AKA : Sturmgewehr, MP 43, MP 44,
 |
| 7.92x33mm |
Caliber : 7.92x33mm Kurz
Capacity : 30 Round Magazine
Weight : 4.81Kg or 10.6lbs
Length : 930mm or 36.6in
Cyclic : 500 Rounds per minute
Origin : Nazi Germany
In the late 1930's German military analysts had done extensive research into battlefield tactics, units and equipment used during the First World War and the then recent Spanish Civil War, some of the conclusions found around infantry was that most firefights take place at 300 meters or less, one or two man portable machines that were light allowed troops to capture more ground increasing the pace of a battle creating a momentum and that combat was taking place within cities and built up areas. Though most armies in the world at the time were developing and testing semi-automatic rifle's including the Germans, they were all developing them around a full sized rifle cartridge. All nations had seen the benefit of sub-machineguns but these all fired a pistol cartridge with limited range and power. The findings of the analysts called for an intermediate weapon, something with lighter ammunition with a shorter range than the 2000 meter effective 8mm Mauser but more powerful than a sub-machinegun. A weapon that was capable of semi automatic and full automatic fire. A weapon that was light enough to be one man portable.
A suitable cartridge was developed with all of this in mind, the 7.92x33mm round with a maximum effective range of 700 meters by a company called Polte in 1938. Proposals were sent out to Walther and Haenel, with Haenel winning with their design. When the first prototypes were being fielded at the same time Adolf Hitler was informed of the testing. Hitler was of the mind that a soldier needed the power of the Mauser bolt action (similar to that which Hitler himself had served with) and that the MP-40 sub machinegun already in use was sufficent, so he cancelled the project. Realizing what a great weapon the intermediate rifle was going to be the German military continued with the project in secret referring to the intermediate rifle as a machinepistol (sub-machinegun) as to avoid a confrontation with the Fuehrer.
The initial field trails were astounding, the effect on the battlefield could not be ignored and the intermediate rifle's production went into full swing. Haenel was never able to keep up with demand from the military brass, then the day of judgement came in 1943. Hitler had traveled to the Eastern Front to over look operations, in a conversation with a general -
Hitler asked "What are you most in need of?"
The general replied "As many MP-43's as you can send"
Hitler asks "What is this MP-43 ? this isn't that rifle I vetoed is it?"
(Please note there is no transcript of the conversation, but this is commonly believed to be what was said).
The general offered to Hitler a demonstration of the weapon, and Hitler by all accounts was impressed, and it is said he was the first to call it the 'Strumgewehr' or in English 'Assault Rifle' a term by which all modern select fire intermediate rifles are classed.
The STG.44 as it became known was in too smaller number to save Germany's infantry, but this would not be the final resting place for the rifle. The STG.44 was used by the Czech army and East German army after World War 2, and the rifle has even turned up in the hands of insurgents in the latest war in Iraq.
INTERESTING FACT : The Russian's took a lot of interest in this rifle after the war as they were undoubtedly the largest user of sub-machineguns. Though heavily denied by Mikhail Kalashnikov, it is without doubt the basis and then some, of the Avtomat Kalashnikova Model of 1947 or otherwise known as the AK-47.
PRO'S : INOVATION, COLLECTABLE, 30 ROUND MAGAZINE, SEMI/FULL AUTO
IT WAS A REVOLUTIONARY RIFLE AT THE TIME!
CON'S : HEAVY, A LOT OF USELESS ACCESSORIES, NOT ENOUGH
DISTRIBUTED. QUALITY DEGRADED AT THE END OF WW2.
COOL FACTOR : 7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment