Small arms of the USSR and the Wehrmacht of the Second World War. Russian sniper weapons during WWII

The further back in time the years of fighting with the Nazi occupiers go, the more big amount myths, idle speculation, often accidental, sometimes malicious, surround those events. One of them is that the German troops were completely armed with the notorious Schmeissers, which are an unsurpassed example of an assault rifle of all times and peoples before the advent of the Kalashnikov assault rifle. What the Wehrmacht small arms of the Second World War actually were like, whether they were as great as they are “painted”, it is worth looking into in more detail to understand the real situation.

The blitzkrieg strategy, which consisted of a lightning-fast defeat of enemy troops with an overwhelming advantage of tank formations covered, assigned motorized ground forces almost an auxiliary role - to complete the final defeat of a demoralized enemy, and not to conduct bloody battles with the massive use of rapid-fire small arms.

Perhaps this is why, by the beginning of the war with the USSR, the vast majority of German soldiers were armed with rifles rather than machine guns, which is confirmed by archival documents. So, infantry division The Wehrmacht in 1940 was required to have:

• Rifles and carbines – 12,609 pcs.
• Submachine guns, which would later be called machine guns - 312 pcs.
• Light machine guns – 425 pcs., heavy machine guns – 110 pcs.
• Pistols – 3,600 pcs.
• Anti-tank rifles – 90 pcs.

As can be seen from the above document, small arms, their ratio in terms of the number of types, had a significant advantage in favor of the traditional weapons of the ground forces - rifles. Therefore, by the beginning of the war, the infantry formations of the Red Army, mostly armed with excellent Mosin rifles, were in no way inferior to the enemy in this matter, and staffing quantity submachine guns rifle division The Red Army was even much larger - 1,024 units.

Later, in connection with the experience of battles, when the presence of rapid-fire, quickly reloaded small arms made it possible to gain an advantage due to the density of fire, the Soviet and German high commands decided to massively equip the troops with automatic hand weapons, but this did not happen immediately.

The most popular small arms of the German army by 1939 was the Mauser rifle - Mauser 98K. It was a modernized version of a weapon developed by German designers at the end of the previous century, repeating the fate of the famous “Mosinka” model of 1891, after which it underwent numerous “upgrades”, being in service with the Red Army, and then Soviet army until the end of the 50s. Specifications Mauser 98K rifles are also very similar:

An experienced soldier was able to take aim and fire 15 shots from it in one minute. Equipping the German army with these simple, unpretentious weapons began in 1935. In total, more than 15 million units were manufactured, which undoubtedly indicates its reliability and demand among the troops.

The G41 self-loading rifle, on instructions from the Wehrmacht, was developed by German designers from the Mauser and Walther arms concerns. After state tests, the Walter system was recognized as the most successful.

The rifle had a number of serious shortcomings that were revealed during operation, which dispels another myth about the superiority of German weapons. As a result, the G41 underwent significant modernization in 1943, primarily related to the replacement of the gas exhaust system borrowed from the Soviet SVT-40 rifle, and became known as the G43. In 1944, it was renamed the K43 carbine, without adding any constructive changes. This rifle, in terms of technical data and reliability, was significantly inferior to self-loading rifles produced in the Soviet Union, which is recognized by gunsmiths.

Submachine guns (PP) - machine guns

By the beginning of the war, the Wehrmacht had several types of automatic weapons, many of which had been developed back in the 1920s, often produced in limited series for police use, as well as for export sale:

Basic technical data of the MP 38, produced in 1941:

• Caliber – 9 mm.
• Cartridge – 9 x 19 mm.
• Length with folded stock – 630 mm.
• Magazine capacity of 32 rounds.
• Sighting range shooting range – 200 m.
• Weight with loaded magazine – 4.85 kg.
• Rate of fire – 400 rounds/min.

By the way, by September 1, 1939, the Wehrmacht had only 8.7 thousand MP 38 units in service. However, after taking into account and eliminating the shortcomings of the new weapon identified in the battles during the occupation of Poland, the designers made changes, mainly related to reliability, and the weapon became mass produced. In total, during the war years, the German army received more than 1.2 million units of the MP 38 and its subsequent modifications - MP 38/40, MP 40.

