Thanks to Soviet films about the war, most people have a strong opinion that the mass small arms (photo below) of the German infantry from the Second World War is a submachine gun (submachine gun) of the Schmeisser system, which is named after the name of its designer. This myth to this day is actively supported by domestic cinema. However, in fact, this popular machine gun was never a Wehrmacht mass weapon, and it was not Hugo Schmeisser who created it at all. However, first things first.
How myths are created
Everyone should remember the footage from domestic films dedicated to the attacks of the German infantry on our positions. Good-looking blond guys walk without bending, while firing from machine guns "from the hip." And the most interesting thing is that this fact does not surprise anyone, except for those who were in the war. According to the films, the Schmeissers could conduct targeted fire at the same distance as the rifles of our fighters. In addition, the viewer, when watching these films, had the impression that the entire staff of the German infantry during the Second World War was armed with machine guns. In fact, everything was different, and the submachine gun is not the Wehrmacht’s massive small arms, and it’s impossible to shoot from it from the hip, and it’s not called Schmeisser at all. In addition, to carry out a trench attack by a subdivision of submachine gunners, in which there are fighters armed with magazine rifles, is a clear suicide, since no one would have reached the trenches.
Shouting Myth: MP-40 automatic pistol
This Wehrmacht small arms in the Second World War is officially called the submachine gun (Maschinenpistole) MP-40. In fact, this is a modification of the MP-36 assault rifle. The designer of this model, contrary to popular belief, was not the gunsmith H. Schmeisser, but the no less famous and talented master Heinrich Volmer. And why did the nickname "Schmeisser" so firmly entrenched in him? The thing is that Schmeisser owned a patent for the store, which is used in this submachine gun. And in order not to infringe his copyright, the first batches of MP-40 were stamped with PATENT SCHMEISSER on the store receiver. When these machine guns fell as trophies to the soldiers of the Allied armies, they mistakenly considered that the author of this model of small arms was, of course, Schmeisser. So this nickname was fixed for MP-40.
Initially, the German command armed with machine guns exclusively command staff. So, in the infantry divisions MP-40 should have been only at the commanders of battalions, companies and squads. Later, automatic pistols were supplied to drivers of armored vehicles, tank crews and paratroopers. Massively, no one armed them with infantry either in 1941 or after. According to the archives of the German army, in 1941 there were only 250 thousand MP-40 assault rifles in the troops, and this was for 7,234,000 people. As you can see, a submachine gun is not a mass weapon of the Second World War. In general, for the entire period - from 1939 to 1945 - only 1.2 million of these machine guns were produced, while over 21 million people were called up in the Wehrmacht.
Why weren't the infantry armed with the MP-40?
Despite the fact that subsequently experts recognized that the MP-40 is the best small arms of the Second World War, there were units in the infantry units of the Wehrmacht. The explanation is simple: the aiming range of this machine for group targets is only 150 m, and for single targets - 70 m.This despite the fact that Soviet soldiers were armed with Mosin and Tokarev rifles (SVT), whose aiming range was 800 m for group goals and 400 m single. If the Germans fought with such weapons, as shown in domestic films, they would never be able to get to the enemy trenches, they would simply be shot, as in a shooting gallery.
Shooting on the go “from the hip”
When firing, the MP-40 submachine gun vibrates strongly, and if you use it, as shown in the films, the bullets always fly past the target. Therefore, for effective firing it must be pressed tightly to the shoulder, after having unfolded the butt. In addition, this machine was never fired in long bursts, as it quickly heated up. Most often they were beaten with a short burst of 3-4 rounds or fired a single shot. Despite the fact that the performance characteristics indicate that the rate of fire is 450-500 rounds per minute, in practice such a result has never been achieved.
Advantages of MP-40
It cannot be said that this small arms of World War II was bad, on the contrary, it is very, very dangerous, but it must be used in close combat. That is why sabotage units were armed with it in the first place. Also, they were often used by scouts of our army, and the partisans respected this machine gun. The use in close combat of light rapid-fire small arms gave tangible advantages. Even now, the MP-40 is very popular with criminals, and the price of such a machine on the black market is very high. And they are delivered there by “black archaeologists” who excavate in places of military glory and very often find and restore weapons from the time of the Second World War.
Mauser 98k
What can be said about this carbine? The most common small arms in Germany is the Mauser rifle. Its aiming range is up to 2000 m when firing. As you can see, this parameter is very close to the Mosin rifle and SVT. This carbine was developed back in 1888. During the war, this design was significantly modernized, mainly to reduce costs, as well as to streamline production. In addition, this Wehrmacht small arms was equipped with optical sights, and it was equipped with sniper units. The rifle of the Mauser system at that time was in service with many armies, for example, Belgium, Spain, Turkey, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia and Sweden.
