Sturmgewehr 44

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Sturmgewehr 44 (StG44); Maschinenpistole 43 (MP43); Maschinenpistole 44 (MP44);
Image:Sturmgewehr 44.jpg Sturmgewehr 44
Type	Light automatic rifle/assault rifle
Place of origin	Nazi Germany
Service history
In service	July 1944–May 1945
Used by	Nazi Germany
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designed	1943
Produced	July 1944–May 1945
Number built	425,977
Specifications
Weight	5.22 kg (11.5 lb)
Length	940 mm (37 [Inch
Barrel length	419 mm (16.5 in)

Cartridge	7.92 x 33 mm (7.92 mm Kurz)
Caliber	8 mm (.31 in)
Action	Gas-operated, tilting bolt
Rate of fire	500-600 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	685 m/s (2,247 ft/s)
Effective range	300 meters
Feed system	30-round detachable box magazine
Sights	adjustable 800meter sights with Rear: V-notch; front: ring with vertical post

The Maschinenpistole 43, Maschinenpistole 44 and Sturmgewehr 44 (MP43, MP44 and StG44, respectively) were selective-fire automatic rifles developed in Nazi Germany during World War II as part of the Maschinenkarabiner (machine carbine) program.

1 Description
2 Background
3 MKb 42
4 MP43
5 MP44, StG44
6 Late prototypes
7 Post-war
8 Further reading
9 See also
10 References

[edit] Description

The MP43, MP44, and StG44 were names for nearly identical weapons with only small production differences and dates. They were developed from the Mkb 42(H). The various names resulted from complicated small arms nomenclature in Nazi Germany. The 'StG' stood for Sturmgewehr (storm rifle) combining traits of carbines, submachine guns and automatic rifles. After the adoption of the StG44, the English translation "assault rifle" became popular in the West as a class description of this type of infantry small arm.

The rifle was chambered for the 7.92x33mm cartridge, also known as 7.92mm Kurz (German for "short"). This shorter version of the standard (8x57mm) Army rifle round, in combination with the weapon's selective-fire design, provided most of the controllable firepower of a submachine gun at close quarters with the much of the accuracy and power of a K98k Mauser rifle at intermediate ranges. While the StG44 had much less range and power than traditional full-power infantry rifles of the day, Wehrmacht studies had shown that most combat engagements occurred at less than 300 meters with the majority within 200 meters. Full-power rifle cartridges were simply overpowered for the vast majority of uses for the average soldier. By all accounts, the StG44 fulfilled its role admirably, particularly on the Eastern Front offering a greatly increased volume of fire compared to standard infantry rifles.

[edit] Background

The Sturmgewehr 44 and its predecessors were developed in Nazi Germany in the early stages of the Second World War. The Wehrmacht's belt and magazine-fed light and medium machine guns proved to be far too large and heavy to be issued to individual infantry soldiers, while troops operating bolt-action rifles faced increasing volumes of fire from enemy forces armed with faster-firing weapons. A more compact rifle was also needed for the German Army's mechanized and armored forces, and their fast-moving blitzkrieg offensive tactics, not to mention when fighting in dense urban surroundings. Submachine guns such as the MP28, MP38, and MP40 were issued to augment infantry rifle use and increase individual firepower, but suffered from a distinct lack of range and accuracy for ranges beyond 100 meters.

The issue arose once again during the invasion of the Soviet Union. The Red Army had been in the process of replacing its own bolt-action rifles in the immediate pre–war era. Increasing numbers of semi-automatic Tokarev SVT38 and SVT40s were reaching Red Army units, though issue was generally restricted to elite units and non-commissioned officers. Submachine guns were extremely widespread, and issued on a far larger scale; some Soviet rifle companies were completely equipped with fast-firing PPSh-41 submachine guns. <ref>Weeks, John, World War II Small Arms, Galahad Books, 1979</ref>

This experience with high volumes of hand-held automatic 'assault' fire forced German commanders to rethink their small arms requirements. The German army had been attempting to introduce semi-automatic weapons of their own, notably the Gewehr 41, but these early rifles proved troublesome in service, and production was insufficient to meet forecast requirements. Several attempts had been made to introduce lightweight machine guns or automatic rifles for these roles, but invariably recoil from the powerful 8mm Mauser round made them too difficult to control in automatic fire.

