Submachine guns. "Hitler's Saw": a machine gun of the Second World War, which is still used to this day. Heavy machine guns of the Second World War

The Maxim machine gun model 1910 was a modernized version of the British Maxim machine gun converted to a 7.62x54 mm cartridge and was produced from 1910 to 1939 and from 1941 to 1945. In 1930, another modernization of the weapon was carried out . A folding butt plate was installed on the weapon, a new safety lock was located on the trigger, and the sight was changed. A buffer holder for the shield was attached to the machine gun casing. The filling hole was enlarged and a tap was made for the drain hole. The machine gun was named the 7.62 heavy machine gun of the Maxim system, model 1910/30. In October 1941, the machine gun underwent a final modernization, during which it was equipped with a simplified sighting device with one sighting bar instead of two, which were previously replaced depending on light shooting or a heavy bullet.. In the barrel water cooling casing for quick water changes, the small diameter water filling hole was replaced with a wide neck. Soldiers often removed the armor shield from the machine gun, thereby trying to increase maneuverability and achieve less visibility. For camouflage, in addition to camouflage coloring, covers were put on the casing and shield of the machine gun. IN winter time“Maxim” was mounted on skis, sleds or a drag boat, from which they fired. Machine guns were also mounted on light Willys or GAZ-64 jeeps.

The machine gun was an automatic weapon with a water-cooled barrel. The barrel casing is made of steel, most often corrugated. The automatic machine gun used the recoil of the barrel during its short stroke. The spent cartridges were thrown forward from the weapon, under the barrel. The cartridges were fed from the belt, from right to left. The machine gun allowed only automatic fire from a closed bolt. To control fire, the machine gun had a pair of vertical handles located on the buttplate of the receiver, and a release button located between the handles. The machine gun was equipped as standard with a rack-mounted sight, and additionally with an optical sight with a 2x magnification. For the machine gun, a wheeled machine of the Sokolov system was used, equipped with a steel protective shield (weighing about 11 kg). The machine allowed firing only at ground targets. Captured machine guns were used in Bulgaria, Poland and Finland. The machine guns captured by the Wehrmacht were used under the designation "MG 216(r)". A total of 48 thousand machine guns of the 1910 model and 627 thousand of the 1910/1930 and 1941 model were produced. Performance characteristics: caliber - 7.62 mm; length – 1067 mm; barrel length – 721 mm; stroke width – 505 mm; weight on the machine without water – 66 kg; weight of a box with 250 cartridges - 9.88 kg; initial bullet speed – 740 m/s; casing capacity – 4 liters; rate of fire - 600 rounds per minute; firing range - 3.9 km.

The machine gun was created on the basis of the Maxim heavy machine gun and was produced in 1925-1928. It differed from the prototype in the presence of air cooling, a bipod and a wooden stock. A total of 2,450 pieces were produced. Machine gun performance characteristics: caliber – 7.62 mm; length – 1330 mm; barrel length – 655 mm; weight – 12.9 kg; ammunition supply – belt for 100 or 250 rounds of 7.62x54 mm; initial bullet speed – 800 m/s; rate of fire - 600 rounds per minute; maximum firing range – 2 km.

The installation was a quadruple version of the "Maxim" model 1910 and was produced since 1931. It differed from the usual "Maxim" by the presence of a device for forced circulation of water and a larger capacity of machine gun belts - for 1000 rounds instead of the usual 250. Using anti-aircraft ring sights, the installation was able to conduct effective fire at low-flying enemy aircraft (at an altitude of up to 1400 m at a speed of up to 500 km/h). Paired installations are also known. The M-4 was used as a stationary, self-propelled and ship-based anti-aircraft installation, and was installed in the bodies of cars, armored trains, railway platforms, and on the roofs of buildings. M-4s were often used to support infantry. Performance characteristics of the installation: weight - 64.3 kg; length 1067 mm; barrel length – 721 mm; rate of fire - 1,200 -2,000 rounds per minute.

The air-cooled PV-1 aircraft machine gun was developed in 1926-1927. based on the “Maxim model 1910” and was produced in 1927-1940. It differed from the prototype in the absence of water cooling, armor shield, and also had a shortened barrel. The machine gun was installed in both single and twin versions on the following aircraft: I-2, I-3, I-4, I-7, I-14, I-15, I-16, R-5, TB-1, U-2 and others. Since 1940, machine guns began to be used in built anti-aircraft installations Tokarev (626 pcs.). In addition, machine guns not used in aviation were installed on wheeled machines (3 thousand pieces). A total of 18 thousand units were produced. Machine gun performance characteristics: length – 1150 mm; barrel length – 721 mm; weight – 14.5 kg; initial bullet speed – 800 – 865 m/s; rate of fire - 750 rounds per minute; effective firing range is 1.4 km, ammunition supply is a belt for 200 - 600 rounds of 7.62x54 mm cartridges.

The machine gun was put into service in 1939 under the name “DS-39”. The automatic machine gun operated by diverting powder gases into the gas chamber. The gas piston had a long stroke. The gas chamber had a pipe. The original feature of the machine gun was its double rate of fire - against ground targets it reached 600 rounds per minute, air targets 1200 rounds per minute. The machine gun's replaceable barrel was equipped with a conical flame arrester and transverse fins. A folding handle on the barrel was used to carry the machine gun and make it easier to change the barrel. The machine gun was equipped with a folding frame sight with scales for heavy and light bullets. The controls were a trigger lever and two buttplate handles, made like a Maxim machine gun. Degtyarev's tripod folding machine which allowed firing only at ground targets. Shooting was carried out from kneeling or prone positions. An armored shield with a window for using an optical sight could be installed on the machine. There was a special machine for anti-aircraft shooting. In July 1941, production was discontinued due to the impossibility of eliminating many design flaws. The machine guns captured by the Wehrmacht served under the designation MG-218(r). In total, by the beginning of the war, 10.3 thousand machine guns were fired. Machine gun performance characteristics: caliber – 7.62 mm; total length – 1440 mm; machine gun length - 1170 mm; barrel length – 723 mm; number of grooves – 4; machine gun weight - 14.3 kg; machine weight – 28 kg; ammunition - belt for 250 rounds of 7.62x54 mm; initial bullet speed – 860 m/s; rate of fire - 600 or 1200 rounds per minute; sighting range– 3 km.

The light machine gun "DP" (Degtyarev, infantry) was put into service in 1927. It had a quick-change barrel, partially hidden by a protective casing and equipped with a conical removable flame arrester. Ammunition was supplied from flat disc magazines, in which the cartridges were arranged in one layer, with bullets towards the center of the disc. This ensured a reliable supply of cartridges and at the same time had a number of disadvantages: large dead weight of the magazine, inconvenience in transportation and the tendency of magazines to be damaged in combat conditions. The machine gun allowed only automatic fire. There was no conventional safety; instead, an automatic safety was located on the handle, which turned off when the hand covered the neck of the butt. The fire was fired from fixed folding bipods. In 1944, the machine gun was modernized and received the designation DPM. The main differences of the DPM were the return spring moved to the rear of the receiver, a pistol grip fire control, a conventional non-automatic safety and a more durable bipod with a modified attachment to the barrel casing. The machine gun could be mounted on M-722 motorcycles. The machine guns captured by the Wehrmacht served under the designation “7.62-mm leichte Maschinengewehr 120(r)”). A total of 795 thousand machine guns of both modifications were produced. Machine gun performance characteristics: caliber – 7.62 mm; length – 1266 mm; barrel length – 604 mm; weight without magazine - 8.4 kg; weight with loaded magazine - 11.3 kg; magazine capacity – 47 rounds of 7.62x54 mm; initial bullet speed – 840 m/s; rate of fire - 600 rounds per minute; sighting range – 1.5 km, maximum – 2.5 km.