Self-loading rifles
In late 1941, the Wehrmacht's infantry units for military tests received the first automatic self-loading rifles of the Walter G-41 and Mauser G-41 systems. Their appearance was due to the fact that more than one and a half million of such systems were in service with the Red Army: SVT-38, SVT-40 and ABC-36. In order not to concede to Soviet fighters, German gunsmiths urgently had to develop their own versions of such rifles. As a result of the tests, the G-41 system (Walter system) was recognized and adopted as the best. The rifle is equipped with a hammer trigger mechanism. Designed for firing only single shots. It is equipped with a magazine with a capacity of ten rounds. This automatic self-loading rifle is designed for aimed fire at a distance of up to 1200 m. However, due to the large weight of this weapon, as well as low reliability and sensitivity to pollution, it was released in a small series. In 1943, the designers, eliminating these shortcomings, proposed a modernized version of the G-43 (Walter system), which was released in the amount of several hundred thousand units. Before its appearance, the Wehrmacht soldiers preferred to use captured Soviet-made (!) SVT-40 rifles.
Now back to the German gunsmith Hugo Schmeisser. He developed two systems that World War II could not do without.
Small arms - MP-41
This model was developed simultaneously with the MP-40. This submachine gun was significantly different from the Schmeisser movie familiar to everyone: it had a handguard trimmed with wood, which protected the soldier from burns, was heavier and longer. However, this Wehrmacht small arms did not receive wide distribution and was not produced for long. A total of about 26 thousand units were produced. It is believed that the German army refused this machine in connection with a lawsuit by ERMA, which announced the illegal copying of its patented design. Small arms MP-41 was used by parts of the Waffen SS. It was also successfully used by units of the Gestapo and mountain rangers.
MP-43, or StG-44
The next Wehrmacht weapon (photo below) Schmeisser developed in 1943. At first it was called MP-43, and later - StG-44, which means “assault rifle” (sturmgewehr). This automatic rifle in appearance, and in some technical characteristics, resembles a Kalashnikov assault rifle (which appeared later), and differs significantly from the MP-40. She aimed fire range up to 800 m. The StG-44 even provided for the possibility of mounting 30 mm grenade launcher. For firing from cover, the designer developed a special nozzle that was worn on the muzzle and changed the path of the bullet by 32 degrees. This weapon got into mass production only in the autumn of 1944. During the war years, about 450 thousand of these rifles were produced. So few German soldiers managed to use such a machine gun. StG-44s were shipped to elite units of the Wehrmacht and to units of the Waffen SS. Subsequently, this Wehrmacht weapon was used in the Armed Forces of the GDR.
Automatic rifles FG-42
These copies were intended for parachute troops. They combined the fighting qualities of a light machine gun and an automatic rifle. The company “Rheinmetall” took up the development of weapons already during the war, when after evaluating the results of the airborne operations conducted by the Wehrmacht, it became clear that the MR-38 submachine guns did not fully meet the combat requirements of this type of troops. The first tests of this rifle were carried out in 1942, and then it was taken into service. In the process of using the aforementioned weapons, shortcomings related to low strength and stability during automatic shooting were revealed. In 1944, the upgraded FG-42 rifle (Model 2) was launched, and Model 1 was discontinued. The trigger mechanism of this weapon allows automatic or single fire. The rifle is designed for a standard Mauser cartridge of 7.92 mm. The magazine capacity is 10 or 20 rounds. In addition, the rifle can be used for firing special gun grenades. In order to increase stability when firing under the barrel fixed bipod. The FG-42 rifle is designed for firing at a range of 1200 m. Due to its high cost, it was released in a limited quantity: only 12 thousand units of both models.
Luger P08 and Walter P38
Now consider what types of pistols were in service with the German army. The Luger, its second name, Parabellum, had a caliber of 7.65 mm. By the beginning of the war, there were more than half a million of these pistols in parts of the German army. This Wehrmacht small arms were produced until 1942, and then it was replaced by a more reliable "Walter".
This gun was adopted in 1940. It was intended for shooting with 9 mm rounds, the magazine capacity is 8 rounds. Sighting range at "Walter" - 50 meters. It was produced until 1945. The total number of issued P38 pistols was approximately 1 million units.
