In the movie about the Great Patriotic War, ours necessarily shoot from PPSh submachine guns (Shpagin's submachine gun - with a butt and a round disc). And the Germans go on the attack with Schmeissers, pouring bursts of bursts from the hip on the partisans. Was it really so?

What machines were actually used Soviet troops and the Nazis? Who Invented the First Submachine Gun? What are the most powerful machines in the world, what are the soldiers of modern armies armed with?

The world's first machine gun

A citizen is considered the inventor of the world's first automatic rifle and the first machine gun. Russian Empire Vladimir Fedorov. On the eve of the First World War, he began work on the automation of the main small arms Russian army- Mosin rifles.

In 1913, the inventor made two prototypes of the new weapon. In terms of combat characteristics, it took an intermediate position between a light machine gun and an automatic rifle. Therefore, it received the name machine. This first machine gun in the world could fire both bursts and single shots.

However, due to the sluggishness of the Russian bureaucracy mass production Fedorov's automatic machines were installed just before the revolution itself. The first at the front to test machine guns were the special command of the Izmail infantry regiment on the Romanian front. After the first battles, it became clear that in many cases the machine gun can successfully replace a light machine gun.

The most powerful machines

What is the current situation with weapons and which of the types of small arms are considered the most powerful?

American automatic rifle M16

Western military experts consider the M16 automatic rifle the undisputed leader among assault rifles XX century. The famous arms company Colt was its creator. Her last serial modification The M16 A2 began shipping to the US Army in 1984. Firing range - 800 meters, caliber 5.56.

The fighting qualities of the rifle were highly appreciated american soldiers during Operation Desert Storm in Iraq. However, the war also exposed a number of its shortcomings. Among them - the unreliability of the return spring, sensitivity to pollution.


In the USSR, comparative tests were carried out with the M16 A2 and the AK-74. It was noted that american rifle better than the Soviet counterpart in single shooting, and the latter is superior to the American in burst shooting. The recoil of the M16 A2 is one third stronger than that of the Russian assault rifle. In addition, Soviet weapons are far superior to American ones in terms of readiness for immediate use in a wide variety of conditions.

But the Yankees keep on improving their favorite weapon... The rifle is still in service with the armies of the United States and many other states of the world.

American automatic rifle FN SCAR

The American FN SCAR is one of the best modern automatic rifles. This is the most universal system that easily converts into a light machine gun, a semi-automatic for a sniper or an assault carbine. It is suitable for both long-range and point-blank shooting when storming buildings.

Powerful modern rifle FN SCAR

An under-barrel grenade launcher is installed on the FN SCAR rifle, which can also be detached and used separately. All modern high-tech sights (optical, laser, thermal, night vision, collimator, etc.) are mounted on it.

V this moment The FN SCAR is in service with the American Rangers, is used in Afghanistan and Iraq and has proven to be convenient and effective. It is assumed that its light and heavy versions in the near future will replace in the special forces units not only the M16 rifle, but also the more powerful M14, the Mk.25 sniper and the Colt M4 carbine.

Powerful German rifles

Automatic rifle NK G36

Automatic rifle G-36 of the German company "Heckler and Koch". gas outlet type. From the bore, gases from the bore are discharged through a side opening.

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The rifle can be equipped with collimator and optical sights, a bayonet knife, an underbarrel grenade launcher. According to Russian experts, the quality of single fire from it is higher than from the AK-74.

Automatic rifles NK 41 and NK 416

German automatic rifles NK 41 and NK 416 are made on the basis of fusion in one product best qualities rifles G36 and M16. Considering their merits, one can confidently talk about the notorious German quality. They have high destructive characteristics, are easy to maintain, and are resistant to moisture and dust. However, more specific conclusions can be drawn when these weapons massively show themselves in real combat.

WITH modern views weapons like everything is clear, but what about the situation during the wars, in particular the Great Patriotic War. What rifles and pistols were in service with our army at the time?

Degtyarev submachine gun

The Degtyarev submachine gun was created in the USSR in the thirties. It was used in Finnish war and at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War. The model of the machine gun of the 1940 model in the same year, more than 80 thousand copies of the new weapon were produced.

Shpagin submachine gun (PPSh)

By the end of 1941, the Degtyarev assault rifle was replaced by a much more reliable and perfect Shpagin submachine gun. Moreover, it turned out to be possible to master the production of PCA at almost any enterprise with pressing equipment.


At the front, the PPSh showed high fighting qualities, especially its modification with a horn magazine, at the end of the war, replacing the drum magazine that was originally used. However, his shortcomings also came to light in the battles.

The PPSh-41 was quite heavy, cumbersome and inconvenient. When the shutter was dirty with dust or soot, it would malfunction. When driving on dusty roads, it had to be hidden under a raincoat.

The shortcomings of the PPSh forced the leadership of the Red Army to announce a competition for the creation of a new mass machine gun. And it was created in 1942 in the besieged Leningrad. The new Sudaev submachine gun was put into service under the name PPS-42.


Initially, the PPS-42 was produced only for the needs of the Leningrad Front. Then they began to take him out along with the refugees along the Road of Life for the needs of other fronts.

A bullet from PPS has a lethal force at a distance of 800 meters. It is most effective when firing in short bursts.

The PPP production technology was distinguished by its simplicity and cost-effectiveness. Its parts were made by stamping, riveted and welded. The consumption of materials for its production in comparison with the PPSh-41 has decreased three times. During the Second World War, about half a million pieces of PPS were produced.

Automatic machine "Schmeiser"

The weapon of fascist punishers, known in many films, was actually called not "Schmeiser", but MP 40. Contrary to scenes from popular films, shoot from the hip while standing in full height, the Nazis would be very uncomfortable.

The machine gun was released for the command staff German army, as well as paratroopers and tankers. It has never been a mass infantry weapon.


Experts note among the advantages of this machine its compactness and ease of use, high lethality at distances of one hundred to two hundred meters. However, even a small amount of pollution incapacitated it.

The most powerful assault rifle - the Kalashnikov assault rifle

Most popular machine in the world invented by Sergeant Mikhail Kalashnikov, when in 1942 he was in the hospital after being wounded at the front. However, the AK was adopted for service after the war, in 1949. In 1959, its modernized version, AKM, went into production.

Most powerful machine Kalashnikov versus M-16

The Kalashnikov assault rifle received its baptism of fire in Hungary in 1956. In the future, his various modifications were massively supplied to the allies of the USSR, national liberation and revolutionary movements. Its production was also established in many countries under licenses. By some estimates, total of these machines in the world reaches 90 million pieces.

Its undoubted advantages are the highest reliability, unpretentiousness, insensitivity to moisture, dirt and dust, ease of use, assembly and disassembly. Minus for a long time was a low accuracy of fire. As a single shooting, it was also inferior to foreign counterparts.


Currently, it has already been adopted by the Russian army. latest version legendary machine gun - AK-12. Experts express the hope that this model, after final revision, will surpass all previous ones in its qualities.
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In the early days of the Great Patriotic War the fascist troops smashed the Red Army on all fronts. The reason for this was the human factor - the confidence of Stalin and the high command that Hitler would not violate the treaty.

After the outbreak of World War II, the USSR accelerated the reorganization and increase in the composition armed forces... By the beginning of the Second World War, there were 5.3 million people in the Red Army. On the issue of armament, the Soviet border districts were distinguished by impressive defensive capabilities, but they were not brought to full combat readiness in time.

The main tactical mistake of our troops was the uncoordinated interaction of different types of troops: infantry, tanks, aviation and artillery. The infantry did not follow the artillery line of fire, and broke away from the tanks. These misses were the main cause of huge losses in initial period war.

In the first hours of the war, German aircraft destroyed most of the Soviet tanks and aircraft, leaving behind air and ground supremacy. The bulk of the work to defend the homeland fell on the shoulders of ordinary infantrymen.

The armament of the USSR before the start of the Great Patriotic War corresponded to the needs of that time. Mosin magazine rifle mod. 1891 caliber 7.62 mm was the only example of a non-automatic weapon. This rifle proved to be excellent in the Second World War and was in service with the SA until the early 60s.

In parallel with the Mosin rifle, the Soviet infantry was equipped with Tokarev self-loading rifles: the SVT-38 and the SVT-40, which was improved in 1940. Also in the troops were Simonov automatic rifles () - at the beginning of the war, their number was almost 1.5 million units.

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

The best example of submachine guns during the Second World War was recognized (Sudaev submachine gun).

One of the main features of the armament of the infantry of the Soviet army at the beginning of the Second World War was complete absence 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).

For the entire time of the Great Patriotic War, the military industry of the USSR produced 12139.3 thousand carbines and rifles, 1515.9 thousand of all types of machine guns, 6173.9 thousand submachine guns. Since 1942, almost 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.

The beginning of World War II confirmed the importance of a good supply of the infantry with the latest small arms. During the war, many different samples of automatic weapons were developed and supplied to the army, which ultimately played a decisive role in the victory of the USSR over the fascist invaders.

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 aspirations of the military command and the highest political leadership countries 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 Soviet-Finnish war 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 thorough adjustment of the trigger elements, a qualitatively better processing of the barrel bore and a special tide on the receiver for installing a bracket with optical sight... On the sniper rifle SVT-40 was installed specially for it a PU sight (universal sight) of 3.5x magnification. 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. PTRD was powerful weapon- at a distance of up to 300 m, his 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 too much large sizes and masses - not convenient enough when conducting a battle 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 in next 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 adopted. 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.


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

Machine guns at that time became the main striking force of small arms at medium and long ranges: for some of the 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 on the staff, then a year later - 12, and in July 1943 - 18 light machine guns and one easel.

Let's start with Soviet models.

The first was, of course, the Maxim machine gun, model 1910/30, modified for a heavier bullet weighing 11.8 g. Compared to the 1910 model, about 200 changes were made to its design. The machine gun has become lighter by more than 5 kg, and its 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.

Specificity was the use of cloth tape and water cooling of the barrel. The machine gun itself weighed 20.3 kg (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 had too much weight for a maneuverable battle, and water cooling could cause difficulties when overheating: fiddling with cans during a battle is not always convenient. In addition, the Maxim device 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 (Maxima-Tokarev) machine gun 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 widespread acceptance.

The first mass light machine gun was the DP (Infantry Degtyareva), adopted by the Red Army in 1927 and widely used until the end of World War II. For its time it was good weapon, captured copies 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 - disc magazine for 47 rounds; rate of fire - 600 rounds / min; weight with a loaded magazine - 11.3 kg.

Disc magazines became its specifics. 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 easily deformed in combat conditions and failed. The standard machine gun was equipped with three disks.

In 1944, the DP was upgraded to DPM: a pistol grip for 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.

The gunsmith V.A. Degtyarev also developed a heavy machine gun. In September 1939, the 7.62-mm heavy 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 a shield.

By the time of Germany's treacherous attack on the USSR, the Red Army had about 10 thousand DS-39 machine guns in service. In the conditions of the front, their design flaws: too fast and energetic recoil of the bolt caused frequent rupture of the sleeves when removing them from the barrel, which led to inertial dismantling of the cartridge with a heavy bullet that jumped out of the muzzle of the sleeve. Of course in peaceful conditions this problem could have been solved, but there was no time for experiments, the industry was evacuated, so the production of the DC-39 was discontinued.

The question of replacing the "Maximov" with a more modern design remained, and in October 1943 7.62-mm heavy machine guns of the Goryunov system of the 1943 model (SG-43) began to enter the troops. It is interesting that 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 machine gun turned out to be simple, reliable and light enough, 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 rounds / minute; weight 13.5 kg (36.9 kg on a wheeled machine or 27.7 kg on a tripod machine).

After the Great Patriotic War, the machine gun underwent modernization and, as 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 for a new intermediate cartridge of 7.62x39 mm.

Cartridge - 7.62x39 mm; food - tape, 100 rounds; rate of fire - 650 rounds / 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 Soviet army.

Of course, we must not forget about the large-caliber machine guns.

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

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

At the end of the war, a large-caliber Vladimirov machine gun (KPV-14.5) was developed chambered for anti-tank rifles, which made it possible not only to support the 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 rounds / minute; weight on a wheeled machine - 181.5 kg (without - 52.3).

CPV 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 cannon 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 forces.

Cartridge - 7.92x57 mm Mauser; food - tape, 50 or 250 rounds, 75 rounds magazine; rate of fire - 900 rounds / 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 after the appearance of the MG-42.

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

The 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 units of the Waffen SS, supplied on a leftover basis, then it was used as a training one, and in 1943 it was completely removed from service.

The masterpiece of the German machine gun building 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 rounds / minute; weight - 11.6 kg (machine gun) + 20.5 kg (Lafette 42 machine).

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

The unique rate of fire of the machine gun 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 barrel change was carried out constructively in 6-10 seconds, on the other hand, it was possible only with the presence of heat-insulating (asbestos) gloves or any improvised means. In the case of intense firing, a barrel change was required every 250 shots: if there was a well-equipped firing point and a spare barrel, or better, two, everything was fine, but if there was no opportunity to change the barrel, then the effectiveness of the machine gun dropped sharply, shooting could only be carried out in short bursts and taking into account the need for natural cooling of the barrel.

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

Comparison video of 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 rounds / minute; weight - 8.0 kg.

Initially, the MG-81 was used as an airborne defensive weapon for Luftwaffe bombers; it began to enter service with the airfield divisions in 1944. The short barrel length led to a shorter initial speed bullets compared to standard light machine guns, but the MG-81 had less weight.

