Sturmgewehr 44 (StG44)
Sturmgewehr 44 Design & Development:
At the beginning of World War II, German forces were equipped
bolt-action rifles such as the Karabiner 98k, and a variety of light and medium
machine guns. Problems soon arose as the standard rifles proved too large and
unwieldy for use by mechanized troops. As a result, the Wehrmacht issued
several smaller submachine guns, such as the MP40, to augment those weapons in
the field. While these were easier to handle and increased the individual
firepower of each soldier, they had a limited range and were inaccurate beyond
110 yards.
While these issues existed, they were not pressing until the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. Encountering
increasing numbers of Soviet troops equipped with semi-automatic rifles like the
Tokarev SVT-38 and SVT-40, as well as the PPSh-41 submachine gun, German
infantry officers began to reassess their weapons needs. While development
progressed on the Gewehr 41 series of semi-automatic rifles, they proved
problematic in the field and German industry was not capable of producing them
in the numbers needed.
Efforts were made to fill the void with light machine guns, however the
recoil of the 7.92 mm Mauser round limited accuracy during automatic fire. The
solution to this issue was the creation of an intermediate round that was more
powerful than pistol ammunition, but less than a rifle round. While work on
such a round had been ongoing since the mid-1930s, the Wehrmacht has previously
rejected its adoption. Re-examining the project, the army selected the Polte
7.92 x 33mm Kurzpatrone and began soliciting weapon designs for the
ammunition.
Issued under the designation Maschinenkarabiner 1942 (MKb 42), development
contracts were issued to Haenel and Walther. Both companies responded with
gas-operated prototypes that were capable of either semi-automatic or
fully-automatic fire. In testing, the Hugo Schmeisser-designed Haenel MKb 42(H)
out-performed the Walther and was selected by the Wehrmacht with some minor
changes. A short production run of the MKb 42(H) was field tested in November
1942, and received strong recommendations from German troops. Moving forward,
11,833 MKb 42(H)s were produced for field trials in late 1942 and early
1943.
Assessing the data from these trials, it was determined that the weapon would
perform better with a hammer firing system operating from a closed bolt, rather
than the open bolt, striker system initially designed by Haenel. As work moved
forward to incorporate this new firing system, development temporarily came to
halt when Hitler suspended all new rifle programs due to administrative
infighting within the Third Reich. To keep the MKb 42(H) alive, it was
re-designated Maschinenpistole 43 (MP43) and billed as an upgrade to existing
submachine guns.
This deception was eventually discovered by Hitler who again had the program
halted. In March 1943, he permitted it to recommence for evaluation purposes
only. Running for six months, the evaluation produced positive results and
Hitler allowed the MP43 program to continue. In April 1944, he ordered it
redesignated MP44. Three months later, when Hitler consulted his commanders
regarding the Eastern Front he was told that the men needed more of the new
rifle. Shortly thereafter, Hitler was given the opportunity to test fire the
MP44. Highly impressed, he dubbed it the "Sturmgewehr," meaning "storm
rifle."
Seeking to enhance the propaganda value of the new weapon, Hitler ordered it
re-designated StG44 (Assault Rifle, Model 1944), giving the rifle its own class.
Production soon began with the first batches of the new rifle being shipped to
troops on the Eastern Front. A total of 425,977 StG44s were produced by the end
of the war and work had commenced on a follow-on rifle, the StG45. Among the
attachments available for the StG44 was the Krummlauf, a bent barrel that
permitted firing around corners. These were most commonly made with 30° and 45°
bends.
Sturmgewehr 44 Operational History:
Arriving on the Eastern Front, the StG44 was used to counter Soviet troops
equipped with the PPS and PPSh-41 submachine guns. While the StG44 had a
shorter range than the Karabiner 98k rifle, it was more effective at close
quarters and could out-range both Soviet weapons. Though the default setting on
the StG44 was semi-automatic, it was surprisingly accurate in full-automatic as
it possessed a relatively slow rate of fire. In use on both fronts by war's
end, the StG44 also proved effective at providing covering fire in place of
light machine guns.
The world's first true assault rifle, the StG44 arrived too late to
significantly effect the outcome of the war, but it gave birth to an entire
class of infantry weapons that include famous names such as the AK-47 and the M16. After World War II, the StG44
was retained for use by the East German Nationale Volksarmee (People's Army)
until it was replaced by the AK-47. The East German Volkspolizei utilized the
weapon through 1962. In addition, the Soviet Union exported captured StG44s to
its client states including Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, as well as supplied
the rifle to friendly guerilla and insurgent groups. In the latter case, the
StG44 has equipped elements of the Palestine Liberation Organization and
Hezbollah. American forces have also confiscated StG44s from militia units in
Iraq.
