in front of the butt plate on top of the receiver.

Large-caliber machine gun DShK 12.7, machine gun in position for anti-aircraft shooting, wheels removed. Machine gun from the collection of TsMAIVVS in St. Petersburg

During operation with the DShK, three types of anti-aircraft sights were used. The ring remote sight of the 1938 model was intended to destroy air targets flying at speeds of up to 500 km/h and at a distance of up to 2.4 thousand meters. The sight of the 1941 model was simplified, the range was reduced to 1.8 thousand meters, however possible speed the target being destroyed increased (along the “imaginary” ring it could be 625 kilometers per hour). The sight of the 1943 model was of the foreshortening type and was much easier to use, but allowed firing at various target courses, including pitching or diving.

Heavy machine gun DShKM 12.7 model 1946

The universal Kolesnikov machine of the 1938 model was equipped with its own charging handle, had a removable shoulder pad, a cartridge box bracket, and a rod-type vertical aiming mechanism. Fire at ground targets was carried out from a wheeled vehicle, with the legs folded. To fire at air targets, the wheel drive was separated, and the machine was laid out in the form of a tripod.

The 12.7 mm cartridge could have an armor-piercing bullet (B-30) of the 1930 model, an armor-piercing incendiary bullet (B-32) of the 1932 model, sighting and incendiary (PZ), tracer (T), sighting (P), against anti-aircraft guns targets, an armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet (BZT) of the 1941 model was used. The armor penetration of the B-32 bullet was 20 millimeters normal from 100 meters and 15 millimeters from 500 meters. The BS-41 bullet, whose core was made of tungsten carbide, was capable of penetrating 20 mm armor plate at an angle of 20 degrees from a range of 750 meters. The dispersion diameter when firing at ground targets was 200 millimeters at a distance of 100 meters.

The machine gun began to enter service with the troops in 1940. In total, in 1940, plant No. 2 in Kovrov produced 566 DShKs. In the first half of 1941 - 234 machine guns (in total, in 1941, with a plan of 4 thousand DShK, about 1.6 thousand were received). In total, as of June 22, 1941, the Red Army units had about 2.2 thousand heavy machine guns.

From the first days of the Second World War, the DShK machine gun proved itself to be an excellent anti-aircraft weapon. So, for example, on July 14, 1941, on the Western Front in the Yartsevo area, a platoon of three machine guns shot down three German bombers; in August, near Leningrad in the Krasnogvardeisky area, the Second Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Battalion destroyed 33 enemy aircraft. However, the number of 12.7 mm machine gun mounts was clearly not enough, especially considering significant superiority enemy in the air. As of September 10, 1941, there were 394 of them: in the Oryol zone air defense– 9, Kharkov – 66, Moscow – 112, on the South-Western Front – 72, Southern – 58, North-Western – 37, Western – 27, Karelian – 13.

Crew members of the torpedo boat TK-684 of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet pose against the background of the stern turret of a 12.7-mm DShK machine gun

Since June 1942, the staff of the anti-aircraft artillery regiment of the army included a DShK company, which was armed with 8 machine guns, and since February 1943 their number increased to 16 units. The anti-aircraft artillery divisions of the RVGK (Zenad), formed since November 42, included one such company per anti-aircraft small-caliber artillery regiment. Since the spring of 1943, the number of DShKs in Zenad decreased to 52 units, and according to the updated state of the 44th in the spring, Zenad had 48 DShKs and 88 guns. In 1943, small-caliber regiments were introduced into the cavalry, mechanized and tank corps anti-aircraft artillery(16 DShK and 16 guns).

Typically, anti-aircraft DShKs were used by platoons, often included in medium-caliber anti-aircraft batteries, using them to provide cover from air attacks from low altitudes. Anti-aircraft machine gun companies armed with 18 DShKs were brought into service at the beginning of 1944 rifle divisions. Throughout the war, losses of heavy machine guns amounted to about 10 thousand units, that is, 21% of the resource. This was the smallest percentage of losses of the entire small arms system, but it is comparable to losses in anti-aircraft artillery. This already speaks about the role and place of heavy machine guns.

Anti-aircraft installation (three 12.7-mm DShK machine guns) in the center of Moscow, on Sverdlov Square (now Teatralnaya). The Metropol Hotel is visible in the background.

