Small arms of the second world war machine guns. Small arms soldiers of the Wehrmacht. English military equipment

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 at 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 the entire personnel of the German infantry, from privates to colonels, were armed with submachine guns during the Second World War.

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, the attack of 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 II, so the military experts of the Third Reich decided to continue improving this model.

The "parent" of the MP 40, contrary to popular belief, was not the famous German gunsmith Hugo Schmeisser, but the less talented designer Heinrich Volmer. So it’s more logical to call these automata “volmers”, and not “Schmeissers” at all. But why did the people adopt the second name? Probably due to the fact that Schmeisser owned a patent for the store used in this weapon. And, accordingly, in order to respect copyrights, the inscription PATENT SCHMEISSER flaunted on the receiver of the stores of the first batches of MP 40. Well, the soldiers of the Allied armies, who received this weapon as a trophy, mistakenly believed that Schmeisser was the creator of this machine gun.

From the very beginning, the German command planned to equip the MP 40 only with the command staff of the Wehrmacht. In infantry units, for example, only commanders of squads, companies and battalions should have had these machine guns. Subsequently, these submachine guns also became popular among tankers, armored vehicle drivers and paratroopers. However, no one armed the infantry with them either in 1941 or after.

Hugo Schmeisser

According to the archives of the German army, in 1941, immediately before the attack on the USSR, there were only 250 thousand MP 40 units in the troops (despite the fact that at the same time there were 7,234,000 people in the troops of the Third Reich). As you can see, there was no question of any massive use of the MP 40, especially in the infantry units (where there were the most soldiers). For the entire period from 1940 to 1945, only two million of these submachine guns were produced (whereas over 21 million people were called up in the Wehrmacht during the same period).

Why didn't the Germans equip their foot soldiers with this machine gun (which was later recognized as one of the best in the entire period of the Second World War)? Yes, because they were simply sorry to lose them. After all, the effective range of the MP 40 for group targets was 150 meters, and for single targets - only 70 meters. But the Wehrmacht soldiers had to attack the trenches in which the soldiers of the Soviet Army were sitting, armed with modified versions of the Mosin rifle and Tokarev automatic rifles (SVT).

The effective range of fire from both types of these weapons was 400 meters for single targets and 800 meters for group ones. So judge for yourself, did the Germans have a chance to survive such attacks if they were, as in Soviet movies, armed with MP 40? That's right, no one would have reached the trenches. In addition, unlike the characters of the same films, the real owners of the submachine gun could not shoot from it on the move "from the hip" - the weapon vibrated so strongly that with this method of firing all the bullets flew past the target.

It was possible to shoot from the MP 40 only "from the shoulder", resting the unfolded butt on it - then the weapon practically did not "shake". In addition, these submachine guns were never fired in long bursts - it heated up very quickly. Usually they hit in short bursts of three or four shots, or fired single shots. So in reality, MP 40 owners never managed to achieve a technical passport rate of fire of 450-500 rounds per minute.

That is why German soldiers attacked throughout the war with Mauser 98k rifles - the most common small arms of the Wehrmacht. Its sighting range for group targets was 700 meters, and for single targets - 500, that is, it was close to those of the Mosin and SVT rifles. By the way, the SVT was highly respected by the Germans - the best infantry units were armed with captured Tokarev rifles (the Waffen SS especially loved it). And the "captured" Mosin rifles were given to rear guard units (however, they were generally supplied with all sorts of "international" junk, albeit of very high quality).

At the same time, it cannot be said that the MP 40 was so bad - on the contrary, in close combat this weapon was very, very dangerous. That is why German paratroopers from sabotage groups, as well as intelligence officers of the Soviet Army and ... partisans, fell in love with him. After all, they did not need to attack enemy positions from a long distance - and in close combat, the rate of fire, light weight and reliability of this submachine gun gave great advantages. That is why now on the "black" market the price of the MP 40, which the "black diggers" continue to supply there, is very high - this machine is in demand among the "fighters" of criminal groups and even poachers.

By the way, it was precisely the fact that the MP 40 was used by German saboteurs that gave rise to a mental phenomenon in the Red Army in 1941, called "automatic fear". Our fighters considered the Germans invincible because they were armed with miraculous machine guns, from which there was no escape. This myth could not have arisen among those who faced the Germans in open battle - after all, the soldiers saw that they were being attacked by the Nazis with rifles. However, at the beginning of the war, our fighters, retreating, more often encountered not line troops, but saboteurs who appeared out of nowhere and poured MP 40 bursts at the dumbfounded Red Army soldiers.

It should be noted that after the battle of Smolensk, "automatic fear" began to fade away, and during the battle for Moscow it disappeared almost completely. By that time, our fighters, having had a good time to "sit" on the defensive and even gain experience in counterattacking German positions, realized that the German infantrymen did not have any miracle weapons, and their rifles were not much different from domestic ones. It is also interesting that in feature films shot in the 40s and 50s of the last century, the Germans are completely armed with rifles. And "Schmeisseromania" in Russian cinema began much later - from the 60s.