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

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

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

For large-caliber machine guns, the USSR had a clear advantage.

Until now, many believe that massive weapons German infantry during the Great Patriotic War was a Schmeisser assault rifle, named after its designer. This myth is still actively supported by feature films. But in fact, this machine was not created by Schmeisser, and he never was a mass weapon of the Wehrmacht either.

I think everyone remembers shots from Soviet feature films about the Great Patriotic War, dedicated to the attacks of German soldiers on our positions. Gallant and fit "blond beasts" (they were usually played by actors from the Baltic states) walk, almost without stooping, and fire on the move from machine guns (more precisely, from submachine guns), which everyone called "Schmeissers".

And, what is most interesting, no one at all, perhaps, except for those who really were in the war, was not surprised by the fact that the Wehrmacht soldiers fired, as they say, "from the hip." Also, no one considered it an artistic fiction that, according to the films, these "Schmeissers" were aiming 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 in the Wehrmacht it was not as widespread as the Soviet films told about it, and it was impossible to shoot "from the hip" from it. In addition, an attack by a subunit of such submachine gunners on the trenches in which the soldiers were sitting, armed with magazine rifles, was a clear suicide - 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 to be very good at the very first stage. 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 no less talented designer Heinrich Volmer. So it would be more logical to call these automata "folmers" and not "schmeissers" at all. But why did the people adopt the second name? Probably due to the fact that Schmeisser owned the patent for the magazine used in this weapon. And, accordingly, in order to respect copyright, the inscription PATENT SCHMEISSER was adorned on the receiver of the stores of the first lots of MP 40. Well, the soldiers of the Allied armies, who received this weapon as a trophy, mistakenly thought that Schmeisser was the creator of this machine.

From the very beginning, the German command planned to arm 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 submachine guns. Subsequently, these submachine guns also became popular among tankers, armored vehicle drivers and paratroopers. However, no one armed the infantry en masse with them either in 1941 or after.

Hugo Schmeisser

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

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

The aiming range of both types of this weapon was 400 meters for single targets and 800 meters for group targets. So judge for yourself, did the Germans have a chance to survive such attacks, if they were, as in Soviet films, armed with MP 40? That's right, no one would have reached the trenches. In addition, unlike the characters in the same films, the real owners of a 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 against it - then the weapon practically did not "shake". In addition, these submachine guns were never fired in long bursts - it got very hot very quickly. Usually they fired in short bursts of three to four shots, or fired single-handedly. So in reality, MP 40 owners have never been able to achieve a technical certificate of fire of 450-500 rounds per minute.

That is why German soldiers Throughout the war, they attacked with Mauser 98k rifles - the most widespread small arms of the Wehrmacht. Its aiming 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 Tokarev's captured rifles (they were especially fond of it in the Waffen SS). And Mosin's "captured" rifles were given to rear guard units (however, they were generally supplied with all kinds of "international" old stuff, albeit of very high quality).

At the same time, it cannot be said that the MP 40 was that bad - on the contrary, in close combat this weapon was very, very dangerous. That is why German paratroopers from sabotage groups, as well as scouts 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 MP 40, which "black diggers" continue to supply there, is very high - this machine is in demand among "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 the psychic phenomenon of the Red Army soldiers in 1941 called "automatic fear". Our fighters considered the Germans invincible, because they are armed with wonderful machine guns, from which there is no salvation anywhere. This myth could not arise 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 bursts of MP 40 on the bewildered Red Army soldiers.

It should be noted that already after the Smolensk battle "fear of automatons" began to fade away, and during the battle for Moscow it almost completely disappeared. By that time, our fighters, having had a good time "sitting" in defense and even gaining experience in counterattacking German positions, realized that the German infantrymen did not have any miracle weapons, and their rifles did not differ much from domestic ones. It is also interesting that in feature films, filmed in the 40-50s of the last century, the Germans are without exception 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 on the move from an MP 40. The directors also arm soldiers of the rear guard units and even the field gendarmerie (where automatic weapon were not even given to officers). As you can see, the myth turned out to be very, very tenacious.

However, the famous Hugo Schmeisser was in fact the developer of two models of assault rifles used in World War II. He presented 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 stock was trimmed with wood (so that the soldier would not burn himself when the weapon was heated). In addition, it was longer and heavier. However, this version did not receive wide distribution and was produced for a short time - in total, about 26 thousand pieces were produced.

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

However, Schmeisser did not give up and in 1943 he developed a model called the MP 43, which was later called the StG-44 (from s turmgewehr - assault rifle). In their own way outward 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 was very different from the MP 40.