German automatic weapons. The best submachine guns of the second world war. Small arms of the infantry division of the Wehrmacht

The name "wunderwaffe", or "wonder weapon", was coined by the German propaganda ministry and used by the Third Reich for a number of large-scale research projects aimed at creating a new type of weapon, its size, capabilities and functions many times exceeding all available samples.

Miracle weapon, or "Wunderwaffe" ...
During the Second World War, the Ministry of Propaganda of Nazi Germany so called its superweapon, which was created with the latest science and technology and in many ways was to become revolutionary in the course of hostilities.
It must be said that most of these miracles never went into production, almost did not appear on the battlefield, or were created too late and in too small quantities to somehow affect the course of the war.
As events unfolded and Germany's position deteriorated after 1942, claims about the "Wunderwaffe" began to cause considerable inconvenience to the Propaganda Ministry. Ideas are ideas, but the reality is that the release of any new weapon requires a long preparation: it takes years to test and develop. So hopes that Germany could improve its mega-weapon by the end of the war were futile. And the samples that fell into service caused waves of disappointment even among the German military devoted to propaganda.
However, something else is surprising: the Nazis actually had the technological know-how to develop many miracle novelties. And if the war had dragged on much longer, then there was a possibility that they would have been able to bring weapons to perfection and establish mass production, changing the course of the war.
The Axis forces could have won the war.
Fortunately for the Allies, Germany was unable to capitalize on its technological advances. And here are 15 examples of Hitler's most formidable "wunderwaffe".

Self-propelled mine Goliath

"Goliath", or "Sonder Kraftfartsoyg" (abbr. Sd.Kfz. 302/303a/303b/3036) is a self-propelled ground tracked mine. The Allies called the Goliath a less romantic nickname - "gold washer".
The "Goliaths" were introduced in 1942 and were a tracked vehicle measuring 150 × 85 × 56 cm. This design carried 75-100 kg of explosives, which is quite a lot, given its own growth. The mine was designed to destroy tanks, dense infantry formations, and even demolish buildings. Everything would be fine, but there was one detail that made the Goliath vulnerable: the tankette without a crew was controlled by wire at a distance.
The Allies quickly realized that in order to neutralize the car, it was enough to cut the wire. Without control, the Goliath was helpless and useless. Although a total of over 5000 Goliaths were produced, which, according to their idea, were ahead of modern technology, the weapon did not become successful: high cost, vulnerability and low patency played a role. Many examples of these "destruction machines" survived the war and can be found today in museum exhibits throughout Europe and the United States.

Artillery gun V-3

Like the predecessors of the V-1 and V-2, the "punitive weapon", or V-3, was another in a series of "retribution weapons" aimed at wiping London and Antwerp off the face of the earth.
The "English gun", as it is sometimes called, the V-3 was a multi-chamber gun designed specifically for the landscapes where the Nazi troops were stationed bombarding London from across the English Channel.
Although the range of the projectile of this "centipede" did not exceed the firing range of other German experimental artillery guns due to problems with the timely ignition of auxiliary charges, its rate of fire should theoretically be much higher and reach one shot per minute, which would allow the battery of such guns to literally fall asleep London shells.
Tests in May 1944 showed that the V-3 could fire up to 58 miles. However, only two V-3s were actually built, and only the second was actually used in combat operations. From January to February 1945, the gun fired 183 times in the direction of Luxembourg. And she proved her complete ... failure. Of the 183 shells, only 142 landed, 10 people were shell-shocked, 35 wounded.
London, against which the V-3 was created, turned out to be inaccessible.

Guided aerial bomb Henschel Hs 293

This German guided aerial bomb was arguably the most effective guided weapon of World War II. She destroyed numerous merchant ships and destroyers.
Henschel looked like a radio-controlled glider with a rocket engine underneath and a warhead with 300 kg of explosives. They were intended to be used against unarmoured ships. About 1,000 bombs were made for use by German military aircraft.
A variant for use against Fritz-X armored vehicles was made a little later.
After dropping the bomb from the aircraft, the rocket booster accelerated it to a speed of 600 km/h. Then the planning stage began towards the target, using radio command control. The Hs 293 was aimed at the target from the aircraft by the navigator-operator using the handle on the control panel of the Kehl transmitter. So that the navigator did not visually lose sight of the bomb, a signal tracer was installed on its “tail”.
One disadvantage was that the bomber had to keep a straight line, moving at a constant speed and altitude, parallel to the target, in order to maintain some sort of visible line with the missile. This meant that the bomber was unable to distract and maneuver when approaching enemy fighters attempted to intercept it.
The use of radio-controlled bombs was first proposed in August 1943: then the first victim of the prototype of the modern anti-ship missile was the British sloop "HMS Heron".
However, for a very short time, the Allies were looking for an opportunity to connect to the missile's radio frequency in order to knock it off course. It goes without saying that Henschel's discovery of the control frequency significantly reduced its effectiveness.

silver bird

The Silver Bird is a project of a high-altitude partially orbital space bomber by the Austrian scientist Dr. Eugen Senger and engineer-physicist Irena Bredt. Originally developed in the late 1930s, the Silbervogel was an intercontinental space plane that could be used as a long-range bomber. He was considered for the "Amerika Bomber" mission.
It was designed to carry more than 4,000 kg of explosives, equipped with a unique video surveillance system, and is believed to be invisible.
Sounds like the ultimate weapon, doesn't it?
However, it was too revolutionary for its time. Engineers and designers in connection with the "bird" had all kinds of technical and other difficulties, sometimes insurmountable. So, for example, the prototypes were very overheated, and the cooling means had not yet been invented ...
The entire project was eventually scrapped in 1942, with money and resources diverted to other ideas.
Interestingly, after the war, Zenger and Bredt were highly valued by the expert community and participated in the creation of the French national space program. And their "Silver Bird" was taken as an example of a design concept for the American project X-20 Daina-Sor ...
Until now, for regenerative cooling of the engine, a design project is used, which is called "Senger-Bredt". Thus, the Nazi attempt to create a long-range space bomber to attack the United States ultimately contributed to the successful development of space programs around the world. It's for the best.

1944 StG-44 assault rifle

Many regard the StG 44 assault rifle as the first example of an automatic weapon. The design of the rifle was so successful that modern assault rifles such as the M-16 and AK-47 adopted it as a basis.
Legend has it that Hitler himself was greatly impressed by the weapon. The StG-44 had a unique design that used the characteristics of a carbine, assault rifle, and submachine gun. The weapon was equipped with the latest inventions of its time: optical and infrared sights were installed on the rifle. The latter weighed about 2 kg and was connected to a battery of about 15 kg, which the shooter wore on his back. It's not compact at all, but very cool for the 1940s!
Another rifle could be equipped with a "curved barrel" to fire around the corner. Nazi Germany was the first to try this idea. There were different versions of the "curved barrel": in 30°, 45°, 60° and 90°. However, they had a short age. After the release of a certain number of rounds (300 for the 30° version and 160 rounds for the 45°), the barrel could be ejected.
The StG-44 was a revolution, but too late to have had a real impact on the course of the war in Europe.

Fat Gustav

"Fat Gustav" is the largest artillery piece that was built during the Second World War and used for its intended purpose.
Developed at the Krupp factory, the Gustav was one of two super-heavy railroad guns. The second was Dora. "Gustav" weighed about 1350 tons, and could fire a 7-ton projectile (bullets the size of two oil barrels) at a distance of up to 28 miles.
Impressive, isn't it?! Why didn't the allies give up and admit defeat as soon as this monster was released onto the warpath?
It took 2,500 soldiers and three days to build double railroad tracks to maneuver this contraption. For transportation, "Fat Gustav" was disassembled into several components, and then assembled on site. Its dimensions prevented the cannon from being assembled quickly: it took only half an hour for only one barrel to be loaded or unloaded. Germany reportedly attached an entire squadron of the Luftwaffe to the Gustav to provide cover for its assembly.
The only time the Nazis successfully used this mastodon in combat was the Siege of Sevastopol in 1942. "Fat Gustav" fired a total of 42 shells, nine of which hit ammunition depots located in the rocks, which were completely destroyed.
This monster was a technical marvel, as terrible as it was impractical. The Gustav and Dora were destroyed in 1945 to prevent them from falling into Allied hands. But Soviet engineers were able to restore the Gustav from the ruins. And his traces are lost in the Soviet Union.

Radio-controlled bomb Fritz-X

The Fritz-X guided radio bomb, like its predecessor Hs 293, was designed to destroy ships. But, unlike Hs, "Fritz-X" could hit heavily armored targets. "Fritz-X" had excellent aerodynamic properties, 4 small wings and a cruciform tail.
In the eyes of the allies, this weapon was the embodiment of evil. The ancestor of the modern guided bomb, the Fritz-X could carry 320 kg of explosives and was controlled by a joystick, making it the world's first precision-guided weapon.
This weapon was used very effectively near Malta and Sicily in 1943. On September 9, 1943, the Germans dropped several bombs on the Italian battleship Rome, claiming to have killed everyone on board. They also sank the British cruiser HMS Spartan, the destroyer HMS Janus, the cruiser HMS Uganda and the hospital ship Newfoundland.
This bomb alone disabled the American light cruiser USS Savannah for a year. In total, more than 2,000 bombs were made, but only 200 were dropped on targets.
The main difficulty was that if they could not abruptly change the direction of flight. As in the case of the Hs 293, the bombers had to fly directly over the object, which made them easy prey for the Allies - the Nazi aircraft began to suffer heavy losses.

mouse

The full name of this fully enclosed armored car is Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus, or "Mouse". Designed by the founder of the Porsche company, it is the heaviest tank in the history of tank building: the German super-tank weighed 188 tons.
Actually, its mass ultimately became the reason why the "Mouse" was not put into production. It did not have a powerful enough engine to make this beast run at acceptable speeds.
According to the characteristics of the designer, "Mouse" was supposed to run at a speed of 12 miles per hour. However, the prototype could only reach 8 mph. In addition, the tank was too heavy to cross the bridge, but it had the ability to pass under water in some cases. The main use of the "Mouse" was that it could simply push through the enemy's defenses without fear of any damage. But the tank was too impractical and expensive.
When the war ended, there were two prototypes: one was completed, the second was under development. The Nazis tried to destroy them so that the Mice would not fall into the hands of the Allies. However, the Soviet army salvaged the wreckage of both tanks. At the moment, only one Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus tank has survived in the world, assembled from parts of these specimens, in the Armored Museum in Kubinka.

Rat

Did you think the Mouse tank was big? Well ... Compared to the Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte projects, it was just a toy!
"Rat" Landkreuzer P. 1000 - the largest and heaviest tank designed by Nazi Germany! According to the plans, this land cruiser was supposed to weigh 1000 tons, be about 40 meters long and 14 meters wide. It housed a crew of 20 people.
The sheer size of the machine was a constant headache for designers. It was too impractical to have such a monster in service, since, for example, many bridges would not withstand it.
Albert Speer, who was responsible for the birth of the Rat idea, thought the tank was ridiculous. It was thanks to him that construction did not even begin, and even a prototype was not created. At the same time, even Hitler doubted that the "Rat" could actually perform all its functions without special preparation of the battlefield for its appearance.
Speer, one of the few who could draw land-based battleships and high-tech miracle machines in Hitler's fantasies, canceled the program in 1943. The Fuhrer was satisfied as he relied on other weapons for his quick attacks. Interestingly, in fact, at the time of the winding down of the project, plans were made for an even larger land cruiser "P. 1500 Monster", which would carry the heaviest weapon in the world - the 800-mm cannon from the "Dora"!