Unfortunately, it continues to this day - even in recent films, German soldiers traditionally attack Russian positions, firing MP 40s on the move. Directors also equip soldiers of the rear security units and even field gendarmerie with these machine guns (where automatic weapons were not issued even to officers ). As you can see, the myth turned out to be very, very tenacious.

However, the famous Hugo Schmeisser was actually the developer of two models of machine guns used in World War II. He introduced the first of them, the MP 41, almost simultaneously with the MP 40. But this machine gun even outwardly differed from the "Schmeisser" familiar to us from the films - for example, its bed was trimmed with wood (so that the fighter would not get burned when the weapon was heated). In addition, it was longer and heavier. However, this version was not widely used and was not produced for long - in total, about 26 thousand pieces were produced.

It is believed that the implementation of this machine was prevented by a lawsuit from ERMA, filed against Schmeisser regarding illegal copying of its patented design. The reputation of the designer was thereby tarnished, and the Wehrmacht abandoned his weapons. However, in parts of the Waffen SS, mountain rangers and Gestapo units, this machine gun was still used - but, again, only officers.

However, Schmeisser still did not give up and in 1943 he developed a model called MP 43, which was later called StG-44 (from s turmgewehr- assault rifle). In its appearance and some other characteristics, it resembled the Kalashnikov assault rifle that appeared much later (by the way, the StG-44 provided for the possibility of installing a 30-mm rifle grenade launcher), and at the same time it was very different from the MP 40.

During the Great Patriotic War, readers wrote about the desirability of a similar article about machine guns. We fulfill the request.

Machine guns at the indicated time became the main striking force of small arms at medium and long ranges: for some shooters, self-loading rifles were gradually replaced by submachine guns instead of self-loading rifles. And if in July 1941 a rifle company had six light machine guns in the state, then a year later - 12, and in July 1943 - 18 light machine guns and one heavy machine gun.

Let's start with Soviet models.

The first was, of course, the Maxim easel machine gun of the 1910/30 model, modified for a heavier bullet weighing 11.8 g. In comparison with the 1910 model, about 200 changes were made to its design. The machine gun has become lighter by more than 5 kg, reliability has automatically increased. Also for the new modification, a new Sokolov wheeled machine was developed.

Cartridge - 7.62 x 54 mm; food - tape, 250 rounds; rate of fire - 500-600 rounds / min.

The specifics were the use of cloth tape and water cooling of the barrel. The machine gun weighed 20.3 kg by itself (without water); and together with the machine - 64.3 kg.

The Maxim machine gun was a powerful and familiar weapon, but at the same time it was too heavy for maneuverable combat, and water cooling could cause problems with overheating: fiddling with canisters during a battle is not always convenient. In addition, the device "Maxim" was quite complex, which was important in wartime.

There was also an attempt to make a light machine gun out of the easel "Maxim". As a result, the MT machine gun (Maxim-Tokarev) of the 1925 model was created. The resulting weapon can only be called hand-held, since the machine gun weighed almost 13 kg. This model has not received distribution.

The first mass-produced light machine gun was the DP (Degtyarev Infantry), adopted by the Red Army in 1927 and widely used until the end of World War II. For its time, it was a good weapon, captured specimens were also used in the Wehrmacht (“7.62mm leichte Maschinengewehr 120 (r)”), and among the Finns, the DP was generally the most common machine gun.

Cartridge - 7.62 x 54 mm; food - disk store for 47 rounds; rate of fire - 600 rounds / min; weight with equipped magazine - 11.3 kg.

Disk stores became its specificity. On the one hand, they provided a very reliable supply of cartridges, on the other hand, they had a significant mass and dimensions, which made them inconvenient. In addition, they were quite easily deformed in combat conditions and failed. As standard, the machine gun was equipped with three disks.

In 1944, the DP was upgraded to the PDM: a pistol grip fire control appeared, the return spring was moved to the rear of the receiver, and the bipod was made more durable. After the war, in 1946, the RP-46 machine gun was created on the basis of the DP, which was then massively exported.

Gunsmith V.A. Degtyarev also developed an easel machine gun. In September 1939, the 7.62-mm machine gun of the Degtyarev system (DS-39) was put into service, they planned to gradually replace the Maxims.

Cartridge - 7.62 x 54 mm; food - tape, 250 rounds; rate of fire - 600 or 1200 rounds / minute, switchable; weight 14.3 kg + 28 kg machine with shield.

By the time of the treacherous German attack on the USSR, the Red Army had about 10 thousand DS-39 machine guns in service. Under the conditions of the front, their design shortcomings were quickly revealed: too fast and energetic shutter recoil caused frequent ruptures of the cartridge cases when they were removed from the barrel, which led to the inertial dismantling of the cartridge with a heavy bullet that popped out of the muzzle of the cartridge case. Of course, in peaceful conditions this problem could be solved, but there was no time for experiments, the industry was evacuated, so the production of the DC-39 was stopped.

The question of replacing the Maxims with a more modern design remained, and in October 1943, 7.62-mm machine guns of the Goryunov system of the 1943 model (SG-43) began to enter the troops. Interestingly, Degtyarev honestly admitted that the SG-43 is better and more economical than its development - a clear demonstration of the difference between competition and competition.

The Goryunov easel machine gun turned out to be simple, reliable and fairly light, while production was deployed at several enterprises at once, so that by the end of 1944, 74 thousand pieces were produced.