The DT tank machine gun was put into service in 1929 and was a modification of the DP-27 light machine gun. The tank machine gun is the main automatic small arms tanks, armored vehicles and self-propelled units, used for shooting at ground targets. Instead of a wooden butt, a retractable metal one was installed. The machine gun was mounted on a ball mount, which made it easy to aim the machine gun in horizontal and vertical planes. The machine gun was also equipped with a canvas casing catcher. The machine gun is fed during firing from a specially designed three-row magazine with a capacity of 63 rounds. The DT machine gun was equipped with 15 magazines. The DT had a removable bipod, so it was often used by crews of damaged armored vehicles as a light machine gun. There are known cases of arming linear infantry units with them. The DT was also popular in airborne units for its more compact size and lighter weight. In 1944, the recoil spring was modified and the machine gun received the designation DTM. The machine gun was installed on all types of armored vehicles. In total, about 345 thousand units were produced. Machine gun performance characteristics: caliber – 7.62 mm; barrel length – 1250 mm; barrel length – 604 mm; weight – 10 kg; rate of fire - 600 rounds per minute.

The DA (Degtyarev Aviation) aviation machine gun was developed in 1928 on the basis of the DP machine gun. The casing was removed from it, and the butt was replaced with two handles - an upper wooden handle with a rubber lining, which was attached with two screws to the tail bracket of the rear lug of the trigger frame, and a lower metal pistol-type welded to the rear lug of the frame. In 1930, a twin aircraft machine gun YES-2. In fact, these were two YES machine guns connected together with minor modifications. Machine guns were installed on R-5, U-2, TB-3 aircraft. The weight of the coaxial machine gun with loaded magazines was 25 kg. The distance between the axes of the barrel channels is 193 mm. Installation length - 1140 mm, width - 300 mm, magazine capacity - 60 rounds. In total, about 1,200 machine guns were fired.

The heavy machine gun was developed on the basis of the “DK” machine gun, which was withdrawn from service in 1934. In 1937-1938, the prototype was modified and in 1939 it was put into service under the designation “12.7-mm heavy machine gun model 1938 DShK ( Degtyarev-Shpagina large-caliber).

The automatic machine gun operated by removing powder gases. The entire length of the barrel is finned for better cooling; a single-chamber active-type muzzle brake is attached to the muzzle of the barrel. Initially, the barrel was equipped with a “parachute-shaped” active-type muzzle brake, later - a flat one. The trigger mechanism allowed only automatic fire. The tape feeder was made in the form of a drum with six open chambers. For firing at ground targets, a folding frame sight was used, and for aircraft, an anti-aircraft ring sight was used. The machine gun was used from a universal machine gun of the Kolesnikov system. The machine was equipped with removable wheels and a steel shield, and when using a machine gun as an anti-aircraft wheel, they were removed and the rear support was spread apart to form a tripod. In addition to the machine gun, the machine gun was used in turret installations, on remote-controlled anti-aircraft installations, on ship pedestal installations, both in single, twin, and triple versions. The machine guns captured by Germany were used under the designation MG-286(r). Until the end of the war, 46.1 thousand machine guns were fired. Machine gun performance characteristics: caliber – 12.7 mm; machine gun length - 1625 mm; machine gun length on the machine – 2600 mm; barrel length – 1070 mm; machine gun weight - 33.5 kg; weight with belt on the machine (without shield) - 148 kg; rate of fire - 500 - 600 rounds per minute; ammunition - belt for 50 rounds of 12.7x108 mm; initial bullet speed – 870 m/s; armor penetration - 16 mm at a distance of 500 m; effective firing range - 2 km; sighting range – 3.5 km; height of fire zone – 1.8 km; calculation – 2 people.

The machine gun was developed in 1943 at the Kovrov Machine Gun Plant under the designation “7.62mm heavy machine gun designed by Goryunov arr. 1943" or SG-43. It had a quick-change barrel with a handle. Intensive burst shooting is possible up to 500 rounds, after which it was necessary to replace or cool the barrel. On SG-43 machine guns the barrel is smooth on the outside, on SGM machine guns it has longitudinal valleys to facilitate and improve heat transfer. The machine gun was used from a wheeled machine gun designed by Degtyarev, and later from an infantry tripod machine gun.

An angular sight could be installed on the machine gun. The following options were produced: SGM - modernized machine tool, installed on a wheeled or tripod machine; SGMB - armored personnel carrier, mounted on the front, side or rear bracket of an armored personnel carrier; SGMT is a tank type, installed inside the tank turret on the gun cradle bracket and equipped with an electric trigger. Until the end of the war, over 80 thousand units were produced. Machine gun performance characteristics: caliber – 7.62 mm; machine length – 1300 mm; length – 1150 mm; barrel length – 720 mm; number of barrel rifling – 4; machine gun weight - 13.8 kg, 36.9 kg - on a wheeled machine, 27.7 kg - on a tripod machine; ammunition supply – belt for 200 or 250 rounds of 7.62x54 mm; initial bullet speed – 800 – 865 m/s; rate of fire - 500 -700 rounds per minute; target firing range - 2 - 2.3 km.

The Shpitalny-Komaritsky aviation rapid-fire machine gun was put into service in 1932 and was produced in three versions: turret, wing-mounted and synchronous. The turret version was installed on the Il-4, Pe-8, TB-4, TB-3, Er-2, DB-3, SB, U-2, R-5 and others. The wing version was installed on I-16 fighters and Il-2 attack aircraft, and the synchronous version was installed on I-16, I-153, LAGG-3, Yak-1, Yak-7 fighters. Machine guns were also installed on torpedo boats G-5 and D-3. The automatic machine gun operated to remove part of the powder gases. The trigger mechanism ensures only continuous fire. The machine gun was equipped with a flag-type fuse. The cartridges were fed from a metal link detachable tape. The high rate of fire in the machine gun was achieved due to the short stroke of the moving parts of the automation and the combination of a number of reloading operations. Special aviation cartridges were made for the machine gun. In 1936, a mechanical pairing of ShKAS machine guns was developed, in which the total rate of fire of the two machine guns was increased to 6 thousand rounds per minute. In 1939, the UltraShKAS turret machine gun was created with a rate of fire of 2800 - 3000 rounds per minute. A total of 151.5 thousand pieces were produced. Machine gun performance characteristics: caliber – 7.62 mm; length - 1200 mm; weight – 9.8 – 2.6 kg; ammunition - belt for 250 rounds of 7.62x54 mm; initial bullet speed – 775 – 880 m/s; rate of fire - 1650 - 1800 rounds per minute.

The ShVAK (Shpitalny-Vladimirov aviation large-caliber) machine gun was developed on the basis of the ShKAS machine gun and put into service in 1934. The machine gun was manufactured in wing, turret, synchronous and motor versions. A total of 92 units were produced and production ceased in 1936. Machine gun performance characteristics: caliber – 12.7 mm; length – 1726 mm; barrel length – 1246 mm; number of barrel rifling – 8; weight – 40 kg; ammunition - 12.7x108 mm; initial bullet speed – 810 – 830 m/s; rate of fire - 700 - 800 rounds per minute; armor penetration at a distance of 350 m - 20 mm.

The UB (universal Berezina) machine gun was put into service in 1941 and was produced in three modifications depending on the installation location: UBS (synchronous - for firing through planes of rotation), UBK (wing-mounted), UBT (turret-mounted). The main parts and mechanisms of all three versions of the machine gun were the same, with the exception of the trigger and impact mechanisms, to which some changes were made due to the specifics of their use. The synchronized machine gun was installed on the I-15, I-153BS, Yak-1b, Yak-3, Yak-7b, Yak-9, MiG-3 and LaGG-3 fighters. The rear machine gun was installed on the Pe-2 bomber and the UTI MiG-15 training aircraft. The Berezin turret machine gun was installed on the SB, Pe-2, Er-2, Il-2, Tu-2, Il-4 and Pe-8 bombers. The automatic machine gun operated using the energy of gases removed from the barrel. To ensure reliable tape feeding, the return spring was made multi-core. A total of 131.3 thousand machine guns were fired. Machine gun performance characteristics: caliber – 12.7 mm; length – 1347 – 1397 mm; weight – 21 kg; initial bullet speed – 700 – 1050 m/s; rate of fire - 814 - 850 rounds per minute.

MG 42 (an abbreviation from the German Maschinengewehr, which literally translates as “mechanical rifle”) is a machine gun general purpose caliber 7.92 mm Mauser, developed in Nazi Germany, and adopted by the Wehrmacht in 1942.

It complemented, and in some cases replaced, the MG 34 general purpose machine gun in all branches of the German armed forces, although both machine guns continued to be manufactured and used until the end of the war.

The MG 42 is known for its reliability, durability, simplicity and ease of use, but its main feature is its rate of fire. The MG 42 has one of the highest rates of fire for a single-barrel man-portable machine gun, ranging from 1,200 to 1,500 rounds per minute, with an impressive muzzle flash.

MG 42

There were other automatic weapon designs with similar firepower. These are machine guns such as the French Darne, the Hungarian tank Gebauer, the Russian aviation 7.62-mm ShKAS and the British Vickers K. However, the belt feed and quick barrel change system of the MG 42 allows longer firing compared to the above machine guns .

Production of the MG 42 continued after the defeat of Nazi Germany. On its basis, an almost identical MG1 (MG 42/59) was created, which was then improved into the MG1A3, and this, in turn, into the MG 3. Also, the MG 42 became the model for the Swiss machine guns MG 51, SIG MG 710-3, Austrian MG 74 and for the Spanish 5.56 mm Ameli light machine gun.

Many design elements of the MG 42 were borrowed from the development of the American M60 and the Belgian MAG. After the war, many military formations adopted the MG 42 machine gun; it was both produced under license and copied.

The MG-42 automatic operates on the recoil principle with a short barrel stroke. The shutter is locked by two rollers. The MG 42 is designed for automatic fire only. Due to the high rate of fire, single fire is difficult even for experienced shooters. Typically, the goal of training was to acquire the skill of firing in bursts of no more than three shots.

The machine gun has a recoil amplifier at the end of the muzzle, which increases functional reliability and rate of fire. The MG 42 fires from an open bolt, meaning the bolt (not just the firing pin) is in the rear position when the trigger is not pulled. Pressing the trigger releases the bolt, of which the firing pin itself is part.

How the MG42 works YouTube

Another unique feature of the German machine guns of the Second World War (which the German Bundeswehr continued to use afterward) was the Tiefenfeuerautomat (automatic depth of fire). If you select this function, the barrel of the machine gun will begin to perform wave-like movements up and down with a certain frequency. For example, if the shooter is confident that the target is at a distance of 2000 and 2300 m, then he can adjust the machine gun so that the aiming will be carried out from 1900 to 2400 meters and back. These oscillations within a given range (Tiefenfeuer) continue as long as the machine gun fires.

American and British doctrine of the time was built around the marksman with a rifle, with the machine gun playing a supporting role. The German doctrine was the opposite: the machine gun played the leading role, and the rifle played a secondary role. That is, the German army had many more machine guns than the Allies, and when attacking a German position, soldiers almost always faced the firepower of the MG 42.

The MG 42 shooter could create a continuous fire barrier, which was interrupted only to replace the barrel. This allowed the MG 42 to stop the advance of an overwhelming number of enemies. Both the Americans and the British trained their soldiers to hide from MG 42 fire and attack the position only during the barrel change (about 7 seconds).

The weapon was so terrifying that the United States Army even produced training films on how to treat soldiers traumatized by exposure to MG 42 fire. American soldiers They called this machine gun “Hitler’s circular saw,” while the Soviets called it “a lawnmower.” German soldiers called it Hitlersäge ("Hitler's Saw").

Despite the high rate of fire of the MG 42, a decree of the German army (1940) prohibited the use of more than 250 rounds in one burst, and the constant rate of fire should not exceed 300-350 rounds per minute in order to reduce overheating and barrel wear.

After watching this video, you can get a rough idea of ​​what it's like to come under fire from an MG 42.

MG-42 full auto

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

At this time, machine guns became the main destructive force of small arms at medium and long ranges: among some shooters, self-loading rifles were gradually replaced by submachine guns instead of self-loading rifles. And if in July 1941 a rifle company had six personnel light machine guns, 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, naturally, the Maxim machine gun of the 1910/30 model, modified to accept a heavier bullet weighing 11.8 g. Compared to the 1910 model, about 200 changes were made to its design. The machine gun became lighter by more than 5 kg, and reliability automatically increased. Also for the new modification, a new Sokolov wheeled machine was developed.

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

The specifics were the use of fabric 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 was too heavy for maneuverable combat, and water cooling could cause difficulties when overheating: fiddling with canisters during combat 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 from the easel "Maxim". As a result, the MT (Maxim-Tokarev) machine gun of the 1925 model was created. The resulting weapon can only be called a hand-held weapon only conditionally, since the machine gun weighed almost 13 kg. This model was not widespread.

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

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

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

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

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 with it.

Cartridge - 7.62 x 54 mm; food - belt, 250 rounds; rate of fire - 600 or 1200 rounds/minute, switchable; weight 14.3 kg + 28 kg machine with 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 front conditions, their design flaws: too fast and energetic recoil of the shutter caused frequent ruptures of the cartridges when removing them from the barrel, which led to inertial dismantling of the cartridge with a heavy bullet that jumped out of the cartridge case. Of course, in peaceful conditions this problem could have been solved, but there was no time for experiments, the industry was evacuated, so production of the DS-39 was stopped.

The question of replacing the Maxims 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 his design - a clear demonstration of the difference between competition and competition.

The Goryunov heavy machine gun turned out to be simple, reliable and quite light, but production was launched at several enterprises at once, so that by the end of 1944, 74 thousand units were produced.

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

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

Perhaps let us also remember the Degtyarev light machine gun (RPD), which was created in 1944 for the new intermediate cartridge 7.62x39 mm.

Cartridge - 7.62x39 mm; food - belt, 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 the Soviet Army.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let's move on to German machine guns.

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

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

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

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

An unsuccessful design among 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, it was first armed with Waffen SS units, supplied on a residual basis, then it was used as a training weapon, and in 1943 it was completely withdrawn from service.

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

Cartridge - 7.92x57 mm Mauser; food - belt, 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 approximately 30%, and the metal consumption by 50%. Production of the MG-42 continued throughout the war; in total, more than 400 thousand machine guns were produced.

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

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

Video comparison 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 - belt, 50 or 250 rounds; rate of fire - 1500-1600 rounds/minute; weight - 8.0 kg.

Initially, the MG-81 was used as an on-board defensive weapon for Luftwaffe bombers; it began to enter service with airfield divisions in 1944. The short barrel length caused a lower muzzle velocity compared to standard light machine guns, but the MG-81 had less weight.

And here heavy machine guns For some reason, the Germans did not bother in advance. Only in 1944 did the troops receive Rheinmetall-Borsig MG-131 machine guns of the 1938 model, which are also of aviation origin: when the fighters were converted to 30-mm MK-103 and MK-108 air guns, heavy machine guns MG-131 was transferred to the ground forces (a total of 8132 machine guns).

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

Thus, we can say that in general, from a design point of view, the Reich and the USSR had parity in machine guns. On the one hand, the 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 barrel changes, otherwise the rate of fire remained theoretical.

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

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

In terms of large-caliber machine guns, the USSR had a clear advantage.

(Rate first)

Georgy Shpagin and Alexey Sudaev gave the Soviet soldier a simple and reliable weapon

There are monuments to Soviet soldiers throughout Russia and Eastern Europe. And if this is a monumental figure of a soldier, then he almost always has it in his hands. This weapon, which became one of the symbols of Victory, is easily recognizable thanks to its disc magazine. And although most experts recognize the PPS designed by Sudaev as the best submachine gun of the Second World War, the Great Patriotic War is associated precisely with the massive, charismatic, very Russian Shpagin assault rifle.

THE THORNY PATH OF AUTOMATION

First World War showed that in a clash of huge masses of armed people, the density of fire turns out to be a more important factor than accuracy of fire. What was needed was a quick-firing, compact weapon with a large portable ammunition capacity, convenient both for offense and defense, in the limited space of a trench and street. This is how a machine gun and an automatic (self-loading) pistol were combined into one model. By the end of the war, some warring countries even managed to adopt them.

In Russia in 1916, a submachine gun designed by Vladimir Fedorov chambered for a 6.5 mm cartridge was adopted for service, which was soon renamed an assault rifle.

Since then, we have called all automatic weapons chambered for a cartridge smaller than a rifle. The first machines were produced in small quantities and were quite capricious. Until 1925, 3,200 of them were produced, and in 1928 they were removed from service. The reason is the need to produce a special 6.5 mm cartridge. But most importantly, a 7.62-mm light infantry machine gun of the Degtyarev system of the 1927 model (DP27) appeared.

The creation of submachine guns in the Soviet Union began in the mid-1920s. The command of the Red Army came to the conclusion that the revolver was only suitable for self-defense, and for active combat operations, all junior and middle command personnel should be re-equipped with submachine guns. The first PP of the Tokarev system of the 1927 model was created for a revolving cartridge. But then it was recognized that the cartridge should be the same for an automatic pistol and a submachine gun, that is, the 7.62 mm Mauser cartridge, which has been loved since the Civil War.

At the same time, the construction of a self-loading (automatic) rifle (carbine) for the personnel of the Red Army was underway. In 1936, the Simonov automatic rifle (ABC-36) was adopted. But two years later it was replaced by the Tokarev self-loading rifle (SVT-38). After the Soviet-Finnish war, its modernized version SVT-40 appeared. They wanted to arm the entire Soviet army with it.

SVT-38

There is still an opinion that SVT turned out to be bad weapon with a lot of flaws, did not justify itself and was discontinued at the beginning of the war. An attempt to make a sniper rifle out of it was equally unsuccessful. Due to poor accuracy, its production was stopped in October 1942, returning to the good old “Mosinka”, which I just switched to optical sight PU developed for SVT.

However, the ballistics of the Tokarev self-loading gun was quite decent, and the famous sniper Lyudmila Pavlyuchenko, who destroyed 309 Nazis, hunted with the SVT-40. The simple and reliable design of the rifle failed only due to poor maintenance and improper operation. But for the not very literate peasants who formed the basis of the Red Army personnel, this turned out to be beyond comprehension.

Another thing is the Germans, who highly valued these weapons. They even officially adopted captured SVT under the designation 258(r) - SVT-38 and 259(r) - SVT-40. They also used the sniper version. They had no complaints about the rifle. Moreover, they tried to make their own G-43 (W) based on it. And the famous designer Hugo Schmeisser borrowed from Tokarev a gas exhaust reloading system for his Sturmgewehr. After the war, the Belgians used the SVT locking system in the design of the FN FAL automatic rifle, which is still in service in a number of countries.

G-43

She used SVT until the end of the war and made no complaints. Claims about the reliability of the rifle appeared at the end of 1941, when the quality of all products generally dropped, and older soldiers were drafted into the army. In 1941, 1,031,861 copies of the SVT were produced, in 1942 - only 264,148. In October 1942, the sniper SVT was discontinued. But they continued to produce it in the usual version, albeit in small quantities. Moreover, an automatic version of the AVT rifle was put into production.

AVT

But according to the operating rules, automatic firing from this light rifle could only be carried out in short bursts in rare cases: “with a lack of light machine guns and in exceptional moments of battle.” The fighters did not follow this rule. Moreover, proper care of the rifle mechanism was not provided. And the troops stopped receiving high-quality lubricants, without which the automation began to fail, stick in the cold, etc. This is how this very good weapon was compromised.

The history of SVT has shown that weapons for our soldiers must be extremely simple, durable, unpretentious in operation and extremely reliable.

The production of SVT and AVT continued until 1945, since the need for rapid-fire weapons remained high until the end of the war. Only on January 3, 1945, by decree of the State Defense Committee of the USSR, SVT and AVT were discontinued from production. Two weeks later, the same decree stopped the production of the Mosin rifle. Immediately after the war, Tokarev rifles were withdrawn from the troops and put into warehouses. But part of the SVT was then transferred to commercial hunters. Some are still in use and do not cause any complaints, since hunters treat their weapons responsibly.

In Finland, SVT is highly valued and is considered an excellent weapon with high combat qualities. Local experts simply do not perceive criticism addressed to it and are surprised that in Russia these weapons are so compromised. The Finns, with their cult of weapons, are very sensitive to the rules of handling weapons, so they are simply not familiar with the weaknesses of SVT.