It was MP 38 that was called Schmeisser by the Red Army soldiers. Most probable cause This was due to the stamp on the magazines chambered for them with the name of the German designer, co-owner of the weapons manufacturing company, Hugo Schmeisser. His surname is also associated with a very common myth that he developed in 1944 assault rifle Stg-44 or Schmeisser assault rifle, externally similar to the famous Kalashnikov invention, is its prototype.

Pistols and machine guns

Rifles and machine guns were the main weapons of Wehrmacht soldiers, but we should not forget about officer or additional weapons - pistols, as well as machine guns - hand and easel, which were a significant force during the fighting. They will be discussed in more detail in the following articles.

Speaking about the confrontation with Hitler’s Germany, it should be remembered that in fact the Soviet Union fought with the entire “united” Nazis, therefore the Romanian, Italian and many other countries’ troops had not only World War II Wehrmacht small arms produced directly in Germany, Czechoslovakia, former real weapons forge, but also of its own production. As a rule, it was of poorer quality and less reliable, even if it was produced according to the patents of German gunsmiths.

Social phenomena

Finance and crisis

Elements and weather

Science and technology

Unusual phenomena

Nature monitoring

Author sections

Discovering the story

Extreme World

Info reference

File archive

Discussions

Services

Infofront

Information from NF OKO

RSS export

useful links

Important Topics

After the First World War, sniping became firmly established in army life, becoming an element of combat training for excellent marksmen in the army. But in our country, close attention to the sniper movement was paid only at the end of the 20s, and even then not by the high military command, but by the leadership of the almighty OGPU-NKVD

close military-technical cooperation Soviet Union with Weimar Germany contributed to the transfer to our country of the most modern designs military equipment and weapons, as well as technologies for their production. At the same time, the first enterprises for the production of optical instruments appeared in the USSR. It was this circumstance, along with the beginning of work to improve the main infantry weapon - the Mosin three-line rifle, that gave impetus to the creation in 1927-28 of the first Soviet model of sniper weapon, designed on the basis of the Mosin dragoon rifle, model 1891.

Initially, the rifle mod. 1891 was put into service in three basic versions, which differed little from each other. the infantry rifle had a long barrel and bayonet. The dragoon (cavalry) rifle had a slightly shorter barrel and was also equipped with a bayonet; in addition, the method of attaching the rifle belt was changed for the dragoon rifle (instead of swivels, through holes were made in the stock). The Cossack rifle differed from the dragoon rifle only in the absence of a bayonet. The bayonet for the rifle model 1891 was also adopted from a somewhat outdated model - needle-shaped, fastened with a tubular coupling placed on the barrel. The bayonet had square section with small fullers on the sides, the tip is sharpened to a plane, and could be used as a screwdriver when disassembling a weapon

Tactical and technical characteristics of the Mosin rifle
Length 1306 mm
Length with bayonet 1738 mm
Barrel length 800 mm
Number of grooves 4
Rifling pitch 250 mm
Bullet speed 640 m/s blunt heavy bullet
up to 880 m/s pointed light bullet
Bullet energy up to 3800 J
Combat rate of fire without aiming up to 35 v/m
with aiming up to 20 V/m
Sighting range 1920 m

In general and in general, evaluating the rifle from the perspective of its time and in relation to the specific conditions of the production and operation of military weapons in Russian Empire, we can say that, although it did not represent a revolutionary new or unique weapon in its characteristics, in terms of the overall set of properties and qualities it was sufficiently close to the best model that could be adopted in those years.

Having a number of objective shortcomings from the point of view of design and operation, nevertheless, it was quite capable of successfully fulfilling its main purpose, replacing in the troops the single-shot Berdan rifle chambered for black powder. Its main combat qualities - bullet ballistics, combat accuracy, rate of fire, operational reliability - fully met the requirements of that time for this class of weapons, and at the same time, in terms of its design and technological features, it was adapted for production primarily by the domestic Russian industry in quantities sufficient For fully armed at that time, the most numerous Russian army in Europe, as well as to exploitation by soldiers who often did not have the proper level of technical, or simply general, literacy.