The German solution was to use a round of "intermediate" power, somewhere between that of a full-power rifle cartridge and pistol ammunition. Experiments with several such intermediate rounds had been going on since the 1930s, but had been constantly rejected for use by the army. By 1941, it was becoming clear that action needed to be taken, and one of the experimental rounds, the Polte 7.92x33 mm Kurzpatrone (short cartridge) was selected. To minimize logistical problems, the Mauser 8mm rifle cartridge was used as the basis for the final 7.92mm Kurz intermediate round, which also utilized an aerodynamic spitzer rifle bullet design.

The StG44's receiver was made of heavy stamped and welded steel, a fairly new unusual construction method for rifle-caliber small arms. This made for a fairly heavy rifle, especially one firing an intermediate-power cartridge. Difficulties with fabrication, the need to use available non-priority steels, and the exigencies of war resulted in a heavy, yet fairly weak receiver that was vulnerable to damage from impacts. The receiver could be bent and the bolt locked up by the mere act of knocking a leaning rifle onto a hard floor. <ref>Shore, C. (Capt.), With British Snipers to the Reich, Samworth Press, 1948</ref>

By modern standards the StG44 was too heavy, especially for a weapon firing an intermediate-power cartridge. It was uncomfortable when shooting from the prone position, the buttstock was not strong and could be easily damaged in hand-to-hand combat. Nevertheless, it was the first weapon of its class, and its proven effectiveness in combat would cause the StG44 to have a major impact on modern infantry small arms development.

[edit] MKb 42

Contracts for rifles firing the Kurz round were sent to both Walther and Haenel (whose design group was headed by Hugo Schmeisser), who were asked to submit prototype weapons under the name Maschinenkarabiner 1942 (MKb 42, literally "machine carbine"). Both designs were largely similar, using a gas-operated action, with both semi-automatic and fully-automatic firing modes.

The original prototypes of Haenel's design, the MK 42(H), fired from an open bolt and used a striker for firing (the mechanism is based on the Czechoslovak ZB vz.26). The receiver and trigger housing with pistol grip were made from steel stampings, which were attached to the barrel assembly on a hinge, allowing the weapon to be "folded open" for quick disassembly and cleaning. The Haenel MK 42(H) design proved superior to the Walther MKb 42(W), and the army then asked Haenel for another version incorporating a list of minor changes designated MKb 42(H). One was to include lugs for mounting a standard bayonet, another to change the pitch of the rifling. A production run of these modified versions was sent to the field in November 1942, and the users appreciated it with a few reservations. Another set of modifications added a hinged cover over the ejection port to keep it clean in combat, and rails to mount a telescopic sight. A run of these modified MKb 42(H)s in late 1942 and early 1943 produced 11,833 guns for field trials.

Ultimately it was recommended that a hammer firing system operating from a closed bolt similar to Walther's be incorporated. The gas expansion chamber over the barrel was deemed unnecessary, and was deleted from successive designs.

[edit] MP43

While the new version was under development in late 1942, infighting within the Third Reich was in full swing. Hitler was increasingly concerned with this, and after Hermann Göring had created the FG 42 in a separate program from the army's similar Gewehr 41 efforts, Hitler cancelled all new rifle projects completely. This included the production of the MKb 42(H). One concern was that the new weapon used a new ammunition type which would further hamper an already daunting logistics problem.

In order to preserve the weapons development, a new project at Gustloff was started to produce a similar weapon using the original Mauser round, the Mkb 43(G). Whenever Hitler asked about the progress of the rifle, he was always shown one of these prototypes, although there was no intention of producing them.

Meanwhile the newest version of the original Mkb 42(H) was called the Maschinenpistole 43 (MP43) to disguise it as an upgrade to existing submachine guns. Another change fit a grenade launcher attachment from the earlier MKb 42(H) led to the MP43/1.

Eventually the truth surfaced and Hitler ordered the project stopped once again. However in March 1943 he allowed the run to continue for evaluation purposes, which then continued until September and due to the positive combat reports it was allowed to continue.

[edit] MP44, StG44

On 6 April 1944, Hitler issued the following decree:

a) The former MG42 is to retain the same designation

b) The former self-loading rifle, known as the Gewehr 43, shall receive the designation Karabiner 43 (K43).

c) The former new MP, known as the MP43, shall receive the designation MP44.

In July 1944 at a meeting of the various army heads about the Eastern Front, when Hitler asked what they needed, a general blurted out "More of these new rifles!" This caused some confusion, but once Hitler was given a chance to test fire the MP44, he was impressed and gave it the title Sturmgewehr. Seeing the possibility of a propaganda win, the rifle was again renamed as the StG44, to highlight the new class of weapon it represented, literally "storm rifle, model 1944", thereby introducing the term.

By the end of the war, some 425,977 StG44 variants of all types were produced. The assault rifle proved an invaluable weapon, especially on the Eastern front, where it was first deployed. A properly trained soldier with an StG44 had a greatly improved tactical repertoire, in that he could effectively engage targets at longer ranges than with an MP40, but be much more useful than the K98k in close range urban fighting, as well as provide light cover fire like a light machine gun.

The StG44 was an intermediate weapon for the period; the muzzle velocity from its 42 cm barrel was 647 m/s, compared to 880 m/s (K98k), 744 m/s (Bren), 600 m/s (M2 Carbine), and 365 m/s (MP40).

One unusual addition to the design was the Krummlauf, a bent barrel with a periscope sighting device attached for shooting around corners from a safe position. It was produced in several variants, an "I"-version for infantry use, a "P" version for use in tanks (to cover the dead areas in the close range around the tank, to defend against assaulting infantry), versions with 30°, 45°, 60° and 90° bends, a version for the StG44 and one for the MG 42. Only the 30° "I" version for the StG44 was produced in any numbers.

A primary use of the MP44/StG44 was to counter the Soviet PPS and PPSh submachine guns, which used a 7.62 x 25 mm round (not entirely interchangeable with the 7.63 x 25 mm Mauser round, introduced with the 1896 Mauser "Broomhandle" pistol). These cheap mass-produced weapons used a 71-round drum magazine or 35-round "box" magazine and though shorter-ranged than the K98 rifle were more effective weapons in close quarter combat. The StG44, while also lacking the range of the Karabiner, had a longer range than the PPS/PPSh submachine guns and a comparable rate of fire. Also, while they could fire fully automatic, they were designed to default to semi-auto fire. They were surprisingly accurate, and their slow rate of fire gave them controllability even on full-auto. While the design details are quite different, the purpose of the StG44 was obviously carried on in the most famous and most numerously manufactured assault rifle, the AK-47.

[edit] Late prototypes

Mauser developed several prototype StG45(M) assault rifles, first with the Gerät 06 (Device 6) using a roller-delayed blowback mechanism originally adapted from the roller-locked recoil operation of the MG42 machine gun but with a fixed barrel and gas system. It was realized that with careful attention to the mechanical ratios, the gas system could be omitted. The resultant weapon, the Gerät 06(H) was supposedly slated for adoption by the Wehrmacht as the StG45. This mechanism would later be developed by former Mauser engineers in Spain and used on the post-war CETME and Heckler & Koch's G3 assault rifle and MP5 submachine gun.