SVT-40

The main reasons for the decline in SVT production during the war were its high cost and complexity of manufacture. All parts were produced on metalworking machines, required high consumption metal, including alloy steel. To understand this, it is enough to compare the selling price of the SVT in the official price list of 1939 - 2000 rubles with the price of some machine guns: "Maxim" without a machine gun with spare parts - 1760 rubles, a DP machine gun with spare parts - 1150 rubles, an aviation ShKAS wing machine gun - 1650 rub. At the same time, the rifle mod. 1891/30 cost only 166 rubles, and its sniper version with a scope - 245 rubles.

With the outbreak of the war, it became necessary to arm tens of millions of people at the front and in the rear with small arms. Therefore, production of the cheap and simple Mosin rifle was restored. Its production soon reached 10-12 thousand pieces per day. That is, an entire division was arming itself every day. Therefore, there was no shortage of weapons. One rifle for three was only in the construction battalion in initial period war.

THE BIRTH OF PPSh

Another reason to refuse mass production SVT became Shpagina. Large-scale production of PPSh began in the vacated production areas.

The submachine gun did not initially find recognition in the Red Army. In 1930, it was noted that it was considered unsuitable for combat operations in Germany and the USA and was used only by the police and internal security. However, the chief of armaments of the Red Army, Jerome Uborevich, petitioned for a competition and the production of a trial batch of PP. In 1932-1933, 14 different models of the submachine gun passed state tests. On January 23, 1935, by order of the People's Commissar of Defense, the Degtyarev submachine gun mod. 1934 (PPD).

PPD-34

However, PPD was manufactured almost piecemeal. The “cavalrymen” from the People’s Commissariat of Defense considered the PP unnecessary, if not harmful. Even the improvement of PPD did not help. However Artillery Directorate The Red Army insisted on the widespread introduction of the submachine gun.

PPD-38/40

In 1939, it was noted that it would be advisable to introduce a submachine gun into service with certain categories of Red Army soldiers, NKVD border guards, machine gun and gun crews, airborne troops, drivers, etc. However, in February 1939, the PPD was withdrawn from service, withdrawn from the troops and put into warehouses. The persecution of the submachine gun was also facilitated by the repressions against its supporters - Tukhachevsky, Uborevich and others. Voroshilov’s people who came to their place were opponents of the new. PPD was discontinued.

Meanwhile, the war in Spain proved the need for a submachine gun in the army. The Germans have already tested their MP-38 in battle,

The identified flaws were taken into account and modernized into MP-40. And the war with Finland clearly showed that in wooded and rugged terrain, a submachine gun is a necessary close-combat weapon.

The Finns effectively used their Suomi SMG, arming them with maneuverable groups of skiers and individual soldiers acting independently. And now the failures in Karelia began to be explained by the lack of... submachine guns in the troops.

At the end of December 1939, the PPD was put into service again, already in the PPD-40 version, and production was urgently restored. At the request of Stalin, who really liked the capacious round Suomi magazine, the same drum is being developed for the PPD-40. In 1940, they managed to produce 81,118 submachine guns.

The talented self-taught gunsmith Georgy Semenovich Shpagin (1897-1952) began developing his own version of a submachine gun in early 1940. He set the task of maintaining the high tactical and technical data of the PPD, but making his weapon easier to manufacture. He understood perfectly well that it was impossible to rearm a mass army on the basis of labor-intensive machine technologies. This is how the idea of ​​a stamped-welded structure came about.

This idea did not meet with the support of colleagues, only doubts. But Shpagin was convinced of the correctness of his thoughts. By that time, new technologies of hot stamping and cold pressing of high precision and cleanliness of processing had already been introduced in mechanical engineering. Electric welding appeared. Georgy Shpagin, who graduated from only a three-year school, but was intimately familiar with production, proved himself to be a true innovator. He not only created the design, but also developed the fundamentals of the technology for its mass production. This was a revolutionary approach to small arms design.

Already in August 1940, Shpagin personally made the first sample of a submachine gun. It was a blowback recoil system. Relatively speaking, after the shot, the recoil threw back the bolt - a steel “blank” weighing about 800 g. The bolt captured and ejected the spent cartridge case. Then a powerful return spring sent it back. Along the way, the bolt captured the cartridge fed from the disk magazine, drove it into the barrel and pierced the primer with the striker. A shot was fired, and the entire cycle of shutter movements was repeated. If the trigger was released at this time, the bolt was locked in the cocked state. If the hook remained pressed, the 71-round magazine was completely empty in about five seconds.

During disassembly, the machine opened into only five parts. This did not require any tool. A shock absorber made of fiber, later made of leather, absorbed the impacts of the massive bolt in the rearmost position, which significantly extended the service life of the weapon. The original muzzle brake, which also served as a compensator, improved stability and increased the accuracy of fire by 70% relative to the PPD.

At the end of August 1940, field tests of the Shpagin submachine gun began. The survivability of the structure was tested by 30 thousand shots. The PPSh worked flawlessly. A full check showed that the machine passed the tests, no damage was found in the parts. Moreover, after such loads it showed quite satisfactory results in burst shooting accuracy. The shooting was carried out with thick grease and dust and, conversely, after washing all moving parts with kerosene and dry compound. 5000 shots were fired without cleaning the weapon. Half of them were single fire, half were continuous fire. It should be noted that the details for the most part were stamped.

At the end of November, comparative tests of Degtyarev submachine guns taken from gross production, Shpagin and Shpitalny took place. In the end, Shpagin won. It will be useful to provide some data here. Number of parts: PPD and Shpitalny - 95, PPSh - 87. Number of machine hours required for processing parts: PPD - 13.7; Hospital - 25.3; PCA - 5.6 hours. Number of threaded places: PPD - 7; Shpitalny - 11, PPSh - 2. New technology manufacturing resulted in greater savings in metal and significantly accelerated production. No alloy steel was required.

On December 21, 1940, the Defense Committee of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR adopted a resolution on the adoption of the Shpagin system submachine gun of the 1941 model into service by the Red Army. There were exactly six months left before the start of the Great Patriotic War.

Serial production of PPSh began only in September 1941. Before this, it was necessary to prepare documentation, develop technical processes, manufacture equipment, and simply allocate production facilities and premises. For the entire 1941, 98,644 submachine guns were manufactured, of which 5,868 were PPD. In 1942, 16 times more submachine guns were produced - 1,499,269 pieces. Moreover, the production of PPSh could be established at any mechanical enterprise that had suitable stamping equipment.

In the fall of 1941, new machine guns were distributed personally by Stalin. By January 1, 1942, there were 55,147 submachine guns of all systems in the active army. By July 1, 1942 - 298,276; by January 1, 1943 - 678,068, by January 1, 1944 - 1,427,085 pieces. This allowed each rifle company to have a platoon of machine gunners, and each battalion to have a company. There were also battalions entirely armed with PPSh.

The most expensive and difficult to produce part of the PPSh was the disk (drum) magazine. Each machine was equipped with two spare magazines. The magazine consists of a magazine box with a lid, a drum with a spring and a feeder, and a rotating disk with a spiral comb - a volute. There is an eyelet on the side of the magazine body that allows you to carry magazines on your belt in the absence of bags. The cartridges in the store were located in two streams along the outer and inner sides of the spiral ridge of the snail. There were 39 rounds in the outer stream, 32 in the inner stream.

The process of filling the drum with cartridges required some effort. The first step was to remove the drum cover. Then, using a special key, it was wound up two turns. After filling the snail with cartridges, the drum mechanism was removed from the stopper, and the lid was closed.

Therefore, in 1942, Shpagin developed a box-shaped sector magazine for the PPSh with a capacity of 35 rounds. This greatly simplified loading, and the machine gun became less bulky. Soldiers usually preferred the sector store.

During the war, about 6.5 million PPSh were manufactured. Since 1942, it was even produced in Iran specifically for the USSR. These samples bear a special stamp - an image of a crown.

Hundreds of thousands of front-line PPSh consumed a gigantic amount of pistol cartridges. Especially for them, it was necessary to urgently develop cartridges with new types of bullets, since a submachine gun performs other tasks than just a pistol. This is how armor-piercing incendiary and tracer bullets appeared. At the end of the war, a cartridge with a bullet with a stamped steel core went into production, increasing penetration and saving lead. At the same time, the production of cartridges in bimetallic (coated with tombac) and steel sleeves without any coating began.

SUDAIEV'S DESIGN

The Shpagin submachine gun, which was quite satisfactory for the infantrymen, turned out to be too cumbersome for tankers, reconnaissance officers, sappers, signalmen and many others. In conditions of mass production, it was also necessary to reduce the metal consumption of weapons and simplify their production. In 1942, the task was set to create a submachine gun that was lighter and easier to manufacture, while still being reliable. Its weight should not exceed 3 kg, and the rate of fire should be within 400-500 rounds per minute (PPSh - 900 rounds per minute). The bulk of the parts had to be made from sheet steel 2-3 mm thick without subsequent machining.

Alexey Ivanovich Sudaev (1912-1946) won the design competition. As noted in the conclusion of the competition commission, its teaching staff “has no other equivalent competitors.” To produce one copy, 6.2 kg of metal and 2.7 machine hours were required. The mechanics of the PPS worked, like those of the PPSh, due to the recoil of the free shutter.

The production of a new submachine gun began in besieged Leningrad at the Sestroretsk Tool Plant named after. Voskov under the leadership of Sudaev. The first samples were produced in December 1942. Serial production began in 1943. During the year, 46,572 PPS were produced for units of the Leningrad Front. After eliminating certain identified deficiencies and eliminating them, the new machine gun was put into service under the name “Submachine gun of the Sudaev system mod. 1943."

The teaching staff immediately received high praise from the troops. It was in no way inferior to PPD and PPSh, it was lighter and more compact. However, its production was transferred to enterprises not suitable for mass production of weapons. It was decided not to touch the established production of PPSh. It is for this reason that the Sudaev submachine gun is not as famous as the PPSh. The famous gunsmith Mikhail Kalashnikov assessed the PPS this way: “We can say with all responsibility that the A.I. Sudaev submachine gun, created by him and which began to enter service with the Red Army in 1942, was the best submachine gun of the Second World War. Not a single foreign model could compare with it in terms of simplicity of design, reliability, trouble-free operation, and ease of use. For high tactical-technical and combat properties Sudaev’s weapons, combined with their small dimensions and weight, were very much loved by paratroopers, tank crews, reconnaissance officers, partisans, and skiers.”

The mass of the PPS without magazine is 3.04 kg. Weight with six loaded magazines - 6.72 kg. The bullet retains its destructive power at a distance of up to 800 m. During the war, approximately half a million copies of the PPS were produced. Rate of fire - 700 rounds/min. The initial bullet speed is 500 m/sec. For comparison: the initial bullet speed of the German MP-40 is 380 m/sec. It was recommended to fill the magazine of a German submachine gun with 32 rounds only to 27 rounds, because when fully loaded, the spring began to release, and this led to delays in shooting. The advantage of the German design was a lower rate of fire. But the sighting range was limited to 50-100 meters. The effective fire of the MP-40 actually did not exceed 200 meters. The bullet did not penetrate a steel sheet 2 mm thick even at close range, leaving only a dent.

The quality of the weapon is also indicated by its, so to speak, “copy coefficient”. In Finland in 1944, the M-44 submachine gun was adopted - a copy of the PPS chambered for the 9-mm parabellum cartridge. About 10 thousand of them were produced, which is not so little for Finland. Finnish peacekeepers in Sinai in 1957-1958 were armed with these submachine guns.

In Poland, the PPS was produced under license, and on its basis the WZ 43/52 model with a wooden butt was developed in 1952. In China, it was produced at several enterprises with slight differences under the single name “Sample 43”, then “Type 54”. In Germany, already copied from the Finnish M-44, in 1953 it was adopted by the gendarmerie and border guards under the symbol DUX 53, later modified into DUX 59.

In Hungary, they generally tried to combine PPS and PPSh in the 53M design, which was produced in small batches, since it turned out to be not very successful.

During the war years, over six million submachine guns of various models were produced in the Soviet Union. This is four times more than in Germany.

Victor Myasnikov

Articles on the topic:

• The crossbow is perhaps one of the most curious military inventions in human history. The appearance and trigger mechanism are very tempting to call the crossbow a transitional link from […]
• Just days after Al Hallor, San Diego's assistant port director and Customs and Border Protection officer admitted that the "mass effect" weapons […]

Hello dears.
Well, today we’ll finish talking to you about submachine guns of World War II. Today we are talking about Germany. There are many many options here.
Let's get started, I guess.

MP18
In fact, this is a submachine gun from the end of the First World War. MP-18/1 (Maschinenpistole18/1) was originally intended to arm special assault troops and police. Patented in December 1917 by designer Hugo Schmeisser, financial support which was assisted by Theodor Bergmann during the development of his new submachine gun.

Since the date of adoption of the submachine gun into German service in 1918, serial production of the MP-18/1 has been established at the Waffenfabrik Theodor Bergmann plant. MP-18/1 were armed with special assault squads, each squad consisting of two people. One of them was armed with an MP-18/1, the second was armed with a Mauser 98 rifle and carried a supply of ammunition.
Due to the defeat of Germany in the First World War, according to the conditions Treaty of Versailles On November 11, 1918, the production of certain types of weapons in Germany was prohibited. The MP-18/1 was also included in this list, but it was produced until 1920 as a weapon for the police, the production of which was not subject to such significant restrictions.
After 1920, production of the MP-18/1 under license continued in Switzerland, at the Swiss Industrial Company (SIG) plant in Newhausen.
The MP-18/1's automatic system operates using a free shutter. When fired, the bore is locked with a spring-loaded bolt. The barrel is completely enclosed by a round steel casing with ventilation holes. Trigger mechanism striker type, allows only automatic fire. There is no safety, but the cocking handle fits into a slot in receiver, where it is fixed, leaving the shutter in the open position. The magazine receiver is located on the left side.


The cartridges were fed either from direct box magazines with 20 rounds of ammunition, or from a disk magazine of the Leer system with 32 rounds of ammunition from the artillery model of the Luger-Parabellum P08 pistol. A drum-type magazine of the TM-08 model of the Blum system with 32 rounds was used, which is attached to the left in the long neck. The stock and butt of the pistol - machine gun MP-18/1 are wooden, rifle type.