Simonov ABC-36 automatic sniper rifle

In the USSR, competitive tests of automatic rifles were carried out in 1926, 1928 and 1930. None of the rifles tested passed these tests. But already at the very beginning of the 30s. a rifle appeared, developed by S.G. Simonov, successfully passed the tests and entered service in 1936 (ABC-36). The operation of the ABC-Zb automation was based on the principle of removal of powder gases, and Simonov used such a layout of the gas exhaust system - above the barrel, which was subsequently used and is currently used on best examples automatic weapons operating on this principle. The barrel was locked by a vertically moving wedge. The magazine is removable, holds 15 rounds with a staggered arrangement. The rifle was primarily designed for single-fire use, but it was also capable of fully automatic fire. Its effectiveness was increased by such devices on the rifle as muzzle brake and a bipod-bayonet. A single shooter armed with this new rifle could achieve the same density of fire as a group of three or five shooters armed with conventional rifles. By 1938, more than 35 thousand ABC-36s entered the troops.

In general, the Simonov rifle turned out to be difficult to manufacture and not reliable enough for mass use among the troops. ABC had a very complex design and many complex-shaped parts, the production of which required high qualifications and a lot of time and resources. The design made it possible to assemble the rifle without a locking block and then fire a shot; if this happened by mistake by the shooter, the receiver was destroyed and the shooter was injured by the bolt group flying back. The original wedge locking did not pay off either. The survivability of the usm also left much to be desired.

Nevertheless, the Simonov automatic rifle is noteworthy as one of the first of its kind, adopted for mass service and tested in combat conditions, as well as as a very advanced model for its time, created by domestic engineers and mastered in large-scale production by the domestic industry

Tokarev sniper self-loading rifle (SVT-40)

In 1940, replaced by 7.62 mm sniper rifle sample 1891/30 a new 7.62-mm sniper self-loading rifle of the Tokarev system (SVT) model 1940 arrives (it differs from the SVT-38 in its smaller length and weight. The SVT-38 was first used by the troops in the war with Finland in 1939-40) Sniper The SVT-40 rifle differed from the basic model of the standard SVT-40 rifle not only in the presence of a new universal 3.5x PU optical sight (a universal sight designed specifically for SVT-40 snipers), designed for a firing range of up to 1300 m, but also and processing of the barrel bore on precision machines to improve the accuracy of the fire. It was first used by the troops in the war with Finland in 1939-40.

The SVT rifle, as follows from its full name, is a self-loading (semi-automatic) weapon with a magazine feed and an automatic gas engine. There was also a variant of the AVT-40 rifle, which had the ability to fire and fire in bursts, however, due to the insufficient strength of the receiver and barrel, it was produced in a very limited series.

The SVT automation is built on the basis of a gas engine with a short (36 mm) piston stroke. The gas chamber is located in a special part - the muzzle, which, in addition to the gas chamber, also includes a muzzle brake, the base of the front sight and a bayonet mount. The gas chamber contains a five-position gas regulator. The piston is located above the barrel and in its rear part has a return spring that rests against the front part of the receiver. When fired, the gas piston gives the bolt frame the necessary impulse with a short and strong push, after which the bolt frame and bolt move by inertia. The return spring of the bolt group is located in the receiver, behind the bolt frame. The barrel is locked by tilting the rear part of the bolt downwards, behind a special stop in the bottom of the receiver. The trigger mechanism is hammer-operated, the safety is located behind the trigger and locks it when turned on. In the AVT-40 version, the fuse has an additional position and also serves as a fire mode translator.

The rifle is fed from detachable box magazines with 10 rounds of ammunition. Equipping the magazines is possible either by separating them from the rifle, or in attached form, using standard 5-round clips from a Mosin rifle. For this purpose, guides for clips are made in the receiver cover. A shutter stop (bolt lag) has been introduced into the bolt group device, which ensures that the bolt is locked in the rear (open) position after all the cartridges in the magazine have been used up.

The rifles were equipped with removable bayonet knives of a similar design, but the SVT-40 bayonet had a shorter blade length. In the traveling position, the bayonet was carried in a sheath on the belt, and attached to the rifle only when necessary.