Cartridge - 7.62 x 54 mm; food - tape, 200 or 250 rounds; rate of fire - 600-700 shots / minute; weight 13.5 kg (36.9 on a wheeled machine or 27.7 kg on a tripod machine).

After the Great Patriotic War, the machine gun underwent modernization and, like the SGM, was produced until 1961, until it was replaced with a single Kalashnikov machine gun in the easel version.

Perhaps, we also recall the Degtyarev light machine gun (RPD), which was created in 1944 under the new intermediate cartridge 7.62x39 mm.

Cartridge - 7.62x39 mm; food - tape, 100 rounds; rate of fire - 650 shots / minute; weight - 7.4 kg.

However, it entered service after the war and was also gradually replaced by the RPK light machine gun during the unification of small arms in the Soviet Army.

Of course, we must not forget about heavy machine guns.

So, the designer Shpagin developed a belt power module for the Palace of Culture in 1938, and in 1939 a 12.7 mm Degtyarev-Shpagin heavy machine gun of the 1938 model of the year (DShK_, mass production of which was started in 1940-41) was adopted for service (in total for the war about 8 thousand DShK machine guns were produced).

Cartridge - 12.7x109 mm; food - tape, 50 rounds; rate of fire - 600 shots / minute; weight - 34 kg (on a wheeled machine 157 kg).

At the end of the war, the Vladimirov heavy machine gun (KPV-14.5) was developed under a cartridge for anti-tank rifles, which made it possible not only to support infantry, but also to fight armored personnel carriers and low-flying aircraft.

Cartridge - 14.5 × 114 mm; food - tape, 40 rounds; rate of fire - 550 shots / minute; weight on a wheeled machine - 181.5 kg (without - 52.3).

The KPV is one of the most powerful machine guns ever in service. The muzzle energy of the KPV reaches 31 kJ, while the 20-mm ShVAK aircraft gun has about 28 kJ.

Let's move on to the German machine guns.

The MG-34 machine gun was adopted by the Wehrmacht in 1934. It was the main machine gun until 1942, both in the Wehrmacht and in the tank troops.

Cartridge - 7.92x57 mm Mauser; food - tape, 50 or 250 rounds, magazine 75 rounds; rate of fire - 900 shots / minute; weight - 10.5 kg with bipod, without cartridges.

A design feature is the ability to switch the power supply to the tape feed both on the left and on the right, which is very convenient for use in armored vehicles. For this reason, the MG-34 was used in the tank forces even after the advent of the MG-42.

The disadvantage of the design is the complexity and material consumption of production, as well as sensitivity to pollution.

An unsuccessful design among the German machine guns was the HK MG-36. The relatively light (10 kg) and easy to manufacture machine gun was not reliable enough, the rate of fire was 500 rounds per minute, and the box magazine contained only 25 rounds. As a result, they were first armed with Waffen SS units, supplied according to the residual principle, then it was used as a training one, and in 1943 it was completely removed from service.

The masterpiece of the German machine gun industry is the famous MG-42, which replaced the MG-34 in 1942.

Cartridge - 7.92x57 mm Mauser; food - tape, 50 or 250 rounds; rate of fire - 800-900 shots / minute; weight - 11.6 kg (machine gun) + 20.5 kg (machine Lafette 42).

Compared to the MG-34, the designers were able to reduce the cost of the machine gun by approximately 30%, and the metal consumption by 50%. The production of MG-42 continued throughout the war, more than 400 thousand machine guns were produced in total.

The machine gun's unique rate of fire made it a powerful means of suppressing the enemy, however, as a result, the MG-42 required frequent replacement of barrels during the battle. At the same time, on the one hand, the change of the barrel was carried out structurally in 6-10 seconds, on the other hand, it was possible only with heat-insulating (asbestos) mittens or any improvised means. In the case of intensive shooting, the barrel had to be changed every 250 shots: if there was a well-equipped firing point and a spare barrel, or better two, everything was fine, but if it was not possible to change the barrel, then the effectiveness of the machine gun dropped sharply, shooting could only be in short bursts and taking into account the need for natural cooling of the barrel.

MG-42 is deservedly considered the best in its class machine gun of the Second World War.

Video comparing SG-43 and MG-42 (in English, but there are subtitles):

The Mauser MG-81 machine gun of the 1939 model was also used to a limited extent.

Cartridge - 7.92x57 mm Mauser; food - tape, 50 or 250 rounds; rate of fire - 1500-1600 shots / minute; weight - 8.0 kg.

Initially, the MG-81 was used as an airborne defensive armament for Luftwaffe bombers, it began to enter service with airfield divisions from 1944. The short barrel length caused a lower muzzle velocity compared to standard light machine guns, but at the same time, the MG-81 had less weight.

But for some reason, the Germans did not bother with heavy machine guns in advance. Only since 1944 did the Rheinmetall-Borsig MG-131 machine guns of the 1938 model, which also have an aviation origin, enter the troops: when the fighters were converted to 30-mm MK-103 and MK-108 air guns, the MG-131 heavy machine guns were handed over to the ground forces (total 8132 machine guns).