In 1941, as German troops approached Moscow, backup factories were identified in case Factory No. 2 stopped producing weapons. The production of DShK was carried out in the city of Kuibyshev, where 555 devices and machines were transferred from Kovrov. As a result, during the war, the main production took place in Kovrov, and “duplicate” production took place in Kuibyshev.

In addition to easel ones, they used self-propelled units with DShK - mainly M-1 pickups or GAZ-AA trucks with a DShK machine gun installed in the body in the anti-aircraft position on the machine. “Anti-aircraft” light tanks on the T-60 and T-70 chassis did not advance further than prototypes. The same fate befell the integrated installations (although it should be noted that the built-in 12.7-mm anti-aircraft installations were used to a limited extent - for example, they served in the air defense of Moscow). The failures of the installations were associated, first of all, with the power system, which did not allow changing the direction of feed of the tape. But the Red Army successfully used 12.7-mm American quad mounts of the M-17 type based on the M2NV Browning machine gun.

Anti-aircraft gunners of the armored train "Zheleznyakov" (armored train No. 5 Coastal defense Sevastopol) with 12.7 mm DShK heavy machine guns (the machine guns are mounted on naval pedestals). 76.2 mm guns of 34-K naval turret mounts are visible in the background

The “anti-tank” role of the DShK machine gun, which received the nickname “Dushka,” was insignificant. The machine gun was used to a limited extent against light armored vehicles. But the DShK became a tank weapon - it was the main armament of the T-40 (amphibious tank), BA-64D (light armored car), in 1944 a 12.7-mm anti-aircraft turret was installed on heavy tank IS-2, and later on heavy self-propelled guns. Anti-aircraft armored trains were armed with DShK machine guns on tripods or stands (during the war, up to 200 armored trains operated in the air defense forces). A DShK with a shield and a folded machine could be dropped to partisans or landing forces in a UPD-MM parachute bag.

The fleet began receiving DShKs in 1940 (at the beginning of the Second World War there were 830 of them). During the war, industry transferred 4,018 DShKs to the fleet, and another 1,146 were transferred from the army. In the navy, anti-aircraft DShKs were installed on all types of ships, including mobilized fishing and transport ships. They were used on twin single pedestals, turrets, and turrets. Pedestal, rack and turret (coaxial) installations for DShK machine guns, adopted for service navy, developed by I.S. Leshchinsky, designer of plant No. 2. The pedestal installation allowed for all-round firing, vertical guidance angles ranged from -34 to +85 degrees. In 1939 A.I. Ivashutich, another Kovrov designer, developed a twin pedestal installation, and the later appeared DShKM-2 gave all-round fire. Vertical guidance angles ranged from -10 to +85 degrees. In 1945, the 2M-1 twin deck-mounted installation, which had a ring sight, was put into service. The DShKM-2B twin turret installation, created at TsKB-19 in 1943, and the ShB-K sight made it possible to conduct all-round fire at vertical guidance angles from -10 to +82 degrees.

Soviet tank crews of the 62nd Guards Heavy tank regiment in a street fight in Danzig. The DShK heavy machine gun mounted on the IS-2 tank is used to destroy enemy soldiers armed with anti-tank grenade launchers

For boats of various classes, open turret twin installations MSTU, MTU-2 and 2-UK were created with pointing angles from -10 to +85 degrees. The “naval” machine guns themselves differed from the base model. For example, in the turret version, a frame sight was not used (only a ring sight with a weather vane front sight was used), the bolt handle was lengthened, and the hook for the cartridge box was changed. The differences between machine guns for coaxial installations were the design of the butt plate with the frame handle and trigger lever, the absence of sights, and fire control.

The German army, which did not have a standard heavy machine gun, willingly used captured DShKs, which were designated MG.286(r).

At the end of the Second World War, Sokolov and Korov carried out a significant modernization of the DShK. The changes primarily affected the food system. In 1946, a modernized machine gun under the DShKM brand was put into service. The reliability of the system has increased - if on the DShK, according to the specifications, 0.8% delays during firing were allowed, then on the DShKM this indicator was already 0.36%. The DShKM machine gun has become one of the most widely used in the world.

