Weapons of the Second World War (Red Army). Between the great wars The first submachine gun developed in 1930

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 Soviet-Finnish war, as well as on initial stage Great Patriotic War.

History of creation and production

After a series of unsuccessful experiments using the 7.62 × 38 mm Nagant cartridge, on July 7, 1928, the Artillery Committee proposed adopting the 7.63 × 25 mm Mauser cartridge for pistols and submachine guns, which was used in the popular Mauser C96 pistol in the USSR. In favor of choosing this cartridge, in addition to its high combat qualities, it was said that the production of 7.62-mm barrels of both pistols and submachine guns could be carried out on the same technological equipment, and unification along the bore with the Mosin rifle allowed the use of existing equipment and even defective blanks of rifle "three-line" barrels. In addition, the bottle shape of the sleeve increased the reliability of feeding from the magazine.

At the end of 1929, the Revolutionary Military Council decided that the submachine gun, rated by him as "powerful automatic melee weapon", will be introduced into the weapon system of the Red Army in the near future. The main weapon of the Soviet infantry, according to the decision of the Revolutionary Military Council, was to be a modern self-loading rifle, and an auxiliary submachine gun along with it. In the same 1929, an experienced 7.62 mm Degtyarev submachine gun.

In June-July 1930, a commission headed by division commander V.F. Grushetsky conducted tests of self-loading pistols and experimental submachine guns for new cartridges (the so-called "Competition of 1930"). The results of these tests were generally unsatisfactory, so that none of the samples submitted to it was accepted for service. Nevertheless, its implementation helped to finally determine the requirements for a new type of weapon.

In 1931, the next version of the Degtyarev submachine gun appeared, with a semi-free shutter of a different type, in which the slowdown in the retreat of the shutter was achieved not by redistributing energy between its two parts, but due to the increased friction that occurs between the cocking handle of the shutter and the bevel in front of the cutout under it in the receiver, in which the handle fell after the shutter arrived in the extremely forward position, while the shutter itself turned to the right at a small angle. This sample had a round receiver, more technologically advanced, and the barrel was almost completely covered with wooden lining (instead of a casing).

Finally, in 1932, an even more simplified version appeared, this time with a free shutter. In 1932-1933, a total of 14 samples of 7.62-mm submachine guns were developed and passed field tests, including converted Tokarev, Degtyarev and Korovin submachine guns, as well as newly developed Prilutsky and Kolesnikova. The systems of Degtyarev and Tokarev were recognized as the most successful, but the PPD turned out to be a little more technologically advanced and had a relatively low rate of fire beneficial for this type of weapon.

After revision, in which, in addition to Degtyarev, designers participated G. F. Kubynov, P. E. Ivanov and G. G. Markov, On January 23, 1935, it was approved by the GAU as a model for the manufacture of an experimental batch (30 copies), and on July 9, it was adopted by the Red Army under the name "7.62-mm submachine gun of the 1934 model of the Degtyarev system (PPD)". In the same year, production began on Kovrov Plant No. 2(named after K. O. Kirkizh).

Most military experts of that time, both in the USSR and abroad, considered the submachine gun as a "police", and when used by the army - a purely auxiliary weapon. In accordance with these ideas, and also due to the rather low manufacturability and lack of development of the sample itself in mass production, it was initially produced in small batches and entered service mainly with the command staff of the Red Army as a replacement for revolvers and self-loading pistols (the rank and file at about the same time began to re-equip with another type automatic weapons, - automatic and self-loading rifles). In 1934 Kovrov Plant No. 2 made 44 copies of the PPD, in 1935 - only 23, in 1936 - 911, in 1937 - 1,291, in 1938 - 1,115, in 1939 - 1,700, in total - a little more 5,000 copies.

As can be seen from the scale of production, the Degtyarev submachine gun in the first years of its production was still essentially prototype, which worked out methods for the production and use of new weapons by the troops. In 1935-37, the PPD underwent extended military tests, which revealed a number of shortcomings, and as a result, in 1938-39, the weapon was modernized, receiving the designation "submachine gun model 1934/38. Degtyarev systems". It is also sometimes referred to as "2nd Sample", and the sample of 1934 - "1st Sample".

