Everyone is familiar with the popular print image of the Soviet "soldier-liberator". In the minds of the Soviet people, the Red Army men of the Great Patriotic War are emaciated people in dirty greatcoats who run in a crowd to attack after tanks, or tired elderly men smoking on the breastwork of a hand-rolled 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 the "three-line" without cartridges, sending them to meet the armored hordes of fascists - under the supervision of barrage detachments.

Now I propose to see what happened in reality. We can responsibly declare that our weapons were in no way inferior to foreign ones, while more suited to local conditions of use. For example, the three-line rifle had larger gaps and tolerances than foreign ones, but this "drawback" was a forced feature - the weapon grease, thickening in the cold, did not take the weapon out of the battle.


So, an overview.

N agan- a revolver developed by the Belgian gunsmiths brothers Emil (1830-1902) and Leon (1833-1900) Nagan, which was in service and produced in a number of countries in the late 19th - mid-20th centuries.


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.

The work on the creation of the pistol took place in the design bureau of the Tula arms factory. In the fall of 1926, the gunsmith designer S. A. Korovin completed the development of a pistol, which was named the TK pistol (Tula Korovin).

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

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

Also, the TC was used as a gift or award weapon (for example, there are cases of awarding them to the Stakhanovites). In the period from autumn 1926 to 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 mod. 1933 TT(Tulsky, Tokareva) - the first army self-loading pistol of the USSR, developed in 1930 by the Soviet designer Fyodor Vasilyevich Tokarev. The TT pistol was developed for the 1929 competition for a new army pistol, announced to replace the revolver "revolver" and several models of 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 standard cartridge, which was purchased in significant quantities for the Mauser S-96 pistols in service.

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

It was actively used in the period from 1891 to the end of the Great Patriotic War, during this period it was modernized many times.

The name of the three-line comes from the caliber of the rifle barrel, which is equal to three Russian lines (the old measure of length is 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 1891 model rifle and its modifications, a number of models of sporting and hunting weapons, both rifled and smooth-bore, were created.

Simonov automatic rifle. The 7.62 mm automatic rifle of the Simonov system of the 1936 model, the ABC-36 is a Soviet automatic rifle developed by the gunsmith Sergei Simonov.

Originally developed as a self-loading rifle, improvements have added an automatic fire mode for use in an emergency. The first automatic rifle developed in the USSR and put into service.

Tokarev's self-loading rifle. 7.62-mm self-loading rifles of the Tokarev system of the 1938 and 1940 models (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.

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 Tula, and from 1940 at the Izhevsk arms factory.

Self-loading carbine Simonov. The 7.62-mm Simonov self-loading carbine (also known abroad as the SKS-45) is a Soviet self-loading carbine designed by Sergei Simonov, entered 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's submachine gun, or the original name is Tokarev's light carbine - an experimental model of automatic weapons created in 1927 for the modified revolver cartridge of the Nagant, the first of the submachine guns developed in the USSR. It was not adopted for service, produced by a small experimental batch, it was used to a limited extent in the Great Patriotic War.

Degtyarev's machine gun. The 7.62 mm submachine guns of the 1934, 1934/38 and 1940 Degtyarev systems 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's machine gun. The 7.62-mm submachine gun of the 1941 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. The 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 removed from service by the Soviet Army and was gradually replaced with a Kalashnikov assault rifle; for a little longer it remained in service with rear and auxiliary units, units of internal troops and railway troops. It was in service with the paramilitary security units at least until the mid-1980s.

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

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

PPS is often regarded as the best submachine gun of World War II.

Ulemet "Maxim" model 1910. Machine gun "Maxim" model 1910 - a heavy machine gun, a version of the British Maxim machine gun, 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 engage 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 anti-aircraft mount U-431
- 7.62-mm coaxial machine gun "Maxim" on the anti-aircraft mount U-432

Ulemet 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 Kovrovsky plant on November 12, 1927, then a batch of 100 machine guns was transferred to military trials, according to the results 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 the infantry of the platoon-company link until the end of the Great Patriotic War.

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

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

SG-43. 7.62 mm Goryunov machine gun (SG-43) - Soviet heavy 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. Introduced into service on May 15, 1943. The SG-43 began to enter the troops in the second half of 1943.