Cartridge - 13 × 64 mm; food - tape, 100 or 250 rounds; rate of fire - 900 shots / minute; weight - 16.6 kg.

Thus, we can say that in general, in terms of machine guns from a design point of view, the Reich and the USSR had parity. On the one hand, the MG-34 and MG-42 had a significantly higher rate of fire, which in many cases was of great importance. On the other hand, they required a frequent change of barrels, otherwise the rate of fire remained theoretical.

In terms of maneuverability, the old Degtyarev won: inconvenient disk magazines nevertheless allowed the machine gunner to fire alone.

It is a pity that the DS-39 could not be finalized and had to be discontinued.

In terms of heavy machine guns, the USSR had a clear advantage.

The holiday of the Great Victory is approaching - the day when the Soviet people defeated the fascist infection. It is worth recognizing that the forces of the opponents at the beginning of World War II were unequal. The Wehrmacht is significantly superior to the Soviet army in armament. In support of this "ten" small arms soldiers of the Wehrmacht.

1 Mauser 98k

A German-made repeating rifle that entered service in 1935. In the Wehrmacht troops, this weapon was one of the most common and popular. In a number of parameters, the Mauser 98k was superior to the Soviet Mosin rifle. In particular, the Mauser weighed less, was shorter, had a more reliable shutter and a rate of fire of 15 rounds per minute, against 10 for the Mosin rifle. For all this, the German counterpart paid with a shorter firing range and weaker stopping power.

2. Luger pistol

This 9mm pistol was designed by Georg Luger back in 1900. Modern experts consider this pistol the best at the time of the Second World War. The design of the Luger was very reliable, it had an energy-efficient design, low accuracy of fire, high accuracy and rate of fire. The only significant defect of this weapon was the impossibility of closing the locking levers with the design, as a result of which the Luger could become clogged with dirt and stop firing.

3.MP 38/40

This Maschinenpistole, thanks to Soviet and Russian cinema, has become one of the symbols of the Nazi war machine. Reality, as always, is much less poetic. Popular in media culture, the MP 38/40 has never been the main small arms for most units of the Wehrmacht. They armed drivers, tank crews, detachments of special units, rear guard detachments, as well as junior officers of the ground forces. The German infantry was armed for the most part with the Mauser 98k. Only sometimes MP 38/40 in a certain amount as an "additional" weapon were transferred to assault squads.

4. FG-42

The German semi-automatic rifle FG-42 was designed for paratroopers. It is believed that the impetus for the creation of this rifle was Operation Mercury to capture the island of Crete. Due to the nature of the parachutes, the Wehrmacht troops carried only light weapons. All heavy and auxiliary weapons were landed separately in special containers. This approach caused heavy losses on the part of the landing force. The FG-42 rifle was a pretty good solution. I used cartridges of caliber 7.92 × 57 mm, which fit into 10-20 piece magazines.

5. MG 42

During the Second World War, Germany used many different machine guns, but it was the MG 42 that became one of the symbols of the aggressor in the yard with the MP 38/40 PP. This machine gun was created in 1942 and partially replaced the not very reliable MG 34. Despite the fact that the new machine gun was incredibly effective, it had two important drawbacks. First, MG 42 was very sensitive to contamination. Secondly, it had an expensive and labor-intensive production technology.

6. Gewehr 43

Before the outbreak of World War II, the Wehrmacht command was least interested in the possibility of using self-loading rifles. It was assumed that the infantry should be armed with conventional rifles, and for support, have light machine guns. Everything changed in 1941 with the outbreak of the war. The semi-automatic rifle Gewehr 43 is one of the best in its class, second only to the Soviet and American counterparts. In terms of its qualities, it is very similar to the domestic SVT-40. There was also a sniper version of this weapon.

7.StG44

The Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle was not the best weapon of the Second World War. It was heavy, absolutely uncomfortable, difficult to maintain. Despite all these shortcomings, the StG 44 was the first modern type of assault rifle. As you might guess from the name, it was already produced in 1944, and although this rifle could not save the Wehrmacht from defeat, it revolutionized the field of handguns.

8. Stielhandgranate

Another "symbol" of the Wehrmacht. This hand-held anti-personnel grenade was widely used by German forces in World War II. It was a favorite trophy of the soldiers of the anti-Hitler coalition on all fronts, in view of its safety and convenience. At the time of the 40s of the XX century, the Stielhandgranate was almost the only grenade completely protected from arbitrary detonation. However, it also had a number of shortcomings. For example, these grenades could not be stored in a warehouse for a long time. They also often leaked, which led to wetting and deterioration of the explosive.

9. Faustpatrone

The first single-shot anti-tank grenade launcher in the history of mankind. In the Soviet army, the name "Faustpatron" was later assigned to all German anti-tank grenade launchers. The weapon was created in 1942 specifically "for" the Eastern Front. The thing is that the German soldiers at that time were completely deprived of the means of close combat with Soviet light and medium tanks.

10. PzB 38

The German Panzerbüchse Modell 1938 anti-tank rifle is one of the most obscure types of small arms from World War II. The thing is that it was discontinued already in 1942, as it turned out to be extremely ineffective against Soviet medium tanks. Nevertheless, this weapon is a confirmation that such guns were used not only in the Red Army.

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

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

Rifles of Germany, America, Japan, Britain, USSR

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

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

Pistols

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

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

Submachine guns

The appearance of this type of weapon was the next step in strengthening the firepower of the infantry. They were widely used in battles in the Eastern theater of operations.

• Here the German troops used the "Maschinenpistole 40" (MP 40).
• In service with the Soviet army, the PPD 1934/38 was successively replaced by the German Bergman MP 28, PPSh-41 and PPS-42.

Anti-tank weapons

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

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

It is noteworthy that the modernization of this type of weapon did not stop throughout the war. This was due, first of all, to the fact that tank armor was also continuously strengthened and improved, and more and more strong firepower was required to penetrate it.

flamethrowers

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

Everyone is familiar with the lubok image of the Soviet "soldier-liberator". In the view of Soviet people, the Red Army soldiers of the Great Patriotic War are emaciated people in dirty overcoats who run in a crowd to attack after tanks, or tired elderly men smoking cigarettes on the parapet of a trench. After all, it was precisely such shots that were mainly captured by military newsreels. In the late 1980s, filmmakers and post-Soviet historians put the "victim of repression" on a cart, handed over a "three-ruler" without cartridges, sending fascists towards the armored hordes - under the supervision of barrage detachments.

Now I propose to see what really happened. It can be responsibly stated that our weapons were in no way inferior to foreign ones, while being more suitable for local conditions of use. For example, a three-line rifle had larger gaps and tolerances than foreign ones, but this "flaw" was a forced feature - gun grease, thickening in the cold, did not take the weapon out of combat.

So, review.

N agan- a revolver developed by the Belgian gunsmiths brothers Emil (1830-1902) and Leon (1833-1900) Nagans, which was in service and produced in a number of countries at the end of the 19th - the middle of the 20th century.


TC(Tulsky, Korovina) - the first Soviet serial self-loading pistol. In 1925, the Dynamo sports society ordered the Tula Arms Plant to develop a compact pistol chambered for 6.35 × 15 mm Browning for sports and civilian needs.

Work on the creation of the pistol took place in the design bureau of the Tula Arms Plant. In the autumn of 1926, the designer-gunsmith S. A. Korovin completed the development of a pistol, which was named the pistol TK (Tula Korovin).

At the end of 1926, TOZ began producing a pistol, the following year the pistol was approved for use, receiving the official name "Pistol Tulsky, Korovin, model 1926."

TK pistols entered service with the NKVD of the USSR, middle and senior officers of the Red Army, civil servants and party workers.

Also, the TC was used as a gift or award weapon (for example, there are known cases of awarding Stakhanovites with it). Between the autumn of 1926 and 1935, several tens of thousands of Korovins were produced. In the period after the Great Patriotic War, TK pistols were kept for some time in savings banks as a backup weapon for employees and collectors.


Pistol arr. 1933 TT(Tulsky, Tokareva) - the first army self-loading pistol of the USSR, developed in 1930 by the Soviet designer Fedor Vasilyevich Tokarev. The TT pistol was developed for the 1929 competition for a new army pistol, announced to replace the Nagant revolver and several foreign-made revolvers and pistols that were in service with the Red Army by the mid-1920s. The German cartridge 7.63 × 25 mm Mauser was adopted as a regular cartridge, which was purchased in significant quantities for the Mauser S-96 pistols in service.

Mosin rifle. 7.62-mm (3-line) rifle of the 1891 model (Mosin rifle, three-line) is a repeating rifle adopted by the Russian Imperial Army in 1891.

It was actively used from 1891 until the end of the Great Patriotic War, during this period it was repeatedly modernized.

The name of the three-ruler comes from the caliber of the rifle barrel, which is equal to three Russian lines (an old measure of length equal to one tenth of an inch, or 2.54 mm - respectively, three lines are equal to 7.62 mm).

On the basis of the rifle of the 1891 model and its modifications, a number of samples of sports and hunting weapons, both rifled and smoothbore, were created.

Simonov automatic rifle. 7.62 mm automatic rifle of the Simonov system of 1936, AVS-36 - Soviet automatic rifle designed by gunsmith Sergei Simonov.

It was originally designed as a self-loading rifle, but in the course of improvements, an automatic fire mode was added for use in an emergency. The first automatic rifle developed in the USSR and put into service.

With Tokarev self-loading rifle. 7.62-mm self-loading rifles of the Tokarev system of the 1938 and 1940s (SVT-38, SVT-40), as well as the Tokarev automatic rifle of the 1940 model, a modification of the Soviet self-loading rifle developed by F. V. Tokarev.

The SVT-38 was developed as a replacement for the Simonov automatic rifle and was adopted by the Red Army on February 26, 1939. The first SVT arr. 1938 was released on July 16, 1939. On October 1, 1939, gross production began at the Tula, and from 1940 at the Izhevsk Arms Plant.

Self-loading carbine Simonov. The 7.62 mm Simonov self-loading carbine (also known as SKS-45 abroad) is a Soviet self-loading carbine designed by Sergei Simonov, put into service in 1949.

The first copies began to arrive in active units at the beginning of 1945 - this was the only case of using the 7.62 × 39 mm cartridge in World War II.