Horten Ho 229

Today it is spoken of as the world's first stealth bomber, while the Ho-229 was the first jet-powered flying device.
Germany was in dire need of an aviation solution, which Göring formulated as "1000x1000x1000": aircraft that could carry 1000 kg bombs over 1000 km at a speed of 1000 km/h. A jet plane was the most logical answer - subject to some tweaks. Walter and Reimar Horten, two German aviator inventors, came up with their solution - the Horten Ho 229.
Externally, it was a sleek, tailless glider-like machine, powered by two Jumo 004C jet engines. The Horten brothers claimed that the mixture of charcoal and tar they use absorbs electromagnetic waves and makes the aircraft "invisible" on radar. This was also facilitated by the small visible area of ​​the "flying wing" and its smooth, as a drop, design.
Test flights successfully took place in 1944, in total there were 6 aircraft in production at various stages of manufacture, and units for 20 aircraft were ordered for the needs of the Luftwaffe fighter aircraft. Two cars took to the air. At the end of the war, the Allies discovered the only prototype in the factory where the Hortens were made.
Reimar Horten left for Argentina, where he continued his design activities until his death in 1994. Walter Horten became a general in the West German Air Force and died in 1998.
The only Horten Ho 229 was taken to the USA, where it was studied and used as a model for today's stealth. And the original is exhibited in Washington, the National Air and Space Museum.

acoustic gun

German scientists tried to think non-trivially. An example of their original approach is the development of a "sonic gun", which, with its vibrations, could literally "break a person".
The sonic gun project was the brainchild of Dr. Richard Wallauschek. This device consisted of a parabolic reflector, the diameter of which was 3250 mm, and an injector with an ignition system, with the supply of methane and oxygen. The explosive mixture of gases was ignited by the device at regular intervals, creating a constant roar of the desired frequency of 44 Hz. The sonic impact was supposed to destroy all living things within a radius of 50 m in less than a minute.
Of course, we are not scientists, but it is quite difficult to believe in the plausibility of the directional action of such a device. It has only been tested on animals. The huge size of the device made it an excellent target. And any damage to the parabolic reflectors would make the gun completely unarmed. It seems that Hitler agreed that this project should never be put into production.

hurricane gun

Aerodynamics researcher, Dr. Mario Zippermeyer was an Austrian inventor and member of the Austrian National Socialist Party. He worked on designs for futuristic guns. In his research, he came to the conclusion that "hurricane" air under high pressure is capable of destroying many things in its path, including enemy aircraft. The result of the development was the "hurricane gun" - the device was supposed to produce vortices due to explosions in the combustion chamber and the direction of shock waves through special tips. Vortex flows were supposed to shoot down aircraft with a blow.
The gun model was tested with wooden shields at a distance of 200 m - shields shattered into chips from hurricane whirlwinds. The gun was considered successful and put into production already in full size.
In total, two hurricane guns were built. The first tests of the combat gun were less impressive than those of the models. The fabricated samples failed to reach the required frequency to be effective enough. Zippermeyer tried to increase the range, but that didn't work either. The scientist did not have time to complete the development before the end of the war.
Allied forces discovered the rusty remains of one hurricane cannon at the Hillersleben training grounds. The second cannon was destroyed at the end of the war. Dr. Zippermeyer himself lived in Austria and continued his research in Europe, unlike many of his compatriots, who gladly began working for the USSR or the USA after World War II.

space gun

Well, since there were acoustic and hurricane cannons, why not make a space cannon as well? The development of such was carried out by Nazi scientists. Theoretically, it should have been a tool capable of focusing directed solar radiation onto a point on Earth. The idea was first voiced in 1929 by the physicist Hermann Oberth. His space station project, with a 100-meter mirror that could capture and reflect sunlight back to Earth, was taken on board.
During the war, the Nazis used Oberth's concept and began developing a slightly modified model of the "solar" gun.
They believed that the huge energy of mirrors could literally boil the water of the earth's oceans and burn out all life, turning it into dust and ashes. There was an experimental model of a space gun - it was captured by American troops in 1945. The Germans themselves recognized the project as a failure: the technology was too avant-garde.

V-2

Not as fantastical as many of the Nazi inventions, the V-2 was one of the few wunderwaffe designs that proved its worth.
The "weapon of retaliation" V-2 rockets were developed fairly quickly, went into production and were successfully used against London. The project started in 1930, but was finalized only in 1942. Hitler was not initially impressed with the power of the rocket, calling it "just an artillery shell with a long range and a huge cost."
In fact, the V-2 was the world's first long-range ballistic missile. An absolute innovation, it used extremely powerful liquid ethanol as fuel.
The rocket was single-stage, launched vertically, on the active part of the trajectory, an autonomous gyroscopic control system came into action, equipped with a software mechanism and instruments for measuring speed. This made it almost elusive - no one could intercept such a device on the way to the target for a long time.
After starting its descent, the rocket traveled at speeds of up to 6,000 kilometers per hour until it penetrated a few feet below ground level. Then she exploded.
When the V-2 was sent to London in 1944, the number of victims was impressive - 10,000 people died, areas of the city were demolished almost to ruins.
The rockets were developed at the research center and manufactured at the Mittelwerk underground factory under the supervision of the project manager, Dr. Wernher von Braun. In Mittelwerk, forced labor was used by prisoners from the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp. After the war, both Americans and Soviet troops tried to capture as many V-2s as possible. Dr. von Braun surrendered to the US and was instrumental in establishing their space program. In fact, Dr. von Braun's rocket ushered in the space age.

Bell

It was called "The Bell"...
The project started under the code name "Chronos". And had the highest class of secrecy. This is the weapon, the proof of the existence of which we are still looking for.
According to its characteristics, it looked like a huge bell - 2.7 m wide and 4 m high. It was created from an unknown metal alloy and was located at a secret factory in Lublin, Poland, near the Czech border.
The bell consisted of two clockwise-rotating cylinders, in which a purplish substance (liquid metal) was accelerated to high speeds, called by the Germans "Xerum 525".
When the Bell was activated, it affected the territory within a radius of 200 m: all electronic equipment failed, almost all experimental animals died. Moreover, the liquid in their bodies, including blood, broke up into fractions. Plants became discolored, chlorophyll disappeared in them. It is said that many scientists working on the project died during the first tests.
The weapon could penetrate underground and act high above the ground, reaching the lower atmosphere ... Its terrifying radio emission could cause the death of millions.
The main source of information about this miracle weapon is Igor Witkowski, a Polish journalist who said that he read about the Bell in secret KGB transcripts, whose agents took the testimony of SS officer Jakob Sporrenberg. Jacob spoke of the project being led by General Kammler, an engineer who disappeared after the war. Many believe that Kammler was secretly taken to the US, probably even with a working prototype of the Bell.
The only material proof of the existence of the project is a reinforced concrete structure called "Henge", preserved three kilometers from the place where the Bell was created, which can be considered as a test site for experiments with weapons.

One of the most famous German pistols. Developed by the designers of Walther in 1937 under the name HP-HeeresPistole - a military pistol. A number of commercial HP pistols have been produced.

In 1940, it was adopted as the main army pistol under the name Pistole 38.
Serial production of the R.38 for the armed forces of the Reich begins in April 1940. In the first half of the year, about 13,000 pistols of the so-called zero series were produced. The new weapons were received by officers of the ground forces, part of the non-commissioned officers, the first numbers of heavy weapons calculations, officers of the SS field troops, as well as the SD security service, the Imperial Security Main Directorate and the Imperial Ministry of the Interior.

On all Series 0 pistols, the numbers start at zero. On the left side of the slide is the Walther logo and the model name P.38. The WaA acceptance number on zero-series pistols is E/359. Handles are bakelite black with diamond-shaped notches.

Walter P38 480 series

In June 1940, the German leadership, fearing the bombing of arms factories by the Allies, decided to indicate the letter code of the factory instead of the manufacturer's name on the weapon. For two months, Walther produced P.38 pistols with manufacturer code 480.

Two months later, in August, the plant received a new designation from the letters AC. Next to the manufacturer's code, they began to indicate the last two digits of the year of manufacture.

At the Walter factory, serial numbers of pistols were used from 1 to 10,000. Each after the 10,000th pistol, the countdown began again, but now a letter was added to the number. After every ten thousand, the next letter was used. The first tens of thousands of pistols produced at the beginning of the year did not have a suffix letter in front of the number. The next 10,000 received the suffix "a" in front of the serial number. Thus the 25,000th pistol of a given year had the serial number "5000b" and the 35,000th "5000c". The combination of year of manufacture + serial number + suffix or lack thereof was unique to each pistol.
The war in Russia required a huge amount of personal weapons, the production capacity of the Walter plant was no longer enough to cover this need. As a result, the Walther company had to transfer drawings and documentation for the production of P.38 pistols to its competitors. At Mauser-Werke A. G., production was launched by the autumn of 1942, Spree-Werke GmbH - in May 1943.

Mauser-Werke A. G. received manufacturer code "byf". All pistols produced by him were stamped with the manufacturer's code and the last two digits of the year of issue. In 1945 this code was changed to SWW. In April, the Allies seized the Mauser factory and handed it over to the French, who produced P38 pistols for their own needs until mid-1946.

The Spree-Werke GmbH received the code "cyq", which changed to "cvq" in 1945.

LUGER P.08

German mountain shooter with pistol P.08

German soldier aiming with a Parabellum pistol

Pistol Luger LP.08 caliber 9 mm. Long barrel model with sector sight

WALTHER PPK - criminal police pistol. Designed in 1931, it is a lighter and shorter version of the Walther PP pistol.

WALTHER PP (PP is short for Polizeipistole - police pistol). Developed in 1929 in Germany chambered for 7.65 × 17 mm, magazine capacity 8 rounds. It is noteworthy that it was from such a pistol that Adolf Hitler shot himself. It was also produced chambered for 9×17 mm.

Mauser HSc (pistol with self-cocking trigger, modification "C" - Hahn-Selbstspanner-Pistole, Ausführung C). Caliber 7.65 mm, magazine for 8 rounds. Adopted by the German army in 1940.

Pistol Sauer 38H (H from it. Hahn - "trigger"). The letter "H" in the model name indicates that the pistol used an internal (hidden) trigger (short for the German word - Hahn - trigger. Adopted in 1939. Caliber 7.65 Brauning, magazine for 8 rounds.

Mauser M1910. Designed in 1910, it was produced in versions for different cartridges - 6.35 × 15 mm Browning and 7.65 Browning, the magazine holds 8 or 9 rounds, respectively.

Browning HP. Belgian pistol developed in 1935. The letters HP in the model name are short for "Hi-Power" or "High-Power"). The pistol uses a 9 mm parabellum cartridge, magazine capacity 13 rounds. FN Herstal, which developed this pistol, produced it until 2017.

RADOM Vis.35. Polish pistol adopted by the Polish army in 1935. The pistol uses a 9mm Parabellum cartridge, magazine capacity 8 rounds. During the occupation of Poland, this pistol was produced for the German army.

Thanks to Soviet films about the war, most people have a strong opinion that the mass small arms (photo below) of the German infantry during the Second World War is an automatic machine (submachine gun) of the Schmeisser system, which is named after its designer. This myth is still actively supported by domestic cinema. However, in fact, this popular machine gun was never a mass weapon of the Wehrmacht, and Hugo Schmeisser did not create it at all. However, first things first.

How myths are created

Everyone should remember the shots from domestic films dedicated to the attacks of the German infantry on our positions. Brave blond guys walk without bending down, while firing from machine guns “from the hip”. And the most interesting thing is that this fact does not surprise anyone, except for those who were in the war. According to the movies, the "Schmeissers" could conduct aimed fire at the same distance as the rifles of our fighters. In addition, the viewer, when watching these films, had the impression that the entire personnel of the German infantry during the Second World War was armed with machine guns. In fact, everything was different, and the submachine gun is not a mass small arms weapon of the Wehrmacht, and it is impossible to shoot from it “from the hip”, and it is not called “Schmeisser” at all. In addition, to carry out an attack on a trench by a submachine gunners unit, in which there are fighters armed with magazine rifles, is an obvious suicide, since simply no one would have reached the trenches.

Debunking the Myth: The MP-40 Automatic Pistol

This Wehrmacht small arms in WWII is officially called the MP-40 submachine gun (Maschinenpistole). In fact, this is a modification of the MP-36 assault rifle. The designer of this model, contrary to popular belief, was not the gunsmith H. Schmeisser, but the no less famous and talented craftsman Heinrich Volmer. And why is the nickname “Schmeisser” so firmly entrenched behind him? The thing is that Schmeisser owned a patent for the store that is used in this submachine gun. And in order not to violate his copyright, in the first batches of MP-40, the inscription PATENT SCHMEISSER was stamped on the store receiver. When these machine guns came as trophies to the soldiers of the allied armies, they mistakenly thought that the author of this model of small arms, of course, was Schmeisser. This is how the given nickname was fixed for the MP-40.

Initially, the German command armed only command staff with machine guns. So, in the infantry units, only the commanders of battalions, companies and squads should have MP-40s. Later, drivers of armored vehicles, tankers and paratroopers were supplied with automatic pistols. Massively, no one armed the infantry with them either in 1941 or after. According to the archives of the German army, in 1941 the troops had only 250 thousand MP-40 assault rifles, and this is for 7,234,000 people. As you can see, a submachine gun is not at all a mass weapon of the Second World War. In general, for the entire period - from 1939 to 1945 - only 1.2 million of these machine guns were produced, while over 21 million people were called up in the Wehrmacht.

Why were the infantry not armed with the MP-40?

Despite the fact that experts later recognized that the MP-40 is the best small arms of the Second World War, only a few had it in the infantry units of the Wehrmacht. This is explained simply: the effective range of this machine gun for group targets is only 150 m, and for single targets - 70 m. This despite the fact that Soviet soldiers were armed with Mosin and Tokarev (SVT) rifles, the effective range of which was 800 m for group targets and 400 m for single targets. If the Germans fought with such weapons, as shown in domestic films, then they would never have been able to reach the enemy trenches, they would simply have been shot, as in a shooting gallery.