DShK and DShKM- large-caliber heavy machine guns chambered for 12.7 × 108 mm. The result of the modernization of the large-caliber 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 mod. 1941 of the Degtyarev system, put into service on August 29, 1941. It was intended to combat medium and light tanks and armored vehicles at distances of up to 500 m.Also, a gun could fire at bunkers / bunkers and firing points covered with armor at distances of up to 800 m and at aircraft at distances of 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 combat medium and light tanks and armored vehicles at distances of up to 500 m.Also, a gun could fire at bunkers / bunkers and firing points, covered with armor, at distances of up to 800 m and at aircraft at distances of 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's grenade launcher. The rifle grenade launcher of the Dyakonov system is designed to hit live, mostly closed, targets with fragmentation grenades that are inaccessible to weapons of flat fire.

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 staff 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 hand mortar for throwing rifle grenades.

125-mm ampoule gun sample 1941- the only serially produced ampoule-thrower model 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.

A glass or tin ball filled with a flammable liquid "KS" was most often used as a projectile, but the range of ammunition included mines, a smoke bomb and even artisanal "propaganda shells". With the help of a 12-gauge blank rifle cartridge, the projectile was fired at 250-500 meters, thereby being an effective means 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 removed from service.

ROX-3(Knapsack Flamethrower Klyuev - Sergeev) - Soviet infantry knapsack flamethrower during 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 World War II, the rifle regiments of the Red Army had flamethrower teams in 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 Scientific Research Institute of Chemical Engineering M.P. Sergeev and the designer of the military plant No. 846 V.N. Klyuev developed a more advanced ROKS-3 knapsack flamethrower, which was in service with individual companies and battalions of the Red Army knapsack flamethrowers 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 decree "On anti-tank incendiary grenades (bottles)", which ordered the People's Commissariat of the Food Industry to organize, from July 10, 1941, equipping liter glass bottles with fire mixture according to the recipe of the Scientific Research Institute 6 of the People's Commissariat of Ammunition. And the head of the Red Army's Military Chemical Protection Directorate (later the Main Military Chemical Directorate) was ordered to begin "supplying military units with hand-held incendiary grenades" from July 14.

Dozens of distilleries and breweries throughout the USSR turned into military enterprises on the fly. Moreover, "Molotov Cocktail" (named after the then deputy IV Stalin in the State Committee for Defense) was prepared right on the old factory lines, where citro, port wines and sparkling "Abrau-Dyurso" were bottled yesterday. 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.

The Red Army adopted two types of incendiary bottles: with a self-igniting liquid KS (a mixture of phosphorus and sulfur) and with combustible mixtures No. 1 and No. 3, which is a mixture of aviation gasoline, kerosene, naphtha, 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 "Cat's mixture" - by the name of the inventor N. V. Koshkin, and "Old cognac", and "Kachugin-Solodovnik" - by the names of other inventors of liquid grenades.

A bottle with a self-igniting liquid KS, falling on a solid, 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 adhered to the armor or covered up viewing slots, glass, observation devices, blinded the crew with smoke, smoking it out of the tank and burning everything inside the tank. Falling 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 with gasoline were used, and thin glass ampoules-tubes with KS liquid, which were attached to the bottle with the help of pharmaceutical rubber bands, served as an incendiary. Sometimes the ampoules were put inside the bottles before being thrown.

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

The body armor provided protection against the German submachine gun, pistols. Also, the bulletproof vest provided protection from fragments of grenades and mines. The bulletproof vest 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 the SP-38 (CH-1) body armor, which is incorrect, since the PZ-ZIF-20 was created according to the documentation of 1938, and the industrial production was established in 1943. The second point is that in appearance they have 100% similarity. Among the military search units it has the name "Volkhovsky", "Leningrad", "Five-section".
Reconstruction photo:

Steel bibs CH-42

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

Hand grenade ROG-43

Hand-held fragmentation grenade ROG-43 (index 57-G-722) of remote action, designed to defeat enemy personnel in offensive and defensive combat. The new grenade was developed in the first half of World War II 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.

RDG hand smoke grenade.