StG44 Specifications:
SOURCE: http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/smallarms/p/stg44.htm
At the beginning of World War II, German forces were equipped
bolt-action rifles such as the Karabiner 98k, and a variety of light and medium
machine guns. Problems soon arose as the standard rifles proved too large and
unwieldy for use by mechanized troops. As a result, the Wehrmacht issued
several smaller submachine guns, such as the MP40, to augment those weapons in
the field. While these were easier to handle and increased the individual
firepower of each soldier, they had a limited range and were inaccurate beyond
110 yards.
While these issues existed, they were not pressing until the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. Encountering
increasing numbers of Soviet troops equipped with semi-automatic rifles like the
Tokarev SVT-38 and SVT-40, as well as the PPSh-41 submachine gun, German
infantry officers began to reassess their weapons needs. While development
progressed on the Gewehr 41 series of semi-automatic rifles, they proved
problematic in the field and German industry was not capable of producing them
in the numbers needed.
Efforts were made to fill the void with light machine guns, however the
recoil of the 7.92 mm Mauser round limited accuracy during automatic fire. The
solution to this issue was the creation of an intermediate round that was more
powerful than pistol ammunition, but less than a rifle round. While work on
such a round had been ongoing since the mid-1930s, the Wehrmacht has previously
rejected its adoption. Re-examining the project, the army selected the Polte
7.92 x 33mm Kurzpatrone and began soliciting weapon designs for the
ammunition.
Issued under the designation Maschinenkarabiner 1942 (MKb 42), development
contracts were issued to Haenel and Walther. Both companies responded with
gas-operated prototypes that were capable of either semi-automatic or
fully-automatic fire. In testing, the Hugo Schmeisser-designed Haenel MKb 42(H)
out-performed the Walther and was selected by the Wehrmacht with some minor
changes. A short production run of the MKb 42(H) was field tested in November
1942, and received strong recommendations from German troops. Moving forward,
11,833 MKb 42(H)s were produced for field trials in late 1942 and early
1943.
Assessing the data from these trials, it was determined that the weapon would
perform better with a hammer firing system operating from a closed bolt, rather
than the open bolt, striker system initially designed by Haenel. As work moved
forward to incorporate this new firing system, development temporarily came to
halt when Hitler suspended all new rifle programs due to administrative
infighting within the Third Reich. To keep the MKb 42(H) alive, it was
re-designated Maschinenpistole 43 (MP43) and billed as an upgrade to existing
submachine guns.
This deception was eventually discovered by Hitler who again had the program
halted. In March 1943, he permitted it to recommence for evaluation purposes
only. Running for six months, the evaluation produced positive results and
Hitler allowed the MP43 program to continue. In April 1944, he ordered it
redesignated MP44. Three months later, when Hitler consulted his commanders
regarding the Eastern Front he was told that the men needed more of the new
rifle. Shortly thereafter, Hitler was given the opportunity to test fire the
MP44. Highly impressed, he dubbed it the "Sturmgewehr," meaning "storm
rifle."
Seeking to enhance the propaganda value of the new weapon, Hitler ordered it
re-designated StG44 (Assault Rifle, Model 1944), giving the rifle its own class.
Production soon began with the first batches of the new rifle being shipped to
troops on the Eastern Front. A total of 425,977 StG44s were produced by the end
of the war and work had commenced on a follow-on rifle, the StG45. Among the
attachments available for the StG44 was the Krummlauf, a bent barrel that
permitted firing around corners. These were most commonly made with 30° and 45°
bends.
Sturmgewehr 44 Operational History:
Arriving on the Eastern Front, the StG44 was used to counter Soviet troops
equipped with the PPS and PPSh-41 submachine guns. While the StG44 had a
shorter range than the Karabiner 98k rifle, it was more effective at close
quarters and could out-range both Soviet weapons. Though the default setting on
the StG44 was semi-automatic, it was surprisingly accurate in full-automatic as
it possessed a relatively slow rate of fire. In use on both fronts by war's
end, the StG44 also proved effective at providing covering fire in place of
light machine guns.
The world's first true assault rifle, the StG44 arrived too late to
significantly effect the outcome of the war, but it gave birth to an entire
class of infantry weapons that include famous names such as the AK-47 and the M16. After World War II, the StG44
was retained for use by the East German Nationale Volksarmee (People's Army)
until it was replaced by the AK-47. The East German Volkspolizei utilized the
weapon through 1962. In addition, the Soviet Union exported captured StG44s to
its client states including Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, as well as supplied
the rifle to friendly guerilla and insurgent groups. In the latter case, the
StG44 has equipped elements of the Palestine Liberation Organization and
Hezbollah. American forces have also confiscated StG44s from militia units in
Iraq.
StG44 Specifications:
- Cartridge: 7.92 x 33mm Kurz
- Capacity: 30 rounds
- Muzzle Velocity: 2,247 ft./sec.
- Effective Range: 325 yds.
- Weight: approx. 11.5 lbs.
- Length: 37 in.
- Barrel Length: 16.5 in.
- Sights: Adjustable sights - Rear: V-notch, Front: hooded post
- Action: Gas-operated, tilting bolt
- Number Built: 425,977
SOURCE: http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/smallarms/p/stg44.htm