Shooting on the move "from the hip"

The MP-40 submachine gun vibrates a lot when firing, and if you use it, as shown in the films, the bullets will always miss the target. Therefore, for effective shooting, it must be pressed tightly against the shoulder, after unfolding the butt. In addition, this machine gun was never fired in long bursts, as it quickly heated up. Most often they were beaten in a short burst of 3-4 rounds or fired single shots. Despite the fact that the tactical and technical characteristics indicate that the rate of fire is 450-500 rounds per minute, in practice this result has never been achieved.

Advantages of the MP-40

It cannot be said that this small arms of the Second World War was bad, on the contrary, it is very, very dangerous, but it must be used in close combat. That is why sabotage units were armed with it in the first place. They were also often used by scouts of our army, and the partisans respected this machine gun. The use of light, rapid-fire small arms in close combat provided tangible advantages. Even now, the MP-40 is very popular with criminals, and the price of such a machine on the black market is very high. And they are delivered there by “black archaeologists”, who excavate in places of military glory and very often find and restore weapons from the Second World War.

Mauser 98k

What can you say about this rifle? The most common small arms in Germany is the Mauser rifle. Its aiming range is up to 2000 m when firing. As you can see, this parameter is very close to the Mosin and SVT rifles. This carbine was developed back in 1888. During the war, this design was significantly upgraded, mainly to reduce costs, as well as to rationalize production. In addition, this Wehrmacht small arms were equipped with optical sights, and sniper units were equipped with it. The Mauser rifle at that time was in service with many armies, for example, Belgium, Spain, Turkey, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia and Sweden.

Self-loading rifles

At the end of 1941, the first automatic self-loading rifles of the Walther G-41 and Mauser G-41 systems entered the infantry units of the Wehrmacht for military trials. Their appearance was due to the fact that the Red Army was armed with more than one and a half million such systems: SVT-38, SVT-40 and ABC-36. In order not to be inferior to the Soviet fighters, the German gunsmiths urgently had to develop their own versions of such rifles. As a result of the tests, the G-41 system (Walter system) was recognized and adopted as the best. The rifle is equipped with a trigger-type percussion mechanism. Designed for firing only single shots. Equipped with a magazine with a capacity of ten rounds. This automatic self-loading rifle is designed for aimed fire at a distance of up to 1200 m. However, due to the large weight of this weapon, as well as low reliability and sensitivity to pollution, it was released in a small series. In 1943, the designers, having eliminated these shortcomings, proposed an upgraded version of the G-43 (Walter system), which was produced in the amount of several hundred thousand units. Before its appearance, Wehrmacht soldiers preferred to use captured Soviet (!) SVT-40 rifles.

And now back to the German gunsmith Hugo Schmeisser. He developed two systems, without which the Second World War could not have done.

Small arms - MP-41

This model was developed simultaneously with the MP-40. This machine was significantly different from the Schmeisser familiar to everyone from the movies: it had a handguard trimmed with wood, which protected the fighter from burns, was heavier and longer-barreled. However, this Wehrmacht small arms were not widely used and were not produced for long. In total, about 26 thousand units were produced. It is believed that the German army abandoned this machine in connection with the lawsuit of ERMA, which claimed that its patented design was illegally copied. Small arms MP-41 was used by parts of the Waffen SS. It was also successfully used by Gestapo units and mountain rangers.

MP-43, or StG-44

The next weapon of the Wehrmacht (photo below) was developed by Schmeisser in 1943. At first it was called MP-43, and later - StG-44, which means "assault rifle" (sturmgewehr). This automatic rifle in appearance, and in some technical characteristics, resembles a Kalashnikov assault rifle (which appeared later), and differs significantly from the MP-40. Its range of aimed fire was up to 800 m. The StG-44 even provided for the possibility of mounting a 30 mm grenade launcher. For firing from cover, the designer developed a special nozzle, which was worn on the muzzle and changed the trajectory of the bullet by 32 degrees. This weapon entered mass production only in the fall of 1944. During the war years, about 450 thousand of these rifles were produced. So few of the German soldiers managed to use such a machine gun. StG-44s were supplied to the elite units of the Wehrmacht and to Waffen SS units. Subsequently, these Wehrmacht weapons were used in the Armed Forces of the GDR.

FG-42 automatic rifles

These copies were intended for parachute troops. They combined the fighting qualities of a light machine gun and an automatic rifle. The Rheinmetall company took up the development of weapons already during the war, when, after evaluating the results of airborne operations carried out by the Wehrmacht, it turned out that the MP-38 submachine guns did not fully meet the combat requirements of this type of troops. The first tests of this rifle were carried out in 1942, and at the same time it was put into service. In the process of using the mentioned weapon, shortcomings were also revealed, associated with low strength and stability during automatic firing. In 1944, the upgraded FG-42 rifle (Model 2) was released, and Model 1 was discontinued. The trigger mechanism of this weapon allows automatic or single fire. The rifle is designed for the standard 7.92 mm Mauser cartridge. Magazine capacity is 10 or 20 rounds. In addition, the rifle can be used to fire special rifle grenades. In order to increase stability when firing, a bipod is fixed under the barrel. The FG-42 rifle is designed for firing at a range of 1200 m. Due to the high cost, it was produced in limited quantities: only 12 thousand units of both models.

Luger P08 and Walter P38

Now consider what types of pistols were in service with the German army. "Luger", its second name "Parabellum", had a caliber of 7.65 mm. By the beginning of the war, the units of the German army had more than half a million of these pistols. This small arms of the Wehrmacht was produced until 1942, and then it was replaced by a more reliable "Walter".

This pistol was put into service in 1940. It was intended for firing 9 mm rounds, the magazine capacity is 8 rounds. Sighting range at "Walter" - 50 meters. It was produced until 1945. The total number of P38 pistols produced was approximately 1 million units.

Weapons of World War II: MG-34, MG-42 and MG-45

In the early 30s, the German military decided to create a machine gun that could be used both as an easel and as a manual one. They were supposed to fire at enemy aircraft and arm tanks. The MG-34, designed by Rheinmetall and put into service in 1934, became such a machine gun. By the beginning of hostilities, the Wehrmacht had about 80 thousand units of this weapon. The machine gun allows you to fire both single shots and continuous. To do this, he had a trigger with two notches. When you click on the top, shooting was carried out with single shots, and when you click on the bottom - in bursts. For him, Mauser rifle cartridges 7.92 × 57 mm were intended, with light or heavy bullets. And in the 40s, armor-piercing, armor-piercing tracer, armor-piercing incendiary and other types of cartridges were developed and used. This suggests the conclusion that the impetus for changes in weapons systems and tactics for their use was the Second World War.

The small arms that were used in this company were replenished with a new type of machine gun - MG-42. It was developed and put into service in 1942. The designers have greatly simplified and reduced the cost of the production of these weapons. So, in its production, spot welding and stamping were widely used, and the number of parts was reduced to 200. The trigger mechanism of the machine gun in question allowed only automatic firing - 1200-1300 rounds per minute. Such significant changes adversely affected the stability of the unit during firing. Therefore, to ensure accuracy, it was recommended to fire in short bursts. Ammunition for the new machine gun remained the same as for the MG-34. The range of aimed fire was two kilometers. Work on improving this design continued until the end of 1943, which led to the creation of a new modification, known as the MG-45.

This machine gun weighed only 6.5 kg, and the rate of fire was 2400 rounds per minute. By the way, not a single infantry machine gun of that time could boast of such a rate of fire. However, this modification appeared too late and was not in service with the Wehrmacht.

PzB-39 was developed in 1938. This weapon of the Second World War was used with relative success at the initial stage to combat tankettes, tanks and armored vehicles with bulletproof armor. Against heavily armored tanks (French B-1s, English Matildas and Churchills, Soviet T-34s and KVs), this gun was either ineffective or completely useless. As a result, it was soon replaced by anti-tank grenade launchers and reactive anti-tank guns "Pantsershrek", "Ofenror", as well as the famous "Faustpatrons". The PzB-39 used a 7.92 mm cartridge. The firing range was 100 meters, the penetration ability made it possible to "flash" 35-mm armor.

"Panzerschreck". This German light anti-tank weapon is a modified copy of the American Bazooka rocket-propelled gun. German designers provided him with a shield that protected the shooter from hot gases escaping from the grenade nozzle. Anti-tank companies of motorized rifle regiments of tank divisions were supplied as a matter of priority with these weapons. Rocket guns were exceptionally powerful weapons. "Panzershreki" were weapons for group use and had a service crew consisting of three people. Since they were very complex, their use required special training in calculations. In total, in 1943-1944, 314 thousand units of such guns and more than two million rocket-propelled grenades were produced for them.

Grenade launchers: "Faustpatron" and "Panzerfaust"

The early years of the Second World War showed that anti-tank guns could not cope with the tasks set, so the German military demanded anti-tank weapons with which to equip an infantryman, operating on the principle of "shot - thrown." The development of a disposable hand grenade launcher was started by HASAG in 1942 (chief designer Langweiler). And in 1943 mass production was launched. The first 500 Faustpatrons entered the troops in August of the same year. All models of this anti-tank grenade launcher had a similar design: they consisted of a barrel (smooth-bore seamless pipe) and an over-caliber grenade. An impact mechanism and an aiming device were welded to the outer surface of the barrel.

"Panzerfaust" is one of the most powerful modifications of the "Faustpatron", which was developed at the end of the war. Its firing range was 150 m, and its armor penetration was 280-320 mm. The Panzerfaust was a reusable weapon. The barrel of the grenade launcher is equipped with a pistol grip, in which there is a firing mechanism, the propellant charge was placed in the barrel. In addition, the designers were able to increase the speed of the grenade. In total, over eight million grenade launchers of all modifications were manufactured during the war years. This type of weapon inflicted significant losses on Soviet tanks. So, in the battles on the outskirts of Berlin, they knocked out about 30 percent of armored vehicles, and during street fighting in the capital of Germany - 70%.

Conclusion

The Second World War had a significant impact on the world's small arms, including automatic weapons, their development and tactics of use. Based on its results, we can conclude that, despite the creation of the most modern weapons, the role of rifle units is not decreasing. The accumulated experience of using weapons in those years is still relevant today. In fact, it became the basis for the development and improvement of small arms.

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The best infantry weapons of World War II

World War II was the greatest and bloodiest conflict in human history. Millions died, empires rose and fell, and it is difficult to find a corner on the planet that was not affected in one way or another by that war. And in many ways it was a technology war, an arms war.

Our today's article is a kind of "Top 11" about the best soldier's weapons on the battlefields of World War II. Millions of ordinary men relied on him in battle, took care of him, carried him with them in the cities of Europe, the deserts of Africa, and in the stuffy jungles of the South Pacific. A weapon that often gave them a bit of an advantage over their enemies. A weapon that saved their lives and killed their enemies.

11. StG 44

German assault rifle, automatic. In fact, the first representative of the entire modern generation of machine guns and assault rifles. Also known as MP 43 and MP 44. It could not shoot in long bursts, but it had a much higher accuracy and range compared to other machine guns of that time, equipped with conventional pistol cartridges. Additionally, telescopic sights, grenade launchers, as well as special devices for shooting from cover could be installed on the StG 44. Mass produced in Germany in 1944. In total, more than 400 thousand copies were produced during the war.

10 Mauser 98k

World War II became a swan song for repeating shotguns. They have dominated armed conflicts since the late 19th century. And some armies were used for a long time after the war. On the basis of the then military doctrine - armies, first of all, fought with each other over long distances and in open areas. The Mauser 98k was designed for just that.

The Mauser 98k was the backbone of the infantry armament of the German Army and remained in production until the German surrender in 1945. Among all the rifles that served during the war years, the Mauser is considered one of the best. At least by the Germans themselves. Even after the introduction of semi-automatic and automatic weapons, the Germans remained with the Mauser 98k, partly for tactical reasons (they based their infantry tactics on light machine guns, not riflemen). In Germany, they developed the world's first assault rifle, though already at the end of the war. But it never saw widespread use. The Mauser 98k remained the primary weapon with which most German soldiers fought and died.

9. The M1 carbine

The M1 Garand and the Thompson submachine gun were great, of course, but they each had their own serious flaws. They were extremely uncomfortable for support soldiers in daily use.

For ammunition carriers, mortar crews, gunners and other similar troops, they were not particularly convenient and did not provide adequate effectiveness in close combat. We needed a weapon that could be easily removed and quickly used. They became The M1 Carbine. It wasn't the most powerful firearm in that war, but it was light, small, accurate, and in the right hands just as deadly as a more powerful weapon. The rifle had a mass of only 2.6 - 2.8 kg. American paratroopers also appreciated the M1 carbine for its ease of use, and often jumped into battle armed with the folding stock variant. The US produced over six million M1 carbines during the war. Some variations based on the M1 are still produced and used today by the military and civilians.

