The Germans can be credited (for good or bad) with the revolutionary development of the world’s first assault rifle which has radically altered the shape of modern warfare.In the last installment, a few of the basic weapons from the Rifles section of GURPS Ultra-Tech were examined. The AK-47 has had a dramatic impact all across the world, utilized by various countries and terrorist groups. Its development inspired the creation of the Soviet AK-47, one of the most mass-produced and replicated assault rifles in our modern world. It has also had a significant effect on the development of modern firearms. (A German soldier aims down a modified sight on the StG 44)Īs the world’s first assault rifle the StG 44 stands as a superior and technologically advanced firearm. What makes these numbers even more stunning is the fact that the 5 th division had more artillery support and was numerically a larger unit. The 3 rd division had been allocated more StG’s than the 5 th. Why the difference? Both had been in combat together facing the same elements of the US army. In comparing the 3 rd and the 5 th Fallschirmjaeger divisions, the 5 th division lost almost 9000 men during the offensive while the 3 rd division lost around 2500. It was also utilized in the Ardennes Offensive where an analysis of two paratrooper division’s casualties highlights its effectiveness. It was very effective in close combat and allowed soldiers to lay down suppressing and covering fire effectively. The StG arrived on the Eastern Front and was used to counter the Soviet’s SMGs. It could also not be produced in larger quantities because the Allies had already bombed and destroyed German factories and industries and had encroached on German territory. Its effectiveness is difficult to measure largely because it came at a time when the war was arguably already lost. It was gas-operated through a piston working in a gas cylinder above the barrel and had a pistol grip, a wooden stock, a 30-round magazine and weighed just over 11 pounds. It also meant that while it was not as lethal and did not have as much range as the Kar 98, it was capable of fully automatic fire which is what made it significant. This made it a weapon that fell in between the bolt action rifles and the SMGs. It utilized the intermediate 7.92x33 round, which fell squarely in between the 7.92x57 Mauser round used by the Kar 98 and the 9x19-millimeter round used by the MP series. The German industry pumped out 425,977 StG’s for the Wehrmacht until the end of the war. In late 1944 it was finally dubbed the StG 44 or the Sturmgewehr (Storm Gun) 44. In April 1944, it was renamed the MP-44 and distributed to soldiers in small numbers. The infantrymen required a weapon which would allow them to lay down long waves of fire, especially on the Eastern front where the Soviets heavily outnumbered the Germans.īy 1942, Hugo Schmeisser developed the prototype for the assault rifle, dubbing it the MP-43. With the advent of Blitzkrieg and the lightning pace of mechanized warfare during the Second World War, these needs became outdated. The bolt action rifles combined with the submachine guns were effective during the First World War when the rifles could be used to fire across no mans land while the SMG’s could be used to clear the trenches. During my time at the RCMI, I’ve been lucky enough to handle such weapons and I’ve learned a great deal about their significance in military history. Its introduction did not serve to change the course of the war but it had a resounding impact on the evolution of small-arms developments after the war. It was at this point that the Wehrmacht introduced the StG 44 Assault Rifle. On the Western front, the Allies had made amphibious landings at Normandy. On the Eastern front, the Soviets had countered the German invasion and had steadily been advancing towards Berlin. By 1944 the German army had suffered devastating losses across Europe. These were augmented by light and submachine guns such as the MP40. During the Second World War, the German Wehrmacht primarily relied on bolt action rifles such as the Karabiner 98k as their main infantry weapon.
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