Automatic semi-automatic guns of World War 2. Small arms of the Wehrmacht of the Second World War - Schmeisser and others

With a rifled barrel it is the main weapon of a soldier in any army. The American television channel Discovery once again pleased the world with its latest weapons rating, based on the results of which the best rifle of the 20th century was chosen. Despite some bias and bias in the Military Channel programs, I believe that it is always useful to get acquainted with a foreign perspective on a topic that interests us.

Each model was evaluated by military experts for accuracy of fire, combat effectiveness, originality of design, ease of use and reliability. The presented weapon models were created throughout the 20th century, which did not confuse the experts at all - in their opinion, good small arms have been used in the regular army for decades, and then get a second life in regional conflicts, which abound in the 20th century. To be convinced of the validity of these words, it is enough to recall the Mosin “three-line” model of 1891, the Kalashnikov assault rifle or the legendary “Colt” M1911 - the index speaks for itself, but even after 100 years the pistol does not seem like an anachronism and is still widely used throughout to the world.

10th place - A rifle that strikes on the spot.
Automatic rifle M14
Caliber: 7.62 mm
Muzzle velocity: 850 m/s
Rate of fire: 700-750 rounds/min.
Magazine capacity: 20 rounds

During World War II, the American army faced a major problem: each infantry platoon used three types of small arms with various ammunition: standard semi-automatic M1 Garand rifle (caliber 0.30-06), 45-caliber Thompson submachine gun and Browning M1918 light machine gun (7.62 x 63 mm). The result of work on the topic “universal small arms” was the creation of the M14 automatic rifle; the weapon was put into service in 1957 (complete with an M76 under-barrel grenade launcher). The M14 used a full-size 7.62 caliber cartridge (powder charge 1.5 times greater than that of the AK-47), giving the rifle a longer effective firing range and high lethality of the ammunition.

However, in practice new rifle turned out to be of little use for combat: the extremely powerful ammunition did not allow firing in bursts without using a bipod - at a distance of 100 meters, the 3rd bullet in the burst went 10 meters higher starting point aiming. Most rifles were issued to soldiers with the fire mode translator removed - firing in bursts from the M14 was nothing more than a waste of ammunition. After suffering with the M14 for several years, the Americans adopted a new automatic weapon chambered for a low-impulse cartridge. In 1964, the combat career of the M14 as the main army rifle ended, but the high power and excellent accuracy of this unsuccessful machine gun made it possible to create a line of special rifles based on it - the M21 self-loading sniper rifle, the high-precision weapon for special forces - the M14 Enhanced Battle Rifle, the TEI M89 sniper rifle -SR for the Israel Defense Forces, rifle for the Lithuanian Armed Forces, etc.

9th place – First assault rifle
Sturmgewehr 44
Caliber: 7.92 mm
Muzzle velocity: 650 m/s
Rate of fire: 500 rounds/min.
Magazine capacity: 30 rounds

So unique weapon that its creation was hidden even from Hitler. In the middle of World War II, the Wehrmacht came up with the idea
creating a new small arms that combined the high rate of fire of a submachine gun and the power of a long-barreled rifle. German designers found an ingenious solution - an intermediate cartridge 7.92 x 33 mm. Now the recoil did not tear the machine gun out of the hands, however, the effective range and destructive power of the ammunition were quite consistent with a classic long-barreled rifle. And thanks to the reduction in the mass of the cartridge, the wearable ammunition load has increased.

Alas, Uncle Adolf himself stood in the way of the successful project - fortunately for our soldiers, Hitler did not appreciate the advantages of the intermediate cartridge and closed the project. But the enormous firepower of the machine guns impressed the military so much that in 1943 their mass production began under the “leftist” designation MP-43. During one of the inspection trips, the leader of the German nation was surprised by the request of the soldiers - they needed more assault rifles. Despite the revealed deception, Hitler independently came up with a sonorous name for the new “wunderwaffe” - Sturmgewehr 44 (“Hurricane Rifle”).

Despite the primitiveness of the design, German machine gun rightfully receives high praise for the innovative nature of the design - there is still debate as to whether the legendary Kalashnikov assault rifle was created under the impression of the StG 44.

8th place – American centenarian
Springfield M1903
Caliber: 7.62 mm
Muzzle velocity: 820 m/s.
Rate of fire: 10 rounds/min.
Clip capacity: 5 rounds

American rifle of the early twentieth century, one of many successful designs created at that time. Accurate and reliable weapon.
In 1941, American soldiers went into battle with the same rifles that their fathers had used 20 years earlier. There were simply not enough new M1 Garand rifles, and the Marines had to use the Springfield M1903 in battle, but objectively, the rifle at that time was not at all outdated, surpassing all Japanese models in its main characteristics. It was also used in Vietnam as a special sniper rifle (“What was there in this Vietnam!” the reader will exclaim, and he will be right - weapons from all over the world, from different time periods, fought there). Nowadays, “Springfields” are carefully kept in many American families.
A good weapon, but, in my opinion, the creators of the show could have found more interesting things for the rating. The Americans paid tribute to their traditions, and they have the right to rate them.