Weight, kg: 4.18 (without magazine); 5.26 (curb)
Length, mm: 815
Barrel length, mm: 200
Operating principles: blowback
Initial bullet speed, m/s: 380
Caliber, mm: 9
Cartridge: 9×19 mm Parabellum
Sighting range, m: 200
Type of ammunition: disc magazine "snail" for 32
or straight box magazine for 20 rounds
Rate of fire, rounds/min: 450-500

Submachine gun Schmeisser MP.28


MP.28, produced by C.G. Haenel, is an improved version of the MP.18 designed by Louis Schmeisser. Automation operates according to a blowback mechanism. The trigger mechanism allows firing in bursts and single shots from an open bolt. A cylindrical receiver with a perforated barrel casing is attached to a wooden stock using a hinge joint.

The cocking handle is located on the right side of the weapon. The safety is the same handle, which can be placed in the L-shaped cutout of the receiver when the bolt is in the rear position. The fire mode selector, which is a horizontally moving button, is located above the trigger. The cartridges are fed from box magazines with a double-row arrangement of cartridges. The magazine is attached to the weapon on the left, horizontally. Unlike the prototype, the MP.28 did not become the standard weapon of the German army, but was manufactured mainly for export. For example, the Schmeisser MP.28 was adopted by the Belgian army under the name Mitrailette Modele 1934, and was also exported to Spain, China, South America and some African countries.

Main characteristics
Caliber: 9mm Parabellum, 9mm Bergmann-Bayard, 9mm Mauser Export, .45 ACP, 7.65mm Parabellum, 7.6325 Mauser
Weapon length: 810 mm
Barrel length: 200 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4.1 kg.
Rate of fire: 600 rounds/min

Bergmann MP-35 submachine gun
MP-35, also abbreviated B.M.P. (from Bergmann Maschinen Pistole), designed by Emil Bergman, the first operational example was manufactured in 1932. The first sample was designated B.M.P. 32. Its production was established by the Danish company Shulz & Larsen under an acquired license under the designation MP-32. The MP-32 submachine gun used the 9mm Bergmann-Bayard cartridge, and the weapon itself was supplied to the Danish armed forces. The improvement of Bergmann's design did not stop there; a new model was soon ready, designated Bergmann MP-34 (B.M.P. 34), which appeared in 1934. The MP-34 was manufactured in several versions, with a barrel length of 200 and 308 mm. However, Bergmann did not have a production base sufficient for large-scale production, as a result of which production was commissioned by the famous German arms company Walther. In 1935, the next version was ready, more suitable for mass production in large volumes due to simplified design, designated MP-35.

Automation operates according to a blowback mechanism. The trigger mechanism allows firing in bursts and single shots from an open bolt. The fire mode is changed by the length of the trigger stroke. If the shooter presses the trigger fully, the weapon fires in bursts; if the trigger is pressed incompletely, the weapon fires a single shot. The receiver and the perforated barrel casing with a compensator in the front part are made cylindrical. The cocking handle, which remains motionless when firing, is located in the rear of the receiver. This part is significantly different in design and operation from other examples of this type of weapon. To cock the bolt, the handle is rotated upward at an angle of 90°, then pulled back, and then returned to its original position.

That is, the cocking handle here works like a rifle with a rotating bolt. The fuse is located on the left side of the receiver, under the rear sight; it is made in the form of a slider moving along the axis of the weapon. The cartridges are fed from box magazines with a double-row arrangement of cartridges. The magazine is attached to the weapon on the right, horizontally. Most of the Bergmann MP-35s were exported. So in Switzerland it was adopted under the designation Ksp m/39, which used the standard Swiss army cartridge - 9mm Parabellum. With the outbreak of World War II, Walther's production facilities were occupied with more important orders, resulting in the production of the MP-35 being contracted to Junker & Ruh, where about 40,000 were produced before the end of the war. Most of the Junker & Ruh Bergmann MP-35s were supplied to the SS and police forces.

Main characteristics
Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum), 9×23 (9mm Bergmann-Bayard), 7.63×25 Mauser, 9×25 (9mm Mauser Export), .45 ACP
Weapon length: 810 mm
Barrel length: 200 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4.1 kg.
Rate of fire: 600 rounds/min
Magazine capacity: 20 or 32 rounds

Submachine gun Erma EMP 35
The EMP 35 was developed by German gunsmith Heinrich Vollmer, who had been designing submachine guns since 1925. In 1930, Volmer developed an improved version of his system, which he continuously refined, making various changes. The 1930 model featured a patented return mechanism system in which the return spring was housed in a telescopic housing. Automation operates according to a blowback mechanism. The trigger mechanism allows firing in bursts and single shots from an open bolt. The cocking handle is located on the right side of the weapon, and it also serves as a safety lock when placed in the groove of the receiver when the bolt is in the rear position.


Various options were also equipped with a separate manual safety, located on the right side of the receiver, in front of the rear sight. The fire mode translator is located on the right side, above the trigger. The receiver and the perforated barrel casing were made cylindrical, the stock was made of wood in two versions - with a front handle, or without a handle with a rifle-type stock. Return spring housed in its own telescopic housing. The cartridges are fed from box magazines with a double-row arrangement of cartridges. The magazine is attached to the weapon on the left, horizontally. Sights consist of a front sight and either a sector or flip rear sight.

However, Volmer himself did not have sufficient financial means for large-scale production of his weapons, as a result of which he sold the rights to produce a submachine gun of his design to Erfurter Maschinenfabrik, marketed under the Erma brand. After that it started serial production Volmer's weapons in various versions, with different lengths barrels, different designs of fuses and sights, as well as in different calibers. This weapon was designated EMP (Erma Maschinen Pistole). Its main consumers were the SS troops and the German police, in addition, EMP submachine guns were exported to France, Spain and South American countries.


Main characteristics
Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum), 9×23 (9mm Bergmann-Bayard), 7.63×25 Mauser, 7.65×22 (7.65mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 900 or 550 mm
Barrel length: 250 or 310 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4.4 kg.
Rate of fire: 520 rounds/min
Magazine capacity: 32 rounds

MP.38 submachine gun
The MP.38 was designed by the German gunsmith designer Vollmer, who worked at the Erma company, for the German armed forces. The MP.38 was adopted by the Wehrmacht in 1938. Initially, the main purpose of the MP.38 was to arm crews of combat vehicles and paratroopers with a compact and lightweight submachine gun. But subsequently, Volmer’s weapons began to be supplied to infantry units of the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS. For shooting, 9mm Parabellum cartridges were used, both standard pistol and with an increased powder charge.

Automation operates according to a blowback mechanism. The trigger mechanism allows firing only in bursts, from an open bolt. However, single shots could be fired by more or less experienced shooters by briefly pressing and quickly releasing the trigger. To reduce the rate of fire, a pneumatic recoil buffer was introduced into the design. A special feature of the design is a cylindrical return spring located in a telescopic casing. The cocking handle is located on the left side of the weapon. The weapon is protected from accidental shots by inserting the charging handle into the cutout of the receiver when the bolt is in the retracted position. Late-release MP.38 submachine guns and most MP.40s were equipped with a retractable cocking handle, with which the bolt could be locked in the forward position. The receiver is cylindrical in shape, the barrel has a lower protrusion in the muzzle for fixing the weapon in the embrasures of combat vehicles. The cartridges are fed from double-row straight box magazines with cartridges exiting in one row. The metal stock is foldable and folds down when in the stowed position. Sighting devices consist of a front sight, protected by a front sight, and a reversible rear sight, allowing targeted shooting at 100 and 200 meters. Although in practice, shooting was carried out, as a rule, at no more than 50 - 70 meters. To reduce production costs, plastic was first used for the fore-end and aluminum for the pistol grip body.