Towards the end of the war, there were last-ditch efforts to develop cheap so-called Volksgewehr rifles in this caliber. One of these (the VG 1-5) used a gas-delayed blowback action based on the Barnitzke system, whereby gas bled from the barrel near the chamber creates resistance to the rearward impulse of the operating parts, which ceases when the projectile leaves the muzzle, allowing the operating parts to be forced rearward by the residual pressure of the cartridge case. This principle has been used most successfully in the Heckler & Koch PSP or HK P7 pistol.

[edit] Post-war

Generally accepted as the world's first assault rifle, the StG44's effect on post-war arms design was wide-ranging, as evidenced by Mikhail Kalashnikov's famous AK-47, and ultimately in the U.S. M16 and its variants.

The Soviet Union, who also had lacked large number of deployed light machine guns like the BAR, was quick to adapt the assault-rifle concept. The AK-47 used a similar-sized round and followed the design concept, but was internally (mechanically) much different.

Many of the other Western countries continued using their existing weapons. The 7.62 x 51 mm NATO round that was adopted was no smaller, though the adoption of smaller rounds had been a pre-existing trend. For example, the M1 Garand, which was initially developed for the .276 (about 7 mm), was changed at the direction of General MacArthur to use the previously existing .30-06 Springfield cartridge to be common with existing ammunition stocks and weapons. Some modification was made, using a lighter 150-grain (9.7 g) bullet for the Garand, rather than a heavier 172-grain (11 g) bullet intended to be optimized for the M1917 Browning machine gun.

Eventually, NATO moved from the 7.62 x 51 mm to another intermediate cartridge, the 5.56 x 45 mm, but the weapons that were adopted varied significantly and marked a different interpretation of what was needed in an intermediate weapon than the AK-47 and StG44. They used an even smaller higher velocity round, and the weapons themselves were lighter. In terms of size and weight, they were closer to the M2 Carbine (a fully-automatic version of the M1), and the cartridge design itself had a history dating back before the 1900s. The USSR noted the advance and incorporated these differences in the improved AK-74, which was lighter and used a 5.45 x 39 mm round similar to NATO's version.

As for the Sturmgewehr itself, it remained in use with the East German Nationale Volksarmee until it was eventually replaced with variants of the AK-47 assault rifle. Argentina manufactured their own trial versions of the StG 44 in the late 1940s and early 1950s <ref>(Spanish)Museo de Armas de La Nacion</ref>, but made the decision to adopt the FN FAL instead in 1955 <ref>Argentinian Military ww2incolor.com forum post</ref>.

The StG 44 is currently in service with the Lebanese Forces <ref>Lebansese Forces web site</ref>. It is also used in limited numbers by irregular forces in some countries in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.

[edit] Further reading

Senich , P. (1987). German Assault Rifle: 1935-1945. Paladin Press. ISBN 087364400X

[edit] See also

[edit] References

German-made firearms and light weapons of World War II
Side arms (Pistole)
Mauser C96 \| Luger \| Walther P38 \| Walther PPK \| Sauer 38H \| Mauser HSc
Rifles & carbines (Gewehr & Karabiner)
Karabiner 98k \| Gewehr 43/Karabiner 43 \| StG44/MP44 \| FG42 \| StG45(M)
Submachine guns ( Maschinenpistole )
Bergmann MP18 \| MP38/MP40 "Schmeisser" \| MP3008 "Volks MP"
Machine guns & other larger weapons
MG08 \| MG34 \| MG42 \| Faustpatrone \| Panzerfaust \| Panzerschreck Flammenwerfer 35 \| Panzerbüchse 39 \| Granatwerfer 36 \| Granatwerfer 42
Notable foreign-made infantry weapons
P.640(b) \| Vis.35 \| Vz.24/G24(t) \| MG26(t) \| Panzerbüchse 35(p)
German-made cartridges used by the Wehrmacht
7.92 x 57 mm \| 7.63 x 25 mm Mauser \| 7.92 mm Kurz \| 7.65 mm Luger \| 9mm Luger