Simonov self-loading carbine (SKS-45). Model 1945

The SKS underwent military tests on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War in the victorious 1945 and was adopted by the army in 1949 almost simultaneously with the Kalashnikov assault rifle. Being quite comparable to the AK in terms of reliability and simplicity of the device, the SKS, of course, was inferior to it in combat effectiveness. During the Great Patriotic War the last doubts regarding the feasibility of the mass use of automatic weapons were dispelled, and therefore the army history of the carbine was quite short.

Tactical and technical characteristics of the SKS-45 carbine
Caliber, mm	7,62
Cartridge used	7.62x39
Length without bayonet, mm	1020
Barrel length, mm	520
Weight without cartridges, kg	3,75
Magazine capacity, cartridges	10
Sighting range, m	1000
Rate of fire, shots/min	30-40

To date a large number of Simonov carbines are in army warehouses, and some of them, having passed special training at a weapons factory, goes on sale with the abbreviation<ОП>. The main enterprise producing OP-SKS is the Vyatsko-Polyansky Machine-Building Plant<Молот>(manufacturer of carbines series<Вепрь>and smoothbore guns<Бекас>).

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

At this time, machine guns became the main destructive force of small arms at medium and long ranges: among some shooters, self-loading rifles were gradually replaced by submachine guns instead of self-loading rifles. And if in July 1941 the rifle company had six light machine guns, then a year later - 12, and in July 1943 - 18 light machine guns and one heavy machine gun.

Let's start with Soviet models.

The first was, naturally, the Maxim machine gun of the 1910/30 model, modified to accept a heavier bullet weighing 11.8 g. Compared to the 1910 model, about 200 changes were made to its design. The machine gun became lighter by more than 5 kg, and reliability automatically increased. Also for the new modification, a new Sokolov wheeled machine was developed.

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

The specifics were the use of fabric tape and water cooling of the barrel. The machine gun itself weighed 20.3 kg (without water); and together with the machine - 64.3 kg.

The Maxim machine gun was a powerful and familiar weapon, but at the same time it had too heavy weight for maneuverable combat, and water cooling could cause difficulties when overheating: fiddling with canisters during combat is not always convenient. In addition, the Maxim device was quite complex, which was important in wartime.

There was also an attempt to make a light machine gun from the easel "Maxim". As a result, the MT (Maxim-Tokarev) machine gun of the 1925 model was created. The resulting weapon can only be called a hand-held weapon only conditionally, since the machine gun weighed almost 13 kg. This model was not widespread.

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

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

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

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

Gunsmith V.A. Degtyarev also developed a heavy machine gun. In September 1939, the 7.62-mm heavy machine gun of the Degtyarev system (DS-39) was put into service; they planned to gradually replace the Maxims with it.

Cartridge - 7.62 x 54 mm; food - belt, 250 rounds; rate of fire - 600 or 1200 rounds/minute, switchable; weight 14.3 kg + 28 kg machine with shield.

By the time of Germany’s treacherous attack on the USSR, the Red Army had about 10 thousand DS-39 machine guns in service. In front conditions, their design shortcomings quickly became clear: too fast and energetic recoil of the bolt caused frequent ruptures of the cartridges when removing them from the barrel, which led to the inertial dismantling of the cartridge with a heavy bullet that jumped out of the barrel of the cartridge case. Of course, in peaceful conditions this problem could have been solved, but there was no time for experiments, the industry was evacuated, so production of the DS-39 was stopped.

The question of replacing the Maximov with a more modern design remained, and in October 1943 the 7.62 mm heavy machine guns Goryunov systems of the 1943 model (SG-43) began to enter the troops. It is interesting that Degtyarev honestly admitted that the SG-43 is better and more economical than his design - a clear demonstration of the difference between competition and competition.

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

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

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

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

Cartridge - 7.62x39 mm; food - belt, 100 rounds; rate of fire - 650 rounds/minute; weight - 7.4 kg.

However, it entered service after the war and was also gradually replaced by manual RPK machine gun during the unification of small arms in the Soviet Army.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let's move on to German machine guns.

