![]() The “assault rifle revolution” changed how infantry engagements were fought. The assault rifle was intended to solve this problem. 45 rounds) that could not deliver accurate fire beyond more than a very limited range. But they used pistol rounds (either 9-mm or. Submachine guns were widely used in combat in the Second World War, and they did what they were designed to do: that is, to deliver a large volume of lead downrange at an enemy. German designers had wanted something that combined the best features of a traditional rifle with the automatic firepower of the submachine gun. The legendary Russian AK-47 is-to be blunt-simply a mass-produced knock-off of the Sturmgewehr. Mass production was the original goal here: the weapon is firmly constructed from sheet metal with pins and stampings. The sloping banana magazine ensures that the user can bring a large volume of fire to bear on his target. One glance at the Sturmgewehr 44 makes it clear that this weapon is the father of the modern assault rifle. Tens of thousands of Sturmgewehr 44s, however, were manufactured, and it proved to be a great success on the Russian front. Only about 7,000 FG 42s were issued by the end of the war. It deserves a place in the story of the development of the assault rifle, however, because it did influence small arms design after the war was over, especially the gas-powered action. The side-mounted magazine was not precisely a success it allowed dirt to enter into the mechanism and was prone to jamming.Īll in all, the weapon was effective but could never be produced in sufficient numbers to meet demand. It was a gas-powered weapon with a bipod, large plastic butt, and a side-mounted box magazine. The fruit of its labors was the innovative and highly advanced Fallschirmjägergewehr 42 (FG 42), which looked something like a hybrid between a rifle and a light machine gun. The Luftwaffe was also absorbed in the development of an “assault rifle” of its own. The name of the weapon eventually became Sturmgewehr 44. But he could also be pragmatic where results mattered, and when it became clear that the MP 43 gave a qualitative edge over the Soviets, he was quick to change his mind. Initial trials conducted with the weapon proved to be a brilliant success, and soon the German Army found itself deluged with requests for it from front-line units.Īpparently Hitler, who could be conservative in matters of infantry tactics, was initially opposed to the radical innovation that the new rifle represented. This name was eventually changed to Maschinenpistole 43, or simply MP 43. A basic design by Louis Schmeisser was produced to fire the new cartridge this design was called the Maschinenkarabiner 42(H). Military innovators in Germany during the 1920s drew the obvious conclusion that other nations did not: it would be better to design a weapon that replaced long-range accuracy with a portable, higher volume of fire.īy the late 1930s the German armaments industry had succeeded in developing what it called the kurz (“short”) round in 7.92-mm caliber. The accurate bolt-action rifles of the day were designed for accuracy at much longer ranges. These weapons in general performed adequately for what they were designed to do.īut towards the end of the war it became clear that most infantry engagements took place at ranges that were well below five hundred meters. ![]() Germany had its Mauser France its Lebel Britain its Lee-Enfield Russia its Mosin-Nagant and the United States its Springfield. During the First World War, the soldiers of all the belligerent nations carried rifles that were designed for accurate long-range fire.
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