Tokarev submachine gun, or the original name - Tokarev's light carbine - an experimental model of automatic weapons created in 1927 for the modified Nagant revolver cartridge, the first submachine gun developed in the USSR. It was not adopted for service, it was released by a small experimental batch, it was used to a limited extent in the Great Patriotic War.

P submachine gun Degtyarev. 7.62-mm submachine guns of models 1934, 1934/38 and 1940 of the Degtyarev system are various modifications of the submachine gun developed by the Soviet gunsmith Vasily Degtyarev in the early 1930s. The first submachine gun adopted by the Red Army.

The Degtyarev submachine gun was a fairly typical representative of the first generation of this type of weapon. It was used in the Finnish campaign of 1939-40, as well as at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War.

Shpagin submachine gun. 7.62-mm submachine gun of the 1941 model of the Shpagin system (PPSh) is a Soviet submachine gun developed in 1940 by designer G.S. Shpagin and adopted by the Red Army on December 21, 1940. PPSh was the main submachine gun of the Soviet armed forces in the Great Patriotic War.

After the end of the war, in the early 1950s, the PPSh was withdrawn from service with the Soviet Army and gradually replaced by the Kalashnikov assault rifle, it remained in service with the rear and auxiliary units, parts of the internal troops and railway troops for a little longer. In service with paramilitary security units was at least until the mid-1980s.

Also, in the post-war period, PPSh was supplied in significant quantities to countries friendly to the USSR, was in service with the armies of various states for a long time, was used by irregular formations, and throughout the 20th century was used in armed conflicts around the world.

Submachine gun Sudayev. 7.62-mm submachine guns of the 1942 and 1943 models of the Sudayev system (PPS) are variants of the submachine gun developed by the Soviet designer Alexei Sudayev in 1942. Used by Soviet troops during the Great Patriotic War.

Often PPS is considered as the best submachine gun of World War II.

Gun "Maxim" model 1910. Machine gun "Maxim" model 1910 - easel machine gun, a variant of the British machine gun Maxim, widely used by the Russian and Soviet armies during the First World War and the Second World War. The Maxim machine gun was used to destroy open group targets and enemy fire weapons at a distance of up to 1000 m.

Anti-aircraft variant
- 7.62-mm quad machine gun "Maxim" on the U-431 anti-aircraft gun
- 7.62-mm coaxial machine gun "Maxim" on the U-432 anti-aircraft gun

P Ulmet Maxim-Tokarev- Soviet light machine gun designed by F. V. Tokarev, created in 1924 on the basis of the Maxim machine gun.

DP(Degtyareva Infantry) - a light machine gun developed by V. A. Degtyarev. The first ten serial DP machine guns were manufactured at the Kovrov plant on November 12, 1927, then a batch of 100 machine guns was transferred to military trials, as a result of which the machine gun was adopted by the Red Army on December 21, 1927. DP became one of the first samples of small arms created in the USSR. The machine gun was massively used as the main weapon of fire support for infantry at the platoon-company level until the end of World War II.

DT(Degtyarev tank) - a tank machine gun developed by V. A. Degtyarev in 1929. Entered service with the Red Army in 1929 under the designation "7.62-mm tank machine gun of the Degtyarev system arr. 1929" (DT-29)

DS-39(7.62-mm machine gun Degtyarev model 1939).

SG-43. 7.62 mm Goryunov machine gun (SG-43) - Soviet machine gun. It was developed by the gunsmith P. M. Goryunov with the participation of M. M. Goryunov and V. E. Voronkov at the Kovrov Mechanical Plant. Adopted on May 15, 1943. SG-43 began to enter the troops in the second half of 1943.

DShK and DShKM- heavy machine guns chambered for 12.7 × 108 mm. The result of the modernization of the heavy machine gun DK (Degtyarev Large-caliber). DShK was adopted by the Red Army in 1938 under the designation "12.7 mm heavy machine gun Degtyarev - Shpagin model 1938"

In 1946, under the designation DShKM(Degtyarev, Shpagin, modernized large-caliber,) machine gun was adopted by the Soviet Army.

PTRD. Anti-tank single-shot rifle arr. 1941 of the Degtyarev system, put into service on August 29, 1941. It was intended to fight medium and light tanks and armored vehicles at distances up to 500 m. Also, the gun could fire at pillboxes / bunkers and firing points covered with armor at distances up to 800 m and at aircraft at distances up to 500 m.

PTRS. Anti-tank self-loading rifle mod. 1941 of the Simonov system) is a Soviet self-loading anti-tank rifle, put into service on August 29, 1941. It was intended to fight medium and light tanks and armored vehicles at distances up to 500 m. Also, the gun could fire at pillboxes / bunkers and firing points covered with armor at distances up to 800 m and at aircraft at distances up to 500 m. During the war some of the guns were captured and used by the Germans. The guns were named Panzerbüchse 784 (R) or PzB 784 (R).

Dyakonov grenade launcher. A rifle grenade launcher of the Dyakonov system, designed to destroy living, mostly closed, targets with fragmentation grenades that are inaccessible to flat-fire weapons.