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

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

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

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

An unsuccessful design among German machine guns was the HK MG-36. The relatively light (10 kg) and easy-to-manufacture machine gun was not reliable enough, the rate of fire was 500 rounds per minute, and the box magazine contained only 25 rounds. As a result, it was first armed with Waffen SS units, supplied on a residual basis, then it was used as a training weapon, and in 1943 it was completely withdrawn from service.

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

Cartridge - 7.92x57 mm Mauser; food - belt, 50 or 250 rounds; rate of fire - 800-900 rounds/minute; weight - 11.6 kg (machine gun) + 20.5 kg (Lafette 42 machine).

Compared to the MG-34, the designers were able to reduce the cost of the machine gun by approximately 30%, and the metal consumption by 50%. Production of the MG-42 continued throughout the war; in total, more than 400 thousand machine guns were produced.

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

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

Video comparison of SG-43 and MG-42 (in English, but there are subtitles):

The Mauser MG-81 machine gun of the 1939 model was also used to a limited extent.

Cartridge - 7.92x57 mm Mauser; food - belt, 50 or 250 rounds; rate of fire - 1500-1600 rounds/minute; weight - 8.0 kg.

Initially, the MG-81 was used as an on-board defensive weapon for Luftwaffe bombers; it began to enter service with airfield divisions in 1944. The short barrel length resulted in smaller initial speed bullets compared to standard ones light machine guns, but the MG-81 had less weight.

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

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

Thus, we can say that in general, from a design point of view, the Reich and the USSR had parity in machine guns. On the one hand, MG-34 and MG-42 had a significantly higher rate of fire, which in many cases had great importance. On the other hand, they required frequent changes of barrels, otherwise the rate of fire remained theoretical.

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

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

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

Second World War significantly influenced the development of small arms, which remained the most in mass form weapons. The share of combat losses from it was 28-30%, which is quite an impressive figure considering the massive use of aviation, artillery and tanks...

The war showed that with the creation of the most modern means armed struggle, the role of small arms did not decrease, and the attention that was paid to them in the warring states during these years increased significantly. The experience gained in the use of weapons during the war is not outdated today, having become the basis for the development and improvement of small arms.

7.62 mm rifle model 1891 Mosin system
The rifle was developed by Russian army captain S.I. Mosin and in 1891 adopted by the Russian army under the designation “7.62 mm rifle model 1891”. After modernization in 1930, it was put into mass production and was in service with the Red Army before World War II and during the war. Rifle mod. 1891/1930 was distinguished by high reliability, accuracy, simplicity and ease of use. In total, more than 12 million model rifles were manufactured during the war years. 1891/1930 and carbines created on its basis.

7.62 mm sniper rifle of the Mosin system
The sniper rifle differed from a regular rifle by the presence of an optical sight, a bolt handle bent to the bottom, and improved processing of the barrel bore.

7.62 mm rifle of the 1940 model of the Tokarev system
The rifle was developed by F.V. Tokarev, in accordance with the desire of the military command and the highest political leadership of the country to have a self-loading rifle in service with the Red Army, which would allow rational consumption of cartridges and provide a greater target range of fire. Mass production of SVT-38 rifles began in the second half of 1939. The first batches of rifles were sent to the Red Army units involved in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939–1940. IN extreme conditions This “winter” war revealed such shortcomings of the rifle as bulkiness, heavy weight, inconvenience of gas adjustment, sensitivity to pollution and low temperature. To eliminate these shortcomings, the rifle was modernized, and production of its modernized version, SVT-40, began on June 1, 1940.

7.62 mm sniper rifle of the Tokarev system
The sniper version of the SVT-40 differed from the serial samples in a more careful adjustment of the trigger elements, qualitatively better processing bore and a special boss on the receiver for installing a bracket with optical sight. The SVT-40 sniper rifle was equipped with a specially created PU sight (universal sight) with 3.5x magnification. It allowed firing at a range of up to 1300 meters. The weight of the rifle with the sight was 4.5 kg. Sight weight - 270 g.