7th place - Back to front
Automatic rifle Steyr AUG
Caliber: 5.56 mm
Muzzle velocity: 940 m/s
Rate of fire: 650 rds/min
Magazine capacity: 30 or 42 rounds

The exotic design and technology of the Austrian Steyr AUG rifle became a real challenge to army traditions. The Armee Universal Gewehr small arms complex, which appeared in 1977, represented a new direction in the design of small arms - bullpup assault rifles, in which the magazine and bolt assembly are located behind the fire control handle and trigger. This made the rifle light and compact, and also increased the accuracy of fire. Other interesting features of the Steyr AUG include: a set of quick-release barrels of different lengths (replacement takes a dozen seconds), a built-in low-magnification optical sight, the absence of a fire mode translator (the selection of modes is carried out by the depth of the trigger press), a choice of the direction of ejection of cartridges - for the first time, a weapon has been adapted for right-handers and left-handers.

But, despite its outstanding specifications and excellent Austrian quality, the Steyr is not widely used in the world - in addition to the Austrian army, it is produced under license in Australia, used in some Arab countries and in the US Coast Guard. Unusual appearance The machine scared off most potential customers.

By the way, the experts were wrong - the first automatic rifle built according to the bullpup design was the Korovin assault rifle, created in 1945. Unfortunately, the unfinished design and the overall low technical level of performance did not allow it to successfully pass tests.

6th place - Hitler's favorite rifle
Bolt-action rifle Mauser K98k
Caliber: 7.92 mm.
Muzzle velocity: 860 m/s.
Rate of fire: 10-15 rds/min
Magazine capacity: 5 rounds

The Mauser K98 rifle, adopted by the Reichsheer in 1898, absorbed the most promising achievements of the then weapons science. Among them: smokeless powder, cartridge clips that can simply be inserted into the magazine, and, finally, a bolt-action bolt action - quick and easy, still used in most hunting rifles.

It is not surprising that the rifle pleased the young corporal A. Hitler. In 1935, a shortened version of the Mauser K98 was adopted by the Wehrmacht army, receiving the name Mauser K98k.

In 1943, when preparing the assassination attempt on Hitler (it was planned to land two elite snipers in the area of ​​Hitler’s Alpine residence), British intelligence was faced with the question: which rifle to use in the operation. The answer was clear: only the Mauser M98k due to its high accuracy. Gradually the situation changed, and along with it, plans to eliminate the mustachioed Fuhrer changed. In 1944, the British canceled the operation altogether: Hitler, with his stupid orders, was causing more harm to Germany than good.

On May 9, 1945, the history of the Third Reich ended, but the history of the Mauser K98k continued. The kosher rifle became the main small arms of the Israel Defense Forces (although the Americans are disingenuous - in the first years of the IDF’s existence, its small arms were a hodgepodge from all over the world, and the Mauser was far from the main one there, but not the last).

5th place – Right hand free world
Automatic rifle FN FAL
Caliber: 7.62 mm
Muzzle velocity: 820 m/s.
Rate of fire: 650-700 rds/min
Magazine capacity: 20 rounds

The FN FAL assault rifle has become a symbol of the struggle of Western civilization for the ideals of freedom and democracy - the weapon was supplied to 70 countries around the world, and is still produced in the USA. The “Big Belgian Barrel” was originally designed for shortened ammunition, but due to the standardization of weapons within the NATO bloc, it was converted to a powerful American cartridge of 7.62 x 51 mm. Despite the excessive power, the Fabric National engineers managed to achieve more or less acceptable accuracy of fire in automatic fire mode. The result is a heavy classic rifle with enormous destructive power, reliable and easy to use.

The FN FAL was the main small arms weapon of the Israel Defense Forces during Six Day War, was used in the jungles of Vietnam by units of the Canadian and Australian armies, where it showed itself with the best side than the American M16. A funny embarrassment happened during the Falklands conflict - British marines and Argentine soldiers shot at each other from FN FAL.

4th place – Weapons of the winners in World War II
Semi-automatic rifle M1 "Garand"
Caliber: 7.62 mm
Muzzle velocity: 860 m/s
Rate of fire: up to 30 rounds per minute.
Clip capacity: 8 rounds

A true legend, a symbol of that great generation of Americans. A soldier armed with an M1 felt real power in his hands - a semi-automatic eight-shot rifle was the best weapon in the world for an infantryman at that time.
The M1 Garand, named after Canadian engineer John Garand, entered service in 1936 and remained the primary rifle of the US Army until 1957.

World War II poster - US flag has 48 stars (missing Alaska and Hawaii)

When millions of American soldiers went to fight on foreign shores, the M1 rifle suddenly developed a curious drawback: to increase the rate of fire, John Garand used automatic ejection of an empty pack in his weapon - after the eighth shot was fired, the clip instantly flew out of the rifle's bolt mechanism with a clang. A very convenient feature in Peaceful time, but the enemy soldiers quickly realized what the specific sound meant - the American GI was unarmed. But not everything is so simple - perhaps the cunning Marine clicked the spare clip on the bolt and threw the pack on the ground, waiting for the deceived Japanese to raise his head from cover.

Seriously speaking, the M1 Garand showed itself to be the most in the best possible way in a variety of climatic conditions– in the jungles of tropical islands, the sands of the Sahara or the snowdrifts of the Ardennes. There were no complaints about the reliability of the rifle. The Garand was simple, powerful and had excellent shooting accuracy. Soldiers armed with the M1 fought on all fronts of World War II; the rifle was used in Korea and, despite being officially retired, was often seen in the jungles of Vietnam.

3rd place – In the service of the Empire
Bolt-action rifle Lee-Enfield SMLE
Caliber: .303 British (7.7 mm)
Muzzle velocity: 740 m/s
Rate of fire: 20-30 rds/min
Magazine capacity: 10 rounds

Afghan Mujahid with Lee-Enfield SMLE, Kunar Province, 1985

For non-automatic rifles, the Lee-Enfield SMLE had a simply terrifying rate of fire thanks to a successful bolt design and a high-capacity magazine capable of holding 10 rounds (in this indicator, the Lee-Enfield SMLE was the leader throughout the first half of the 20th century). A trained shooter could fire up to 30 shots from it in a minute, turning a target into a sieve at a distance of 200 m. The “Crazy Minute” was one of the most spectacular numbers during the demonstration performances of the British Army.

The Lee-Enfield SMLE's fire density is comparable to that of modern semi-automatic rifles and carbines. It is not surprising that this weapon survived two world wars and was used all over the world for a long time, protecting the interests of the British Empire. Between 1907 and 1975, 17 million of these killer rifles were produced.

2nd place - Black rifle
Automatic assault rifle M16
Caliber: 5.56 mm
Muzzle velocity: 1020 m/s.
Rate of fire: 700-950 rds/min
Magazine capacity: 20 or 30 rounds

In 2003, alarming information began to arrive from the territory of occupied Iraq - too many Iraqi soldiers were killed by head-shots. The results of numerous brutal reprisals against prisoners are evident. But why are the bodies of the murdered lying everywhere? Did the experienced punishers really not even bother, at least for the sake of decency, to remove the evidence in the face of numerous international observers? Iraqi soldiers were shot in the head where they took their last Stand, leaning out of tank hatches and house windows, in trenches and on barricades. Often in equipment and with weapons in their hands.

The Coalition Forces command explained this paradox by the superior accuracy of the M-16 rifles and the excellent training of American snipers. Thousands of people around the world stopped breathing thanks to the M16.

Comic for American soldiers: how to properly clean and disassemble the M16, 60s. Tastefully decorated

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For 50 years, the M16 has been an indispensable attribute of the American soldier. Despite the lower barrel energy, the power of the low-pulse 5.56 x 45 mm cartridge was quite enough to stop a person; often, when it hit the body, the bullet began to tumble unimaginably, further enlarging the wound channel. At the same time, recoil was reduced and shooting accuracy increased. The design of the automatic rifle is made of plastic and alloyed aluminum, thanks to which the M16 had a minimum weight - only 2.88 kg without a magazine.

The "Black Rifle" was the nickname given to the M16 by American soldiers in Vietnam, but despite its stylish appearance, the new weapon had many problems. The machine mechanism did not tolerate dirt and sand. The problem was solved by sealing the rifle, for example, the window for ejecting cartridges is closed with a spring-loaded curtain. In a word, you need to try to get dirt inside the M16.

The Americans admit that the M16 has excellent shooting accuracy, but this “toy” also requires careful handling from its owner. The American assault rifle is not suitable for a partisan detachment, it is created for professional army, in which cleaning and lubricating weapons is the daily duty of every soldier. In return, the M16 makes it possible to shoot an enemy in the head from 500 m.

1st place – Thirty charges of rock and roll. The bad guys' weapons.

Automatic assault rifle AK-47
Caliber: 7.62 mm
Muzzle velocity: 710 m/s.
Rate of fire: 600 rds/min
Magazine capacity: 30 rounds

Universal killing machine, the most lethal weapon of all things ever created by man - according to statistics, the number of people killed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle is many times greater than the number of victims atomic bombings or killed in any other way. 1/5 of the world's small arms reserves are Kalashnikov assault rifles. Countless clones and modifications, 60 years of combat service in all hot corners of the planet. In terms of the number of armies that have adopted this weapon, Kalashnikov can only compete with the FN FAL. The AK-47 appears on the national flag of Mozambique.

How did the Russians manage to achieve SUCH an impressive result? American experts smile and shrug – this is probably the only time America has lost to smithereens Soviet Union. The reasons for the wild popularity of the Kalash are low cost, ease of maintenance, reliability, reliability and once again RELIABILITY.

Osama Bin Laden and his Kalashnikov

Covered with rust and dirt, buried in sand or thrown with all its might onto the ground - the Kalashnikov assault rifle continues to fire in any conditions. All you need to service it is a finger and a rag. It is no coincidence that experts compared shooting from a Kalash to the game of rock and roll: the same drive, the same reckless hacking without stopping. True, experts found a “flaw” in the legendary assault rifle - a not very attractive design (but for some reason the ugly appearance of the Kalashnikov assault rifle did not at all affect its worldwide commercial success). Thanks to its simplicity and effectiveness in any conditions, the Kalash has become a faithful companion of bandits, partisans and terrorists around the world. “Kalash” was promoted with all its might in the United States - Hollywood specially worked to create its negative image: clearly, “Kalash” is the weapon of the bad guys.

Note: Many phrases and statements in this text may seem strange to you. The author just translated the funniest opuses of Military Channel experts.

By the end of the 30s, almost all participants in the coming world war had formed common directions in the development of small arms. The range and accuracy of the attack was reduced, which was compensated by the greater density of fire. As a consequence of this, the beginning of mass rearmament of units with automatic small arms - submachine guns, machine guns, assault rifles.

Accuracy of fire began to fade into the background, while the soldiers advancing in a chain began to be taught shooting on the move. With the advent airborne troops There was a need to create special lightweight weapons.

Maneuver warfare also affected machine guns: they became much lighter and more mobile. New types of small arms appeared (which was dictated, first of all, by the need to fight tanks) - rifle grenades, anti-tank rifles and RPGs with cumulative grenades.

Small arms of the USSR World War II

On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, the rifle division of the Red Army was a very formidable force - about 14.5 thousand people. The main type of small arms were rifles and carbines - 10,420 pieces. The share of submachine guns was insignificant - 1204. There were 166, 392 and 33 units of heavy, light and anti-aircraft machine guns, respectively.

The division had its own artillery of 144 guns and 66 mortars. The firepower was supplemented by 16 tanks, 13 armored vehicles and a solid fleet of auxiliary vehicles.

Rifles and carbines

Three-line Mosin
The main small arms of the USSR infantry units of the first period of the war was certainly the famous three-line rifle - the 7.62 mm S.I. Mosin rifle of the 1891 model, modernized in 1930. Its advantages are well known - strength, reliability, ease of maintenance, combined with good ballistics qualities, in particular, with an aiming range of 2 km.

Three-line Mosin

The three-line rifle is an ideal weapon for newly recruited soldiers, and the simplicity of the design created enormous opportunities for its mass production. But like any weapon, the three-line gun had its drawbacks. The permanently attached bayonet in combination with a long barrel (1670 mm) created inconvenience when moving, especially in wooded areas. The bolt handle caused serious complaints when reloading.

After battle

On its basis it was created sniper rifle and a series of carbines of the 1938 and 1944 model. Fate gave the three-line a long life (the last three-line was released in 1965), participation in many wars and an astronomical “circulation” of 37 million copies.

Sniper with Mosin rifle

SVT-40
At the end of the 30s, the outstanding Soviet weapons designer F.V. Tokarev developed a 10-round self-loading rifle cal. 7.62 mm SVT-38, which after modernization received the name SVT-40. It “lost weight” by 600 g and became shorter due to the introduction of thinner wooden parts, additional holes in the casing and a decrease in the length of the bayonet. A little later, a sniper rifle appeared at its base. Automatic firing was ensured by the removal of powder gases. The ammunition was placed in a box-shaped, detachable magazine.

The target range of the SVT-40 is up to 1 km. The SVT-40 served with honor on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. It was also appreciated by our opponents. Historical fact: Having captured rich trophies at the beginning of the war, among which there were many SVT-40s, the German army... adopted it for service, and the Finns created their own rifle on the basis of the SVT-40 - TaRaKo.

Soviet sniper with SVT-40

The creative development of the ideas implemented in the SVT-40 became the AVT-40 automatic rifle. It differed from its predecessor in its ability to fire automatically at a rate of up to 25 rounds per minute. The disadvantage of the AVT-40 is its low accuracy of fire, strong unmasking flame and loud sound at the moment of firing. Subsequently, as automatic weapons entered the military en masse, they were removed from service.

Submachine guns

PPD-40
The Great Patriotic War became the time of the final transition from rifles to automatic weapons. The Red Army began to fight, armed with a small number of PPD-40 - a submachine gun designed by the outstanding Soviet designer Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev. At that time, PPD-40 was in no way inferior to its domestic and foreign counterparts.

Designed for a pistol cartridge cal. 7.62 x 25 mm, the PPD-40 had an impressive ammunition load of 71 rounds, housed in a drum-type magazine. Weighing about 4 kg, it fired at a rate of 800 rounds per minute with an effective range of up to 200 meters. However, just a few months after the start of the war it was replaced by the legendary PPSh-40 cal. 7.62 x 25 mm.

PPSh-40
The creator of the PPSh-40, designer Georgy Semenovich Shpagin, was faced with the task of developing an extremely easy-to-use, reliable, technologically advanced, cheap to produce mass weapon.

PPSh-40

Fighter with PPSh-40

From its predecessor, the PPD-40, the PPSh inherited a drum magazine with 71 rounds. A little later, a simpler and more reliable sector horn magazine with 35 rounds was developed for it. The weight of the equipped machine guns (both versions) was 5.3 and 4.15 kg, respectively. The rate of fire of the PPSh-40 reached 900 rounds per minute with an aiming range of up to 300 meters and the ability to fire single shots.

PPSh-40 assembly shop

To master the PPSh-40, a few lessons were enough. It could easily be disassembled into 5 parts made using stamping and welding technology, thanks to which during the war years the Soviet defense industry produced about 5.5 million machine guns.