It was widely used in pre-war conflicts, during the Soviet-Finnish War and at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War. According to the state of the rifle regiment in 1939, each rifle squad was armed with a rifle grenade launcher of the Dyakonov system. In the documents of that time it was called a manual mortar for throwing rifle grenades.

125 mm ampoule gun model 1941- the only model of the ampoule gun mass-produced in the USSR. It was widely used with varying success by the Red Army at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War, it was often made in semi-handicraft conditions.

The most commonly used projectile was a glass or tin ball filled with a flammable liquid "KS", but the range of ammunition included mines, a smoke bomb, and even makeshift "propaganda shells". With the help of a blank 12-gauge rifle cartridge, the projectile was fired at 250-500 meters, thus being an effective tool against some fortifications and many types of armored vehicles, including tanks. However, difficulties in use and maintenance led to the fact that in 1942 the ampoule gun was withdrawn from service.

ROKS-3(Knapsack Flamethrower Klyuev-Sergeev) - Soviet infantry backpack flamethrower of the Great Patriotic War. The first model of the ROKS-1 backpack flamethrower was developed in the USSR in the early 1930s. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the rifle regiments of the Red Army had flamethrower teams consisting of two squads, armed with 20 ROKS-2 knapsack flamethrowers. Based on the experience of using these flamethrowers at the beginning of 1942, the designer of the Research Institute of Chemical Engineering M.P. Sergeev and the designer of the military plant No. 846 V.N. Klyuev developed a more advanced backpack flamethrower ROKS-3, which was in service with individual companies and battalions of backpack flamethrowers of the Red Army throughout the war.

Bottles with a combustible mixture ("Molotov Cocktail").

At the beginning of the war, the State Defense Committee decided to use bottles with a combustible mixture in the fight against tanks. Already on July 7, 1941, the State Defense Committee adopted a special resolution “On anti-tank incendiary grenades (bottles)”, which ordered the People's Commissariat of the Food Industry to organize, from July 10, 1941, the equipment of liter glass bottles with fire mixture according to the recipe of Research Institute 6 of the People's Commissariat of Ammunition. And the head of the Military Chemical Defense Directorate of the Red Army (later - the Main Military Chemical Directorate) was ordered to begin "supplying military units with hand-held incendiary grenades" from July 14th.

Dozens of distilleries and beer factories throughout the USSR turned into military enterprises on the go. Moreover, the "Molotov Cocktail" (named after the then deputy of I.V. Stalin for the State Defense Committee) was prepared directly on the old factory lines, where only yesterday they poured soda, port wines and fizzy "Abrau-Durso". From the first batches of such bottles, they often did not even have time to tear off the "peaceful" alcohol labels. In addition to the liter bottles indicated in the legendary "Molotov" decree, the "cocktail" was also made in beer and wine-cognac containers with a volume of 0.5 and 0.7 liters.

Two types of incendiary bottles were adopted by the Red Army: with self-igniting liquid KS (a mixture of phosphorus and sulfur) and with combustible mixtures No. 1 and No. 3, which are a mixture of aviation gasoline, kerosene, ligroin, thickened with oils or a special hardening powder OP- 2, developed in 1939 under the leadership of A.P. Ionov - in fact, it was the prototype of modern napalm. The abbreviation "KS" is deciphered in different ways: and "Koshkin's mixture" - by the name of the inventor N.V. Koshkin, and "Old Cognac", and "Kachugin-Solodovnik" - by the name of other inventors of liquid grenades.

A bottle with a self-igniting liquid KC, falling on a solid body, broke, the liquid spilled and burned with a bright flame for up to 3 minutes, developing a temperature of up to 1000°C. At the same time, being sticky, it stuck to the armor or covered up viewing slots, glasses, observation devices, blinded the crew with smoke, smoking it out of the tank and burning everything inside the tank. Getting on the body, a drop of burning liquid caused severe, difficult to heal burns.

Combustible mixtures No. 1 and No. 3 burned for up to 60 seconds at temperatures up to 800 ° C and emitting a lot of black smoke. As a cheaper option, bottles of gasoline were used, and as an incendiary, thin glass ampoules-tubes with KS liquid were used, which were attached to the bottle with the help of pharmaceutical rubber bands. Sometimes the ampoules were put inside the bottles before being thrown.

B body armor PZ-ZIF-20(protective shell, Frunze Plant). It is also CH-38 of the Cuirass type (CH-1, steel breastplate). It can be called the first mass Soviet body armor, although it was called a steel breastplate, which does not change its purpose.

The bulletproof vest provided protection against the German submachine gun, pistols. Also, the bulletproof vest provided protection against fragments of grenades and mines. The body armor was recommended to be worn by assault groups, signalmen (during the laying and repair of cables) and when performing other operations at the discretion of the commander.

Information often comes across that the PZ-ZIF-20 is not a bulletproof vest SP-38 (SN-1), which is not true, since the PZ-ZIF-20 was created according to the documentation of 1938, and industrial production was established in 1943. The second point is that in appearance they have 100% similarity. Among the military search detachments, it has the name "Volkhov", "Leningrad", "five-section".
Reconstruction photo:

Steel bibs CH-42

Soviet assault engineer-sapper guards brigade in steel bibs SN-42 and with DP-27 machine guns. 1st ShISBr. 1st Belorussian Front, summer 1944.

ROG-43 hand grenade

ROG-43 hand fragmentation grenade (index 57-G-722) of remote action, designed to defeat enemy manpower in offensive and defensive combat. The new grenade was developed in the first half of the Great Patriotic War at the plant. Kalinin and had the factory designation RGK-42. After being put into service in 1943, the grenade received the designation ROG-43.

Hand smoke grenade RDG.

RDG device

Smoke grenades were used to provide curtains of 8 - 10 m in size and were used mainly to "dazzle" the enemy in shelters, to create local curtains in order to mask the crews leaving the armored vehicles, as well as to simulate the burning of armored vehicles. Under favorable conditions, one RDG grenade created an invisible cloud 25-30 m long.

Burning grenades did not sink in water, so they could be used to force water barriers. The grenade could smoke from 1 to 1.5 minutes, forming, depending on the composition of the smoke mixture, thick gray-black or white smoke.

RPG-6 grenade.


RPG-6 exploded instantly at the moment of impact on a rigid barrier, destroyed armor, hit the crew of an armored target, its weapons and equipment, and could also ignite fuel and explode ammunition. Military tests of the RPG-6 grenade took place in September 1943. The captured Ferdinand assault gun was used as a target, which had frontal armor up to 200 mm and side armor up to 85 mm. The tests carried out showed that the RPG-6 grenade, when the head part hit the target, could penetrate armor up to 120 mm.

Hand anti-tank grenade mod. 1943 RPG-43

Anti-tank hand grenade model 1941 RPG-41 percussion

RPG-41 was intended to combat armored vehicles and light tanks with armor up to 20 - 25 mm thick, and could also be used to combat bunkers and field-type shelters. The RPG-41 could also be used to destroy medium and heavy tanks when it hit the vehicle's weak points (roof, tracks, undercarriage, etc.)

Chemical grenade model 1917


According to the "Temporary rifle charter of the Red Army. Part 1. Small arms. Rifle and hand grenades ”, published by the head of the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs and the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR in 1927, a hand chemical grenade mod. 1917 from a stock prepared during the First World War.

Grenade VKG-40

In service with the Red Army in the 1920-1930s was the muzzle-loading "Dyakonov grenade launcher", created at the end of the First World War and subsequently modernized.

The grenade launcher consisted of a mortar, a bipod and a quadrant sight and served to defeat manpower with a fragmentation grenade. The barrel of the mortar had a caliber of 41 mm, three screw grooves, was rigidly fastened in a cup screwed onto the neck, which was put on the rifle barrel, being fixed on the front sight with a cutout.

RG-42 hand grenade

RG-42 model 1942 with a UZRG fuse. After being put into service, the grenade was assigned the index RG-42 (1942 hand grenade). The new UZRG fuse used in the grenade became the same for both the RG-42 and the F-1.

The RG-42 grenade was used both offensively and defensively. In appearance, it resembled an RGD-33 grenade, only without a handle. RG-42 with a fuse UZRG belonged to the type of remote offensive fragmentation grenades. It was intended to defeat enemy manpower.

Rifle anti-tank grenade VPGS-41



VPGS-41 when using

A characteristic distinguishing feature of ramrod grenades was the presence of a "tail" (ramrod) inserted into the bore of the rifle and serving as a stabilizer. The grenade was fired with a blank cartridge.

Soviet hand grenade mod. 1914/30 with protective cover

Soviet hand grenade mod. 1914/30 refers to anti-personnel fragmentation hand grenades of remote action of the double type. This means that it is designed to destroy enemy personnel with hull fragments during its explosion. Remote action - means that the grenade will explode after a certain period, regardless of other conditions, after the soldier releases it from his hands.

Double type - means that the grenade can be used as an offensive, i.e. grenade fragments have a small mass and fly at a distance less than the possible throw range; or as defensive, i.e. fragments fly at a distance exceeding the throwing range.

The double action of the grenade is achieved by putting on the grenade the so-called "shirt" - a cover made of thick metal, which provides, during the explosion, fragments of a larger mass flying over a greater distance.

Hand grenade RGD-33

An explosive charge is placed inside the case - up to 140 grams of TNT. Between the explosive charge and the case, a steel tape with a square notch is placed to obtain fragments during the explosion, rolled up in three or four layers.


The grenade was equipped with a defensive case, which was used only when throwing a grenade from a trench or shelter. In other cases, the protective cover was removed.

And of course, F-1 grenade

Initially, the F-1 grenade used a fuse designed by F.V. Koveshnikov, which was much more reliable and convenient in the use of the French fuse. The deceleration time of the Koveshnikov fuse was 3.5-4.5 sec.

In 1941, the designers E.M. Viceni and A.A. Bednyakov developed and put into service instead of Koveshnikov's fuse, a new, safer and simpler fuse for the F-1 hand grenade.

In 1942, the new fuse became the same for F-1 and RG-42 hand grenades, it was named UZRG - "unified fuse for hand grenades."

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After the above, it cannot be argued that only rusty three-rulers without cartridges were in service.
About chemical weapons during the Second World War, the conversation is separate and special ...