Weapons from WWII times. Weapons of USSR soldiers during the Great Patriotic 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; starting speed bullets - 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 range shooting – 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 PV-1 air-cooled 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-in Tokarev anti-aircraft installations (626 units). 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 - 1.4 km, ammunition - 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, against air targets 1200 rounds per minute. Replaceable barrel The machine gun 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 of 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 armament with them and linear infantry units. 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, the DA-2 coaxial aircraft machine gun entered service. 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 with universal machine Kolesnikov systems. 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 tower 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.
Petrov Nikita
This essay describes the achievements of designers, innovators, inventors during the Great Patriotic War dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Victory over Nazi Germany.
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MUNICIPAL STATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
SECONDARY SCHOOL No. 15 Kh. SADOVY
Abstract competition
“Achievements of designers, innovators, inventors
during the Great Patriotic War",
dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Victory over Nazi Germany.
Nomination: “Innovations and technical inventions of artillery and small arms and their use”
Research
Topic: “Artillery and small arms
during the Great Patriotic War"
Petrov Nikita
Radislavovich
9th grade,
MKOU secondary school No. 15
x. Sadovy
Supervisor:
Gresova Elena Pavlovna
history and social studies teacher
Mineral water
2014
Introduction
The events and facts of the past Great Patriotic War of the Soviet people against the most aggressive, most terrible enemy of humanity - German fascism - are becoming a thing of the past. In each of the 1418 days of the Great Patriotic War, the entire victorious path of Soviet soldiers, their feat of arms was accompanied by the most massive, most widespread weapon - small arms. Without a doubt, the first shot fired at the aggressor was made from domestic small arms.
War in the history of the development of any type of military equipment and weapons, including small arms, is the main test of its combat qualities, service and operational indicators and technical excellence. The Red Army small arms system and weapon samples created in the pre-war years fully met the tactical requirements placed on them and different conditions application, as shown by experience in combat operations. At the same time, the dynamic nature of combat operations, the saturation of troops with various military equipment, and the further development of combat tactics have necessitated the development of a number of new types of small arms, as well as the improvement of existing small arms equipment.
The purpose of this study is to determine the role of technical advances in the field of rearmament of artillery and small arms during the Great Patriotic War. To achieve this, the following tasks were set:
- Study weapons from the Great Patriotic War.
- Consider the developments of domestic designers of small arms and artillery weapons during the Great Patriotic War.
Victory over Nazi Germany depended not only on the dedication of the soldiers, but also on the armament of the army. By June 22, 1941, the Soviet Union had a bloodless army. The command staff was practically destroyed, the army was armed with outdated equipment. On the contrary, all of Europe worked for Germany. Therefore, the start of the war was unsuccessful for the USSR; it took some time to mobilize forces and create new equipment.
On the eve of the war
The alarming international situation of the late thirties and early forties required the implementation of urgent measures to strengthen the Soviet armed forces. The primary task was to rearm the troops the latest designs military equipment, paying special attention to the improvement of artillery, armored and aviation equipment, as well as automatic small arms. Specialized research institutes, design bureaus and laboratories were organized for these areas.
At the same time, many wrong decisions were made. Unjustified repressions of a number of highly qualified specialists in science, industry and the central apparatus had a serious impact on the pace of rearmament of the Soviet Army. It should also be noted that the provisions of the then military doctrine also had a negative impact on the course of events. Serious study of fundamental issues of strategy and tactics was often opposed by superficial propaganda and agitation. There were, equally, both sarcastic moods and an excessive overestimation of the real capabilities of the potential enemy.
The catastrophic defeats of the initial period of the war forced the country's military-political leadership to rethink the situation. It turned out that the Nazi troops were advancing with a wide variety of and not always first-class equipment, including captured weapons from previously defeated European armies.Most likely, the enemy’s rapid blitzkrieg is ensured mainly by two years of successful experience in conducting military operations, the professional training of well-trained East Prussian generals, “correctly” carried out ideological work with personnel, and also, last but not least, traditional German punctuality, organization and discipline. We came to the conclusion that, subject to the full mobilization of the remaining scientific, technical and production reserves, it would be possible to give a convincing response to the enemy. However, it is urgently necessary to reconsider the quantitative and qualitative structure and practice of combat use of various types of weapons.
Weapon
Shpagin submachine gun (PPSh-41) - a submachine gun developed by a Soviet designerGeorgy Semyonovich Shpagin.The PPSh became a kind of symbol of the Soviet soldier during the Great Patriotic War, just as the MP-40 is strongly associated with the Wehrmacht soldier, and the Kalashnikov assault rifle with the Soviet soldier of post-war times. PPSh appears in almost all Soviet and foreign films about the Great Patriotic War. The image of the Soviet liberator warrior, captured in a huge number of monuments installed both on the territory of the USSR and in other countries, has become a textbook image. of Eastern Europe: a soldier in a field uniform, helmet, cape, with a PPSh machine gun.
PPS-43 (Sudaev submachine gun) - a submachine gun developed by a Soviet designerAlexey Ivanovich Sudaevin 1942. It was decided to establish production of the new PPS assault rifles put into service in besieged Leningrad. The supply of weapons there was difficult, and the front required replenishment. Not inferior in combat qualities to the Degtyarev submachine gun and the Shpagin submachine gun, it was 2.5 kilograms lighter than them, and required 2 times less metal and 3 times less labor during production.
The machine gun ("Maxim") is an easel machine gun developed by the American gunsmith Hiram Stevens Maxim in 1883. The Maxim machine gun became the ancestor of all automatic weapons. The Maxim 1910 machine gun is a Russian version of the American Maxim machine gun, widely used by the Russian and Soviet armies during World War I and World War II. By the end of the 1930s, the Maxim design was obsolete. Ideal for defense against massive cavalry attacks, in the era of tank battles the machine gun was practically useless, primarily due to its large weight and size. The machine gun without the machine, water and ammunition weighed about 20 kg. The weight of the machine is 40 kg, plus 5 kg of water. Since it was impossible to use a machine gun without a machine and water, the operating weight of the entire system (without cartridges) was about 65 kg. Moving such weight across the battlefield under fire was not easy. The high profile made camouflage difficult, which led to the rapid destruction of the crew by enemy fire. For the advancing Maxim tank and its crew, they were an easy target. In addition, supplying the machine gun with water to cool the barrel caused significant difficulties in the summer. For comparison: single machine gun The Wehrmacht MG-34 weighed 10.5 kg (without cartridges) and did not require water for cooling. Firing from the MG-34 could be carried out without a machine gun, which contributed to the secrecy of the machine gunner’s position.
In 1943, unexpectedly for everyone, an easel machine gun from a then little-known designer was adopted.Peter Mikhailovich GoryunovSG-43 with an air barrel cooling system. JV Stalin demanded the convening of a special meeting at the beginning of May 1943 to finalize the issue of adopting a model of a heavy machine gun for service with the troops. Honored V.A. Degtyarev was also invited to this meeting along with the heads of the People's Commissariats. To the question of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, which machine gun should be adopted - Degtyarev or Goryunov, Vasily Alekseevich, without hesitation, answered that if we proceed from the interests of the army's combat capability, then we should adopt the heavy machine gun of the Goryunov system, which is superior in reliability of operation, reliability of operation and survivability of parts DS-39 machine gun.Vasily Alekseevich honestly answered: “The Goryunov machine gun is better, Comrade Stalin, and industry will master it faster.” The fate of the new machine gun was decided. In October 1943, 7.62-mm heavy machine guns of the Goryunov system mod. 1943 (SG-43) began to enter the active army.
The troops finally received the long-awaited simple, reliable and relatively light heavy machine gun, which played a positive role in ensuring the offensive combat operations of the Soviet troops in the second half of the Great Patriotic War. The production of the SG-43 machine gun was launched simultaneously at enterprises in Kovrov and Zlatoust, which contributed to the final solution to the problem of supplying troops with machine guns and the creation of reserves, which by the end of 1944 amounted to 74,000 units.
Back in 1924 V.A. Degtyarev offered the GAU his prototype light machine gun. The 7.62-mm Degtyarev light machine gun was much lighter, more convenient to handle, and most importantly, simpler in design than the recently adopted Maxim-Tokarev light machine gun, which made it possible to quickly establish its production. In December 1927, its improved version was tested by a special commission of the Revolutionary Military Council. The weapon showed good results. In the same month, it was adopted by the Red Army under the designation “7.62-mm light machine gun of the Degtyarev system, infantry (DP).” The automatic machine gun operated on the principle of recoil of powder gases from the barrel, locking was carried out by spreading the combat larvae to the sides.
This design feature later became a signature calling card, embodied in almost all Degtyarev machine guns. Thanks to simple device, reliability of action, shooting accuracy and high maneuverability, the DP served with honor Soviet soldier for more than twenty years, being the main automatic fire support weapon for infantry in the platoon level. In just 4 years of war, gunsmiths handed over to the front a little more than 660 thousand DP, which made a significant contribution to the defeat of the enemy.
In 1943-1944, the Degtyarev Design Bureau created a number of improved DP models, in which, to increase the survivability of the weapon, the recoil spring was moved to the rear of the receiver and the bolt parts were strengthened. The trigger mechanism is being improved to improve the stability of the weapon during shooting. After the tests, improved versions of Degtyarev machine guns, by decision of the State Defense Committee on October 14, 1944, were adopted by the Red Army under the designation “7.62 mm light machine gun Degtyarev, modernized (DMP)".
Artillery
Artillery weapons of the Soviet Army in the years after the end civil war and before the start of the Great Patriotic War, it underwent a radical modification and was improved on the basis of the latest achievements of science and technology. By the beginning of the war, the army was armed with the best artillery, superior in combat and operational qualities to Western European artillery, including German artillery.
Shortly before the attack by Nazi Germany, it was decided to stop the production of 45-mm (“forty-five”) guns. This decision had severe consequences. The gun was intended to fight enemy tanks, self-propelled guns and armored vehicles. For its time, its armor penetration was quite adequate. The gun also had anti-personnel capabilities - it was equipped with a fragmentation grenade and buckshot.
Particular attention should be paid to the simplest type of artillery weapons - 82 mm and 120 mm mortarsBoris Ivanovich Shavyrin.These extremely simple to manufacture and operate, cheap mortars, unfortunately, in the pre-war years were not appreciated either by the military command or by the leaders of the artillery industry. Meanwhile, under the modest shell - a pipe and a slab, as mortars were ironically called, huge combat capabilities. The hard lessons of the first months of the war taught us to appreciate mortar weapons and its creators. Having escaped arrest in connection with the outbreak of the war, B.I. Shavyrin continued to work fruitfully on the development of new samples.
The first months of the Great Patriotic War showed that 70-80% of German tanks were old-style T-2 and T-3 tanks, as well as captured French and Czech tanks. It is worth noting that the heavy T-4s at that time also had armor that was vulnerable to anti-tank rifles even when fired at frontal armor. In the conditions of a massive offensive by German armored and mechanized units, an urgent need arose to resume the production of anti-tank rifles. Stalin urgently involved V. Degtyarev and his student S. Simonov in the development of the new PTR. The deadline was extremely strict - a month. It took Degtyarev and Simonov only 22 days to develop new models of PTR. After test firing and discussion of new weapons, Stalin decided to adopt both models - PTRD and PTRS.
There is no single sure version why rocket launchers BM-13 began to be called “Katyusha”, there are several assumptions:
- after the name of Blanter’s song, which became popular before the war, based on the words of Isakovsky “Katyusha”. The version is not very convincing, since a direct relationship is not immediately visible (why then not call a forty-five or one and a half “Katyusha”?), but, nevertheless, the song probably became the catalyst for the name under the influence of other reasons.
- abbreviated as “KAT” - there is a version that this is what the rangers called the BM-13 - “Kostikovsky automatic thermal”, after the name of the project manager, Andrei Kostikov.
Another option is that the name is associated with the “K” index on the mortar body - the installations were produced by the Kalinin plant. And front-line soldiers loved to give nicknames to their weapons. For example, the M-30 howitzer was nicknamed “Mother”, the ML-20 howitzer gun was nicknamed “Emelka”. Yes, and the BM-13 was at first sometimes called “Raisa Sergeevna,” thus deciphering the abbreviation RS (missile).
It should also be noted that the installations were so secret that it was even forbidden to use the commands “fire”, “fire”, “volley”, instead they were sounded “sing” or “play”, which may also have been associated with the song “Katyusha”. And for the infantry, a salvo of Katyusha rockets was the most pleasant music.
IN German troops these machines were called “Stalin’s organs” because of their external resemblance rocket launcher with the pipe system of this musical instrument and the powerful, stunning roar that was produced when the missiles were launched.
The first vehicles were manufactured on the basis of domestic chassis; after the start of Lend-Lease deliveries, the American Studebaker truck became the main chassis for the BM-13 (BM-13N). The new weapon was first used in battle on July 14, 1941: the battery of Captain I.A. Flyorova fired a salvo of seven launchers at the Orsha railway station. The frightened Nazis called the weapon a “hellish meat grinder.”
The contribution of scientists to the cause of Victory
The Academy of Sciences received the task of immediately revising the topics of scientific and scientific-technical works and speeding up research. All her activities were now subordinated to three goals:
- designing new means of defense and offense;
- scientific assistance to the arms and ammunition manufacturing industry;
- finding new raw materials and energy resources, replacing scarce materials with simpler and more accessible ones.
Preparing for war with the USSR, the Nazis hoped to destroy the bulk of our fleet with the help of secret magnetic mines. On June 27, 1941, an order was issued to organize teams for the urgent installation of demagnetizing devices on all ships of the fleet. Anatoly Petrovich Alexandrov was appointed scientific director. Professor Igor Vasilyevich Kurchatov voluntarily joined one of the teams.
The work was carried out almost around the clock, in the most difficult conditions, with a shortage of specialists, cables, equipment, often under bombing and shelling. A winding-free demagnetization method was also created, which was used to protect submarines from magnetic mines. It was a heroic victory of scientific knowledge and practical skill! Mikhail Vladimirovich Keldysh found out the reason and created a theory of a very complex and dangerous phenomenon- self-excitation of oscillations with large amplitude near the wings and tail of an aircraft (flutter), which led to the destruction of the machine - this helped to develop measures to combat flutter.
As a result of the research of Doctor of Technical Sciences Nikolai Mikhailovich Sklyarov, high-strength armor steel AV-2 was obtained, containing significantly less scarce components: nickel - 2 times, molybdenum - 3 times! Research by scientists from the Institute of Chemical Physics of the USSR Academy of Sciences Yakov Borisovich Zeldovich and Yuli Borisovich Khariton helped to switch to the use of cheaper gunpowder. To increase the flight range of a rocket, scientists have proposed lengthening the charge, using more high-calorie fuel, or using two simultaneously operating combustion chambers.
In the history of the activities of Leningrad scientists, there is a heroic episode associated with the “Road of Life”: a circumstance, at first glance, completely inexplicable, was revealed: when the trucks went to Leningrad, loaded to the maximum, the ice withstood it, and on the way back with sick and hungry people, i.e. e. with significantly less cargo, the vehicles often fell through the ice. Pavel Pavlovich Kobeko, research fellow Institute of Physics and Technology, developed a technique for recording ice vibrations under the influence of static and dynamic loads. Based on the results obtained, rules for safe driving along the Ladoga highway were developed. Ice accidents have stopped. Scientists were actively involved in work that was new to them. It was the unity of science, creative impulse and a powerful wave of labor enthusiasm.
Conclusion
The Great Patriotic War subjected the small arms of the warring countries to the most serious tests. Small arms systems have received further development and complexity, both in terms of the variety of weapons themselves and the number of types of ammunition. During the war years, in almost all the armies of the warring countries, the evolution of small arms followed the same paths: by reducing the mass of the main automatic weapon of the infantry - the submachine gun; replacing rifles with carbines, and subsequently with machine guns (assault rifles); creation special weapons, adapted for landing operations; lightening heavy machine guns and moving them onto the battlefield into rifle chains. Also characteristic of the small arms system in all armies was the pace and principles of development anti-tank weapons infantry (rifle grenades, anti-tank rifles and hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers with cumulative grenades).Thus, during the Great Patriotic War, development and research work was carried out in the field of further improvement of small arms, the foundations were laid post-war system small arms of the Soviet Army.
In general, the Great Patriotic War showed that with the creation of the most modern means of armed struggle, the role of small arms did not decrease, and the attention that was paid to them in our country during these years increased significantly. The experience gained during the war in the use of weapons, which is not outdated today, laid the foundation for the development and improvement of small arms of the Armed Forces for many post-war decades.
And this is the heroic merit of our scientists, designers, engineers, as well as millions of ordinary Soviet people who worked in the rear and forged weapons of Victory.
List of sources used
1. Isaev A.V. Antisuvorov. Ten myths of World War II. - M.: Eksmo, Yauza, 2004
- Pastukhov I.P., Plotnikov S.E.Stories about small arms. M.: DOSAAF USSR, 1983. 158 p.
- Soviet Armed Forces. History of construction. M.: Voenizdat, 1978. p. 237-238; Military-technical progress and the Armed Forces of the USSR. M: Voenizdat, 1982. pp. 134-136.
Small arms of the Second World War / Photo: baraholka.com.ru
Tanks, planes, and artillery can turn the tide of a battle. However, the battlefield always remains with the soldier, the infantryman, the main worker of the Great Patriotic War with a rifle and a machine gun in his hands, with a heavy machine gun, which he literally has to carry on his shoulders.
Photo: Rostec
During the war years, the oldest weapons factories - Tula and Izhevsk, now part of Rostec - made a huge contribution to the armament of our soldiers. In 1941, Mosin rifles alone were produced in Izhevsk 12 thousand per day! Thus, the plant fully armed one rifle division every day. So, let's talk about the weapon of the victorious soldier.
1. Mosin rifle 7.62 mm rifle model 1891
Adopted into service: 1891.
Total produced: about 37 million pieces.
Let's start with the long-lived Mosin rifle, the absolute champion in terms of the number of units produced. In just four years of the war, more than 11 million rifles and carbines, created on the basis of the three-line series, were produced.
Photo: Rostec
Initially, the rifle was produced in four models: infantry, dragoon, Cossack and carbine, which differed in length and the presence of a bayonet. During the battles, the dragoon version proved to be the most optimal and effective in terms of length. Therefore, when in 1924 it was decided to leave the rifle in service, the dragoon rifle was chosen for modernization. This is how a single model appeared - a rifle of the 1891/1930 model. This outdated, despite the new modification, rifle had to fight in the most difficult and decisive months of the beginning of the war. Thanks to its cheapness and reliability, the veteran weapon has outperformed its young self-loading rivals. Latest modification three-ruler - a carbine of the 1944 model, distinguished by the presence of a permanent needle bayonet. The rifle became even shorter, the technology was simplified, and combat maneuverability increased. More short carbine it is easier to conduct close combat in thickets, trenches, and fortifications.
The Mosin rifle and the main weapon of snipers of the Great Patriotic War.
Photo: Rostec
The legendary representatives of this military specialty greatly valued the good old three-line rifle - quite long-range and accurate. And, what is especially important for a sniper, the weapon is not capricious, but reliable. In 1932 it began mass production sniper rifle model 1891/1930. This modification differed from the main one in the increased quality of processing of the barrel bore, the presence of an optical sight and the bolt handle bent down.
Video of the TV channel "Zvezda"
2. Shpagin submachine gun (PPSh) 7.62 mm submachine gun model 1941
Total produced: about 6 million pieces.
Photo: Rostec
This legendary weapon became part of the image of the victorious soldier and froze in the most famous monuments. The submachine gun has also become a symbol of the new war, when dense automatic fire in close combat is sometimes significantly more important than the range, accuracy and power of rifle fire.
The PPSh-41 fell in love with the soldiers, receiving the affectionate and respectful nickname “daddy.” A reliable submachine gun that shot at almost anyone weather conditions and, importantly for wartime, it was relatively cheap.
Initially, the submachine gun was considered as a weapon for artillerymen, tank crews and infantrymen who fought in the mountains or forests. Rifles were considered a popular weapon. However, at the height of hostilities, the leadership appreciated the importance of the PPSh, and by the end of the war, about 55% of the Red Army soldiers were armed with these weapons.
Photo: Rostec
According to its design, the PPSh belongs to weapon systems with blowback recoil. The trigger mechanism is designed for both single and continuous fire.
The fire mode switch from single to automatic is located inside the trigger guard, in front of the trigger. The safety is made in the form of a slider on the cocking handle and locks the bolt in the forward or rear position. The bolt box and barrel casing were made of steel, and the stock was made of wood, most often birch.
The first PPSh were equipped with drum magazines for 71 rounds from the PPD-40. But such stores were expensive and difficult to manufacture. In addition, they were very unreliable and inconvenient because they required individual adjustment. So, already in 1942 they began to produce carob magazines that could hold 35 rounds.
Photo: Rostec
The Shpagin submachine gun is capable of hitting a target at a distance of up to 200 m with short bursts and up to 100 m with long bursts. Disadvantages include significant weight, a tendency to inadvertently fire when falling on a hard surface, and, paradoxically, the rate of fire, which is why the PPSh received the nickname “ammo eater.” However, this drawback and continuation of the advantage, which was the high density of fire, which gave an advantage in close combat.
Video of the TV channel "Zvezda"
3. Pistol TT Tula, Tokarev 7.62 mm self-loading pistol
Entered into service: 1941.
Total produced: 1 million 740 thousand pieces.
The textbook photograph “Combat” by Max Alpert - the commander, armed with a TT pistol, rouses the soldiers to attack. Just as the PPSh became part of the soldier’s image, the famous pistol went down in history as the weapon of an officer in the Great Patriotic War.
Photo: Rostec
The history of the pistol itself began in 1927, when a design bureau was organized at the Tula arms factory, which a year later included a group of gunsmith designers under the leadership of Fedor Tokarev, which began work on a new pistol. The demands were formulated very simply: remove the famous revolvers and replace imported pistols with Soviet ones, ensuring mass production in our own country.
The reasons for abandoning foreign systems were the need to re-equip the weapons industry with new production equipment and the introduction of new standards, which required enormous expenses that were not acceptable for Soviet Russia at that time.
The new weapon for the command staff of the Red Army was supposed to have a high range of fire, small dimensions, light weight, an open trigger, but, most importantly, be simple in design and adapted for cheap mass production using outdated and primitive equipment.
The 7.62 mm caliber cartridge was chosen for use in the new pistol - a redesigned 7.63 mm Mauser, which was later designated 7.62x25 TT. Its use did not require re-equipment of production, and the warehouses had a large number of these cartridges purchased from the Germans.
Photo: Rostec
The assigned tasks regarding the qualities of the pistol itself were achieved thanks to a combination of features of various systems: the FN Browning model 1903 design, the Colt M1911 locking system, the 7.63 mm Mauser cartridge - and Tokarev’s new design solutions: combining the trigger mechanism in a separate block, which, when disassembling the weapon, is freely separated from the frame for cleaning and lubrication; placement of the mainspring in the trigger, which reduced the longitudinal width of the handle; fastening the cheeks of the handle with the help of rotating bars attached to them, which simplified disassembling the pistol; lack of a safety mechanism, the function of which was performed only by the safety cocking of the hammer.
During tests in January 1931, Tokarev managed to prove not only that he had created a relatively small and light pistol chambered for a powerful 7.62 mm cartridge, but also that the weapon could be produced with minimal time and resources. On February 13 of the same year, the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR decided to place an order for the production of 1000 Tokarev pistols at the Tula Arms Plant.
To simplify, the pistol was named simply and dryly - a 7.62-mm self-loading pistol of the 1930 model. However, at the beginning of mass production, the weapon was slightly redesigned and the production process was simplified, which led to the name being changed to a simpler one. As a result, in 1934, production of the 7.62 mm TT pistol of the 1933 model began. And a little later, by the beginning of the 1940s, no one was calling the legendary pistol anything other than TT. So the short name stuck.
Video of the TV channel "Zvezda"
The TT received its baptism of fire in 1938-1939 at Khalkhin Gol and Lake Khasan. The pistol demonstrated excellent combat qualities: high accuracy shooting, long range and powerful penetrating effect of the bullet. During the Great Patriotic War, TTs became widely used in all branches of the Red Army.
4. Maxim machine gun model 1910
Adopted into service: 1910.
This version of the British machine gun, modified and improved by Russian and Soviet gunsmiths, was destined to become the most popular heavy machine gun of the Great Patriotic War.
Photo: Rostec
In August 1910, a modified version was put into service - the 7.62-mm Maxim machine gun of the 1910 model, which was modernized at the Tula Arms Plant under the guidance of masters I.A. Pastukhova, I.A. Sudakova and P.P. Tretyakov. The weight of the machine gun body was reduced by 5.2 kg, a number of bronze parts were replaced with steel, the receiver was changed and sights for a new cartridge, the hole in the muzzle sleeve was widened. The English wheeled carriage was replaced by a lightweight wheeled machine from A.A. Sokolov, an English-style armor shield - to an armor shield of reduced size. The new machine provided targeted fire at a range of up to 2700 m. Also, one of the innovations of the Tula model was the mounting of the cartridge belt drum on the shield, and not on the body of the machine gun, as was done before. This contributed to the uniform feeding of the cartridge belt into the receiver.
In the interwar years, Soviet designers refined the already proven design. So, in 1924, Fyodor Tokarev created a modification of the Maxim machine gun. It was lighter in weight while maintaining firepower.
Video of the TV channel "Zvezda"
In June 1941, at the Tula Arms Plant, under the leadership of chief engineer A.A. Tronenkov engineers I.E. Lubenets and Yu.A. Kazarin began the final modernization. As a result, the Maxim was equipped with a simplified sighting device.
In 1943, the Goryunov system heavy machine gun was adopted by the Red Army. However, the famous Maxim continued to be produced until the end of the war at the Tula and Izhevsk factories and until its end was the main heavy machine gun of the Soviet army.
Based on the design of the machine gun, single, coaxial and quadruple anti-aircraft machine guns were developed, which were used to arm the air defense forces. They became their most common weapon.
Photo: Rostec
The quadruple anti-aircraft machine gun mount of the 1931 model was distinguished by the presence of a water circulation device and a larger capacity of machine gun belts.
5. DP Degtyarev infantry
Adopted into service: 1928.
Total produced: about 800 thousand pieces.
But the Degtyarev light machine gun (DP) became one of the first small arms created in the USSR.
Photo: Rostec
The machine gun was widely used as the main fire support weapon for infantry at the platoon-company level until the end of the Great Patriotic War.
At the end of the war, the DP machine gun and its modernized version DPM, created based on the experience of combat operations in 1943-1944, were removed from service with the Soviet army and were widely supplied to countries friendly to the USSR.
Video of the TV channel "Zvezda"
The DP barrel was quick-change, partially hidden by a protective casing and equipped with a conical removable flash suppressor. It sometimes could not withstand intense shooting: since the barrel was thin-walled, it quickly heated up (especially on later releases, in which, for simplicity, the barrel was made without a ribbed radiator). In order not to disable the machine gun, it was necessary to fire in short bursts (the combat rate of fire of the machine gun is up to 80 rounds per minute). Changing the barrel directly during combat was difficult: it required a special key to remove its lock and protect your hands from burns.
MOSCOW, Rostec
1
By the end of the 30s, almost all participants in the coming world war had formed general directions in the development of small arms. The range and accuracy of the attack was reduced, which was compensated by the greater density of fire. As a consequence of this, the beginning of mass rearmament of units with automatic small arms - submachine guns, machine guns, assault rifles.
Accuracy of fire began to fade into the background, while the soldiers advancing in a chain began to be taught shooting on the move. With the advent of airborne troops, the need arose to create special lightweight weapons.
Maneuver warfare also affected machine guns: they became much lighter and more mobile. New types of small arms appeared (which was dictated, first of all, by the need to fight tanks) - rifle grenades, anti-tank rifles and RPGs with cumulative grenades.
Small arms of the USSR World War II
On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, the rifle division of the Red Army was a very formidable force - about 14.5 thousand people. The main type of small arms were rifles and carbines - 10,420 pieces. The share of submachine guns was insignificant - 1204. There were 166, 392 and 33 units of heavy, light and anti-aircraft machine guns, respectively.
The division had its own artillery of 144 guns and 66 mortars. The firepower was supplemented by 16 tanks, 13 armored vehicles and a solid fleet of auxiliary vehicles.
Rifles and carbines
The main small arms of the USSR infantry units of the first period of the war was certainly the famous three-line rifle - the 7.62 mm S.I. Mosin rifle of the 1891 model, modernized in 1930. Its advantages are well known - strength, reliability, ease of maintenance, combined with good ballistics qualities, in particular, with an aiming range of 2 km.
The three-line rifle is an ideal weapon for newly recruited soldiers, and the simplicity of the design created enormous opportunities for its use. mass production. But like any weapon, the three-line gun had its drawbacks. The permanently attached bayonet in combination with a long barrel (1670 mm) created inconvenience when moving, especially in wooded areas. The bolt handle caused serious complaints when reloading.
On its basis, a sniper rifle and a series of carbines of the 1938 and 1944 models were created. Fate gave the three-line a long life (the last three-line was released in 1965), participation in many wars and an astronomical “circulation” of 37 million copies.
The target range of the SVT-40 is up to 1 km. The SVT-40 served with honor on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. It was also appreciated by our opponents. Historical fact: having captured rich trophies at the beginning of the war, among which there were many SVT-40s, the German army... adopted it for service, and the Finns created their own rifle on the basis of the SVT-40 - TaRaKo.
The creative development of the ideas implemented in the SVT-40 became the AVT-40 automatic rifle. It differed from its predecessor in its ability to fire automatically at a rate of up to 25 rounds per minute. The disadvantage of the AVT-40 is its low accuracy of fire, strong unmasking flame and loud sound at the moment of firing. Subsequently, as automatic weapons entered the military en masse, they were removed from service.
Submachine guns
The Great Patriotic War was the time of the final transition from rifles to automatic weapons. The Red Army began to fight, armed with a small number of PPD-40 - a submachine gun designed by the outstanding Soviet designer Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev. At that time, PPD-40 was in no way inferior to its domestic and foreign counterparts.
Designed for pistol cartridge cal. 7.62 x 25 mm, the PPD-40 had an impressive ammunition load of 71 rounds, housed in a drum-type magazine. Weighing about 4 kg, it fired at a rate of 800 rounds per minute with an effective range of up to 200 meters. However, just a few months after the start of the war it was replaced by the legendary PPSh-40 cal. 7.62 x 25 mm.
The creator of the PPSh-40, designer Georgy Semenovich Shpagin, was faced with the task of developing an extremely easy-to-use, reliable, technologically advanced, cheap to produce mass weapon.
From its predecessor, the PPD-40, the PPSh inherited a drum magazine with 71 rounds. A little later, a simpler and more reliable sector horn magazine with 35 rounds was developed for it. The weight of the equipped machine guns (both versions) was 5.3 and 4.15 kg, respectively. The rate of fire of the PPSh-40 reached 900 rounds per minute with an aiming range of up to 300 meters and the ability to fire single shots.
To master the PPSh-40, a few lessons were enough. It could easily be disassembled into 5 parts made using stamping and welding technology, thanks to which during the war years the Soviet defense industry produced about 5.5 million machine guns.
In the summer of 1942, the young designer Alexey Sudaev presented his brainchild - a 7.62 mm submachine gun. It was strikingly different from its “bigger brothers” PPD and PPSh-40 in its rational layout, higher manufacturability and ease of manufacturing parts using arc welding.
PPS-42 was 3.5 kg lighter and required three times less manufacturing time. However, despite the obvious advantages, mass weapons he never did, leaving the PPSh-40 to take the lead.
By the beginning of the war, the DP-27 light machine gun (Degtyarev infantry, 7.62mm caliber) had been in service with the Red Army for almost 15 years, having the status of the main light machine gun of infantry units. Its automation was powered by the energy of powder gases. The gas regulator reliably protected the mechanism from contamination and high temperatures.
The DP-27 could only fire automatically, but even a beginner needed a few days to master shooting in short bursts of 3-5 shots. Ammunition of 47 rounds was placed in a disk magazine with a bullet towards the center in one row. The magazine itself was mounted on top of the receiver. The weight of the unloaded machine gun was 8.5 kg. An equipped magazine increased it by almost another 3 kg.
It was a powerful weapon with an effective range of 1.5 km and a combat rate of fire of up to 150 rounds per minute. In the firing position, the machine gun rested on a bipod. A flame arrester was screwed onto the end of the barrel, significantly reducing its unmasking effect. The DP-27 was serviced by a gunner and his assistant. In total, about 800 thousand machine guns were produced.
Small arms of the Wehrmacht of World War II
The main strategy of the German army is offensive or blitzkrieg (blitzkrieg - lightning war). The decisive role in it was assigned to large tank formations, carrying out deep breakthroughs of the enemy’s defenses in cooperation with artillery and aviation.
Tank units bypassed powerful fortified areas, destroying control centers and rear communications, without which the enemy quickly lost their combat effectiveness. The defeat was completed by motorized units of the ground forces.
Small arms of the Wehrmacht infantry division
The staff of the German infantry division of the 1940 model assumed the presence of 12,609 rifles and carbines, 312 submachine guns (machine guns), light and heavy machine guns - 425 and 110 pieces, respectively, 90 anti-tank rifles and 3,600 pistols.The Wehrmacht's small arms generally met the high wartime requirements. It was reliable, trouble-free, simple, easy to manufacture and maintain, which contributed to its serial production.
Rifles, carbines, machine guns
Mauser 98K
Mauser 98K is an improved version of the Mauser 98 rifle, developed in late XIX century by the brothers Paul and Wilhelm Mauser, founders of the world famous arms company. Equipping the German army with it began in 1935.
Mauser 98K
The weapon was loaded with a clip of five 7.92 mm cartridges. A trained soldier could shoot 15 times within a minute at a range of up to 1.5 km. The Mauser 98K was very compact. Its main characteristics: weight, length, barrel length - 4.1 kg x 1250 x 740 mm. The indisputable advantages of the rifle are evidenced by numerous conflicts involving it, longevity and a truly sky-high “circulation” - more than 15 million units.
MP-40 "Schmeisser" assault rifle
Perhaps the most famous Wehrmacht small arms of the Second World War was the famous MP-40 submachine gun, a modification of its predecessor, the MP-36, created by Heinrich Vollmer. However, as fate would have it, he is better known under the name “Schmeisser”, obtained thanks to the stamp on the store - “PATENT SCHMEISSER”. The mark simply meant that, in addition to G. Vollmer, Hugo Schmeisser also participated in the creation of the MP-40, but only as the creator of the store.
MP-40 "Schmeisser" assault rifle
Initially, the MP-40 was intended to arm the command staff of infantry units, but later it was transferred to the disposal of tank crews, armored vehicle drivers, paratroopers and special forces soldiers.
However, the MP-40 was absolutely unsuitable for infantry units, since it was exclusively a melee weapon. In a fierce battle in open terrain, having a weapon with a firing range of 70 to 150 meters meant for a German soldier to be practically unarmed in front of his enemy, armed with Mosin and Tokarev rifles with a firing range of 400 to 800 meters.
StG-44 assault rifle
Assault rifle StG-44 (sturmgewehr) cal. 7.92mm is another legend of the Third Reich. This is certainly an outstanding creation by Hugo Schmeisser - the prototype of many post-war assault rifles and machine guns, including the famous AK-47.
The StG-44 could conduct single and automatic fire. Its weight with a full magazine was 5.22 kg. At a target range of 800 meters, the Sturmgewehr was in no way inferior to its main competitors. There were three versions of the magazine - for 15, 20 and 30 shots with a rate of up to 500 rounds per second. The option of using a rifle with an under-barrel grenade launcher and an infrared sight was considered.
Not without its shortcomings. The assault rifle was heavier than the Mauser-98K by a whole kilogram. Her wooden butt couldn't stand it sometimes hand-to-hand combat and just broke down. The flame escaping from the barrel revealed the location of the shooter, and the long magazine and sighting devices forced him to raise his head high in a prone position.
MG-42 caliber 7.92 mm is quite rightly called one of the best machine guns Second World War. It was developed at Grossfus by engineers Werner Gruner and Kurt Horn. Those who experienced its firepower were very outspoken. Our soldiers called it a “lawn mower,” and the allies called it “Hitler’s circular saw.”
Depending on the type of bolt, the machine gun fired accurately at a speed of up to 1500 rpm at a range of up to 1 km. Ammunition supply was carried out using machine gun belt for 50 - 250 rounds. The uniqueness of the MG-42 was complemented by a relatively small number of parts - 200 - and the high technology of their production using stamping and spot welding.
The barrel, hot from shooting, was replaced with a spare one in a few seconds using a special clamp. In total, about 450 thousand machine guns were produced. The unique technical developments embodied in the MG-42 were borrowed by gunsmiths from many countries around the world when creating their machine guns.
Everyone is familiar with the popular print image of the Soviet “soldier-liberator.” In the minds of Soviet people, the Red Army soldiers of the Great Patriotic War are emaciated people in dirty greatcoats who run in a crowd to attack after tanks, or tired elderly men smoking rolled-up cigarettes on the parapet of a trench. After all, it was precisely such footage that was mainly captured by military newsreels. At the end of the 1980s, film directors and post-Soviet historians put the “victim of repression” on a cart, handed him a “three-line gun” without cartridges, sending him towards the armored hordes of fascists - under the supervision of barrage detachments.Now I propose to look at what actually happened. We can responsibly declare that our weapons were in no way inferior to foreign ones, while being more suitable for local conditions of use. For example, a three-line rifle had larger clearances and tolerances than foreign ones, but this “flaw” was a forced feature - the weapon’s lubricant, which thickened in the cold, did not remove the weapon from combat.
So, review.
Nagan- a revolver developed by the Belgian gunsmiths brothers Emil (1830-1902) and Leon (1833-1900) Nagan, which was in service and produced in a number of countries in the late 19th - mid-20th centuries.
TK(Tula, Korovina) - the first Soviet serial self-loading pistol. In 1925, the Dynamo sports society ordered the Tula Arms Plant to develop a compact pistol chambered for 6.35x15 mm Browning for sporting and civilian needs.
Work on creating the pistol took place in the design bureau of the Tula Arms Plant. In the fall of 1926, gunsmith designer S.A. Korovin completed the development of a pistol, which was named the TK pistol (Tula Korovin).
At the end of 1926, TOZ began producing the pistol; the following year the pistol was approved for use, receiving the official name “Tula Pistol, Korovin, Model 1926.”
TK pistols entered service with the NKVD of the USSR, middle and senior command staff of the Red Army, civil servants and party workers.
The TK was also used as a gift or award weapon (for example, there are known cases of awarding Stakhanovites with it). Between the autumn of 1926 and 1935, several tens of thousands of Korovins were produced. In the period after the Great Patriotic War, TK pistols were kept for some time in savings banks as a reserve weapon for employees and collectors.
Pistol arr. 1933 TT(Tula, Tokarev) - the first army self-loading pistol of the USSR, developed in 1930 by Soviet designer Fedor Vasilyevich Tokarev. The TT pistol was developed for the 1929 competition for a new army pistol, announced with the aim of replacing the revolver and several models of revolvers and pistols foreign production, which were in service with the Red Army by the mid-1920s. The German 7.63×25 mm Mauser cartridge was adopted as a standard cartridge, which was purchased in significant quantities for the Mauser S-96 pistols in service.
Mosin rifle. The 7.62 mm (3-line) rifle of the 1891 model (Mosin rifle, three-line) is a repeating rifle adopted by the Russian Imperial Army in 1891.
It was actively used in the period from 1891 to the end of the Great Patriotic War, and was modernized many times during this period.
The name three-ruler comes from the caliber of the rifle barrel, which is equal to three Russian lines (the old measure of length was equal to one tenth of an inch, or 2.54 mm - respectively, three lines are equal to 7.62 mm).
Based on the 1891 model rifle and its modifications, a number of models of sporting and hunting weapons, both rifled and smooth-bore, were created.
Simonov automatic rifle. The 7.62 mm automatic rifle of the Simonov system, model 1936, ABC-36 is a Soviet automatic rifle developed by gunsmith Sergei Simonov.
Initially developed as a self-loading rifle, but during improvements an automatic fire mode was added for use in emergency situation. The first automatic rifle developed in the USSR and put into service.
Tokarev self-loading rifle. 7.62-mm self-loading rifles of the Tokarev system of the 1938 and 1940 models (SVT-38, SVT-40), as well as the Tokarev automatic rifle of the 1940 model - a modification of the Soviet self-loading rifle developed by F.V. Tokarev.
The SVT-38 was developed as a replacement for the Simonov automatic rifle and was adopted by the Red Army on February 26, 1939. First SVT arr. 1938 was released on July 16, 1939. On October 1, 1939, gross production began at the Tula, and from 1940 - at the Izhevsk arms plant.
Simonov self-loading carbine. The 7.62 mm Simonov self-loading carbine (also known abroad as SKS-45) is a Soviet self-loading carbine designed by Sergei Simonov, adopted for service in 1949.
The first copies began to arrive in active units at the beginning of 1945 - this was the only case of the use of the 7.62x39 mm cartridge in World War II
Tokarev submachine gun, or the original name is the light Tokarev carbine - an experimental model of automatic weapons created in 1927 for modification revolver cartridge Nagana, the first submachine gun developed in the USSR. It was not adopted for service; it was produced in a small experimental batch and was used to a limited extent in the Great Patriotic War.
P Degtyarev submachine gun. 7.62 mm submachine guns of the 1934, 1934/38 and 1940 models of the Degtyarev system - various modifications a submachine gun developed by Soviet gunsmith Vasily Degtyarev in the early 1930s. The first submachine gun adopted by the Red Army.
The Degtyarev submachine gun was a fairly typical representative of the first generation of this type of weapon. Used in the Finnish campaign of 1939-40, as well as at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War.
Shpagin submachine gun. 7.62 mm submachine gun model 1941 of the Shpagin system (PPSh) - Soviet submachine gun, developed in 1940 by designer G.S. Shpagin and adopted by the Red Army on December 21, 1940. The PPSh was the main submachine gun of the Soviet armed forces in the Great Patriotic War.
After the end of the war, in the early 1950s, the PPSh was removed from service with the Soviet Army and gradually replaced by the Kalashnikov assault rifle; for a little longer it remained in service with rear and auxiliary units, units of internal troops and railway troops. It was in service with paramilitary security units at least until the mid-1980s.
Also, in the post-war period, PPSh was supplied in significant quantities to countries friendly to the USSR, was in service with the armies of various states for a long time, was used by irregular forces and was used in armed conflicts around the world throughout the twentieth century.
Sudaev's submachine gun. 7.62 mm submachine guns of the 1942 and 1943 models of the Sudaev system (PPS) are variants of the submachine gun developed by the Soviet designer Alexei Sudaev in 1942. Used by Soviet troops during the Great Patriotic War.
The PPS is often considered the best submachine gun of World War II.
P machine gun "Maxim" model 1910. The Model 1910 Maxim machine gun is a heavy machine gun, a variant of the British Maxim machine gun, widely used by the Russian and Soviet armies during World War I and World War II. The Maxim machine gun was used to destroy open group targets and enemy fire weapons at a distance of up to 1000 m.
Anti-aircraft variant
- 7.62-mm quad machine gun "Maxim" on the U-431 anti-aircraft gun
- 7.62-mm coaxial machine gun "Maxim" on the U-432 anti-aircraft gun
Maxim-Tokarev machine gun- Soviet light machine gun designed by F.V. Tokarev, created in 1924 on the basis of the Maxim machine gun.
DP(Degtyarev Infantry) - a light machine gun developed by V. A. Degtyarev. The first ten serial DP machine guns were manufactured at the Kovrov plant on November 12, 1927, then a batch of 100 machine guns was transferred for military testing, as a result of which on December 21, 1927 the machine gun was adopted by the Red Army. The DP became one of the first small arms created in the USSR. The machine gun was widely used as the main fire support weapon for infantry at the platoon-company level until the end of the Great Patriotic War.
DT(Degtyarev tank) - a tank machine gun developed by V. A. Degtyarev in 1929. Entered service with the Red Army in 1929 under the designation “7.62-mm tank machine gun of the Degtyarev system mod. 1929" (DT-29)
DS-39(7.62 mm Degtyarev heavy machine gun, model 1939).
SG-43. The 7.62 mm Goryunov machine gun (SG-43) is a Soviet heavy machine gun. It was developed by gunsmith P. M. Goryunov with the participation of M. M. Goryunov and V. E. Voronkov at the Kovrov Mechanical Plant. Entered service on May 15, 1943. The SG-43 began to enter service with the troops in the second half of 1943.
DShK And DShKM- large-caliber heavy machine guns chambered for 12.7×108 mm. The result of modernization of the large-caliber heavy machine gun DK (Degtyarev Large-caliber). The DShK was adopted by the Red Army in 1938 under the designation “12.7 mm Degtyarev-Shpagin heavy machine gun model 1938”
In 1946, under the designation DShKM(Degtyarev, Shpagin, large-caliber modernized) machine gun was adopted by the Soviet Army.
PTRD. Anti-tank single-shot rifle mod. 1941 Degtyarev system, adopted for service on August 29, 1941. It was intended to combat medium and light tanks and armored vehicles at distances of up to 500 m. The gun could also fire at pillboxes/bunkers and firing points covered by armor at distances up to 800 m and at aircraft at distances up to 500 m.
PTRS. Anti-tank self-loading rifle mod. 1941 Simonov system) is a Soviet self-loading anti-tank rifle, adopted for service on August 29, 1941. It was intended to combat medium and light tanks and armored vehicles at distances of up to 500 m. The gun could also fire at pillboxes/bunkers and firing points covered by armor at distances up to 800 m and at aircraft at distances up to 500 m. During the war some of the guns were captured and used by the Germans. The guns were named Panzerbüchse 784 (R) or PzB 784 (R).
Dyakonov grenade launcher. The Dyakonov system rifle grenade launcher is designed to use fragmentation grenades to destroy living, mostly hidden, targets that are inaccessible to flat fire weapons.
Widely used in pre-war conflicts, during Soviet-Finnish War and at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War. According to the staff of the rifle regiment in 1939, in service with each rifle squad there was a rifle grenade launcher of the Dyakonov system. In documents of that time it was called a hand-held mortar for throwing rifle grenades.
125-mm ampoule gun model 1941- the only ampoule gun model mass-produced in the USSR. It was widely used with varying success by the Red Army at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War; it was often made in semi-handicraft conditions.
The projectile most often used was a glass or tin ball filled with flammable liquid"KS", but the range of ammunition included mines, smoke bomb and even homemade “propaganda shells.” Using a blank 12-gauge rifle cartridge, the projectile was fired at 250-500 meters, thereby being effective means against some fortifications and many types of armored vehicles, including tanks. However, difficulties in use and maintenance led to the ampoule gun being withdrawn from service in 1942.
ROKS-3(Klyuev-Sergeev Backpack Flamethrower) - Soviet infantry backpack flamethrower from the Great Patriotic War. The first model of the ROKS-1 backpack flamethrower was developed in the USSR in the early 1930s. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the rifle regiments of the Red Army had flamethrower teams consisting of two sections, armed with 20 ROKS-2 backpack flamethrowers. Based on the experience of using these flamethrowers at the beginning of 1942, the designer of the Chemical Engineering Research Institute M.P. Sergeev and designer of military plant No. 846 V.N. Klyuev developed a more advanced backpack flamethrower ROKS-3, which was in service individual mouth and battalions of backpack flamethrowers of the Red Army throughout the war.
Bottles with a flammable mixture ("Molotov cocktail").
At the beginning of the war State Committee The defense decided to use combustible bottles in the fight against tanks. Already on July 7, 1941, the State Defense Committee adopted a special resolution “On anti-tank incendiary grenades (bottles)”, which obliged the People’s Commissariat of the Food Industry to organize, from July 10, 1941, the equipment of liter glass bottles fire mixture according to the recipe of Research Institute 6 of the People's Commissariat of Ammunition. And the head of the Military Chemical Defense Directorate of the Red Army (later the Main Military Chemical Directorate) was ordered to begin “supplying military units hand incendiary grenades."
Dozens of distilleries and beer factories throughout the USSR quickly turned into military enterprises. Moreover, the “Molotov Cocktail” (named after the then deputy of I.V. Stalin for the State Committee for Defense) was prepared directly on the old factory lines, where just yesterday they bottled citre, port wines and fizzy “Abrau-Durso”. From the first batches of such bottles, they often did not even have time to remove the “peaceful” alcohol labels. In addition to the liter bottles specified in the legendary Molotov decree, the “cocktail” was also made in beer and wine-cognac containers with a volume of 0.5 and 0.7 liters.
Two types of incendiary bottles were adopted by the Red Army: with self-igniting liquid KS (a mixture of phosphorus and sulfur) and with flammable mixtures No. 1 and No. 3, which are a mixture of aviation gasoline, kerosene, naphtha, thickened with oils or a special hardening powder OP- 2, developed in 1939 under the leadership of A.P. Ionov, - in fact, it was the prototype of modern napalm. The abbreviation “KS” is deciphered in different ways: “Koshkin mixture” - after the name of the inventor N.V. Koshkin, and “Old Cognac”, and “Kachugin-Maltovnik” - after the name of other inventors of liquid grenades.