PPS-42
In the summer of 1942, the young designer Alexey Sudaev presented his brainchild - a 7.62 mm submachine gun. It was strikingly different from its “bigger brothers” PPD and PPSh-40 in its rational layout, higher manufacturability and ease of manufacturing parts using arc welding.

PPS-42

Son of the regiment with a Sudaev machine gun

PPS-42 was 3.5 kg lighter and required three times less manufacturing time. However, despite its quite obvious advantages, it never became a mass weapon, leaving the PPSh-40 to take the lead.

DP-27 light machine gun

By the beginning of the war, the DP-27 light machine gun (Degtyarev infantry, 7.62mm caliber) had been in service with the Red Army for almost 15 years, having the status of the main light machine gun of infantry units. Its automation was powered by the energy of powder gases. The gas regulator reliably protected the mechanism from contamination and high temperatures.

The DP-27 could only fire automatically, but even a beginner needed a few days to master shooting in short bursts of 3-5 shots. Ammunition of 47 rounds was placed in a disk magazine with a bullet towards the center in one row. The magazine itself was mounted on top of the receiver. The weight of the unloaded machine gun was 8.5 kg. An equipped magazine increased it by almost another 3 kg.

Machine gun crew DP-27 in battle

It was powerful weapon with an aiming range of 1.5 km and a combat rate of fire of up to 150 rounds per minute. In the firing position, the machine gun rested on a bipod. A flame arrester was screwed onto the end of the barrel, significantly reducing its unmasking effect. The DP-27 was serviced by a gunner and his assistant. In total, about 800 thousand machine guns were produced.

Small arms of the Wehrmacht of World War II

The main strategy of the German army is offensive or blitzkrieg (blitzkrieg - lightning war). The decisive role in it was assigned to large tank formations, carrying out deep breakthroughs of the enemy’s defenses in cooperation with artillery and aviation.

Tank units bypassed powerful fortified areas, destroying control centers and rear communications, without which the enemy quickly lost their combat effectiveness. The defeat was completed by motorized units of the ground forces.

Small arms of the Wehrmacht infantry division
The staff of the German infantry division of the 1940 model assumed the presence of 12,609 rifles and carbines, 312 submachine guns (machine guns), light and heavy machine guns - 425 and 110 pieces, respectively, 90 anti-tank rifles and 3,600 pistols.

Weapon The Wehrmacht generally met the high demands of wartime. It was reliable, trouble-free, simple, easy to manufacture and maintain, which contributed to its serial production.

Rifles, carbines, machine guns

Mauser 98K
The Mauser 98K is an improved version of the Mauser 98 rifle, developed at the end of the 19th century by the brothers Paul and Wilhelm Mauser, founders of the world famous arms company. Equipping the German army with it began in 1935.

Mauser 98K

The weapon was loaded with a clip of five 7.92 mm cartridges. A trained soldier could shoot 15 times within a minute at a range of up to 1.5 km. The Mauser 98K was very compact. Its main characteristics: weight, length, barrel length - 4.1 kg x 1250 x 740 mm. The indisputable advantages of the rifle are evidenced by numerous conflicts involving it, longevity and a truly sky-high “circulation” - more than 15 million units.

At the shooting range. Mauser 98K rifle

G-41 rifle
The self-loading ten-shot rifle G-41 became the German response to the massive equipping of the Red Army with rifles - SVT-38, 40 and ABC-36. Its sighting range reached 1200 meters. Only single shooting was allowed. Its significant disadvantages - significant weight, low reliability and increased vulnerability to contamination - were subsequently eliminated. The combat “circulation” amounted to several hundred thousand rifle samples.

G-41 rifle

MP-40 "Schmeisser" assault rifle
Perhaps the most famous Wehrmacht small arms of the Second World War was the famous MP-40 submachine gun, a modification of its predecessor, the MP-36, created by Heinrich Vollmer. However, as fate would have it, he is better known under the name “Schmeisser”, obtained thanks to the stamp on the store - “PATENT SCHMEISSER”. The stigma simply meant that, in addition to G. Vollmer, Hugo Schmeisser also participated in the creation of the MP-40, but only as the creator of the store.

MP-40 "Schmeisser" assault rifle

Initially, the MP-40 was intended to arm the command staff of infantry units, but later it was transferred to the disposal of tank crews, armored vehicle drivers, paratroopers and special forces soldiers.

A German soldier fires from an MP-40

However, the MP-40 was absolutely unsuitable for infantry units, since it was exclusively a melee weapon. In a fierce battle on open area having a weapon with a firing range of 70 to 150 meters meant for a German soldier to be practically unarmed in front of his enemy, armed with Mosin and Tokarev rifles with a firing range of 400 to 800 meters.

StG-44 assault rifle
Assault rifle StG-44 (sturmgewehr) cal. 7.92mm is another legend of the Third Reich. This is certainly an outstanding creation by Hugo Schmeisser - the prototype of many post-war assault rifles and machine guns, including the famous AK-47.

The StG-44 could conduct single and automatic fire. Its weight with a full magazine was 5.22 kg. At a target range of 800 meters, the Sturmgewehr was in no way inferior to its main competitors. There were three versions of the magazine - for 15, 20 and 30 shots with a rate of up to 500 rounds per second. The option of using a rifle with an under-barrel grenade launcher and an infrared sight was considered.