8. MP40

Although this submachine gun was never seen in large numbers as a primary armament for infantrymen, the German MP40 became a ubiquitous symbol of the German soldier in World War II, and of the Nazis in general. It seems like every war movie has a German with this gun. But in reality, the MP4 has never been a standard infantry weapon. Usually used by paratroopers, squad leaders, tankers and special forces.

It was especially indispensable on the Eastern Front against the Russians, where the accuracy and power of long-barreled rifles were largely lost in street fighting. However, the MP40 submachine guns were so effective that they forced the German high command to reconsider their views on semi-automatic weapons, which led to the creation of the first assault rifle. Whatever it was, the MP40 was undoubtedly one of the great submachine guns of the war, and became a symbol of the efficiency and power of the German soldier.

7. Hand grenades

Of course, rifles and machine guns can be considered the main weapons of the infantry. But how not to mention the huge role of using various infantry grenades. Powerful, light, and ideally sized for throwing, grenades were an invaluable tool for close-range attacks on enemy battle positions. In addition to the effect of direct and fragmentation, grenades have always had a huge shock and demoralizing effect. Starting from the famous "lemons" in the Russian and American armies and ending with the German grenade "on a stick" (nicknamed "potato masher" due to its long handle). A rifle can do a lot of damage to a fighter's body, but the wounds inflicted by fragmentation grenades are something else.

6. Lee Enfield

The famous British rifle has received many modifications and has a glorious history since the end of the 19th century. Used in many historical, military conflicts. Including, of course, in the First and Second World Wars. In World War II, the rifle was actively modified and supplied with various sights for sniper shooting. She managed to "work" in Korea, Vietnam and Malaya. Until the 70s, it was often used to train snipers from different countries.

5 Luger PO8

One of the most coveted combat mementos for any Allied soldier is the Luger PO8. It may seem a bit odd to describe a lethal weapon, but the Luger PO8 was truly a work of art and many gun collectors have it in their collections. With a chic design, extremely comfortable in the hand and manufactured to the highest standards. In addition, the pistol had a very high accuracy of fire and became a kind of symbol of the Nazi weapons.

Designed as an automatic pistol to replace revolvers, the Luger was highly regarded not only for its unique design, but also for its long service life. It remains today the most "collectible" German weapon of that war. Periodically appears as a personal combat weapon at the present time.

4. KA-BAR combat knife

The armament and equipment of soldiers of any war is unthinkable without mentioning the use of so-called trench knives. An indispensable assistant to any soldier for a variety of situations. They can dig holes, open canned food, use them for hunting and clearing the way in the dense forest and, of course, use them in bloody hand-to-hand combat. More than one and a half million were produced during the war years. Received the widest application when used by US Marines in the tropical jungle of the islands in the Pacific Ocean. To this day, the KA-BAR remains one of the greatest knives ever made.

3. Thompson machine

Developed in the USA back in 1918, the Thompson has become one of the most iconic submachine guns in history. In World War II, the Thompson M1928A1 was most widely used. Despite its weight (more than 10 kg and was heavier than most submachine guns), it was a very popular weapon for scouts, sergeants, special forces, and paratroopers. In general, everyone who appreciated the lethal force and high rate of fire.

Despite the fact that the production of these weapons was discontinued after the war, Thompson still "shines" around the world in the hands of military and paramilitary groups. He was noticed even in the Bosnian war. For the soldiers of World War II, it served as an invaluable combat tool with which they fought through all of Europe and Asia.

2. PPSh-41

Shpagin submachine gun, model 1941. Used in the winter war with Finland. In the defense of Stalingrad, Soviet troops using PPSh had a much better chance of destroying the enemy at close range than with the popular Russian Mosin rifle. The troops needed, first of all, high rates of fire at short distances in urban battles. A real marvel of mass production, the PPSh was as simple as possible to manufacture (at the height of the war, Russian factories produced up to 3,000 machine guns a day), very reliable and extremely easy to use. Could fire both bursts and single shots.

Equipped with a drum magazine with 71 rounds of ammunition, this machine gun gave the Russians fire superiority at close range. The PPSh was so effective that the Russian command armed entire regiments and divisions with it. But perhaps the best evidence of the popularity of this weapon was its highest appreciation among the German troops. Wehrmacht soldiers willingly used captured PPSh assault rifles throughout the war.

1. M1 Garand

At the start of the war, almost every American infantryman in every major unit was armed with a rifle. They were accurate and reliable, but after each shot they required the soldier to manually remove spent cartridges and reload. This was acceptable for snipers, but significantly limited the speed of aiming and the overall rate of fire. Wanting to increase the ability to intensively fire, one of the most famous rifles of all time, the M1 Garand, was put into operation in the American army. Patton called it “the greatest weapon ever invented,” and the rifle deserves this high praise.

It was easy to use and maintain, with a quick reload, and gave the US Army superiority in rate of fire. The M1 served faithfully with the military in the active US Army until 1963. But even today, this rifle is used as a ceremonial weapon and is also highly valued as a hunting weapon among the civilian population.

The article is a slightly modified and supplemented translation of materials from warhistoryonline.com. It is clear that the presented "top" weapons can cause comments from fans of military history from different countries. So, dear readers of WAR.EXE, put forward your fair versions and opinions.

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STG 44 | Weapons of the Second World War

STG 44(German: SturmGewehr 44 - 1944 assault rifle) is a German assault rifle developed during World War II.

Story

The history of the new assault rifle began with the development by Polte (Magdeburg) of an intermediate cartridge 7.92 × 33 mm of reduced power for firing at a distance of up to 1000 m, in accordance with the requirements put forward by the HWaA (Heereswaffenamt - Management
weapons of the Wehrmacht). In the years 1935-1937, numerous studies were carried out, as a result of which the initial tactical and technical requirements of the HWaA for the design of weapons for the new cartridge were revised, which led to the creation in 1938 of the concept of light automatic small arms capable of simultaneously replacing submachine guns in the troops, magazine rifles and light machine guns.

On April 18, 1938, the HWaA concluded with Hugo Schmeisser, owner of C.G. Haenel (Suhl, Thuringia), a contract for the creation of a new weapon, officially designated MKb(German: Maschinenkarabin - automatic carbine). Schmeisser, who headed the design team, handed over the first prototype of the assault rifle to the HWaA in early 1940. At the end of the same year, a contract for research under the MKb program. received by Walther under the leadership of Erich Walther. A variant of the carbine of this company was presented to the officers of the artillery and technical supply department of the HWaA in early 1941. According to the results of firing at the Kummersdorf training ground, the Walter assault rifle showed satisfactory results, but the refinement of its design continued throughout the entire 1941 of the year.

In January 1942, the HWaA required C.G. Haenel and Walther to provide 200 designated carbines MKb.42(H) and MKb.42(W) respectively. In July, an official demonstration of prototypes of both companies took place, as a result of which HWaA and the leadership of the Ministry of Armaments remained confident that the modifications of the machine guns would be completed in the very near future and production would begin at the end of summer. It was planned to produce 500 carbines by November, and by March 1943 to increase the monthly production to 15,000, but after the August tests, the HWaA introduced new requirements in the TTZ, which briefly delayed the start of production. According to the new requirements, a tide for a bayonet was to be mounted on the machines, and it was also possible to mount a rifle grenade launcher. In addition to this, C.G. Haenel was having trouble with a subcontractor, and Walther was having trouble setting up production equipment. As a result, not a single copy of the MKb.42 was ready by October.

The production of assault rifles grew slowly: in November, Walther produced 25 carbines, and in December - 91 (with a planned monthly production of 500 pieces), but thanks to the support of the Ministry of Armaments, the firms managed to solve the main production problems, and already in February the production plan was exceeded (1217 assault rifles instead of thousands). A certain number of MKb.42s, by order of the Minister of Armaments Albert Speer, went to the Eastern Front to undergo military trials. During the tests, it was revealed that the heavier MKb.42 (H) is worse balanced, but more reliable and simpler than its competitor, so HWaA gave its preference to the Schmeisser design, but required some changes to it:

• replacement of the USM with the Walter trigger system, which is reliable and ensures greater accuracy of combat with single shots;
• a different design whispered;
• installation of a flag fuse instead of the reloading handle inserted into the groove;
• short stroke of the gas piston instead of a long one;
• shorter gas chamber tube;
• replacement of large-section windows for the release of residual powder gases from the gas chamber tube with 7-mm holes, to increase the reliability of the weapon when operating in difficult conditions;
• technological changes in the bolt and bolt carrier with a gas piston;
• removal of the guide bushing of the reciprocating mainspring;
• removal of the tide for the bayonet due to the revision of the tactics of using the machine gun and the adoption of the Gw.Gr.Ger.42 grenade launcher with a different method of mounting on the barrel;
• simplified butt design.

Thanks to Speer, the modernized machine gun was put into service in June 1943 under the designation MP-43 (German Maschinenpistole-43 - submachine gun 43). This designation served as a kind of disguise, since Hitler did not want to produce weapons of a new class, fearing the thought that millions of obsolete rifle cartridges would end up in military warehouses.

In September, on the Eastern Front, the 5th SS Panzer Division "Viking" conducted the first full-scale military tests of the MP-43, according to the results of which it was found that the new carbine is an effective replacement for submachine guns and repeating rifles, which increased the firepower of infantry units and reduced the need for use of light machine guns.

Hitler received many favorable reviews about the new weapon from the SS generals, HWaA and Speer personally, as a result of which, at the end of September 1943, an order was issued to begin mass production of the MP-43 and put it into service. In the same autumn, the MP-43/1 variant appeared, featuring a modified barrel configuration to allow the installation of a 30 mm MKb rifle grenade launcher. Gewehrgranatengerat-43, which was screwed onto the muzzle of the barrel, and not fastened with a clamping device. The butt has also undergone a change.

On April 6, 1944, the Supreme Commander issued an order in which the name MP-43 was replaced with MP-44, and in October 1944 the weapon received the fourth and final name - “assault rifle”, sturmgewehr - StG-44. It is believed that this word was invented by Hitler himself as a sonorous name for a new model that could be used for propaganda purposes. At the same time, no changes were made to the design of the machine itself.

Besides C.G. Haenel also involved Steyr-Daimler-Puch A.G. in the production of the StG-44. (English), Erfurter Maschinenfabrik (ERMA) (English) and Sauer & Sohn. StG-44 entered service with selected units of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS, and after the war were in service with the barracks police of the GDR (1948-1956) and the Yugoslav Airborne Forces (1945-1950). The production of copies of this machine was established in Argentina.

Design

The trigger mechanism is of the trigger type. The trigger mechanism allows single and automatic fire. The fire translator is located in the trigger box, and its ends go out on the left and right sides. To conduct automatic fire, the translator must be moved to the right by the letter "D", and for a single fire - to the left by the letter "E". The machine is equipped with a fuse against accidental shots. This flag-type safety is located below the fire translator and, in the “F” position, blocks the trigger lever.

The machine gun is fed with cartridges from a detachable sector two-row magazine with a capacity of 30 rounds. The ramrod was located unusually - inside the gas piston mechanism.

Sector rifle sight allows you to conduct aimed fire at a distance of up to 800 m. The divisions of the sight are marked on the aiming bar. Each division of the sight corresponds to a change in range by 50 m. The slot and front sight are triangular in shape. On a rifle could
optical and infrared sights should also be installed. When firing bursts at a target with a diameter of 11.5 cm at a distance of 100 m, more than half of the hits fit into a circle with a diameter of 5.4 cm. Due to the use of less powerful cartridges, the recoil force during the shot was half that of the Mauser 98k rifle. One of the main disadvantages of the StG-44 was its relatively large weight - 5.2 kg for a machine gun with ammunition, which is a kilogram more than the mass of a Mauser 98k with cartridges and a bayonet. Also unflattering reviews deserved an inconvenient sight and a flame that unmasks the shooter, escaping from the barrel when firing.

For throwing rifle grenades (fragmentation, armor-piercing or even propaganda) it was necessary to use special cartridges with 1.5 g (for fragmentation) or 1.9 g (for armor-piercing-cumulative grenades) powder charge.

With a machine gun, it was possible to use special Krummlauf Vorsatz J (infantry with a curvature angle of 30 degrees) or Vorsatz Pz (tank with a curvature angle of 90 degrees) for firing from behind a trench and a tank, respectively, designed for 250 shots and significantly reducing the accuracy of fire.

A version of the MP-43/1 assault rifle was created for snipers with a milled mount mounted on the right side of the receiver for ZF-4 optical sights of 4X magnification or night infrared sights ZG.1229 "Vampire". Merz-Werke also launched the production of an assault rifle with the same designation, which was distinguished by a thread for mounting a rifle grenade launcher on the barrel.

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Small arms of the USSR and the Wehrmacht of World War II

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 defeat was reduced, which was offset by a greater density of fire. As a consequence of this - the beginning of the mass rearmament of units with automatic small arms - submachine guns, machine guns, assault rifles.

The accuracy of fire began to fade into the background, while the soldiers advancing in a chain began to be taught shooting from the move. With the advent of airborne troops, it became necessary to create special lightweight weapons.

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

Small arms of the USSR of the Second World War

The rifle division of the Red Army on the eve of the Great Patriotic War was a very formidable force - about 14.5 thousand people. The main type of small arms were rifles and carbines - 10420 pieces. The share of submachine guns was insignificant - 1204. There were 166, 392 and 33 units of easel, 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 automotive and tractor equipment.

Rifles and carbines

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

Three-ruler Mosin

The three-ruler is an ideal weapon for newly drafted soldiers, and the simplicity of the design created huge opportunities for its mass production. But like any weapon, the three-ruler had flaws. A permanently attached bayonet in combination with a long barrel (1670 mm) created inconvenience when moving, especially in wooded areas. Serious complaints were caused by the shutter handle when reloading.

After battle

On its basis, a sniper rifle and a series of carbines of the 1938 and 1944 models were created. Fate measured the three-ruler for a long century (the last three-ruler was released in 1965), participation in many wars and an astronomical "circulation" of 37 million copies.

Sniper with a Mosin rifle

SVT-40
In the late 1930s, the outstanding Soviet weapons designer F.V. Tokarev developed a 10-shot self-loading rifle cal. 7.62 mm SVT-38, which received the name SVT-40 after modernization. She "lost" by 600 g and became shorter due to the introduction of thinner wood parts, additional holes in the casing and a reduction in the length of the bayonet. A little later, a sniper rifle appeared at its base. Automatic firing was provided by the removal of powder gases. Ammunition was placed in a box-shaped, detachable store.

Sighting range SVT-40 - up to 1 km. SVT-40 won back with honor on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. It was also appreciated by our opponents. A historical fact: having captured rich trophies at the beginning of the war, among which there were many SVT-40s, the German army ... adopted it, and the Finns created their own rifle, the TaRaKo, based on the SVT-40.

Soviet sniper with SVT-40

The creative development of the ideas implemented in the SVT-40 was the AVT-40 automatic rifle. It differed from its predecessor in the ability to conduct automatic fire at a rate of up to 25 rounds per minute. The disadvantage of AVT-40 is low accuracy of fire, strong unmasking flame and a loud sound at the time of the shot. In the future, as the mass receipt of automatic weapons in the troops, it was removed from service.

Submachine guns

PPD-40
The Great Patriotic War was the time of the final transition from rifles to automatic weapons. The Red Army began to fight, armed with a small amount 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, PPD-40 had an impressive ammunition load of 71 rounds, placed in a drum-type magazine. Weighing about 4 kg, it provided firing at a speed of 800 rounds per minute with an effective range of up to 200 meters. However, a few months after the start of the war, he 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-manufacture mass weapon.

PPSh-40

Fighter with PPSh-40

From its predecessor - PPD-40, PPSh inherited a drum magazine for 71 rounds. A little later, a simpler and more reliable sector carob magazine for 35 rounds was developed for him. The mass of equipped machine guns (both options) 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 with the ability to conduct single fire.

Assembly shop PPSh-40

To master the PPSh-40, several lessons were enough. It was easily disassembled into 5 parts, made using the stamping-welded 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 Alexei Sudaev presented his brainchild - a 7.62 mm submachine gun. It was strikingly different from its "older brothers" PPD and PPSh-40 in its rational layout, higher manufacturability and ease of manufacturing parts by arc welding.

PPS-42

The son of the regiment with a Sudayev machine gun

PPS-42 was 3.5 kg lighter and required three times less time to manufacture. However, despite the quite obvious advantages, he never became a mass weapon, leaving the palm of the PPSh-40.

Light machine gun DP-27

By the beginning of the war, the DP-27 light machine gun (Degtyarev infantry, cal 7.62mm) 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 driven by the energy of powder gases. The gas regulator reliably protected the mechanism from pollution and high temperatures.

The DP-27 could only conduct automatic fire, but even a beginner needed a few days to master shooting in short bursts of 3-5 shots. The ammunition load of 47 rounds was placed in a disk magazine with a bullet to the center in one row. The store itself was attached to the top of the receiver. The weight of the unloaded machine gun was 8.5 kg. Equipped store increased it by almost 3 kg.

Machine-gun crew DP-27 in battle

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

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 penetrations of the enemy defenses in cooperation with artillery and aviation.

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

Small arms of the infantry division of the Wehrmacht
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 - respectively 425 and 110 pieces, 90 anti-tank rifles and 3,600 pistols.

Small arms of the Wehrmacht as a whole met the high requirements of wartime. It was reliable, trouble-free, simple, easy to manufacture and maintain, which contributed to its mass 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, the founders of the world-famous arms company. Equipping the German army with it began in 1935.

The weapon was equipped with a clip with five 7.92 mm cartridges. A trained soldier could accurately fire 15 times within a minute at a distance of up to 1.5 km. Mauser 98K was very compact. Its main characteristics: weight, length, barrel length - 4.1 kg x 1250 x 740 mm. Numerous conflicts with its participation, longevity and a truly sky-high "circulation" - more than 15 million units speak of the indisputable merits of the rifle.

At the shooting range. Rifle Mauser 98K

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

Rifle G-41

Automatic MP-40 "Schmeisser"
Perhaps the most famous small arms of the Wehrmacht during World War II was the famous MP-40 submachine gun, a modification of its predecessor, the MP-36, created by Heinrich Volmer. However, by the will of fate, he is better known under the name "Schmeisser", received thanks to the stamp on the store - "PATENT SCHMEISSER". The stigma simply meant that, in addition to G. Volmer, Hugo Schmeisser also participated in the creation of the MP-40, but only as the creator of the store.

Automatic MP-40 "Schmeisser"

Initially, the MP-40 was intended to arm the commanders of infantry units, but later it was handed over to tankers, armored vehicle drivers, paratroopers and special forces soldiers.

German soldier firing MP-40

However, the MP-40 was absolutely not suitable for infantry units, since it was an exclusively melee weapon. In a fierce battle in the open, having a weapon with a range of 70 to 150 meters meant for a German soldier to be practically unarmed in front of his opponent, armed with Mosin and Tokarev rifles with a range of 400 to 800 meters.

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

StG-44 could conduct single and automatic fire. Her weight with a full magazine was 5.22 kg. In the sighting range - 800 meters - the "Sturmgever" was in no way inferior to its main competitors. Three versions of the store were provided - for 15, 20 and 30 shots with a rate of up to 500 shots per second. The option of using a rifle with an underbarrel grenade launcher and an infrared sight was considered.

Created by Sturmgever 44 Hugo Schmeisser

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

Sturmgever 44 with IR sight

In total, until the end of the war, German industry produced about 450 thousand StG-44s, which were armed mainly with elite units and subdivisions of the SS.

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 hand to easel and vice versa. So a series of machine guns was born - MG - 34, 42, 45.

German machine gunner with MG-42

The 7.92mm MG-42 is quite rightly called one of the best machine guns of World War II. It was developed at Grossfuss by engineers Werner Gruner and Kurt Horn. Those who experienced its firepower were very frank. Our soldiers called it "lawn mower", and the allies - "Hitler's circular saw."

Depending on the type of shutter, the machine gun accurately fired at a speed of up to 1500 rpm at a distance of up to 1 km. Ammunition was carried out using a machine-gun belt for 50 - 250 rounds. The uniqueness of the MG-42 was complemented by a relatively small number of parts - 200 and the high manufacturability of their production by stamping and spot welding.

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

According to techcult

24hitech.ru

Weapons of the Second World War. World War 2: weapons, tanks

One of the most difficult and significant for the history of all mankind was World War II. The weapons that were used in this crazy battle of 63 of the 74 countries that existed at that time claimed hundreds of millions of human lives.

Steel arms

World War II brought weapons of various promising types: from a simple submachine gun to a jet fire installation - the Katyusha. A lot of small arms, artillery, various aviation, naval weapons, tanks have been improved in these years.

Edged weapons of World War 2 were used for close hand-to-hand combat and as a reward. It was represented by: needle and wedge-shaped bayonets, which were supplied with rifles and carbines; army knives of various types; daggers for higher land and sea ranks; long-bladed cavalry checkers of private and commanding staff; naval officers' broadswords; premium original knives, daggers and checkers.

Weapon

The small arms of World War 2 played a particularly important role, since a huge number of people participated in it. Both the course of the battle and its results depended on the weapons of each.

The small arms of the USSR of World War II in the armament system of the Red Army were represented by the following types: personal service (revolvers and pistols of officers), individual of various units (shopping, self-loading and automatic carbines and rifles, for enlisted personnel), weapons for snipers (special self-loading or magazine rifles ), individual automatic for close combat (submachine guns), a collective type of weapon for platoons and squads of various groups of troops (light machine guns), for special machine gun units (machine guns mounted on an easel support), anti-aircraft small arms (machine gun anti-aircraft installations and large-caliber machine guns), tank small arms (tank machine gun).

The Soviet army used such small arms as the famous and indispensable rifle of the 1891/30 model (Mosin), self-loading rifles SVT-40 (F. V. Tokareva), automatic AVS-36 (S. G. Simonova), automatic pistol- PPD-40 machine guns (V. A. Degtyareva), PPSh-41 (G. S. Shpagina), PPS-43 (A. I. Sudayeva), TT-type pistol (F. V. Tokareva), light machine gun DP (V A. Degtyareva, infantry), a large-caliber machine gun DShK (V. A. Degtyareva - G. S. Shpagina), an SG-43 machine gun (P. M. Goryunova), anti-tank rifles PTRD (V. A. Degtyareva) and PTRS (S. G. Simonova). The main caliber of the weapon used is 7.62 mm. This entire assortment was mainly developed by talented Soviet designers, united in special design bureaus (design bureaus) and bringing victory closer.

A significant contribution to the approach of victory was played by such small arms of World War 2 as submachine guns. Due to the lack of machine guns at the beginning of the war, an unfavorable situation developed for the Soviet Union on all fronts. A rapid build-up of this type of weaponry was necessary. During the first months, its production increased significantly.

New assault rifles and machine guns

In 1941, a completely new submachine gun of the PPSh-41 type was adopted. It surpassed the PPD-40 by more than 70% in terms of accuracy of fire, was as simple as possible in the device and had good fighting qualities. Even more unique was the PPS-43 assault rifle. Its shortened version allowed the soldier to be more maneuverable in battle. It was used for tankers, signalmen, scouts. The production technology of such a submachine gun was at the highest level. Much less metal was spent on its manufacture and almost 3 times less time than on similar previously produced PPSh-41.

The use of a DShK heavy machine gun with an armor-piercing bullet made it possible to inflict damage on armored vehicles and enemy aircraft. The SG-43 machine gun on the machine eliminated the dependence on the availability of water supplies, as it had air cooling.

Huge damage to enemy tanks was caused by the use of anti-tank rifles PTRD and PTRS. In fact, with their help, the battle near Moscow was won.

What did the Germans fight

German weapons of World War 2 are presented in a wide variety. The German Wehrmacht used pistols like: Mauser C96 - 1895, Mauser HSc - 1935-1936., Mauser M 1910., Sauer 38H - 1938, Walther P38 - 1938, Walther PP - 1929. The caliber of these pistols fluctuated : 5.6; 6.35; 7.65 and 9.0 mm. Which was very inconvenient.

Rifles used all caliber 7.92 mm types: Mauser 98k - 1935, Gewehr 41 - 1941, FG - 42 - 1942, Gewehr 43 - 1943, StG 44 - 1943, StG 45 (M ) - 1944, Volkssturmgewehr 1-5 - end of 1944.

Type machine guns: MG-08 - 1908, MG-13 - 1926, MG-15 - 1927, MG-34 - 1934, MG42 - 1941. They used 7.92mm bullets.

Submachine guns, the so-called German "Schmeisser", produced the following modifications: MP 18 - 1917, MP 28 - 1928, MP35 - 1932, MP 38/40 - 1938, MP-3008 - 1945 . They were all 9mm. Also, the German troops used a large number of captured small arms, inherited from the armies of the enslaved countries of Europe.

Weapons in the hands of American soldiers

One of the main advantages of the Americans at the beginning of the war was a sufficient number of automatic weapons. At the time of the outbreak of hostilities, the United States was one of the few states in the world that had almost completely re-equipped its infantry with automatic and self-loading weapons. They used self-loading rifles "Grand" M-1, "Johnson" M1941, "Grand" M1D, carbines M1, M1F1, M2, Smith-Wesson M1940. For some types of rifles, a 22-mm M7 detachable grenade launcher was used. Its use significantly expanded the firepower and combat capabilities of the weapon.