Meanwhile, when trying to increase the production of PPD, it turned out that it was quite complex structurally and technologically, which prevented the establishment of its mass production.

By order of the Art Administration on February 10, 1939, the PPD was removed from production program 1939, orders to factories for its production were canceled, and the copies available in the Red Army were concentrated in warehouses for better preservation in case of a military conflict, and the submachine guns in storage were ordered “provide[s] with an appropriate amount of ammunition” and "keep in order"(ibid.). A certain amount of PPD was used to arm the border and escort troops, sometimes there are even reports that their insignificant production was kept for these purposes.

The attitude towards submachine guns changed dramatically during the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. Impressed by the actions of Finnish submachine gunners armed with Suomi submachine guns, the command of the Red Army not only used all PPD-34 and Fedorov assault rifles made back in the 1920s, but also organized the delivery of submachine guns that the border guards had to the front by planes. The production of submachine guns was transferred to three-shift work with the full use of all equipment.

Improving the design of weapons continued. On February 15, 1940, Degtyarev presented a modernized sample of the PPD, developed with the participation of the designers of the Kovrov plant S. N. Kalygin, P. E. Ivanov, N. N. Lopukhovsky, E. K. Aleksandrovich and V. A. Vvedensky.

This variant was approved for production on February 21, 1940 by the Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars and put into service as "Submachine gun of the 1940 model of the Degtyarev system". Its release began in March of the same year. In total, 81,118 PPDs were produced in 1940, which made its 1940 modification the most massive. The army received significant quantities of this type of weapon.

PPD was produced at the beginning of World War II, but already at the end of 1941 it was replaced by a more advanced, reliable and much more technologically advanced Shpagin submachine gun, the development of which was started in parallel with the deployment of the mass production of PPD, in 1940. PPSh was originally designed for the possibility of production at any industrial enterprise with low-power press equipment, which turned out to be very useful during the Great Patriotic War.

Meanwhile, the production of PPD in initial period war was temporarily restored in Leningrad on Sestroretsk Tool Plant named after S. P. Voskov and, from December 1941, factory them. A. A. Kulakova. In addition, on Kovrov plant in the experimental workshop, about 5,000 more PPDs were manually assembled from the available parts. In total, in 1941-1942, 42,870 PPDs were manufactured in Leningrad - the so-called "blockade release", "blockade", they went into service with the troops of the Leningrad and Karelian fronts.

Subsequently, the production of a more advanced and technologically advanced Sudayev submachine gun was carried out at the same production facilities.

Variants and modifications

Design and principle of operation

The submachine gun operates on the basis of automatic blowback. The barrel bore is locked by the mass of the bolt spring-loaded by a return spring. Shooting is carried out from the rear sear. The trigger mechanism provides single and continuous fire. To switch the fire mode, the trigger mechanism has an appropriate translator, made in the form of a flag located in front of the trigger guard. On one side of the flag is a number "one" or inscription "one"- for single shooting, on the other - the number "71" or inscription "cont."- for shooting with automatic fire.

Various modifications of the submachine gun, created by the 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. It was used in the Finnish campaign of 1939-40, as well as at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War.

Story

The first work on the creation of submachine guns began in the USSR in the mid-1920s. On October 27, 1925, the Red Army Armament Commission provided for the desirability of arming junior and middle command staff with this type of weapon. On December 28, 1926, the Artillery Committee of the Artillery Directorate of the Red Army approved the technical conditions for the manufacture of the first submachine guns.

After a number of unsuccessful experiments with the use of 7.62x38 mm Nagant ammunition, on July 7, 1928, the Artillery Committee proposed to adopt the 7.63x25 mm Mauser cartridge for pistols and submachine guns, which was used in the popular Mauser K-96 pistol in the USSR.