Creator of Sturmgever 44 Hugo Schmeisser

Not without its shortcomings. The assault rifle was heavier than the Mauser-98K by a whole kilogram. Its wooden butt sometimes could not withstand hand-to-hand combat and simply broke. The flame escaping from the barrel revealed the location of the shooter, and the long magazine and sighting devices forced him to raise his head high in a prone position.

Sturmgever 44 with IR sight

In total, before the end of the war, German industry produced about 450 thousand StG-44s, which were used mainly by elite SS units.

Machine guns
By the beginning of the 30s, the military leadership of the Wehrmacht came to the need to create a universal machine gun, which, if necessary, could be transformed, for example, from a manual one to an easel one and vice versa. This is how a series of machine guns was born - MG - 34, 42, 45.

German machine gunner with MG-42

MG-42 caliber 7.92 mm is quite rightly called one of the best machine guns Second World War. It was developed at Grossfus by engineers Werner Gruner and Kurt Horn. Those who experienced its firepower were very outspoken. Our soldiers called it a “lawn mower,” and the allies called it “Hitler’s circular saw.”

Depending on the type of bolt, the machine gun fired accurately at a speed of up to 1500 rpm at a range of up to 1 km. Ammunition was supplied using a machine gun belt with 50 - 250 rounds of ammunition. The uniqueness of the MG-42 was complemented by a relatively small number of parts - 200 - and the high technology of their production using stamping and spot welding.

The barrel, hot from shooting, was replaced with a spare one in a few seconds using a special clamp. In total, about 450 thousand machine guns were produced. The unique technical developments embodied in the MG-42 were borrowed by gunsmiths from many countries around the world when creating their machine guns.

Content

Based on materials from techcult

• Rifles of Germany, America, Japan, Britain, USSR (PHOTO)
• Pistols
• Submachine guns
• Anti-tank weapons
• Flamethrowers

Briefly, it can be noted that even before the start of World War II, general directions in the development and production of small arms took shape in various countries of the world. When developing new types and modernizing old ones, more attention was paid to increasing the density of fire. At the same time, accuracy and firing range faded into the background. This led to further development and an increase in the number of automatic types of small arms. The most popular were submachine guns, machine guns, assault rifles, etc.
The need to fire, as they say, on the move, led in turn to the development of lighter weapons. In particular, machine guns have become much lighter and more mobile.
In addition, weapons such as shotgun grenades, anti-tank rifles and grenade launchers have emerged for the fight.

Rifles of Germany, America, Japan, Britain, USSR

They were one of the most popular types of weapons during the Second World War. At the same time, most of them with a longitudinally sliding bolt had “common roots”, going back to the Mauser Hewehr 98, which entered service with the German troops even before the First World War.

• The French also developed their own analogue of a self-loading rifle. However, due to its large length (almost one and a half meters), the RSC M1917 never became widespread.
• Often, when developing rifles of this kind, designers “sacrificed” the effective firing range for the sake of increasing the rate of fire.

Pistols

Pistols from manufacturers known in the previous conflict continued to be personal small arms in World War II. Moreover, during the break between wars, many of them were modernized, increasing their effectiveness.
The magazine capacity of pistols of this period ranged from 6 to 8 rounds, which allowed continuous shooting.

• The only exception in this series was the American Browning High-Power, whose magazine held 13 rounds.
• The most widely known weapons of this type were the German Parabellums, Lugers, and later Walthers, the British Enfield No. 2 Mk I and the Soviet TT-30 and 33.

Submachine guns

The appearance of this type of weapon was the next step in strengthening the firepower of the infantry. They found widespread use in battles in the Eastern Theater of Operations.

• Here German troops used the Maschinenpistole 40 (MP 40).
• In service Soviet army were successively replaced by the “PPD 1934/38”, the prototype for which was the German “Bergman MR 28”, PPSh-41 and PPS-42.

Anti-tank weapons

The development of tanks and other armored vehicles led to the emergence of weapons that were capable of taking out even the heaviest vehicles.

• Thus, in 1943, the Ml Bazooka, and subsequently its improved version M9, appeared in service with the American troops.
• Germany, in turn, taking US weapons as a model, mastered the production of the RPzB Panzerschreck. However, the most popular was the Panzerfaust, the production of which was relatively inexpensive, and it itself was quite effective.
• The British used PIAT against tanks and armored vehicles.

It is noteworthy that the modernization of this type of weapon did not stop throughout the war. This was due, first of all, to the fact that it was also continuously strengthening and improving tank armor and to break through it, increasingly strong firepower was required.

Flamethrowers

Speaking about small arms of that period, one cannot fail to mention flamethrowers, which were one of the most terrible types of weapons and at the same time the most effective. The Nazis especially actively used flamethrowers to fight the defenders of Stalingrad, who were hiding in sewer “pockets”.

Second World War is the greatest military conflict in human history. Most countries in the world have something to do with it. In the war, soldiers used the most modern weapons at that time. Many types of weapons have become very popular for one reason or another. In this top we will look at the most popular weapons of the Second World War.