RDG device

Smoke grenades were used to provide curtains with a size of 8-10 m and were mainly used to "blind" the enemy in shelters, to create local curtains in order to camouflage crews leaving 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 when crossing water obstacles. 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 obstacle, destroyed armor, hit the crew of an armored target, its weapons and equipment, could also ignite fuel and detonate ammunition. Military tests of the RPG-6 grenade took place in September 1943. A captured assault gun "Ferdinand" 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 struck by its head on the target, could penetrate armor up to 120 mm.

Anti-tank hand grenade mod. 1943 RPG-43

Hand anti-tank grenade model 1941 RPG-41 shock action

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 pillboxes and field-type shelters. RPG-41 could also be used to destroy medium and heavy tanks when hitting vulnerable spots of the vehicle (roof, tracks, chassis, etc.)

Chemical grenade sample 1917


According to the "Provisional RKKA rifle regulations. 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 at the disposal of the Red Army to arm the troops in positional combat remained a chemical hand grenade mod. 1917 from the stock prepared during the First World War.

VKG-40 grenade

In service with the Red Army in the 1920s-1930s, there was a 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, it was rigidly fixed in a cup screwed onto the neck, which was put on the rifle barrel, fixing on the front sight with a cutout.

Hand grenade RG-42

RG-42 model 1942 with an UZRG fuse. After the grenade was adopted, the index RG-42 (hand grenade of 1942) was assigned. The new fuse of the UZRG used in the grenade has become the same for both the RG-42 and the F-1.

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

Anti-tank rifle grenade VPGS-41



VPGS-41 when using

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

Soviet hand grenade mod. 1914/30 g. with a defensive cover

Soviet hand grenade mod. 1914/30 is a double-type remote-action anti-personnel fragmentation hand grenade. This means that it is designed to destroy enemy personnel with body shrapnel 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. fragments of a grenade have a small mass and fly at a distance less than the possible throwing range; or as defensive, i.e. the fragments fly to a distance exceeding the throw range.

The double action of the grenade is achieved by putting on the so-called "shirt" - a cover made of thick metal on the grenade, which, in the event of an explosion, provides 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 g of TNT. Between the explosive charge and the body, a steel tape with a square notch is placed to obtain fragments in an explosion, rolled into three or four layers.


The grenade was equipped with a defensive cover that was used only when throwing a grenade from a trench or cover. 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, who was much more reliable and more convenient in using 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. Poor people 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 the F-1 and RG-42 hand grenades, it was named UZRG - "unified fuse for hand grenades."

* * *
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 ...

The Second World War significantly influenced the development of small arms, which remained the most massive type of weapons. The share of combat losses from it amounted to 28-30%, which is quite an impressive indicator, given the massive use of aviation, artillery and tanks ...

The war showed that with the creation of the most modern means of armed struggle, the role of small arms did not diminish, and the attention that was paid to them in the belligerent states during these years has significantly increased. The experience of using weapons accumulated during the war years has not become obsolete today, becoming the basis for the development and improvement of small arms.

7.62-mm rifle model 1891 of the Mosin system
The rifle was developed by the captain of the Russian army S.I. Mosin and in 1891 adopted by the Russian army under the designation "7.62-mm rifle model 1891". After modernization in 1930, it was launched into mass production and was in service with the Red Army before World War II and during the war. Rifle mod. 1891/1930 distinguished by high reliability, accuracy, simplicity and ease of use. During the war years, more than 12 million rifles mod. 1891/1930 and carbines created on its basis.

7.62-mm sniper rifle of the Mosin system
The sniper rifle differed from a conventional rifle by the presence of an optical sight, a bolt handle bent to the bottom and improved processing of the barrel bore.

7.62-mm rifle model 1940 of the Tokarev system
The rifle was developed by F.V. Tokarev, in accordance with the desire of the military command and the highest political leadership of the country to have a self-loading rifle in service with the Red Army, which would make it possible to rationally spend ammunition and provide a large effective range of fire. Mass production of SVT-38 rifles began in the second half of 1939. The first batches of rifles were sent to the Red Army units involved in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. In the extreme conditions of this "winter" war, such shortcomings of the rifle as cumbersomeness, heavy weight, inconvenience of gas regulation, sensitivity to pollution and low temperature were revealed. To eliminate these shortcomings, the rifle was modernized, and already from June 1, 1940, the release of its modernized version of the SVT-40 began.