14.5 mm anti-tank rifle PTRD-41
This gun was developed by V.A. Degtyarev in 1941 to fight enemy tanks. PTRD was powerful weapon- at a distance of up to 300 m, his bullet penetrated armor 35-40 mm thick. The incendiary effect of the bullets was also high. Thanks to this, the gun was successfully used throughout the Second World War. Its production was discontinued only in January 1945.

7.62 mm DP light machine gun
Light machine gun created by designer V.A. Degtyarev in 1926, became the most powerful automatic weapon of the rifle divisions of the Red Army. The machine gun was put into service in February 1927 under the name "7.62-mm light machine gun DP" (DP meant Degtyarev - infantry). The low weight (for a machine gun) was achieved thanks to the use of an automation scheme based on the principle of removal of powder gases through a hole in a fixed barrel, the rational design and layout of parts of the moving system, as well as the use air cooling trunk The target firing range of a machine gun is 1500 m, the maximum flight range of a bullet is 3000 m. Of the 1515.9 thousand machine guns fired during the Great Patriotic War, the vast majority were precisely light machine guns Degtyareva.

7.62 mm submachine gun of the Degtyarev system
The PPD was adopted for service in 1935, becoming the first submachine gun to become widespread in the Red Army. The PPD was designed for a modified 7.62 Mauser pistol cartridge. The firing range of the PPD reached 500 meters. The trigger mechanism of the weapon made it possible to fire both single shots and bursts. There were a number of modifications of the PPD with improved magazine mounting and modified production technology.

7.62 mm submachine gun of the Shpagin system mod. 1941
The PPSh (Shpagin submachine gun) was adopted by the Red Army in December 1940 under the name “7.62 mm Shpagin system submachine gun model 1941 (PPSh-41).” The main advantage of the PPSh-41 was that only its barrel required careful machining. All other metal parts were made mainly by cold stamping from sheet metal. The parts were connected using spot and arc electric welding and rivets. You can disassemble and reassemble the submachine gun without a screwdriver - there is not a single screw connection in it. From the first quarter of 1944, submachine guns began to be equipped with sector magazines with a capacity of 35 rounds, which were more convenient and cheaper to produce. In total, more than six million PPSh were produced.

7.62 mm pistol of the Tokarev system mod. 1933
The development of pistols in the USSR practically began from scratch. However, already at the beginning of 1931, the Tokarev system pistol, recognized as the most reliable, light and compact, was adopted for service. In mass production of the TT (Tula, Tokarev), which began in 1933, the details of the trigger mechanism, barrel and frame were changed. The target firing range of the TT is 50 meters, the bullet flight range is from 800 meters to 1 kilometer. Capacity – 8 rounds of 7.62 mm caliber. The total production of TT pistols for the period from 1933 to the end of their production in the mid-50s is estimated at 1,740,000 units.

PPS-42(43)
The PPSh-41, which was in service with the Red Army, turned out to be - mainly due to too large sizes and mass - not convenient enough when fighting in populated areas, indoors, for reconnaissance officers, paratroopers and crews of combat vehicles. In addition, in wartime conditions it was necessary to reduce the costs of mass production of submachine guns. In this regard, a competition was announced to develop a new submachine gun for the army. The Sudayev submachine gun, developed in 1942, won this competition and was put into service at the end of 1942 under the name PPS-42. The design, modified the following year, called PPS-43 (the barrel and butt were shortened, the cocking handle, the safety box and the shoulder rest latch were changed, the barrel casing and receiver were combined into one part) was also adopted. The PPS is often called the best submachine gun of World War II. It is distinguished by its convenience, sufficiently high combat capabilities for a submachine gun, high reliability, and compactness. At the same time, the PPS is very technologically advanced, simple and cheap to produce, which was especially important in conditions of a difficult, protracted war, with a constant lack of material and labor resources. The PPS was developed in besieged Leningrad, based on a compilation of its own project and the project of Lieutenant Technician I.K. . Bezruchko-Vysotsky (shutter design and return system). Its production was launched there, at the Sestroretsk Arms Plant, initially for the needs of the Leningrad Front. While food for Leningraders was coming to the besieged city along the road of life, not only refugees, but also new weapons were being taken back from the city.

In total, about 500,000 units of PPS of both modifications were produced during the war.