• 10 SVT-40 Tokarev self-loading rifle

  This rifle is designed Soviet designer Fedor Vasilyevich Tokarev in 1940 and in the same year it was adopted by the Red Army. During the Great Patriotic War, it was the most popular rifle, and it was also mass-produced. Despite its shortcomings, such as unreliability, large dimensions and sensitivity to contamination, it was popular among soldiers in Germany, the USA and Finland. This SVT-40 rifle was produced until the end of World War II, and then was discontinued due to its shortcomings.

• 9 StG 44

  
  

  This assault rifle was developed by Hugo Schmeisser in 1943 and adopted by the Third Reich in the same year. This rifle was the first to implement the idea of ​​an intermediate cartridge, which was something in between a pistol and a rifle cartridge. The StG 44 had high shooting accuracy at short and medium distances, and was also distinguished by its rate of fire, convenience and compactness. However, it also had disadvantages, such as excess weight and fragility of the stem. This weapon became the prototype for many other types of weapons. Its production ceased in 1945, with the fall of the Third Reich.

• 8 M1 Garand

  
  

  Developed in 1936, the rifle was adopted by the US Army in 1931 and was used by US forces throughout US involvement in World War II. This rifle was distinguished by reliability, good accuracy, and also a high rate of fire, twice that of conventional rifles. However, due to the overly powerful cartridge, it was overweight and expensive to produce. The M1 Garand rifle was discontinued in 1957.

• 7

  
  

  This rifle, developed in 1935, was adopted the same year and became the most popular rifle of the Third Reich army. Its main advantages include its good penetration capabilities, convenience compared to analogues, and a hidden magazine. Disadvantages are the rifle's low magazine capacity - 5 rounds, strong recoil, not very high rate of fire and high cost of production. This was produced until the end of World War II.

• 6 Thompson Thompson submachine gun

  
  

  This submachine gun was developed in 1920, which did not prevent it from remaining in production until 1971. It had a high rate of fire and the ability to use a disk magazine, which increased the number of cartridges in the magazine several times. He was also different high quality. However, it was heavy, and its production was expensive and difficult.

• 5 Mosin rifle

  
  

  The Mosin rifle was developed in 1891 by Sergei Ivanovich Mosin and was produced until 1965. This rifle was extremely easy to manufacture, maintain and use. It was also distinguished by its reliability and good accuracy. However, despite all these advantages, it was very inconvenient, since during the Second World War it was already obsolete.

• 4 TT Tula Tokareva

  
  

  This pistol was developed in 1930 by Fedor Vasilyevich Tokarev. It was developed on a competitive basis in order to replace the outdated Nagan pistol, which is in service with the Red Army. The gun is inexpensive and is also easy to manufacture and maintain. TT has high accuracy and high penetrating power. This pistol continues to be used today.

• 3 Luger Parabellum Luger Pistol

  
  

  This pistol was developed in 1900 by designer Georg Luger. This pistol was very expensive and difficult to manufacture, but had very high accuracy, as well as a high rate of fire for its time. This pistol is a fairly successful model of pistols, and therefore is still produced to this day.

• 2 PPSh Shpagin submachine gun

  
  

  This submachine gun was developed by designer Georgy Semyonovich Shpagin in 1940. In the same year, it was adopted by the USSR Army. It remained the main submachine gun of the Soviet army until the 60s, when it was replaced by the Kalashnikov assault rifle. The PPSh was distinguished by its low cost and ease of production, ease of use, reliability, rate of fire and high penetrating ability. However, it also had disadvantages, such as a high probability of spontaneous discharge when falling. It also often jammed due to the not very successful structure of the cartridges.

• 1 MP-40

  
  

  Thanks to Soviet cinema, this submachine gun, developed in Germany in 1938, became a kind of personification of the army of the Third Reich. However, this submachine gun was not the most popular machine gun in the German army, as it was presented. This is primarily due to the high cost of production. However, now in the minds of contemporaries this machine gun is the most famous weapon of the Wehrmacht. The MP-40 submachine gun was distinguished by high accuracy and accuracy of fire. Thanks to all these factors, he became the most popular weapon World War II and a kind of symbol of the Third Reich.

Rifles deserve special attention. Operating rifles does not require as much training as, for example, driving a tank or piloting an airplane, and even women or completely inexperienced fighters can easily handle them. The relatively small size and ease of operation have made rifles one of the most widespread and popular weapons for warfare.

M1 Garand (Em-One Garand)

The Em-One Garand was the standard US Army infantry rifle from 1936 to 1959. The semi-automatic rifle, which General George S. Patton called “the greatest weapon of war ever created,” gave the American army a huge advantage in World War II.

While the German, Italian and Japanese armies still issued bolt-action rifles to their infantry, the M1 was semi-automatic and highly accurate. This caused the popular Japanese strategy of "desperate attack" to become much less effective, as they were now faced with an enemy that fired quickly and without missing. The M1 was also available with add-ons such as a bayonet or grenade launcher.

Lee Enfield

The British Lee-Enfield No. 4 MK became the main infantry rifle of the British and Allied armies. By 1941, when mass production and use of the Lee-Enfield began, the rifle had undergone a number of changes and modifications to the bolt action mechanism, the original version of which was created back in 1895. Some units (such as the Bangladesh Police) still use the Lee-Enfield, making it the only bolt action rifle in service for such a long time. In total, there are 17 million Lee-Enfield products of various series and modifications.