In favor of the choice of this cartridge, in addition to its high combat qualities, it was said that the production of 7.62-mm barrels of both pistols and submachine guns could be carried out on the same technological equipment, and unification along the bore with the Mosin rifle allowed the use of existing equipment and even defective blanks for rifle "three-line" barrels. In addition, the bottle shape of the sleeve increased the reliability of feeding from the magazine.

At the end of 1929, the Revolutionary Military Council decided that the submachine gun, which he rated as a “powerful automatic melee weapon,” would be introduced into the Red Army’s weapons system in the near future. The main weapon of the Soviet infantry, according to the decision of the Revolutionary Military Council, was to be a modern self-loading rifle, and an auxiliary submachine gun along with it. In the same 1929, the first experimental 7.62 mm Degtyarev submachine gun was assembled.

In June-July 1930, a commission headed by division commander V. F. Grushetsky conducted tests of self-loading pistols and experimental submachine guns for new cartridges at the Scientific Testing Weapons Range (the so-called "Competition of 1930"). The results of these tests were generally unsatisfactory, so that none of the samples submitted to it was accepted for service. Nevertheless, the competition helped to finally determine the requirements for a new type of weapon.

In 1931, the next version of the Degtyarev submachine gun appeared, with a semi-free shutter of a different type, in which the slowdown in the retreat of the shutter was achieved not by redistributing energy between its two parts, but due to the increased friction that occurs between the cocking handle of the shutter and the bevel in front of the cutout under it in the receiver, in which the handle fell after the shutter arrived in the extreme forward position, while the shutter itself turned to the right at a small angle. This sample had a round-section receiver, more technologically advanced, and the barrel was almost completely covered with wooden lining (instead of a casing).

Finally, in 1932, an even more simplified version was ready, this time with a free shutter. In 1932-1933, a total of 14 samples of 7.62-mm submachine guns were created and passed field tests, including the converted Tokarev, Degtyarev and Korovin submachine guns, as well as the newly developed Prilutsky and Kolesnikov. The systems of Degtyarev and Tokarev were recognized as the most successful, but the PPD turned out to be a little more technologically advanced and had a relatively low rate of fire beneficial for this type of weapon.

After completion, in which, in addition to Degtyarev, designers G. F. Kubynov, P. E. Ivanov and G. G. Markov took part, on January 23, 1935, he was approved by the GAU as a model for the manufacture of an experimental batch (30 copies), and on July 9 - adopted by the Red Army under the name "7.62-mm submachine gun of the 1934 model of the Degtyarev system (PPD)". In the same year, production began at the Kovrov Plant No. 2 (named after K. O. Kirkizh).

Most military experts of that time, both in the USSR and abroad, considered the submachine gun as a "police", and when used by the army - a purely auxiliary weapon. In accordance with these ideas, and also due to the rather low manufacturability and lack of development of the sample itself in mass production, it was initially produced in small batches and entered service mainly with the command staff of the Red Army as a replacement for revolvers and self-loading pistols (the rank and file at about the same time began to re-equip other types of automatic weapons - automatic and self-loading rifles). In 1934, Kovrov Plant No. 2 assembled 44 copies of the PPD, in 1935 - only 23, in 1936 - 911, in 1937 - 1,291, in 1938 - 1,115, in 1939 - 1,700 , a total of just over 5,000 copies.

As can be seen from the scale of production, the Degtyarev submachine gun in the first years of its production was still, in fact, a prototype, on which the methods of production and use of new weapons by the troops were worked out. In 1935-37, the PPD underwent extended military tests, which revealed a number of shortcomings, and as a result, in 1938-39, the weapon was modernized: the box at the attachment point of the magazine was strengthened by introducing a metal guide neck welded to the bar with its latch (or "guide clips”), as a result of which the reliability of its connection increased, the stores themselves became interchangeable with various weapons, and the sight mount was strengthened. In this form, the weapon received the designation "submachine gun of the 1934/38 model. Degtyarev's systems. It was also sometimes referred to as the "2nd sample", and arr. 1934 - "1st sample".

At the same time, the Artillery Committee, based on the experience of conflicts of those years, such as the Chaco war and the Spanish Civil War, which demonstrated the increasing role of submachine guns in modern combat operations, and an analysis of the results of military tests, indicated:

"... it is necessary to introduce it (submachine gun) into service with certain categories of fighters of the Red Army, the NKVD border guard, machine gun and gun crews, some specialists, airborne troops, car drivers, etc."

Meanwhile, when trying to increase the production of PPD, it turned out that it was quite complex structurally and technologically, plus it was very expensive to manufacture, which prevented the establishment of its mass production. In the report on the production of automatic small arms at the enterprises of the People's Commissariat of Armaments for 1939 it was stated:

"The manufacture of PPD should be stopped altogether, until the noted shortcomings are eliminated and the design is simplified"

However, it was assumed:

"... the development of a new type of automatic weapon chambered for a pistol cartridge should be continued for a possible replacement of the outdated PPD design."

That is, no rejection of the submachine gun as a type of weapon, as it appears in some sources, was not even planned, on the contrary, it was supposed to create a more advanced and suitable for mass production model, which was supposed to equip a large number of military personnel.

By order of the Art Administration of February 10, 1939, the PPD was removed from the production program of 1939, orders to factories for its production were completely canceled, and the copies available in the Red Army were concentrated in warehouses for better preservation in the event of a military conflict - moreover, the pistols in storage - machine guns were instructed to "provide an appropriate amount of ammunition" and "keep in order." A certain amount of PPD was used to arm the border and escort troops, sometimes there are even reports that their insignificant production was kept for these purposes.

February 26, 1939 was adopted by the Red Army under the name 7.62-mm Tokarev self-loading rifle arr. 1938 ("SVT-38"). Tellingly, it was in February 1939 that the production of PPD was discontinued. Perhaps, between these two events - the adoption of a new self-loading rifle and the decommissioning of a submachine gun - there is a very obvious connection. Moreover, the connection is not only tactical, but also economic. The price of "SVT" of the mass series was 880 rubles - much less than the Degtyarev submachine gun.

Meanwhile, the plans to create a more advanced replacement for the PPD were corrected by the Winter War with Finland, which began nine months after the withdrawal of submachine guns from combat units. The Finns were armed in relatively small quantities (no more than a few percent of total small arms) the successful Suomi submachine gun of the A. Lahti system, which, however, was very skillfully used, which in conditions heavy fighting on the Mannerheim Line made a great impression on the rank and file of the Red Army. From the army units that took part in the hostilities, demands began to come to equip with submachine guns "at least one squad per company."

The real mass character and effectiveness of the use of submachine guns by the Finns in that war are still debatable topics among military historians and publicists; meanwhile, it is impossible to omit the fact that it was during the war with Finland in the USSR that mass production of this type of weapon was established and work was intensified on the creation of new models of it.

The PPDs stored in warehouses and available to the border guards were urgently transferred to the units that fought in Finland (in addition to other types of automatic weapons that were already available in large numbers), and at the end of December 1939 - a month after the start of the war - at the direction of the Chief Military Council, the production of PPD was deployed again, and on January 6, 1940, by a decree of the Defense Committee, the improved PPD was again adopted by the Red Army.

On January 22, 1940, all workshops and departments involved in the production of PPD were transferred to three-shift work. Meanwhile, as noted in the pre-war reports cited above, due to the technological nature of the PPD, it turned out to be of little use for production in large batches, and besides, its production was very expensive: one PPD with a set of spare parts and accessories cost 900 rubles in 1939 prices - moreover, what light machine gun DP with spare parts and accessories cost 1,150 rubles.

Therefore, in the process of deploying mass production, changes were made to its design aimed at technological simplification, reduction in cost and acceleration of production. The designation "arr. 1934/38" at the same time, it was retained, but in fact it was already a completely different weapon, with a thoroughly redesigned design and a very different appearance from the early 34/38 version.

For example, the shape of the ventilation holes in the barrel casing has changed (15 long ones instead of 55 short ones), a striker fixed in the bolt cup instead of a separate drummer on the axis, a receiver made of a tubular blank instead of a milled one (combined into one piece with a sight deck) appeared in early models, a simplified ejector with a leaf spring, a simplified stock, a simplified, made up of stamped parts, a trigger guard instead of a milled one-piece blank, a simplified safety, and so on. True, practice has shown that a simplified version of the bolt with a fixed striker is unreliable and allows delays in firing, and on April 1, 1940, the version with the previous separate firing pin was returned to production.

In addition, along with a 25-round sector magazine, a 73-round disk magazine was introduced, very similar in design to that of Koskinen's Finnish Suomi. It is reported that I. A. Komaritsky, E. V. Chernko, V. I. Shelkov and V. A. Degtyarev created a drum shop in almost a week.

He, however, had one important difference from the Finnish prototype. The Soviet PP had a full-fledged long wooden stock, inside of which the magazine's receiving neck was located - unlike the Suomi, in which the short stock only reached the magazine, which made it possible to insert its drum directly into the bolt box connector, without a long neck. As a result, an original store had to be created for the PPD, in which the lower part was made of a drum, and in the upper part there was a process, in the manner of a short box store, in order to be able to adjoin the neck designed for a box store. A special flexible pusher was used to feed the last 6 rounds from the magazine into the process. The design turned out to be not entirely reliable and sometimes allowed jamming when feeding cartridges, which was eliminated only when the magazine was removed from the weapon, however, in the conditions of hostilities, even in this form, the upgraded weapon was adopted as a temporary measure. A more capacious store made it possible to use the weapon in combined arms combat to repel an enemy attack at close range, creating a high density of fire on it.

Improving the design of weapons continued. On February 15, 1940, Degtyarev presented a modernized sample of the PPD, created with the participation of the designers of the Kovrov plant S. N. Kalygin, P. E. Ivanov, N. N. Lopukhovsky, E. K. Aleksandrovich and V. A. Vvedensky. It had a split stock in two parts, located before and after the magazine and equipped with metal guide stops intended for its installation, which made it possible to use a “normal” drum magazine, without a process for installation in the neck. The capacity of the magazine without a process was reduced to 71 rounds, but the feed reliability increased significantly. At the same time, the use of sector stores in weapons from PP arr. 1934, it became impossible - the return to this type of store occurred much later, already during the Great Patriotic War, according to the experience of operating in the PPSh troops, which showed the excess capacity of the drum store and its excessive mass. In addition, part of the issue had an annular namushnik to protect the front sight.

This variant was approved for production on February 21, 1940 by the Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars and was put into service as the "Degtyarev model 1940 submachine gun". Its release began in March of the same year.

In total, 81,118 PPDs were produced in 1940, which made its 1940 modification the most massive. The army received significant quantities of this type of weapon. At a meeting of the top command staff of the Red Army in December 1940, Lieutenant General V.N. Kurdyumov, describing a probable case of hostilities with Germany, gave the following calculation for the offensive battle of the Soviet rifle corps to defend the German infantry division:

"Our advancing corps will have 72 platoons, 2,880 bayonets, 288 light machine guns, 576 PPDs in the first attacking echelon ... On average, there will be 2,888 attackers per 1 km of the front against 78 defense men, machine guns and submachine guns - 100 against 26 ... "

PPD was used at the beginning of World War II, but already at the end of 1941 it was replaced by a more advanced, reliable and much more technologically advanced Shpagin submachine gun, the development of which was started simultaneously with the deployment of mass production of PPD, in 1940. PPSh was originally designed for the possibility of production at any industrial enterprise with low-power press equipment, which turned out to be very useful during the Great Patriotic War.

Meanwhile, the production of PPD in the initial period of the war was temporarily restored in Leningrad at the Sestroretsk Tool Plant named after S.P. Voskov and, from December 1941, at the plant named after S.P. Voskov. A. A. Kulakova. In addition, at the Kovrov plant in the experimental workshop, about 5,000 more PPDs were manually assembled from the available parts. In total, in 1941-1942, 42,870 PPDs were assembled in Leningrad - the so-called "blockade release", "blockade", they went into service with the troops of the Leningrad and Karelian fronts. Many PPDs of Leningrad production had, instead of a sector sight, a simplified folding, simplified fuse and a number of other minor differences.

Subsequently, the production of a more advanced and technologically advanced Sudayev submachine gun was carried out at the same production facilities.

Design

From the point of view of the design and principle of operation, the PPD was a typical example of the first generation submachine guns, designed in the bulk according to the model of the German MP18, MP28 and Rheinmetall MP19. The action of automation was based on the use of the recoil energy of a free shutter. The main parts of the weapon, like all samples of that time, were made on metal-cutting machines, which led to low manufacturability in mass production and high cost.

Barrel and receiver

The barrel of the Degtyarev submachine gun is rifled, inside it has a channel with four grooves, winding from left to right. Gauge, defined as the distance (in diameter) between two opposite fields of rifling, is 7.62 mm. In its breech (rear) part, the inner bore has a chamber with smooth walls, made according to the shape of the cartridge and serving to place it when fired. Outside, the barrel has a slightly tapered smooth surface with an annular ledge and threads in the breech for connection with receiver(box-casing), as well as a recess for the ejector tooth.

The receiver (in the Manual it is called the "casing box", by analogy with the box of a machine gun) serves to connect the parts of the weapon into a single whole. A perforated barrel casing is attached to it on the front, which serves to protect the shooter's hands from burns on the heated barrel, and the barrel from mechanical damage during impacts and falls of the weapon.

Gate

Consists of: shutter core; shutter handles; drummer with an axis; striker; ejector with spring; combined with a fuse handle with a socket and a spring.

The shutter frame has a close to cylindrical shape, with cutouts at the front and bottom for the passage of the magazine jaws; inside and outside it contains: a cup of the shutter to accommodate the head of the sleeve; hole for the exit of the striker; grooves for the ejector and its springs; socket for drummer; holes for the axis of the drummer; figured notch for passage above the store receiver; groove for the passage of the reflector; a groove, the back wall of which serves as a combat platoon; bevel on the back wall for easier backward movement; hole for the handle stud; groove for the shutter handle; guide pins.

To return the bolt group to the extreme forward position, a return mechanism is used, consisting of a reciprocating mainspring and a butt plate with a guide rod, screwed on the back of the rear section of the receiver.

Trigger and impact mechanisms

The trigger mechanism of the submachine gun is located in a separate trigger box, the tail of which, when assembling the weapon, is put on the ledge of the box and secured with a pin. It provides firing with single shots or bursts. To switch the fire mode, the trigger mechanism has an appropriate translator, made in the form of a flag placed in front of the trigger guard. On one side of the flag is the number "1" or the inscription "one" - for single shooting, on the other - the number "71" or the inscription "nepr." - for shooting with automatic fire.

For most of the PPD issue, the cartridge primer was broken by a striker-type percussion mechanism separately installed in the breech; the drummer fired after the shutter arrived in the extremely forward position.

The fuse was located on the cocking handle and had the form of a sliding chip, by moving it in the transverse direction towards the longitudinal axis of the weapon, it was possible to block the bolt in the forward or rear (cocked) position. Despite its unreliability, especially in a worn condition, it later successfully “migrated” to the later PPSh, moreover, a very similar one was used even on parts of the German MP40.

Score

Cartridges are fed during firing from a detachable two-row sector magazine with a capacity of 25 rounds, which could be used as a handle when firing. For the late version arr. 1934/38 a disk magazine for 73 rounds was introduced, and for arr. 1940 - for 71 rounds.

Sights

Sights, consisting of a sector sight and a front sight, were designed for firing at a distance of 50 to 500 m. In reality, the last figure for PPD, like any PP of those years, was prohibitive, but the relatively high power of the cartridge and the successful ballistics of a small-caliber bullet are quite allowed an experienced shooter to hit the enemy with a single fire at a distance of up to 300 m, unlike most of the then PPs, made under a less powerful and worse ballistics cartridge 9x19 mm "Parabellum". Automatic fire was effective at a distance of up to 200 m.

performance characteristics

Weight, kg: 3.63 (without drum); 5.45 (equipped); 1.8 (drum weight with cartridges)
- Length, mm: 788
- Barrel length, mm: 244 (rifled part arr. 1934)
- Width, mm: 70 (sample 1934)
-Height, mm: 197 (sample 1934)
- Cartridge: 7.62x25 mm TT
- Caliber, mm: 7.62
- Principles of operation: free shutter
-Rate of fire, shots / min: about 1000
- Muzzle velocity, m/s: 480-490
-Sighting range, m: 100-300
-Maximum range, m: 500
- Type of ammunition: box magazine for 25 rounds, drum magazine for 73 rounds, later for 71 rounds
-Sight: aiming bar with collar and front sight

The Maxim 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, it was widely used during the Boer War of 1899-1902, World War I and World War II ...
The Maxim machine gun was designed to support infantry with fire, as well as to suppress enemy fire and clear the path for infantrymen during an attack, or to cover during a retreat. In defense, the Maxim machine gun was designed to deal with enemy firing points, to fire at open approaches.
The Maxim machine gun was actively used by the Red Army in the Great Patriotic War. It was used by both infantry and mountain rifle units, as well as the fleet. During the war combat capabilities"Maxim" tried to improve not only the designers and manufacturers, but also directly in the troops. The 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, covers were put on the casing and shield of the machine gun. In winter, "Maxim" was installed on skis, sleds or on a drag boat, from which they fired. During the Great Patriotic War, machine guns were attached to light SUVs "Willis" and GAZ-64.

There was also a quadruple anti-aircraft version of the Maxim. This ZPU was widely used as a stationary, self-propelled, ship, installed in car bodies, armored trains, railway platforms, on the roofs of buildings. Machine gun systems "Maxim" have become the most common weapon of army air defense. The quad anti-aircraft machine-gun mount of the 1931 model of the year differed from the usual Maxim by the presence of a forced water circulation device and a large capacity of machine-gun belts - for 1000 rounds instead of the usual 250. Using anti-aircraft ring sights, the mount was able to conduct effective fire on low-flying enemy aircraft (maximum on altitudes up to 1400 m at speeds up to 500 km/h). These mounts were also often used to support infantry.
"Maxim" was not only the very first machine gun, but also the most used, it was used in both world wars and in many small wars.

The last fact of the use of a machine gun occurred in 1969 during the border conflict on Damansky Island ...
Characteristics
Weight, kg: 64.3
Length, mm: 1067
Barrel length, mm: 721
Cartridge: 7.62×54 mm R (machine gun "Maxim" model 1910)
7.92×57 mm Mauser (MG-08)
.303 British (Vickers)
Caliber, mm: 7.62
Principles of operation: barrel recoil
rate of fire,
shots/min: 600
Muzzle velocity, m/s: 740
Type of ammunition: machine-gun belt for 250 rounds
Sighting range: 1000-2000 m.

7.62-mm submachine gun of the 1941 model of the Shpagin system (PPSh) is a submachine gun developed by the Soviet designer Georgy Shpagin, put into service in 1941 and actively used in the Great Patriotic War, as well as in many armed conflicts post-war period...
The PPSh was put into service in 1941, as a result of a competition in which its rival was the Shpitalny submachine gun. Both designs were found suitable for use, but the Shpagin model was adopted as more technologically advanced.

Since 1942, the PPSh-41 (under the name "model 22") was produced in Iran for the USSR. Distinctive feature- crown stamp.