The Americans used Thompson submachine guns, Reising, United Defense M42, M3 Grease gun. Reising was supplied under Lend-Lease to the USSR. The British were armed with machine guns: Sten, Austen, Lanchester Mk.1.
It was funny that the knights of British Albion, in the manufacture of their Lanchester Mk.1 submachine guns, copied the German MP28, and the Australian Austen borrowed the design from the MP40.

firearms

World War 2 firearms were represented on the battlefields by famous brands: the Italian Berreta, the Belgian Browning, the Spanish Astra-Unceta, the American Johnson, Winchester, Springfield, the English Lanchester, the unforgettable Maxim, Soviet PPSh and TT.

Artillery. The famous "Katyusha"

In the development of artillery weapons of that time, the main stage was the development and implementation of multiple rocket launchers.

The role of the Soviet rocket artillery combat vehicle BM-13 in the war is enormous. She is known to everyone by the nickname "Katyusha". Her rockets (RS-132) in a matter of minutes could destroy not only the enemy’s manpower and equipment, but, most importantly, undermine his spirit. The shells were installed on the basis of such trucks as the Soviet ZIS-6 and the American, imported under Lend-Lease, all-wheel drive Studebaker BS6.

The first units were manufactured in June 1941 at the Comintern plant in Voronezh. Their volley hit the Germans on July 14 of the same year near Orsha. In just a few seconds, emitting a terrible roar and throwing out smoke and flame, the rockets rushed at the enemy. A fiery tornado completely engulfed the enemy trains at the Orsha station.

The Jet Research Institute (RNII) took part in the development and creation of deadly weapons. It is to his employees - I. I. Gvai, A. S. Popov, V. N. Galkovsky and others - that we must bow for the creation of such a miracle of military equipment. During the war years, more than 10,000 of these machines were created.

German "Vanyusha"

The German army was also armed with a similar weapon - this is a 15 cm Nb. W41 (Nebelwerfer), or simply "Vanyusha". It was a very low accuracy weapon. It had a large spread of shells over the affected area. Attempts to modernize the mortar or produce something similar to the Katyusha did not have time to end due to the defeat of the German troops.

tanks

In all its beauty and diversity, World War 2 showed us a weapon - a tank.

The most famous tanks of World War 2 were: the Soviet medium tank-hero T-34, the German "menagerie" - heavy tanks T-VI "Tiger" and medium PzKpfw V "Panther", American medium tanks "Sherman", M3 "Lee", the Japanese amphibious tank "Mizu Sensha 2602" ("Ka-Mi"), the English light tank Mk III "Valentine", their own heavy tank "Churchill", etc.

Churchill is known for being supplied under Lend-Lease to the USSR. As a result of reducing the cost of production, the British brought his armor to 152 mm. In combat, he was completely useless.

The role of tank troops during World War II

The plans of the Nazis in 1941 included lightning strikes with tank wedges at the joints of the Soviet troops and their complete encirclement. It was the so-called blitzkrieg - "lightning war". The basis of all offensive operations of the Germans in 1941 was precisely the tank troops.

The destruction of Soviet tanks through aviation and long-range artillery at the beginning of the war almost led to the defeat of the USSR. Such a huge influence on the course of the war had the presence of the required number of tank troops.

One of the most famous tank battles of World War II was the Battle of Prokhorovka, which took place in July 1943. The subsequent offensive operations of the Soviet troops from 1943 to 1945 showed the power of our tank armies and the skill of tactical combat. The impression was that the methods used by the Nazis at the beginning of the war (this is a strike by tank groups at the junction of enemy formations) have now become an integral part of Soviet military tactics. Such attacks by mechanized corps and tank groups were splendidly shown in the Kyiv offensive operation, the Belorussian and Lvov-Sandomierz, Yasso-Kishenev, Baltic, Berlin offensive operations against the Germans and in the Manchurian - against the Japanese.

Tanks are the weapons of World War 2, which showed the world completely new methods of warfare.

In many battles, the legendary Soviet medium tanks T-34, later T-34-85, heavy tanks KV-1 later KV-85, IS-1 and IS-2, as well as self-propelled guns SU-85 and SU-152, especially distinguished themselves. .

The design of the legendary T-34 introduced a significant leap in world tank building in the early 1940s. This tank combined powerful armament, armor and high mobility. In total, about 53 thousand pieces were produced during the war years. These combat vehicles took part in all battles.

In response to the appearance of the most powerful tanks T-VI "Tiger" and T-V "Panther" in the German troops in 1943, the Soviet tank T-34-85 was created. The armor-piercing projectile of his gun - ZIS-S-53 - from 1000 m pierced the armor of the "Panther" and from 500 m - "Tiger".

Since the end of 1943, IS-2 heavy tanks and SU-152 self-propelled guns have also confidently fought the Tigers and Panthers. From 1500 m, the IS-2 tank pierced the frontal armor of the Panther (110 mm) and practically pierced its insides. The SU-152 shells could rip the turrets off the German heavyweights.

The IS-2 tank received the title of the most powerful tank of World War 2.

Aviation and navy

Some of the best aircraft of that time are the German dive bomber Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka", the impregnable "flying fortress" B-17, the "flying Soviet tank" Il-2, the famous La-7 and Yak-3 fighters (USSR), the Spitfire "(England)," North American R-51 "Mustang" (USA) and "Messerschmitt Bf 109" (Germany).

The best battleships of the navies of various countries during World War II were: the Japanese Yamato and Musashi, the English Nelson, the American Iowa, the German Tirpitz, the French Richelieu and the Italian Littorio.

Arms race. Deadly weapons of mass destruction

The weapons of the 2nd World War struck the world with their power and cruelty. It made it possible to destroy almost without hindrance a huge number of people, equipment and military installations, to wipe entire cities from the face of the earth.

World War II brought weapons of mass destruction of various types. Nuclear weapons have become especially deadly for many years to come.

The arms race, the constant tension in conflict zones, the interference of the powerful in the affairs of others - all this can give rise to a new war for world domination.

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Germany | Weapons of the Second World War

Germany in World War II

cooking fascist Germany at the start of World War II has become an aspect of serious developments in the field of military technology. The armament of the fascist troops at that time with the latest technology undoubtedly became a significant advantage in battles, which allowed the Third Reich to bring many countries to surrender.

The military power of the Nazis was especially experienced by the USSR during the Great Patriotic War. Before the attack on the Soviet Union, the forces of fascist Germany numbered about 8.5 million people, including approximately 5.2 million people in the ground forces.

The technical equipment determined many ways of conducting combat operations, the maneuvering and strike capabilities of the army. After the company in Western Europe, the German Wehrmacht left the best weapons that showed the greatest effectiveness in combat. Before the attack on the USSR, these prototypes underwent intensive modernization, their parameters were brought to the maximum.

The fascist infantry divisions, as the main tactical troops, were armed with magazine rifles with 98 and 98k Mauser bayonets. Although the Treaty of Versailles for Germany provided for a ban on the production of submachine guns, German gunsmiths still continued to produce this type of weapon. Shortly after the formation of the Wehrmacht, the MP.38 submachine gun appeared in its appearance, which, due to the fact that it was distinguished by its small size, an open barrel without a forearm and a folding butt, quickly patented itself and was put into service back in 1938.

The experience accumulated in combat operations required the subsequent modernization of the MP.38. This is how the MP.40 submachine gun appeared, which was distinguished by a more simplified and cheaper design (in parallel, some changes were made to the MP.38, which later received the designation MP.38 / 40). Compactness, reliability, almost optimal rate of fire were justified advantages of this weapon. German soldiers called it "bullet pump".

The fighting on the Eastern Front showed that the submachine gun still needed to improve accuracy. This problem was already taken up by H. Schmeisser, who equipped the MP.40 design with a wooden butt and a device for switching to a single fire. True, the release of such MP.41 was insignificant.

Germany entered the war with only one MG.34 machine gun, which was used both in manual and tank, easel and anti-aircraft guns. The experience of its use proved that the concept of a single machine gun is quite correct. However, in 1942, the brainchild of modernization was the MG.42, nicknamed " Hitler's saw”, which is considered the best machine gun of the Second World War.

The fascist forces brought the world a lot of trouble, but it is worth recognizing that they really understood military equipment.

weapon2.ru

The Schmeisser submachine gun was not a mass weapon of the German infantry during the Second World War

Until now, many believe that the mass weapon of the German infantry during the Great Patriotic War was the Schmeisser submachine gun, named after its designer. This myth is still actively supported by feature films. But in fact, it was not Schmeisser who created this machine gun at all, and he also never was a mass weapon of the Wehrmacht.

I think everyone remembers the shots from Soviet feature films about the Great Patriotic War, dedicated to the attacks of German soldiers on our positions. Brave and fit "blond beasts" (they were usually played by actors from the Baltic States) walk, almost without bending down, and fire on the move from machine guns (or rather, from submachine guns), which everyone called "Schmeisser".

And, what is most interesting, no one at all, perhaps, except for those who really were in the war, was not surprised by the fact that the Wehrmacht soldiers fired, as they say, “from the hip”. Also, no one considered it fiction that, according to the movies, these "Schmeissers" accurately fired at the same distance as the rifles of the soldiers of the Soviet army. In addition, after watching such films, the viewer had the impression that during the Second World War, the entire personnel of the German infantry, from privates to colonels, was armed with submachine guns.

However, all this is nothing more than a myth. In fact, this weapon was not called “Schmeisser” at all, and it was not as common in the Wehrmacht as Soviet films told about it, and it was impossible to shoot from it “from the hip”. In addition, an attack by a unit of such submachine gunners on trenches in which fighters armed with magazine rifles were sitting was an obvious suicide - simply no one would have reached the trench. However, let's talk about everything in order.

The very weapon that I want to talk about today was officially called the MP 40 submachine gun (MP is an abbreviation for the word " Maschinenpistole", that is, an automatic pistol). It was another modification of the MP 36 assault rifle, created back in the 30s of the last century. The predecessors of this weapon, the MP 38 and MP 38/40 submachine guns, proved themselves very well at the very first stage of the Second World War, so the military experts of the Third Reich decided to continue improving this model.

MP 38, MP 38/40, MP 40 (abbreviated from German Maschinenpistole) - various modifications of the submachine gun of the German company Erfurter Maschinenfabrik (ERMA) (English), developed by Heinrich Volmer based on the earlier MP 36. They were in service with the Wehrmacht During the Second World War.

The MP 40 was a modification of the MP 38 submachine gun, which, in turn, was a modification of the MP 36 submachine gun, which was combat tested in Spain. MP 40, like MP 38, was intended primarily for tankers, motorized infantry, paratroopers and infantry platoon commanders. Later, towards the end of the war, it began to be used by the German infantry relatively massively, although it was not widespread.//
Initially, the infantry was against the folding butt, as it reduced the accuracy of shooting; as a result, gunsmith Hugo Schmeisser, who worked for C.G. Haenel, Erma's competitor, created a modification of the MP 41, combining the main mechanisms of the MP 40 with a wooden stock and trigger, made in the image of the MP28 previously developed by Hugo Schmeisser himself. However, this version was not widely used and was not produced for long (about 26 thousand pieces were produced)
The Germans themselves very meticulously name their weapons according to the indices assigned to them. In the special Soviet literature during the Great Patriotic War, they were also quite correctly identified as MP 38, MP 40 and MP 41, and MP28 / II was designated by the name of its creator, Hugo Schmeisser. In the Western literature on small arms, published in 1940-1945, all the then German submachine guns immediately received the general name "Schmeisser system". The term stuck.
With the onset of 1940, when the army general staff ordered the development of new weapons, MP 40s began to receive large quantities of riflemen, cavalrymen, drivers, tank units and staff officers. The needs of the troops were now more satisfied, although not completely.