A bottle with self-igniting liquid KS, falling on a solid body, broke, the liquid spilled and burned with a bright flame for up to 3 minutes, developing a temperature of up to 1000°C. At the same time, being sticky, it stuck to the armor or covered inspection slits, glass, and observation devices, blinded the crew with smoke, smoking them out of the tank and burning everything inside the tank. A drop of burning liquid falling on the body caused severe, difficult to heal burns.
Combustible mixtures No. 1 and No. 3 burned for up to 60 seconds with temperatures up to 800 ° C and emitting a lot of black smoke. Bottles with gasoline were used as a cheaper option, and thin glass tube ampoules with CS liquid, which were attached to the bottle with apothecary rubber bands, served as an incendiary agent. Sometimes ampoules were placed inside bottles before throwing.
Used bulletproof vest PZ-ZIF-20(protective shell, Frunze Plant). It is also CH-38 Cuirass type (CH-1, steel breastplate). It can be called the first mass-produced Soviet body armor, although it was called a steel breastplate, which does not change its purpose.
The body armor provided protection against German submachine guns and pistols. The body armor also provided protection against fragments of grenades and mines. Bulletproof vests were recommended to be worn by assault groups, signalmen (during the laying and repair of cables) and when performing other operations at the discretion of the commander.
Information often comes across that the PZ-ZIF-20 is not the SP-38 (SN-1) body armor, which is incorrect, since the PZ-ZIF-20 was created according to documentation from 1938, and industrial production was established in 1943. The second point is that appearance have 100% similarity. Among the military search teams it is called “Volkhovsky”, “Leningradsky”, “five-sectional”.
Photos of reconstruction:
Steel bibs CH-42
Soviet assault engineer-sapper guards brigade wearing SN-42 steel breastplates and DP-27 machine guns. 1st ShISBr. 1st Belorussian Front, summer 1944
ROG-43 hand grenade
Manual fragmentation grenade ROG-43 (index 57-G-722) remote action, designed to destroy enemy personnel in offensive and defensive battle. New grenade was developed in the first half of the Great Patriotic War at the plant named after. Kalinin and had the factory designation RGK-42. After being put into service in 1943, the grenade received the designation ROG-43.
RDG hand smoke grenade.
RDG device
Smoke grenades were used to provide screens measuring 8 - 10 m and were used mainly to “blind” the enemy located in shelters, to create local screens to camouflage crews leaving armored vehicles, as well as to simulate the burning of armored vehicles. Under favorable conditions, one RDG grenade created an invisible cloud 25 - 30 m long.
Burning grenades did not sink in water, so they could be used when crossing water barriers. The grenade could smoke from 1 to 1.5 minutes, forming, depending on the composition smoke mixture, thick gray-black or white smoke.
RPG-6 grenade.
The RPG-6 exploded instantly upon impact with a hard barrier, destroyed armor, hit the crew of an armored target, its weapons and equipment, and could also ignite fuel and explode ammunition. Military tests of the RPG-6 grenade took place in September 1943. The captured Ferdinand assault gun, which had frontal armor of up to 200 mm and side armor of up to 85 mm, was used as a target. Tests showed that the RPG-6 grenade, when the head part hit the target, could penetrate armor up to 120 mm.
Manual anti-tank grenade arr. 1943 RPG-43
RPG-41 impact hand anti-tank grenade, model 1941
The RPG-41 was intended to combat armored vehicles and light tanks with armor up to 20 - 25 mm thick, and could also be used to combat bunkers and field-type shelters. The RPG-41 could also be used to destroy medium and heavy tanks when hitting vulnerable areas of the vehicle (roof, tracks, chassis and etc.)
Chemical grenade model 1917
According to the “Temporary Rifle Regulations of the Red Army. Part 1. Small arms. Rifle and hand grenades”, published by the head of the People's Commissariat of Military Commissariat and the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR in 1927, the hand chemical grenade mod. 1917 from the reserve stockpiled during the First World War.
VKG-40 grenade
In the 1920s-1930s, the Red Army was armed with the muzzle-loading “Dyakonov grenade launcher,” created at the end of the First World War and subsequently modernized.
The grenade launcher consisted of a mortar, a bipod and a quadrant sight and was used to destroy manpower with a fragmentation grenade. The mortar barrel had a caliber of 41 mm, three screw grooves, and was rigidly attached to a cup that was screwed onto the neck, which was put on the rifle barrel, fixed on the front sight with a cutout.
RG-42 hand grenade
RG-42 model 1942 with UZRG fuse. After being put into service, the grenade was given the index RG-42 (hand grenade of 1942). The new UZRG fuse used in the grenade has become the same for both the RG-42 and the F-1.
The RG-42 grenade was used both offensively and defensively. In appearance, it resembled an RGD-33 grenade, only without a handle. The RG-42 with a UZRG fuse belonged to the type of remote-action fragmentation offensive grenades. It was intended to defeat enemy personnel.
Rifle anti-tank grenade VPGS-41
VPGS-41 when used
A characteristic distinguishing feature of ramrod grenades was the presence of a “tail” (ramrod), inserted into the bore of the rifle and serving as a stabilizer. The grenade was fired with a blank cartridge.
Soviet hand grenade mod. 1914/30 with protective cover
Soviet hand grenade mod. 1914/30 refers to double-type anti-personnel fragmentation hand grenades. This means that it is designed to defeat personnel the enemy with hull fragments during its explosion. Remote action means that the grenade will explode after a certain period of time, regardless of other conditions, after the soldier releases it from his hands.
Double type - means that the grenade can be used as an offensive one, i.e. grenade fragments have a small mass and fly at a distance shorter than the possible throwing range; or as a defensive one, i.e. fragments fly to a distance exceeding the throwing range.
The double action of the grenade is achieved by putting a so-called “shirt” on the grenade - a cover made of thick metal, which provides fragments during an explosion greater mass flying over a greater distance.
RGD-33 hand grenade
An explosive charge is placed inside the case - up to 140 grams of TNT. A steel tape with a square notch is placed between the explosive charge and the body to produce fragments during an explosion, rolled into three or four layers.
The grenade was equipped with a defensive case, which was used only when throwing a grenade from a trench or shelter. In other cases, the protective cover was removed.
And of course, F-1 grenade
Initially, the F-1 grenade used a fuse designed by F.V. Koveshnikov, which was much more reliable and easier to use than the French fuse. The deceleration time of Koveshnikov's fuse was 3.5-4.5 seconds.
In 1941, designers E.M. Viceni and A.A. Poednyakov developed and put into service to replace Koveshnikov's fuse a new, safer and simpler in design fuse for the F-1 hand grenade.
In 1942, a new fuse became united for hand grenades F-1 and RG-42, it was called UZRG - “unified fuse for hand grenades”.
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After the above, it cannot be said that only rusty three-ruler rifles without cartridges were in service.
About chemical weapons during the Second World War is a separate and special conversation...