7.62mm sniper rifle of the Tokarev system
The sniper version of the SVT-40 differed from the serial samples by a more careful fitting of the trigger elements, a qualitatively better processing of the barrel bore and a special tide on the receiver for installing a bracket with an optical sight on it. On the SVT-40 sniper rifle, a specially created PU sight (universal sight) of 3.5x magnification was installed for it. He allowed to fire at a distance of up to 1300 meters. The mass of the rifle with the sight was 4.5 kg. Sight weight - 270 g.

14.5 mm anti-tank rifle PTRD-41
This gun was developed by V.A. Degtyarev in 1941 to combat enemy tanks. The PTRD was a powerful weapon - at a distance of up to 300 m, its bullet pierced armor 35-40 mm thick. The incendiary effect of the bullets was also high. Thanks to this, the gun was successfully used throughout the Second World War. Its production was discontinued only in January 1945.

7.62 mm DP light machine gun
The light machine gun, created by the designer V.A. Degtyarev in 1926, became the most powerful automatic weapon of the rifle divisions of the Red Army. The machine gun was put into service in February 1927 under the name "7.62-mm DP light machine gun" (DP meant Degtyarev - infantry). A small (for a machine gun) weight was achieved thanks to the use of an automation scheme based on the principle of removing powder gases through a hole in a fixed barrel, a rational arrangement and layout of parts of the moving system, as well as the use of air cooling of the barrel. The aiming range of a machine gun is 1500 m, the maximum range of a bullet is 3000 m. Of the 1515.9 thousand machine guns fired during the Great Patriotic War, the overwhelming majority were Degtyarev's light machine guns.

7.62 mm submachine gun of the Degtyarev system
The PPD was adopted in 1935, becoming the first submachine gun to be widely used in the Red Army. The PPD was designed for a modified 7.62 cartridge of the Mauser pistol. The firing range of the PPD reached 500 meters. The trigger mechanism of the weapon made it possible to fire both single shots and bursts. There were a number of PPD modifications with improved store mountings and modified production technology.

7.62 mm Shpagin system submachine gun mod. 1941 g.
The PPSh (Shpagin submachine gun) was adopted by the Red Army in December 1940 under the name "7.62 mm Shpagin submachine gun arr. 1941 (PPSh-41)". The main advantage of the PPSh-41 was that only its barrel needed careful machining. All other metal parts were made mainly by cold stamping from sheet. The parts were joined using point and arc electric welding and rivets. You can disassemble and assemble the submachine gun without a screwdriver - there is not a single screw connection in it. From the first quarter of 1944, submachine guns began to be equipped with more convenient and cheaper to manufacture sector magazines with a capacity of 35 rounds. In total, more than six million PPShs were produced.

7.62-mm pistol of the Tokarev system mod. 1933 g.
The development of pistols in the USSR practically started from scratch. However, already at the beginning of 1931, the Tokarev pistol, recognized as the most reliable, lightweight and compact, was put into service. In the mass production of TT (Tula, Tokarev), which began in 1933, the details of the firing mechanism, barrel and frame were changed. The sighting range of the TT is 50 meters, the range of the bullet is from 800 meters to 1 kilometer. Capacity - 8 rounds of 7.62 mm caliber. The total production of TT pistols for the period from 1933 to the completion of their production in the mid-50s is estimated at 1,740,000 pieces.

PPS-42 (43)
The PPSh-41, which was in service with the Red Army, turned out to be - mainly due to its too large size and mass - not convenient enough for fighting in settlements, indoors, for scouts, paratroopers and crews of military vehicles. In addition, in wartime conditions, it was required to reduce the cost of mass production of submachine guns. In this regard, a competition was announced to develop a new submachine gun for the army. The Sudaev submachine gun, developed in 1942, won this competition and was put into service at the end of 1942 under the name PPS-42. Modified the following year, a design called PPS-43 (the barrel and butt were shortened, the cocking handle, the fuse box and the shoulder rest latch were changed, the barrel cover and receiver were combined into one piece) was also put into service. PPS is often called the best submachine gun of the Second World War. It is distinguished by its convenience, combat capabilities high enough for a submachine gun, high reliability, and compactness. At the same time, the faculty is very technologically advanced, simple and cheap to manufacture, which was especially important in a difficult, protracted war, with a constant lack of material and labor resources. Developed by the faculty in besieged Leningrad, on the basis of a compilation of its project and the project of Lieutenant Technician I.K Bezruchko-Vysotsky (design of the shutter and return system). Its production was deployed there, at the Sestroretsk Arms Factory, initially for the needs of the Leningrad Front. While food for the Leningraders went to the besieged city along the road of life, not only refugees were taken back from the city, but also new weapons.

In total, about 500,000 PPS units of both modifications were produced during the war.

The Second World War significantly influenced the development of small arms, which remained the most massive type of weapons. The share of combat losses from it amounted to 28-30%, which is quite an impressive indicator, given the massive use of aviation, artillery and tanks ...

The war showed that with the creation of the very means of armed struggle, the role of small arms did not diminish, and the attention that was paid to them in the belligerent states during these years has increased significantly. The experience of using weapons accumulated during the war years has not become obsolete today, becoming the basis for the development and improvement of small arms.

7.62-mm rifle model 1891 of the Mosin system
The rifle was developed by the captain of the Russian army S.I. Mosin and in 1891 adopted by the Russian army under the designation "7.62-mm rifle model 1891". After modernization in 1930, it was launched into mass production and was in service with the Red Army before World War II and during the war. Rifle mod. 1891/1930 was distinguished by high reliability, accuracy, simplicity and ease of use. During the war years, more than 12 million rifles mod. 1891/1930 and carbines created on its basis.
7.62-mm sniper rifle of the Mosin system
The sniper rifle differed from a conventional rifle by the presence of an optical sight, a bolt handle bent to the bottom and improved processing of the barrel bore.

7.62-mm rifle model 1940 of the Tokarev system
The rifle was developed by F.V. Tokarev, in accordance with the desire of the military command and the highest political leadership of the country to have a self-loading rifle in service with the Red Army, which would make it possible to rationally spend ammunition and provide a large effective range of fire. Mass production of SVT-38 rifles began in the second half of 1939. The first batches of rifles were sent to the Red Army units involved in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. In extreme conditions This "winter" war revealed such shortcomings of the rifle as bulkiness, heavy weight, inconvenience of gas regulation, sensitivity to pollution and low temperature. To eliminate these shortcomings, the rifle was modernized, and already from June 1, 1940, the release of its modernized version of the SVT-40 began.
7.62mm sniper rifle of the Tokarev system
The sniper version of the SVT-40 differed from the serial samples by a more careful fitting of the trigger elements, a qualitatively better processing of the barrel bore and a special tide on the receiver for installing a bracket with an optical sight on it. On the SVT-40 sniper rifle, a specially created PU sight (universal sight) of 3.5x magnification was installed for it. He allowed to fire at a distance of up to 1300 meters. The mass of the rifle with the sight was 4.5 kg. Sight weight - 270 g.


14.5 mm anti-tank rifle PTRD-41
This gun was developed by V.A. Degtyarev in 1941 to combat enemy tanks. The PTRD was a powerful weapon - at a distance of up to 300 m, its bullet pierced armor 35-40 mm thick. The incendiary effect of the bullets was also high. Thanks to this, the gun was successfully used throughout the Second World War. Its production was discontinued only in January 1945.


7.62 mm DP light machine gun
The light machine gun, created by the designer V.A. Degtyarev in 1926, became the most powerful automatic weapon of the rifle divisions of the Red Army. The machine gun was put into service in February 1927 under the name "7.62-mm DP light machine gun" (DP meant Degtyarev - infantry). A small (for a machine gun) weight was achieved thanks to the use of an automation scheme based on the principle of removing powder gases through a hole in a fixed barrel, a rational arrangement and layout of parts of the moving system, as well as the use of air cooling of the barrel. The aiming range of a machine gun is 1500 m, the maximum range of a bullet is 3000 m. Of the 1515.9 thousand machine guns fired during the Great Patriotic War, the overwhelming majority were Degtyarev's light machine guns.


7.62 mm submachine gun of the Degtyarev system
The PPD was adopted in 1935, becoming the first submachine gun to be widely used in the Red Army. The PPD was designed for a modified 7.62 cartridge of the Mauser pistol. The firing range of the PPD reached 500 meters. The trigger mechanism of the weapon made it possible to fire both single shots and bursts. There were a number of PPD modifications with improved store mountings and modified production technology.