Contrary to popular belief imposed by feature films, where German soldiers “poured” MP 40s with continuous fire “from the hip”, the fire was usually fired in short bursts of 3-4 shots with the unfolded butt resting on the shoulder (except when it was necessary to create a high density of non-aimed fire in combat at the closest ranges).
Characteristics:
Weight, kg: 5 (with 32 rounds)
Length, mm: 833/630 with unfolded/folded stock
Barrel length, mm: 248
Cartridge: 9x19 mm Parabellum
Caliber, mm: 9
rate of fire,
shots / min: 450-500
Muzzle velocity, m/s: 380
Sighting range, m: 150
Maximum
range, m: 180 (effective)
Type of ammunition: 32-round box magazine
Sight: unregulated open at 100 m, with a folding stand at 200 m

Due to Hitler's reluctance to begin production of a new class of weapons, development was carried out under the designation MP-43. The first samples of the MP-43 were successfully tested on the Eastern Front against the Soviet troops, and in 1944 more or less mass production of a new type of weapon began, however, under the name MP-44. After the results of successful frontal tests were presented to Hitler and approved by him, the weapon nomenclature was again changed, and the sample received the final designation StG.44 ("sturm gewehr" - assault rifle).
The disadvantages of the MP-44 include an excessively large mass of weapons, sights located too high, which is why the shooter had to raise his head too high when firing prone. For the MP-44, short magazines for 15 and 20 rounds were even developed. In addition, the butt mount was not strong enough and could collapse in hand-to-hand combat. In general, the MP-44 was a fairly successful model, providing effective fire with single shots at a distance of up to 600 meters and automatic fire at a distance of up to 300 meters. In total, taking into account all the modifications, in 1942 - 1943, about 450,000 copies of the MP - 43, MP - 44 and StG 44 were produced and, with the end of the 2nd World War, its production ended, but it was until the mid-50s of the XX th century was in service with the police of the GDR and the airborne troops of Yugoslavia ...
Characteristics:
Caliber, mm 7.92
Used cartridge 7.92x33
Muzzle velocity, m/s 650
Weight, kg 5.22
Length, mm 940
Barrel length, mm 419
Magazine capacity, rounds 30
Rate of fire, v / m 500
Sighting range, m 600

MG 42 (German: Maschinengewehr 42) - German single machine gun of the Second World War. Developed by Metall und Lackierwarenfabrik Johannes Grossfuss AG in 1942...
By the beginning of World War II, the Wehrmacht had the MG-34 created in the early 1930s as a single machine gun. With all its merits, it had two serious drawbacks: firstly, it turned out to be quite sensitive to contamination of mechanisms; secondly, it was too laborious and expensive to manufacture, which did not allow satisfying the ever-increasing needs of the troops for machine guns.
Adopted by the Wehrmacht in 1942. The production of the MG-42 continued in Germany until the end of the war, and the total production amounted to at least 400,000 machine guns ...
Characteristics
Weight, kg: 11.57
Length, mm: 1220
Cartridge: 7.92x57 mm
Caliber, mm: 7.92
Principles of operation: Short stroke
rate of fire,
shots / min: 900-1500 (depending on the shutter used)
Muzzle velocity, m/s: 790-800
Sighting range, m: 1000
Type of ammunition: machine-gun belt for 50 or 250 rounds
Operating years: 1942–1959

Walther P38 (Walther P38) - German self-loading pistol caliber 9 mm. Developed by Karl Walter Waffenfabrik. It was adopted by the Wehrmacht in 1938. Over time, he supplanted the Luger-Parabellum pistol (although not completely) and became the most massive pistol in the German army. It was produced not only on the territory of the Third Reich, but also on the territory of Belgium and occupied Czechoslovakia. P38 was also popular with the soldiers of the Red Army and the allies, as a good trophy and melee weapon. After the war, the production of weapons in Germany was stopped for a long time. Only in 1957 did the production of this pistol resume in Germany. It was supplied to the Bundeswehr under the brand name P-1 (P-1, P is an abbreviation for German "pistole" - "pistol").
Characteristics
Weight, kg: 0.8
Length, mm: 216
Barrel length, mm: 125
Cartridge: 9x19 mm Parabellum
Caliber, mm: 9 mm
Principles of operation: short stroke
Muzzle velocity, m/s: 355
Sighting range, m: ~50
Type of ammunition: magazine for 8 rounds

The Luger pistol ("Luger", "Parabellum", German Pistole 08, Parabellumpistole) is a pistol developed in 1900 by Georg Luger based on the ideas of his teacher Hugo Borchardt. Therefore, the Parabellum is often called the Luger-Borchardt pistol.

Complicated and expensive to manufacture, the Parabellum was nonetheless quite reliable, and for its time, was an advanced weapon system. The main advantage of the "Parabellum" was a very high accuracy of shooting, achieved due to the convenient "anatomical" handle and easy (almost sporty) descent ...
The rise to power of Hitler led to the rearmament of the German army; all restrictions imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles were ignored. This allowed Mauser to resume active production of Luger pistols with a barrel length of 98 mm and grooves on the handle for attaching an attached butt holster. Already in the early 1930s, the designers of the Mauser arms company began to work on the creation of several variants of the Parabellum, including a special model for the needs of the secret police of the Weimar Republic. But the new model R-08 with an expansion silencer was no longer received by the German Ministry of the Interior, but by its successor, created on the basis of the SS organization of the Nazi Party - the RSHA. This weapon in the thirties - forties was in service with the German special services: the Gestapo, SD and military intelligence - the Abwehr. Along with the creation of special pistols based on the R-08, in the Third Reich at that time there were also constructive revisions of the Parabellum. So, by order of the police, a variant of the R-08 was created with a shutter delay, which did not allow the shutter to move forward when the magazine was removed.
During preparations for a new war, with the aim of conspiring the real manufacturer, Mauser-Werke A.G. began to apply special stamps to their weapons. Previously, in 1934-1941, Luger pistols were marked "S / 42", which in 1942 was replaced by the code "byf". It existed until the completion of the production of these weapons by the Oberndorf company in December 1942. In total, during the Second World War, the Wehrmacht received 1.355 million pistols of this brand.
Characteristics
Weight, kg: 0.876 (weight with loaded magazine)
Length, mm: 220
Barrel length, mm: 98-203
Cartridge: 9x19 mm Parabellum,
7.65mm Luger, 7.65x17mm and others
Caliber, mm: 9
Principles of operation: recoil of the barrel with its short stroke
rate of fire,
shots / min: 32-40 (combat)
Muzzle velocity, m/s: 350-400
Sighting range, m: 50
Type of ammunition: box magazine with a capacity of 8 rounds (or drum magazine for 32 rounds)
Scope: Open sight

Flammenwerfer 35 (FmW.35) is a German portable backpack flamethrower of the 1934 model, put into service in 1935 (in Soviet sources - "Flammenwerfer 34").

Unlike the bulky knapsack flamethrowers previously in service with the Reichswehr, serviced by a crew of two or three specially trained soldiers, the Flammenwerfer 35 flamethrower, whose curb weight did not exceed 36 kg, could be carried and used by just one person.
To use the weapon, the flamethrower, having directed the hose towards the target, turned on the igniter located at the end of the barrel, opened the nitrogen supply valve, and then the supply of the combustible mixture.

After passing through the hose, the combustible mixture pushed out by the force of compressed gas ignited and reached the target located at a distance of up to 45 m.

Electric ignition, first used in the design of a flamethrower, made it possible to arbitrarily adjust the duration of the shots and made it possible to fire about 35 shots. The duration of work with a continuous supply of a combustible mixture was 45 seconds.
Despite the possibility of using a flamethrower by one person, in battle he was always accompanied by one or two infantrymen who covered the actions of the flamethrower with small arms, giving him the opportunity to quietly approach the target at a distance of 25-30 m.

The initial stage of the Second World War revealed a number of shortcomings that significantly reduce the possibility of using this effective weapon. The main one (besides the fact that the flamethrower that appeared on the battlefield became the primary target of snipers and enemy shooters) remained a rather significant mass of the flamethrower, which reduced maneuverability and increased the vulnerability of the infantry units armed with it ...
Flamethrowers were in service with sapper units: each company had three Flammenwerfer 35 backpack flamethrowers, which could be combined into small flamethrower squads used as part of assault groups.
Characteristics
Weight, kg: 36
Crew (calculation): 1
Sighting range, m: 30
Maximum
range, m: 40
Type of ammunition: 1 fuel bottle
1 gas cylinder (nitrogen)
Scope: no

Gerat Potsdam (V.7081) and Gerat Neumönster (Volks-MP 3008) are more or less exact copies of the English Stan submachine gun.

Initially, the leadership of the Wehrmacht and the SS troops rejected the proposal to use the captured English Stan submachine guns, which had accumulated in significant quantities in the warehouses of the Wehrmacht. The reasons for this attitude were the primitive design and short effective range of this weapon. However, the lack of automatic weapons forced the Germans to use the Stans in 1943-1944. for arming the SS troops fighting the partisans in the territories occupied by Germany. In 1944, in connection with the creation of the Volkssturm, it was decided to establish the production of Stans in Germany. At the same time, the primitive design of these submachine guns was already considered a positive factor.

Like the English counterpart, the Neumünster and Potsdam submachine guns produced in Germany were intended to engage manpower at a distance of up to 90–100 m. They consist of a small number of main parts and mechanisms that can be manufactured in small enterprises and handicraft workshops.
For firing from submachine guns, 9-mm Parabellum cartridges are used. The same cartridges are also used in the English Stans. This coincidence is not accidental: when creating the "Stan" in 1940, the German MP-40 was taken as the basis. Ironically, after 4 years, the production of Stans was started at German enterprises. In total, 52 thousand Volkssturmgever rifles and Potsdam and Neumünster submachine guns were produced.
Tactical and technical characteristics:
Caliber, mm 9
Muzzle velocity, m/s 365–381
Weight, kg 2.95–3.00
Length, mm 787
Barrel length, mm 180, 196 or 200
Magazine capacity, rounds 32
Rate of fire, rds / min 540
Practical rate of fire, rds / min 80–90
Sighting range, m 200

The Steyr-Solothurn S1-100, aka MP30, MP34, MP34(c), BMK 32, m/938 and m/942, is a submachine gun developed on the basis of the experimental German Rheinmetall MP19 submachine gun of the Louis Stange system. Produced in Austria and Switzerland, it was widely offered for export. The S1-100 is often regarded as one of the best submachine guns of the interwar period...
After World War I, the production of submachine guns like the MP-18 was banned in Germany. However, in violation of the Versailles treaties, a number of experimental submachine guns were secretly developed, among which was the MP19 created by Rheinmetall-Borsig. Its production and sale under the name Steyr-Solothurn S1-100 was organized through the Zurich company Steyr-Solothurn Waffen AG controlled by Rheinmetall-Borzig, the production itself was located in Switzerland and, mainly, Austria.
It had an exceptionally solid construction - all the main parts were milled from steel forgings, which gave it great strength, high weight and a fantastic cost, thanks to which this sample received the fame of "Rolls-Royce among PP". The receiver had an up-and-forward hinged lid, making it very easy and convenient to disassemble the weapon for cleaning and maintenance.
In 1934, this model was adopted by the Austrian army for limited armament under the designation Steyr MP34, and in the variant for a very powerful 9×25 mm Mauser Export cartridge; in addition, there were export options for all the main military pistol cartridges of that time - 9x19 mm Luger, 7.63x25 mm Mauser, 7.65x21 mm, .45 ACP. The Austrian police were armed with the Steyr MP30 - a variant of the same weapon chambered for 9x23 mm Steyr. In Portugal, it was in service as m/938 (7.65 mm) and m/942 (9 mm), and in Denmark as BMK 32.

S1-100 fought in the Chaco and Spain. After the Anschluss in 1938, this model was purchased for the needs of the Third Reich and was in service under the name MP34 (c) (Machinenpistole 34 Österreich). It was used by the Waffen SS, rear units and the police. This submachine gun even managed to take part in the Portuguese colonial wars of the 1960s and 1970s in Africa.
Characteristics
Weight, kg: 3.5 (without magazine)
Length, mm: 850
Barrel length, mm: 200
Cartridge: 9x19 mm Parabellum
Caliber, mm: 9
Principles of operation: free shutter
rate of fire,
shots / min: 400
Muzzle velocity, m/s: 370
Sighting range, m: 200
Type of ammunition: box magazine for 20 or 32 rounds

WunderWaffe 1 - Vampire Vision
The Sturmgewehr 44 was the first assault rifle similar to the modern M-16 and the AK-47 Kalashnikov. Snipers could use the ZG 1229, also known as the "Vampire Code", also at night, due to the infrared night vision device. It was used during the last months of the war.

MP 38, MP 38/40, MP 40 (abbreviated from German Maschinenpistole) - various modifications of the submachine gun of the German company Erfurter Maschinenfabrik (ERMA) (English), developed by Heinrich Volmer based on the earlier MP 36. They were in service with the Wehrmacht During the Second World War.

The MP 40 was a modification of the MP 38 submachine gun, which, in turn, was a modification of the MP 36 submachine gun, which was combat tested in Spain. MP 40, like MP 38, was intended primarily for tankers, motorized infantry, paratroopers and infantry platoon commanders. Later, towards the end of the war, it began to be used by the German infantry relatively massively, although it was not widespread.//
Initially, the infantry was against the folding butt, as it reduced the accuracy of shooting; as a result, gunsmith Hugo Schmeisser, who worked for C.G. Haenel, Erma's competitor, created a modification of the MP 41, combining the main mechanisms of the MP 40 with a wooden stock and trigger, made in the image of the MP28 previously developed by Hugo Schmeisser himself. However, this version was not widely used and was not produced for long (about 26 thousand pieces were produced)
The Germans themselves very meticulously name their weapons according to the indices assigned to them. In the special Soviet literature during the Great Patriotic War, they were also quite correctly identified as MP 38, MP 40 and MP 41, and MP28 / II was designated by the name of its creator, Hugo Schmeisser. In the Western literature on small arms, published in 1940-1945, all the then German submachine guns immediately received the general name "Schmeisser system". The term stuck.
With the onset of 1940, when the army general staff ordered the development of new weapons, MP 40s began to receive large quantities of riflemen, cavalrymen, drivers, tank units and staff officers. The needs of the troops were now more satisfied, although not completely.

Contrary to popular belief imposed by feature films, where German soldiers “poured” MP 40s with continuous fire “from the hip”, the fire was usually fired in short bursts of 3-4 shots with the unfolded butt resting on the shoulder (except when it was necessary to create a high density of non-aimed fire in combat at the closest ranges).
Characteristics:
Weight, kg: 5 (with 32 rounds)
Length, mm: 833/630 with unfolded/folded stock
Barrel length, mm: 248
Cartridge: 9x19 mm Parabellum
Caliber, mm: 9
rate of fire,
shots / min: 450-500
Muzzle velocity, m/s: 380
Sighting range, m: 150
Maximum
range, m: 180 (effective)
Type of ammunition: 32-round box magazine
Sight: unregulated open at 100 m, with a folding stand at 200 m

Due to Hitler's reluctance to begin production of a new class of weapons, development was carried out under the designation MP-43. The first samples of the MP-43 were successfully tested on the Eastern Front against the Soviet troops, and in 1944 more or less mass production of a new type of weapon began, however, under the name MP-44. After the results of successful frontal tests were presented to Hitler and approved by him, the weapon nomenclature was again changed, and the sample received the final designation StG.44 ("sturm gewehr" - assault rifle).
The disadvantages of the MP-44 include an excessively large mass of weapons, sights located too high, which is why the shooter had to raise his head too high when firing prone. For the MP-44, short magazines for 15 and 20 rounds were even developed. In addition, the butt mount was not strong enough and could collapse in hand-to-hand combat. In general, the MP-44 was a fairly successful model, providing effective fire with single shots at a distance of up to 600 meters and automatic fire at a distance of up to 300 meters. In total, taking into account all the modifications, in 1942 - 1943, about 450,000 copies of the MP - 43, MP - 44 and StG 44 were produced and, with the end of the 2nd World War, its production ended, but it was until the mid-50s of the XX th century was in service with the police of the GDR and the airborne troops of Yugoslavia ...
Characteristics:
Caliber, mm 7.92
Used cartridge 7.92x33
Muzzle velocity, m/s 650
Weight, kg 5.22
Length, mm 940
Barrel length, mm 419
Magazine capacity, rounds 30
Rate of fire, v / m 500
Sighting range, m 600

MG 42 (German: Maschinengewehr 42) - German single machine gun of the Second World War. Developed by Metall und Lackierwarenfabrik Johannes Grossfuss AG in 1942...
By the beginning of World War II, the Wehrmacht had the MG-34 created in the early 1930s as a single machine gun. With all its merits, it had two serious drawbacks: firstly, it turned out to be quite sensitive to contamination of mechanisms; secondly, it was too laborious and expensive to manufacture, which did not allow satisfying the ever-increasing needs of the troops for machine guns.
Adopted by the Wehrmacht in 1942. The production of the MG-42 continued in Germany until the end of the war, and the total production amounted to at least 400,000 machine guns ...
Characteristics
Weight, kg: 11.57
Length, mm: 1220
Cartridge: 7.92x57 mm
Caliber, mm: 7.92
Principles of operation: Short stroke
rate of fire,
shots / min: 900-1500 (depending on the shutter used)
Muzzle velocity, m/s: 790-800
Sighting range, m: 1000
Type of ammunition: machine-gun belt for 50 or 250 rounds
Operating years: 1942–1959

Walther P38 (Walther P38) - German self-loading pistol caliber 9 mm. Developed by Karl Walter Waffenfabrik. It was adopted by the Wehrmacht in 1938. Over time, he supplanted the Luger-Parabellum pistol (although not completely) and became the most massive pistol in the German army. It was produced not only on the territory of the Third Reich, but also on the territory of Belgium and occupied Czechoslovakia. P38 was also popular with the soldiers of the Red Army and the allies, as a good trophy and melee weapon. After the war, the production of weapons in Germany was stopped for a long time. Only in 1957 did the production of this pistol resume in Germany. It was supplied to the Bundeswehr under the brand name P-1 (P-1, P is an abbreviation for German "pistole" - "pistol").
Characteristics
Weight, kg: 0.8
Length, mm: 216
Barrel length, mm: 125
Cartridge: 9x19 mm Parabellum
Caliber, mm: 9 mm
Principles of operation: short stroke
Muzzle velocity, m/s: 355
Sighting range, m: ~50
Type of ammunition: magazine for 8 rounds

The Luger pistol ("Luger", "Parabellum", German Pistole 08, Parabellumpistole) is a pistol developed in 1900 by Georg Luger based on the ideas of his teacher Hugo Borchardt. Therefore, the Parabellum is often called the Luger-Borchardt pistol.

Complicated and expensive to manufacture, the Parabellum was nonetheless quite reliable, and for its time, was an advanced weapon system. The main advantage of the "Parabellum" was a very high accuracy of shooting, achieved due to the convenient "anatomical" handle and easy (almost sporty) descent ...
The rise to power of Hitler led to the rearmament of the German army; all restrictions imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles were ignored. This allowed Mauser to resume active production of Luger pistols with a barrel length of 98 mm and grooves on the handle for attaching an attached butt holster. Already in the early 1930s, the designers of the Mauser arms company began to work on the creation of several variants of the Parabellum, including a special model for the needs of the secret police of the Weimar Republic. But the new model R-08 with an expansion silencer was no longer received by the German Ministry of the Interior, but by its successor, created on the basis of the SS organization of the Nazi Party - the RSHA. This weapon in the thirties - forties was in service with the German special services: the Gestapo, SD and military intelligence - the Abwehr. Along with the creation of special pistols based on the R-08, in the Third Reich at that time there were also constructive revisions of the Parabellum. So, by order of the police, a variant of the R-08 was created with a shutter delay, which did not allow the shutter to move forward when the magazine was removed.
During preparations for a new war, with the aim of conspiring the real manufacturer, Mauser-Werke A.G. began to apply special stamps to their weapons. Previously, in 1934-1941, Luger pistols were marked "S / 42", which in 1942 was replaced by the code "byf". It existed until the completion of the production of these weapons by the Oberndorf company in December 1942. In total, during the Second World War, the Wehrmacht received 1.355 million pistols of this brand.
Characteristics
Weight, kg: 0.876 (weight with loaded magazine)
Length, mm: 220
Barrel length, mm: 98-203
Cartridge: 9x19 mm Parabellum,
7.65mm Luger, 7.65x17mm and others
Caliber, mm: 9
Principles of operation: recoil of the barrel with its short stroke
rate of fire,
shots / min: 32-40 (combat)
Muzzle velocity, m/s: 350-400
Sighting range, m: 50
Type of ammunition: box magazine with a capacity of 8 rounds (or drum magazine for 32 rounds)
Scope: Open sight

Flammenwerfer 35 (FmW.35) is a German portable backpack flamethrower of the 1934 model, put into service in 1935 (in Soviet sources - "Flammenwerfer 34").

Unlike the bulky knapsack flamethrowers previously in service with the Reichswehr, serviced by a crew of two or three specially trained soldiers, the Flammenwerfer 35 flamethrower, whose curb weight did not exceed 36 kg, could be carried and used by just one person.
To use the weapon, the flamethrower, having directed the hose towards the target, turned on the igniter located at the end of the barrel, opened the nitrogen supply valve, and then the supply of the combustible mixture.

After passing through the hose, the combustible mixture pushed out by the force of compressed gas ignited and reached the target located at a distance of up to 45 m.

Electric ignition, first used in the design of a flamethrower, made it possible to arbitrarily adjust the duration of the shots and made it possible to fire about 35 shots. The duration of work with a continuous supply of a combustible mixture was 45 seconds.
Despite the possibility of using a flamethrower by one person, in battle he was always accompanied by one or two infantrymen who covered the actions of the flamethrower with small arms, giving him the opportunity to quietly approach the target at a distance of 25-30 m.

The initial stage of the Second World War revealed a number of shortcomings that significantly reduce the possibility of using this effective weapon. The main one (besides the fact that the flamethrower that appeared on the battlefield became the primary target of snipers and enemy shooters) remained a rather significant mass of the flamethrower, which reduced maneuverability and increased the vulnerability of the infantry units armed with it ...
Flamethrowers were in service with sapper units: each company had three Flammenwerfer 35 backpack flamethrowers, which could be combined into small flamethrower squads used as part of assault groups.
Characteristics
Weight, kg: 36
Crew (calculation): 1
Sighting range, m: 30
Maximum
range, m: 40
Type of ammunition: 1 fuel bottle
1 gas cylinder (nitrogen)
Scope: no

Gerat Potsdam (V.7081) and Gerat Neumönster (Volks-MP 3008) are more or less exact copies of the English Stan submachine gun.

Initially, the leadership of the Wehrmacht and the SS troops rejected the proposal to use the captured English Stan submachine guns, which had accumulated in significant quantities in the warehouses of the Wehrmacht. The reasons for this attitude were the primitive design and short effective range of this weapon. However, the lack of automatic weapons forced the Germans to use the Stans in 1943-1944. for arming the SS troops fighting the partisans in the territories occupied by Germany. In 1944, in connection with the creation of the Volkssturm, it was decided to establish the production of Stans in Germany. At the same time, the primitive design of these submachine guns was already considered a positive factor.

Like the English counterpart, the Neumünster and Potsdam submachine guns produced in Germany were intended to engage manpower at a distance of up to 90–100 m. They consist of a small number of main parts and mechanisms that can be manufactured in small enterprises and handicraft workshops.
For firing from submachine guns, 9-mm Parabellum cartridges are used. The same cartridges are also used in the English Stans. This coincidence is not accidental: when creating the "Stan" in 1940, the German MP-40 was taken as the basis. Ironically, after 4 years, the production of Stans was started at German enterprises. In total, 52 thousand Volkssturmgever rifles and Potsdam and Neumünster submachine guns were produced.
Tactical and technical characteristics:
Caliber, mm 9
Muzzle velocity, m/s 365–381
Weight, kg 2.95–3.00
Length, mm 787
Barrel length, mm 180, 196 or 200
Magazine capacity, rounds 32
Rate of fire, rds / min 540
Practical rate of fire, rds / min 80–90
Sighting range, m 200

The Steyr-Solothurn S1-100, aka MP30, MP34, MP34(c), BMK 32, m/938 and m/942, is a submachine gun developed on the basis of the experimental German Rheinmetall MP19 submachine gun of the Louis Stange system. Produced in Austria and Switzerland, it was widely offered for export. The S1-100 is often regarded as one of the best submachine guns of the interwar period...
After World War I, the production of submachine guns like the MP-18 was banned in Germany. However, in violation of the Versailles treaties, a number of experimental submachine guns were secretly developed, among which was the MP19 created by Rheinmetall-Borsig. Its production and sale under the name Steyr-Solothurn S1-100 was organized through the Zurich company Steyr-Solothurn Waffen AG controlled by Rheinmetall-Borzig, the production itself was located in Switzerland and, mainly, Austria.
It had an exceptionally solid construction - all the main parts were milled from steel forgings, which gave it great strength, high weight and a fantastic cost, thanks to which this sample received the fame of "Rolls-Royce among PP". The receiver had an up-and-forward hinged lid, making it very easy and convenient to disassemble the weapon for cleaning and maintenance.
In 1934, this model was adopted by the Austrian army for limited armament under the designation Steyr MP34, and in the variant for a very powerful 9×25 mm Mauser Export cartridge; in addition, there were export options for all the main military pistol cartridges of that time - 9x19 mm Luger, 7.63x25 mm Mauser, 7.65x21 mm, .45 ACP. The Austrian police were armed with the Steyr MP30 - a variant of the same weapon chambered for 9x23 mm Steyr. In Portugal, it was in service as m/938 (7.65 mm) and m/942 (9 mm), and in Denmark as BMK 32.

S1-100 fought in the Chaco and Spain. After the Anschluss in 1938, this model was purchased for the needs of the Third Reich and was in service under the name MP34 (c) (Machinenpistole 34 Österreich). It was used by the Waffen SS, rear units and the police. This submachine gun even managed to take part in the Portuguese colonial wars of the 1960s and 1970s in Africa.
Characteristics
Weight, kg: 3.5 (without magazine)
Length, mm: 850
Barrel length, mm: 200
Cartridge: 9x19 mm Parabellum
Caliber, mm: 9
Principles of operation: free shutter
rate of fire,
shots / min: 400
Muzzle velocity, m/s: 370
Sighting range, m: 200
Type of ammunition: box magazine for 20 or 32 rounds

WunderWaffe 1 - Vampire Vision
The Sturmgewehr 44 was the first assault rifle similar to the modern M-16 and the AK-47 Kalashnikov. Snipers could use the ZG 1229, also known as the "Vampire Code", also at night, due to the infrared night vision device. It was used during the last months of the war.