The Lee-Enfield has a similar rate of fire to the Em-One Garand. The sighting slit of the sight was designed in such a way that the projectile could hit the target from a distance of 180-1200 meters, which significantly increased the firing range and accuracy. Lee-Enfield fired 303 British cartridges with a caliber of 7.9 mm and fired up to 10 shots at a time in two bursts of 5 rounds.

Colt 1911 (Colt 1911)

The Colt is undoubtedly one of the most popular pistols of all time. It was Colt who set the quality bar for all pistols of the twentieth century.

The standard weapon of the US Armed Forces from 1911 to 1986, the Colt 1911 has been modified for use today.

The Colt 1911 was developed by John Moses Browning during the Philippine-American War because troops needed a weapon with high stopping power. The Colt 45 caliber coped with this task perfectly. It was a reliable and powerful weapon for the US infantry during World War II.

The first Colt - Colt Paterson - was created and patented by Samuel Colt in 1835. It was a six-shot revolver with a cap action. By the time John Browning designed his famous Colt 1911, Colt's Manufacturing Company was producing at least 17 Colt models. At first these were single-action revolvers, then double-action revolvers, and starting in 1900 the company began producing pistols. All the predecessor pistols of the Colt 1911 were small in size, relatively low in power, and were intended for concealed carry, for which they were nicknamed “vest pistols.” Our hero won the hearts of many generations - he was reliable, accurate, heavy, looked impressive and turned out to be the longest-lived weapon in the United States, serving faithfully in the military and police until the 1980s.

The Shpagin submachine gun (PPSh-41) is a Soviet-made assault rifle used both during and after World War II. Made primarily from stamped sheet metal and wood, the Shpagin submachine gun was produced in quantities of up to 3,000 daily.

The Shpagin submachine gun replaced more early version Degtyarev submachine gun (PPD-40), being its cheaper and more modern modification. "Shpagin" fired up to 1000 rounds per minute and was equipped with an automatic loader with 71 rounds. Firepower With the advent of the Shpagin submachine gun, the USSR increased significantly.

Submachine gun STEN (STEN)

The British STEN submachine gun was developed and created in conditions of a massive shortage of weapons and an urgent need for combat units. Having lost huge quantities of weapons during the Dunkerque operation and facing the constant threat of a German invasion, the United Kingdom needed strong infantry firepower - as soon as possible and without special costs.

STEN was perfect for this role. The design was simple, and assembly could be carried out in almost all factories in England. Due to the lack of funding and the difficult conditions in which it was created, the model turned out to be crude, and the military often complained about misfires. However, it was the boost to arms production that Britain so desperately needed. STEN was so simple in design that many countries and guerrilla forces quickly mastered its production and began producing their own models. Among them were members of the Polish resistance - the number of units of STENs they produced reached 2000.

During World War II, the United States produced more than 1.5 million Thompson submachine guns. The Thompson, which would later become known as the weapon of choice for American gangsters, was highly prized during the war for its effectiveness in close combat, especially among paratroopers.

The mass production model for the US Army beginning in 1942 was the M1A1 carbine, which was a simpler, cheaper version of the Thompson.

Equipped with a 30-round magazine, the Thompson fired .45 caliber cartridges, very popular in the United States at the time, and exhibited excellent stopping characteristics.

Bren light machine gun

The Bren light machine gun was a powerful, easy-to-use weapon that could always be relied upon, and was the main weapon for British infantry platoons. A licensed British modification of the Czechoslovak ZB-26, the Bren was introduced into the British Army as the main light machine gun, three per platoon, one for each rifle station.

Any problem that arose with Bren could be solved by the soldier himself by simply adjusting the gas spring. Designed for the 303 British cartridge used at Lee-Enfield, the Bren was fitted with a 30-round magazine and fired 500-520 rounds per minute. Both Bren and his Czechoslovakian predecessor are very popular today.

The Browning M1918 Automatic Rifle was a light machine gun in service with the US Army in 1938 and was used until the Vietnam War. Even though the US never set out to develop a practical and powerful light machine gun like the British Bren or the German MG34, the Browning was still a worthy model.

Weighing between 6 and 11 kg and chambered in .30-06 caliber, the Browning was originally intended as a support weapon. But when American troops faced heavily armed Germans, tactics had to be changed: for each rifle squad, at least two Brownings were now given, which were the main elements of the tactical decision.

The MG34 single machine gun was one of the weapons that made up Germany's military might. One of the most reliable and high-quality machine guns of World War II, the MG34 had an unsurpassed rate of fire - up to 900 rounds per minute. It was also equipped with a double trigger, which made both semi-automatic and automatic firing possible.

The StG 44 was developed in Nazi Germany in the early 1940s and mass production began in 1944.

The StG 44 was one of the main weapons in the Wehrmacht's attempts to turn the war in its favor - factories of the Third Reich produced 425 thousand units of this weapon. StG 44 became the first production assault rifle, and significantly influenced both the course of the war and the further production of weapons of this type. However, it still did not help the Nazis.