The Dnieper is being crossed. The crew of the DShK heavy machine gun supports those crossing with fire. November 1943

Technical characteristics of the DShK heavy machine gun (model 1938):
Cartridge – 12.7x108 DShK;
The weight of the machine gun “body” is 33.4 kg (without tape);
The total weight of the machine gun is 181.3 kg (on the machine, without a shield, with a belt);
The length of the machine gun “body” is 1626 mm;
Barrel weight – 11.2 kg;
Barrel length – 1070 mm;
Rifling - 8 right-hand;
The length of the rifled part of the barrel is 890 mm;
Initial bullet speed – from 850 to 870 m/s;
Muzzle energy of a bullet – from 18785 to 19679 J;
Rate of fire – 600 rounds per minute;
Combat rate of fire - 125 rounds per minute;
Sighting line length – 1110 mm;
Sighting range for ground targets – 3500 m;
Sighting range for air targets - 2400 m;
Height reach – 2500 m;
Power supply system – metal tape (50 rounds);
Type of machine – universal wheeled tripod;
The height of the firing line in the ground position is 503 mm;
The height of the firing line in the anti-aircraft position is 1400 mm;
Pointing angles:
- horizontally in ground position – ±60 degrees;
- horizontally in the zenith position – 360 degrees;
- vertically in a ground position – +27 degrees;
- vertically in the zenith position – from -4 to +85 degrees;
The transition time from traveling to combat position for anti-aircraft shooting is 30 seconds;
Calculation – 3-4 people.

A Soviet soldier shoots at a training ground from an anti-aircraft large-caliber 12.7-mm DShK machine gun mounted on an ISU-152 self-propelled gun

Based on materials from the article by Semyon Fedoseev “Machine guns of the Second World War”

The DShK heavy machine gun was created in the USSR even before the start of the Great Patriotic War. Despite its venerable age, this weapon turned out to be so effective that it is still used in the armies of dozens of countries around the world.

Having gone through the Second World War from beginning to end, the DShK participated in almost all subsequent military conflicts in the world. Having shown his outstanding qualities during the Second World War, he brilliantly demonstrated them during the war in Afghanistan. The latest application of this assault machine gun was recorded during the Syrian war and the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Development of the first heavy machine gun in the USSR

After the USSR ended Civil War, the leadership of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army was faced with the question of creating a heavy machine gun, since this weapon niche was completely empty. The designers were tasked with creating powerful machine gun caliber 12-20 mm. Beginning in 1925, the 12.7 mm cartridge was chosen as the main caliber. First attempts Soviet designers cannot be called successful, since until 1931, none of the presented models could pass the tests.

Only at the beginning of 1931 the commission received two samples of heavy machine guns that deserved attention:

• Draize system machine gun;
• Machine gun of the Degtyarev system.

The German machine gun did not prove itself in the best possible way, besides, it was difficult to manufacture, so it was decided to abandon its copying and production. Weapons from Degtyarev showed themselves to be more technologically advanced, so already in 1932 the first attempt was made to begin mass production of this weapon. A year later, the designers managed to create 12 samples of such machine guns, but already in 1934 production was practically curtailed. The Degtyarev machine gun did not perform well in the army. It would seem that the fate of the DK machine gun, which stood for “Degtyarev large-caliber,” was a foregone conclusion.

The rebirth of the Degtyarev machine gun

Military tests showed that the new weapon was completely unsuitable for combating high-speed targets, and it was supposed to be used as an anti-aircraft machine gun. The weapon had the following disadvantages:

• Extremely low rate of fire;
• Heavy weight;
• Heavy and inconvenient cartridge magazines.

In 1935, a decree was issued to stop the production of new weapons. The machine gun was revived thanks to the talented Soviet gunsmith designer Shpagin, who became interested in promising development. He was able to invent a new tape feeding mechanism in 1937. Next year new machine gun, called DShK (Degtyarev-Shpagin large-caliber), successfully passed tests, and in 1939 its mass production began.