In practice, the MP.38 submachine gun, although it demonstrated high combat qualities combined with ease of transportation and small size, was too expensive for mass production in wartime conditions, since during production many parts were made using milling equipment. As a result, in 1940, the MP.38 was modernized to reduce production costs, which was achieved by replacing milling with stamping from sheet steel. In April 1940, Erma began production of a new weapon under the designation MP.40 and by order of the General Staff of the Armed Forces it was adopted as a personal weapon for drivers Vehicle, infantry, cavalry, staff officers, tank crews, signalmen and some other categories.
The advantages are a low rate of fire, due to which good controllability of the submachine gun was achieved during firing with both single shots and bursts, the weapon was quite light, had small dimensions, as a result of which it was convenient to manipulate it during combat indoors, which was very important for urban battles of World War II. But there were also significant shortcomings, such as the unsuccessful placement of the cocking handle on the left side of the weapon, which, when worn on a belt on the chest, tangibly hit the owner in the ribs; there was no barrel casing, which led to burns on the hands during intense shooting. One of the main disadvantages of the MP.38 and MP.40 was the double-row magazine with the cartridges being rearranged into one row at the exit. To equip them with cartridges, it was necessary to use a special device, since the effort when manually sending cartridges into the magazine was excessive. In conditions long absence care of the weapon and dirt or sand getting inside the body, the magazines did not work extremely reliably, causing frequent delays in shooting. Instead of 32 rounds, the magazine was equipped with 27 rounds to prevent the feeder spring from settling, which was discovered during the operation of the weapon.

Main characteristics
Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 833/630 mm
Barrel length: 251 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4.2 kg.
Rate of fire: 500 rounds/min
Magazine capacity: 32 rounds

MP.40 submachine gun
The MP.38, although it demonstrated high combat qualities combined with ease of transportation and small size, was too expensive for mass production in wartime conditions, since many parts were produced using milling equipment. As a result, in 1940, the MP.38 was modernized to reduce production costs, which was achieved by replacing milling with stamping from sheet steel. In April 1940, Erma began producing a new weapon under the designation MP.40 and by order of the General Staff of the Armed Forces it was adopted as a personal weapon for vehicle drivers, infantry, cavalry, staff officers, tank crews, signalmen and some other categories. In the production of MP.40, stamping and welding, spot welding, and drawing were widely used, and in addition they switched to lower quality steel. In 1940, the Austrian company Steyr-Daimler-Puch, with excellent technological equipment and well-trained workers, was involved in the production of MP.40, and in 1941 production was launched at C.G. Haenel.

Automation operates according to a blowback mechanism. The trigger mechanism allows firing only in bursts, from an open bolt. However, single shots could be fired by more or less experienced shooters by briefly pressing and quickly releasing the trigger. To reduce the rate of fire, a pneumatic recoil buffer was introduced into the design. A special feature of the design is a cylindrical return spring located in a telescopic casing. The cocking handle is located on the left side of the weapon. The weapon is protected from accidental shots by inserting the charging handle into the cutout of the receiver when the bolt is in the retracted position. Late-release MP.38 submachine guns and most MP.40s were equipped with a retractable cocking handle, with which the bolt could be locked in the forward position. The receiver is cylindrical in shape, the barrel has a lower protrusion in the muzzle for fixing the weapon in the embrasures of combat vehicles.

The cartridges are fed from double-row straight box magazines with cartridges exiting in one row. However, during the war, in order to speed up reloading and increase firepower, two variants of the standard MP.40, equipped with a dual magazine receiver with the possibility of lateral displacement, were designed and produced in small volumes. A two-magazine shifting receiver made it possible to quickly replace a loaded magazine in place of an empty one. These variants, designated MP.40-I and MP.40-II, were produced by the Austrian company Steyr; due to identified design flaws, which caused frequent delays in difficult operating conditions, they did not receive further distribution. The metal stock is foldable and folds down when in the stowed position. Sighting devices consist of a front sight protected by a front sight and a reversible rear sight, allowing for targeted shooting at 100 and 200 meters. Although in practice, shooting was carried out, as a rule, at no more than 50 - 70 meters. To reduce production costs, plastic was first used for the fore-end and aluminum for the pistol grip body.
Each MP.40 included six magazines and a lever device for loading them. Big losses The armed forces in submachine guns during the fighting were forced to switch to even more simplified production technologies and even cheaper materials. So, in the autumn of 1943, Steyr began production of a simplified version of the MP.40 with a slightly modified design, which subsequently began to receive many complaints due to low reliability. The reasons for the complaints were corrected, and the production cost of submachine guns decreased significantly, although the service life of the weapon also decreased. From the start of production until the end of World War II, about 1,200,000 copies of the MP.40 were manufactured. After the war, these submachine guns were no longer in service in Germany, but were used for a long time in the armed forces of Norway and Austria.

Main characteristics
Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 833/630 mm
Barrel length: 251 mm
Weight without cartridges: 4 kg.
Rate of fire: 500 rounds/min
Magazine capacity: 32 rounds

Schmeisser MP.41 submachine gun


The MP.41, as the name of the weapon suggests, was designed by Louis Schmeisser, the author of the MP.18 and MP.28 submachine guns, with the goal of creating the most suitable model for infantry based on the generally well-proven MP.40. Schmeiser did not make any significant changes, but simply equipped the MP.40 with a trigger mechanism and a wooden stock of his own design. Unlike the MP.40, the MP.41 submachine gun can be fired in single shots, and not just in bursts. Automation operates according to a blowback mechanism. The cylindrical return spring is housed in its own casing. The trigger mechanism allows firing in bursts and single shots from an open bolt.

The fire mode selector is a transversely moving button located above the trigger. The cocking handle is located on the left side of the weapon. Protection against an accidental shot is carried out by inserting the bolt cocking handle into a special shaped groove in the receiver when the bolt is in the rear position. The barrel is not equipped with a stop for firing from the embrasures of combat vehicles. The cartridges are fed from box magazines with a double-row arrangement of cartridges with their rearrangement at the exit into one row. The weapon has a wooden stock instead of a metal folding stock. The reversible rear sight allows for targeted shooting at 100 and 200 meters. Serial production of MP.41 was established by C.G. Haenel. However, soon the Erma company, which produced the MP.40, through a patent infringement lawsuit, succeeded in stopping production of the MP.41. In total, about 26,000 copies of these weapons were produced, which went mainly to the Waffen SS and the police.

Main characteristics
Caliber: 9×19 (9mm Parabellum)
Weapon length: 860 mm
Barrel length: 251 mm
Weight without cartridges: 3.9 kg.
Rate of fire: 500 rounds/min
Magazine capacity: 32 rounds

Have a nice time of day.