7.62 mm Shpagin system submachine gun mod. 1941 g.
The PPSh (Shpagin submachine gun) was adopted by the Red Army in December 1940 under the name "7.62 mm Shpagin submachine gun arr. 1941 (PPSh-41)". The main advantage of the PPSh-41 was that only its barrel needed careful machining. All other metal parts were made mainly by cold stamping from sheet. Connecting parts was carried out using spot and arc electric welding and rivets. You can disassemble and assemble the submachine gun without a screwdriver - there is not a single screw connection in it. From the first quarter of 1944, submachine guns began to be equipped with more convenient and cheaper to manufacture sector magazines with a capacity of 35 rounds. In total, more than six million PPShs were produced.

7.62-mm pistol of the Tokarev system mod. 1933 g.
The development of pistols in the USSR practically started from scratch. However, already at the beginning of 1931, the Tokarev pistol, recognized as the most reliable, lightweight and compact, was put into service. In the mass production of TT (Tula, Tokarev), which began in 1933, the details of the firing mechanism, barrel and frame were changed. The sighting range of the TT is 50 meters, the range of the bullet is from 800 meters to 1 kilometer. Capacity - 8 rounds of 7.62 mm caliber. The total production of TT pistols for the period from 1933 to the completion of their production in the mid-50s is estimated at 1,740,000 pieces.


PPS-42 (43)
The PPSh-41, which was in service with the Red Army, turned out to be - mainly due to its too large size and mass - not convenient enough for fighting in settlements, indoors, for scouts, paratroopers and crews of military vehicles. Besides, in conditions wartime required to reduce the cost of mass production of submachine guns. In this regard, a competition was announced to develop a new submachine gun for the army. The Sudaev submachine gun, developed in 1942, won this competition and was put into service at the end of 1942 under the name PPS-42. Modified the following year, a design called PPS-43 (the barrel and butt were shortened, the cocking handle, the fuse box and the shoulder rest latch were changed, the barrel cover and receiver were combined into one piece) was also put into service. PPS is often called the best submachine gun of the Second World War. It is distinguished by its convenience, combat capabilities high enough for a submachine gun, high reliability, and compactness. At the same time, the faculty is very technologically advanced, simple and cheap to manufacture, which was especially important in a difficult, protracted war, with a constant lack of material and labor resources. Developed by the faculty in besieged Leningrad, on the basis of a compilation of its project and the project of Lieutenant Technician I.K Bezruchko-Vysotsky (design of the shutter and return system). Its production was deployed there, at the Sestroretsk Arms Factory, initially for the needs of the Leningrad Front. While food for the Leningraders went to the besieged city along the road of life, not only refugees were taken back from the city, but also new weapons.

In total, about 500,000 PPS units of both modifications were produced during the war.


Let us recall 7 types of Soviet automatic weapons of the Great Patriotic War.

Submachine gun or submachine gun

A submachine gun is an automatic weapon from which you can fire in bursts, designed for a pistol cartridge. But we say "a company of submachine gunners" (not submachine gunners), although if we are talking about the Great Patriotic War, in the overwhelming majority of cases we are talking about a submachine gun. An assault rifle, to be terminologically precise, is a different weapon no longer for a pistol, but an intermediate cartridge. The first Soviet submachine gun sist. Degtyareva PPD was adopted in 1934. with a box magazine for 25 rounds. However, it was produced in small quantities, and the weapon itself was clearly underestimated. The Soviet-Finnish war showed the effectiveness of submachine guns in close combat, so it was decided to resume production of PPD, but with a 71-round disc. However, PPD was expensive and difficult to manufacture, so a different sample was needed, combining reliability and ease of production. And the legendary PPSh became such a weapon.

PPSh-41

The Shpagin submachine gun was put into service on December 21, 1940, but its mass production began already during the Great Patriotic War, at the end of August 1941. And for the first time at the front, this weapon will appear, apparently, after the parade on November 7, where the PPSh for the first time captured on newsreels. The first PPSh had a sector sight at 500 meters. But it is almost impossible to hit the enemy with a pistol bullet from 500 meters, and later a flip sight appeared at 100 and 200 meters. A fire translator is located at the trigger, which allows you to fire both in bursts and in single shots. Initially, the PPSh was equipped with a disk magazine, which was heavy enough and which needed to be equipped with one cartridge, which in the field is inconvenient (the weapon number was put on the disk with paint). Since March 1942, it has been possible to achieve the interchangeability of stores, and since 1943. a sector store for 35 rounds will appear.

PPS-43

From the second half of 1943, a large number of the Sist submachine gun began to enter the army. Sudaeva. The lack of a fire translator was compensated for by a low rate of fire (600 rounds per minute versus 1000 for PPSh), which made it possible, with a certain skill, to fire single shots. The popularity of the PPS is evidenced by the fact that this sample, unlike the PPSh, was produced after the war, and was held in the airborne troops for a long time. The main production during the war was deployed in besieged Leningrad, where only at the plant. Voskov was produced up to 1 million units. The common features of PPSh and PPS were simplicity of production and assembly and reliability of operation. At the same time, it was possible to avoid the other extreme - primitivism, which is characteristic of the English Stan submachine gun. The consequence of this was the high saturation of the Red Army with this type of small arms. In total, during the years of the Great Patriotic War, about 5 million PPSh and about 3 million PPS were produced, while the total number of submachine guns produced in Germany by various researchers is estimated at around 1 million units.

DS-39

Shortly before the start of the Great Patriotic War, the Degtyarev heavy machine gun (DS-39) began to enter service with the Red Army, replacing the Maxim machine gun. This weapon was distinguished by a very tough work of automation and it required cartridges not with a brass, but with a steel sleeve. The production of special cartridges intended for use by only one type of weapon was deemed impractical, and the Soviet industry returned to the production of the Maxim machine gun, known from the time of the Russian-Japanese war, which until the end of 1943 remained the main and practically the only machine gun of the Red Army.

Tokarev rifle

In the last pre-war years in the USSR, much attention was paid to the rearmament of the army with self-loading rifles sist. Tokarev (SVT-40). In total, about 1.5 million units had been produced by June 1941, and the Red Army was the most equipped army in the world with self-loading rifles. From July 1942, AVT-40 began to enter the active army, which made it possible to conduct continuous fire in close combat. The fuse also served as a fire translator. However, 10 rounds for firing a burst was clearly not enough, the accuracy of shooting due to the lack of bipods is low, and the barrel wear is immediate. In the same 1942, it was generally forbidden to fire in a burst from any rifle (AVT-40, AVS-36). The experience of military operations showed that the SVT-40 and AVT-40 are very difficult weapons for recruits who, after an accelerated course of study, rushed into battle. At the slightest malfunction, Tokarev's rifle was thrown, replacing the usual three-ruler, which worked in any conditions. Despite the fact that, in general, the Tokarev rifle did not take root in the army, it became the favorite weapon of well-trained units - the marines, motorized riflemen and cadet units.

DP-27

From the beginning of the 30s, the Degtyarev light machine gun began to enter the army, which until the mid-40s became the main light machine gun of the Red Army. The first combat use of the DP-27 is most likely associated with the conflict on the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1929. The machine gun has proven itself quite well during the hostilities in Spain, on Khasan and Khalkhin Gol. During operation, a number of shortcomings were also identified - a small store capacity (47 rounds) and an unsuccessful location under the barrel of a return spring, which was deformed from frequent shooting. During the war, some work was done to eliminate these shortcomings. In particular, the survivability of the weapon was increased by transferring the return spring to the rear of the receiver, although the general principle of operation of this sample has not changed. The new machine gun (DPM) from 1945 began to enter the troops.

ABC-36

In the second half of the 30s, in order to increase the firepower of the infantry in a number of countries, an attempt was made to create an automatic rifle capable of firing a burst. In the USSR, the production of the Simonov automatic rifle arr. 1936 ABC-36 was produced in Izhevsk in small batches, and the total number did not exceed 65 thousand units. The rifle first found combat use in battles with the Japanese at Khalkhin Gol. When the question arose of re-equipping the entire army with a single model rifle, the choice was between the automatic Simonov and the self-loading Tokarev (SVT-38). The situation was resolved by JV Stalin's question about the need to fire in bursts. The answer was negative and the production of ABC-36 was curtailed. Most likely, at that time it was very difficult to provide an army armed with millions of automatic rifles with an appropriate number of cartridges in the near future. At the beginning of World War II, most of the ABC-36 was in service with the 1st Moscow Proletarian Division and was lost in the first months of the war. And in 1945, the use of ABC was also noted in the Soviet-Japanese war, where this rifle was held for the longest.

May 10, 2015 3:41 pm

The Second World War is a significant and difficult period in the history of mankind. Countries merged in a frantic battle, throwing millions of human lives on the altar of victory. At that time, equipping became the main type of production, which was given great importance and attention. However, as they say, a man forges victory, and weapons only help him in this. We decided to show the weapons of the Soviet troops and the Wehrmacht, having collected the most common and famous types of small arms of the two countries.

Small arms of the USSR army:

The armament of the USSR before the start of the Great Patriotic War corresponded to the needs of that time. Mosin's magazine rifle, model 1891, caliber 7.62 millimeters, was the only instance of a non-automatic weapon. This rifle proved to be excellent in the Second World War and was in service with the Soviet army until the beginning of the 60s.

Mosin rifle of different years of release.

In parallel with the Mosin rifle, the Soviet infantry was equipped with Tokarev self-loading rifles: SVT-38 and improved in 1940 SVT-40, as well as Simonov self-loading carbines (SKS).

Tokarev self-loading rifle (SVT).

Self-loading carbine Simonov (SKS)

Also in the troops were Simonov automatic rifles (AVS-36) - at the beginning of the war, there were almost 1.5 million units.

Automatic rifle Simonov (ABC)

The presence of such a huge number of automatic and self-loading rifles made up for the lack of submachine guns. Only at the beginning of 1941, the production of the Shpagin PP (PPSh-41) began, which for a long time became the standard of reliability and simplicity.

Shpagin submachine gun (PPSh-41).

Degtyarev submachine gun.

In addition, the Soviet troops were armed with Degtyarev machine guns: Infantry Degtyarev (DP); Degtyarev heavy machine gun (DS); Degtyareva tank (DT); heavy machine gun Degtyarev - Shpagin (DShK); Heavy machine gun SG-43.

Degtyarev infantry machine gun (DP).


Degtyarev-Shpagin heavy machine gun (DShK).


Heavy machine gun SG-43

The Sudaev PPS-43 submachine gun was recognized as the best example of submachine guns during the Second World War.

Sudaev submachine gun (PPS-43).

One of the main features of the armament of the infantry of the Soviet army at the beginning of the Second World War was the complete absence of anti-tank rifles. And this was reflected already in the first days of hostilities. In July 1941, Simonov and Degtyarev, by order of the high command, designed a five-shot PTRS rifle (Simonov) and a single-shot PTRD (Degtyarev).

Anti-tank rifle Simonov (PTRS).

Degtyarev anti-tank rifle (PTRD).

The TT pistol (Tula, Tokarev) was developed at the Tula Arms Factory by the legendary Russian gunsmith Fyodor Tokarev. The development of a new self-loading pistol, intended to replace the standard outdated Nagant revolver of the 1895 model, was started in the second half of the 1920s.

TT pistol.

Also in service with the Soviet soldiers were pistols: a revolver of the Nagant system and a Korovin pistol.

Revolver of the Nagant system.

Korovin's pistol.

For the entire time of the Great Patriotic War, the military industry of the USSR produced more than 12 million carbines and rifles, more than 1.5 million of all types of machine guns, more than 6 million submachine guns. Since 1942, nearly 450,000 heavy and light machine guns, 2 million submachine guns and more than 3 million self-loading and magazine rifles have been produced every year.

Small arms of the Wehrmacht army:

The fascist infantry divisions, as the main tactical troops, were armed with magazine rifles with 98 and 98k Mauser bayonets.

Mauser 98k.

Also in service with the German troops were the following rifles: FG-2; Gewehr 41; Gewehr 43; StG 44; StG 45 (M); Volkssturmgewehr 1-5.


Rifle FG-2

Rifle Gewehr 41

Rifle Gewehr 43

Although the Versailles Treaty 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 beginning of the formation of the Wehrmacht, the MR.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 established itself and was adopted as early as 1938.

MR.38 submachine gun.

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

MR.40 submachine gun.

The fighting on the Eastern Front showed that the submachine gun still needed to improve its accuracy. This problem was dealt with by the German designer Hugo Schmeisser, who equipped the MP.40 design with a wooden butt and a single fire switch device. True, the release of such MP.41 was insignificant.