WWII weapons: MG-34, MG-42, and MG-45
In the early 30s, the German military decided to create a machine gun that could be used both as an easel and a manual one. They were supposed to shell enemy aircraft and arm tanks. The MG-34, designed by Rheinmetall and adopted in 1934, became such a machine gun. By the start of hostilities in the Wehrmacht, there were about 80 thousand units of these weapons. The machine gun allows you to fire both single shots and continuous. To do this, he had a trigger with two recesses. When you click on the top, firing was carried out in single shots, and when you click on the bottom - in bursts. Mauser rifle cartridges of 7.92x57 mm, with light or heavy bullets, were intended for him. And in the 40s, armor-piercing, armor-piercing-tracing, armor-piercing incendiary and other types of cartridges were developed and used. From this the conclusion suggests itself that the impetus for making changes to the weapons systems and tactics of their use was World War II.
The small arms used in this company were replenished with a new machine gun model - MG-42. It was developed and adopted in 1942. Designers have greatly simplified and cheapened the production of these weapons. So, in its production, spot welding and stamping were widely used, and the number of parts was reduced to 200. The trigger mechanism of the machine gun under consideration allowed only automatic firing - 1200-1300 rounds per minute. Such significant changes adversely affected the stability of the unit when firing. Therefore, to ensure accuracy, it was recommended to fire in short bursts. The ammunition for the new machine gun remained the same as for the MG-34. The range of aimed fire was two kilometers. Work on improving this design continued until the end of 1943, which led to the creation of a new modification, known as the MG-45.
This machine gun weighed only 6.5 kg, and the rate of fire was 2400 rounds per minute. Incidentally, no infantry machine gun of that time could boast of a similar rate of fire. However, this modification appeared too late and was not in service with the Wehrmacht.
Anti-tank rifles: PzB-39 and Panzerschrek
PzB-39 was developed in 1938. These weapons of World War II were used with relative success at the initial stage to combat tankettes, tanks and armored vehicles with bulletproof armor. Against heavily armored tanks (French V-1, English Matild and Churchill, Soviet T-34 and KV) this gun was either ineffective or completely useless. As a result, he was soon replaced with anti-tank grenade launchers and anti-tank rocket launchers, the PanzerShrek, Ofenror, as well as the famous Faustpatrons. The PzB-39 used a cartridge with a caliber of 7.92 mm. The firing range was 100 meters, penetrated ability allowed to “flash” 35-mm armor.
"Pantsershrek." This German light anti-tank weapon is a modified copy of the Bazooka American jet gun. German designers provided him with a shield that defended the shooter from the hot gases escaping from the nozzle of a grenade. The anti-tank companies of motorized rifle regiments of tank divisions were supplied with these weapons as a matter of priority. Jet guns were extremely powerful. The Panzerschreks were weapons for group use and had a crew of three. Since they were very complex, their use required special training in calculations. In total, in the years 1943-1944, 314 thousand units of such guns were released and more than two million rocket-propelled grenades for them.
Grenade launchers: Faustpatron and Panzerfaust
The first years of World War II showed that anti-tank rifles could not cope with their tasks, so the German military demanded anti-tank weapons that could equip infantrymen, operating on the principle of "fired - threw away." The development of a disposable hand grenade launcher was launched by HASAG in 1942 (chief designer Langweiler). And in 1943, mass production was launched. The first 500 Faustpatrons entered the army in August of that year. All models of this anti-tank grenade launcher had a similar design: they consisted of a barrel (smooth-bore solid-drawn tube) and an over-caliber grenade. An impact mechanism and an aiming device were welded to the outer surface of the barrel.
Panzerfaust is one of the most powerful modifications of the Faustpatron, which was developed at the end of the war. Its firing range was 150 m, and armor penetration - 280-320 mm. "Panzerfaust" was a reusable weapon. The barrel of the grenade launcher is equipped with a pistol grip, in which the trigger mechanism is located, a propelling charge was placed in the barrel. In addition, the designers were able to increase the flight speed of the grenade. In total, during the war years, more than eight million grenade launchers of all modifications were manufactured.This type of weapon inflicted significant losses on Soviet tanks. So, in the battles on the approaches to Berlin, they killed about 30 percent of armored vehicles, and during street battles in the capital of Germany - 70%.
Conclusion
World War II had a significant impact on small arms, including automatic weapons of the world, its development and tactics of use. According to its results, we can conclude that, despite the creation of the most modern weapons, the role of rifle units does not decrease. The experience gained in using weapons in those years is still relevant today. In fact, it became the basis for the development, as well as the improvement of small arms.