Weapon Features

The DShK machine gun has the following design features:

• The automation works according to standard scheme due to powder gases. A special feature of the system is the presence of three holes in the gas chamber. Due to the regulator, it was possible to adjust the amount of powder gases, adjusting the operation of the weapon’s automation;
• The machine gun barrel received ribs along its entire length; they were intended to prevent overheating. The muzzle of the weapon received a specific muzzle brake in the form of a parachute. After some time, the muzzle brake became flat;
• The machine gun barrel bore was reliably locked due to the combat stops, the design feature of which was that they were moved in different directions;
• The gas piston rod was equipped with a return spring. Due to the spring shock absorbers, which were located in the butt plate of the machine gun, it was possible not only to significantly reduce recoil, but also to significantly increase the service life of the weapon. In addition, these shock absorbers performed another important role- they accelerated the reverse movement of the bolt frame. It is thanks to this design feature The rate of fire was significantly increased.

Since the new machine gun “jumped” a lot due to the peculiarities of its design, it was soon equipped with a special device that dampened the rebound.

Features of shooting from a DShK and reloading weapons

The handle for reloading the weapon has a rigid coupling with the bolt frame. A special mechanism for reloading the system also interacts with the frame, although if you insert the cartridge with the case head, you can completely do without it. The DShK machine gun is capable of firing only in automatic mode. For safe handling The design of the weapon includes a flag-type fuse, which when placed on it completely blocks the trigger.

The principle of operation when shooting is implemented as follows:

1. The bolt stops when it comes close to the breech of the barrel. The shutter frame continues its movement;
2. Due to the thickening on the firing pin, the lugs are cocked. They fit into recesses that are specially designed for this purpose;
3. The barrel locks, but the bolt carrier continues to move forward. The frame striker hits the striker;
4. When the bolt frame moves back, the bolt is unlocked.

Features of the ammunition supply of a heavy machine gun

The DShK's ammunition supply comes from a metal link belt on the left side of the weapon. For ease of use, the tape is folded into a special metal container, which is attached directly to the machine gun mount. The drum belt receiver on the machine gun operates due to the handle of the bolt frame. The feeder lever is equipped with a special “dog”, which rotates the receiver drum 60 degrees. Due to this, the cartridge strip was stretched.

As for the ammunition that was used on the DShK machine gun, they had a wide range of names, ranging from armor-piercing to incendiary.

Sights DShK

Until 1938, a simple folding frame sight was installed on the machine gun. Its main purpose was to shoot at enemy personnel and lightly armored ground vehicles. Other types of sights appeared later:

• In 1938, a ring anti-aircraft sight was installed on the DShK. With its help it was possible to shoot at enemy aircraft located at a distance of up to 2,400 meters. In this case, the target speed should not exceed 500 km/h;
• In 1941, anti-aircraft sighting device underwent modernization, which greatly simplified it. Now fire could be fired at targets whose speed could be 625 km/h. The distance to the target decreased to 1,800 meters, but in fact, effective shooting was carried out at distances not exceeding 1,500 meters, so this characteristic did not change anything;
• Since during the Second World War the DShK was most often used as a weapon to combat enemy aircraft, in 1943 it appeared new type anti-aircraft sight. The new device helped to conduct effective fire at enemy aircraft even during their dive.

Soon they tried to make a special anti-aircraft machine gun based on the DShK machine gun.

Anti-aircraft version of DShK

As a specialized weapon designed specifically to combat aircraft, the machine gun proved to be not a very convenient weapon. Although its power was abundant, the anti-aircraft machine was of a very imperfect type. His stability left much to be desired. It was for this reason that WWII designers tried to develop new anti-aircraft machines for the DShK.

Among these developments there were convenient and functional devices, but their design turned out to be too complex for mass production during the war. That is why at the front one often saw handicrafts of local “Kulibins”, which were not inferior to the factory prototypes, often even surpassing them. Coaxial machine guns were especially popular.

Sometimes there were installations made of three or four machine guns, but due to their weight they were only suitable as defensive weapons.

Production of DShK and its combat use

Large-caliber machine guns began to enter the USSR army en masse in 1940. Although the annual production plans for this machine gun did not exceed 1,000 in 1940 and 4,000 in 1941, a completely strange picture was observed in production. In 1940, only 566 pieces were produced. Although next year they were supposed to produce 4 times more machine guns than planned in 1940, in fact the plant was able to provide the army with only 234 machine guns.

With the beginning of the war, the production of weapons accelerated significantly, since severe repression awaited all plant workers for failure to fulfill plans. In 1942, 7,400 machine guns were produced, and in the next two years - 15,000 each.

For what purposes were machine guns used during WWII?

Since there were quite a few machine guns during the Second World War, they were used mainly against enemy aircraft. Although in the first year of the war German troops Light armored vehicles were often used, which the DShK penetrated perfectly. There were also frequent cases when they were transferred to infantry fighting against tanks, so this machine gun was used in the first war years as follows:

• Most of them were with anti-aircraft gunners;
• The anti-tank units had quite a lot of machine guns;
• The minimum number was among simple infantry.

IN last years During the war, weapons began to be very actively used in urban battles, as a powerful machine gun easily penetrated various shelters. It was possible to escape from the fire only in a concrete fortification. As for brick houses, such walls did not always save them from destructive fire.

In the second half of the Second World War, the machine gun began to be actively installed on domestic armored vehicles. Moreover, this was often the personal initiative of the crew. First serial tanks DShKs with turrets began to appear only in 1944. Unlike the USA, where the production of machine guns for armored vehicles was put on stream, Soviet army experienced a huge shortage of these weapons. That is why Lend-Lease deliveries included a large number of large-caliber machine guns.

Basic performance characteristics of weapons

The DShK machine gun has the following tactical and technical characteristics:

• Weapon caliber – 12.7 mm;
• The weight was 33.4 kg, and it did not include the weight of the ammunition. Together with the machine, the weight could reach up to 150 kg. It is clear that with such a weight it is very difficult to call a weapon mobile, but it was perfect for defense. For Soviet armored vehicles this weapon was also perfect;
• The length of the weapon is 1,626 mm, of which the barrel accounted for 1,070 mm;
• The rate of fire could reach 600 rounds per minute, although around 125 rounds per minute were most often fired in combat;
• The actual range of the shot was 2,000 meters, although theoretically it could fire at 3,500 meters;
• The bullets could penetrate 16 mm thick armor. In this case, the distance to the target should have been about 500 meters.

The cartridges were placed in iron belts, which each held 50 cartridges. Since the design of the machine gun is quite simple, disassembling and cleaning is not difficult.

In 1929 designer Vasily Degtyarev received the task of creating the first Soviet heavy machine gun, designed primarily to combat aircraft at altitudes of up to 1500 meters.

The large-caliber heavy machine gun DK was put into service in 1931 and was used for installation on armored vehicles and river flotilla ships.

However military tests showed that this model did not meet the expectations of the military, and the machine gun was sent for revision. At the same time he worked on the design Georgy Shpagin, who invented an original tape power module for the DC.

The combined forces of Degtyarev and Shpagin created a version of the machine gun, which passed all field tests in December 1938.

Armor-piercing incendiary power

On February 26, 1939, the improved machine gun was adopted by the Red Army under the designation “12.7 mm Degtyarev-Shpagin heavy machine gun, model 1938 - DShK.” The machine gun was mounted on a universal machine Kolesnikova model 1938, which was equipped with its own charging handle, had a removable shoulder pad for firing at aircraft, a cartridge box bracket, and a rod-type vertical aiming mechanism.

Fire at ground targets was carried out from a wheeled vehicle, with the legs folded. To fire at air targets, the wheel drive was separated, and the machine was laid out in the form of a tripod.

The 12.7 mm DShK cartridge could have an armor-piercing, armor-piercing incendiary, sighting-incendiary, tracer, and sighting bullet. Armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullets were used against flying targets.

Serial production of the DShK began in 1940, and the machine gun immediately began to enter service with the troops. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army had about 800 DShK machine guns in service.

DShK 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, model 1938. Photo: RIA Novosti / Khomenko

The nightmare of Nazi aviation

Almost from the first days of the war, DShKs began to cause serious damage to enemy aircraft, demonstrating their high efficiency. The problem, however, was that with the Nazis dominating the air, several hundred DShK installations on the entire front could not radically change the situation.

Increasing production rates made it possible to solve this problem. By the end of the Great Patriotic War, up to 9,000 DShK machine guns were produced, which were not only equipped with anti-aircraft gunner units of the Red Army and the Navy. They began to be installed en masse on the turrets of tanks and self-propelled guns. artillery installations. This allowed tankers not only to combat air attacks, but to increase their effectiveness in urban combat, when they had to suppress firing points on the upper floors of buildings.

The Wehrmacht never acquired a standard heavy machine gun of this type, which became a serious advantage for the Red Army.

Soldier Syrian army behind the DShK machine gun. Photo: RIA Novosti / Ilya Pitalev

Continuing the tradition

The modernized model of the DShKM machine gun was in service with the armies of no less than 40 countries for several post-war decades. The brainchild of Soviet designers is still in service in the countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America and in Ukraine. In Russia, the DShK and DShKM were replaced by the Utes and Kord heavy machine guns. The name of the latter stands for “Kovrov gunsmiths Degtyarevtsy” - the machine gun was developed at the Kovrov plant named after. Degtyarev, where the history of Soviet heavy machine guns once began.

The task to create the first Soviet heavy machine gun, intended primarily to combat aircraft at altitudes of up to 1500 meters, was issued to the already very experienced and well-known gunsmith Degtyarev in 1929. Less than a year later, Degtyarev presented his 12.7 mm machine gun for testing, and in 1932, small-scale production of the machine gun began under the designation DK (Degtyarev, Large-caliber). In general, the recreation center repeated the design light machine gun DP-27, and was fed from detachable magazines with 30 rounds of ammunition. The disadvantages of such a power supply scheme (bulky and heavy weight stores, low practical rate of fire) forced to stop production of the recreation center in 1935 and begin to improve it. By 1938, another designer, Shpagin, developed a belt power module for the recreation center, and in 1939, the improved machine gun was adopted by the Red Army under the designation “12.7 mm heavy machine gun Degtyarev - Shpagin arr. 1938 – DShK.” Mass release The DShK was launched in 1940–41, and during the Great Patriotic War, about 8 thousand DShK machine guns were produced. They were used as anti-aircraft weapons, as infantry support weapons, and installed on armored vehicles and small ships (including torpedo boats). Based on the experience of the war, in 1946 the machine gun was modernized (the design of the belt feed unit and barrel mount were changed), and the machine gun was adopted under the designation DShKM.

The DShKM was or is in service with over 40 armies around the world, produced in China (“type 54”), Pakistan, Iran and some other countries. The DShKM machine gun was used as an anti-aircraft gun Soviet tanks post-war period (T-55, T-62) and on armored vehicles (BTR-155).

Technically, DShK is automatic weapons, built on the gas exhaust principle. The barrel is locked by two combat larvae, hinged on the bolt, through recesses in the side walls of the receiver. The fire mode is automatic only, the barrel is permanent, finned for better cooling, and equipped with a muzzle brake. The feed is carried out from a non-scattered metal tape, the tape is fed from the left side of the machine gun. In DShK, the tape feeder was made in the form of a drum with six open chambers. As the drum rotated, it fed the tape and at the same time removed the cartridges from it (the tape had open links). After the chamber of the drum with the cartridge arrived in the lower position, the cartridge was fed into the chamber by the bolt. The drive of the tape feeder was carried out in position with right side a lever that swung in a vertical plane when its lower part was acted upon by the loading handle, rigidly connected to the bolt frame. In the DShKM machine gun, the drum mechanism has been replaced with a more compact slider mechanism, also driven by a similar lever connected to the loading handle. The cartridge was removed from the belt downwards and then fed directly into the chamber.

Spring buffers for the bolt and bolt frame are mounted in the buttplate of the receiver. The fire was fired from the rear sear (from an open bolt); two handles on the butt plate and a push-type trigger were used to control the fire. The sight was framed; the machine also had mounts for an anti-aircraft sight.

The machine gun was used from a universal machine gun of the Kolesnikov system. The machine was equipped with removable wheels and a steel shield, and when using a machine gun as an anti-aircraft wheel, they were removed and the rear support was spread apart to form a tripod. In addition, the machine gun in the anti-aircraft role was equipped with special shoulder rests. In addition to the machine gun, the machine gun was used in turret installations, on remote-controlled anti-aircraft installations, and on ship pedestal installations.
Currently, in the Russian Armed Forces, the DShK and DShKM have been almost completely replaced by the Utes machine gun, as it is more advanced and modern.