(PPSh) was the only massive submachine gun in the Red Army in the first year of the war. Subsequently, it continued to be actively used and produced, although the Sudayev submachine gun appeared, requiring less production costs. German troops also used captured PPSh, partly in the original version, partly after processing for 9×19 mm Parabellum cartridges and magazines from MP-40. Such PPs in the Wehrmacht were called: 9-mm Maschinenpistole 717 (r) (a conversion kit was developed from a 9 mm barrel and an adapter for magazines from MP.38 / 40. In turn, the SS preferred the PPSh in its original version, moreover, with a drum magazine. After the war, the PPSh was actively supplied abroad, mainly to the states of the Warsaw Pact. A significant number of these machine guns were delivered to China. After the withdrawal from service in the USSR, the PPSh continued to be supplied to the pro-Soviet states of various regions of the world. In some African countries it was used until the 1980s. It was produced in North Korea under the name "Model 49", China - "Type 50" and Hungary ("48.Minta"). During the Vietnam War 1964-1973. produced in Vietnam PPSh modification K-50.
Characteristics
Weight, kg: 3.6 (without cartridges)
5.3 (with equipped drum magazine)
4.15 (with equipped sector magazine)
Length, mm: 843
Barrel length, mm: 269
Cartridge: 7.62x25 mm TT
Caliber, mm: 7.62
rate of fire,
shots / min: 900
Muzzle velocity, m/s: 550
Sighting range, m: 200-300
Maximum
range, m: 400
Type of ammunition supply: store:
sector for 35 rounds,
drum for 71 rounds
Sight: unregulated, open, at 100 m, with a folding stand at 200 m

In the USSR, it was withdrawn from service in 1951 and replaced by a Kalashnikov assault rifle, but after that long time used by various armies or armed formations around the world, for example, in the wars in Korea and Vietnam, and from recent conflicts - in both the Afghan (according to some information) and the war in Iraq

Mosin rifle model 1891-1930 with bayonet...
After the fairly successful Tokarev self-loading rifle was adopted in 1938, it was assumed that in the early 1940s it would almost completely replace the Mosin rifle in the Red Army and become the main weapon of the Soviet infantry, following the most advanced at that time the US Army, which at the end 1930s on the Garanda self-loading rifle. According to pre-war plans, in 1941 it was supposed to produce 1.8 million SVT, in 1942 - 2 million. In fact, by the beginning of the war, more than 1 million SVT were manufactured, and many units and formations of the first line, mainly in the western military districts, actually received regular number of self-loading rifles ...

However, the plans for the complete re-equipment of the Red Army with automatic weapons were not destined to come true due to the outbreak of hostilities - since 1941, the production of SVT as more complex in comparison with a magazine rifle and a submachine gun was reduced significantly, and one of the main types of weapons of the Soviet infantry in that war, a modernized rifle arr. 1891, although supplemented by very significant quantities (more than half of the total number of small arms at the end of the war) of self-loading rifles and submachine guns ...
After World War II, the Soviet Union ceased production of Mosin rifles and removed them from service, replacing them with the SKS carbine and Kalashnikov assault rifles. Nevertheless, in the post-war period, the production of Mosin rifles and carbines continued for some time in China, Poland and Hungary. Mosin rifles continued to be used in Eastern Europe and around the world for decades to come. As a weapon of infantry and fighters of irregular armed formations, Mosin rifles were used in many wars - from Korea and Vietnam to Afghanistan. In Finland, the Tkiv 85 sniper rifle based on the Mosin bolt group is still in service ...
Characteristics:
Weight, kg: 4.5
Length, mm: with bayonet / without bayonet - 1738/1306 (infantry), 1666/1 232 (dragoon and model 1891/30), -/1020 (carbine)
Barrel length, mm: 800 (infantry), 729 (dragoon and model 1891/30), 510 (carbine)
Cartridge: 7.62x54 mm
Caliber, mm: 7.62
Working Principles: Rolling Shutter
rate of fire,
shots/min: 10
Muzzle velocity, m/s: 865-870
Sighting range, m: 3,200 steps / 2,000 m
Type of ammunition supply: integral magazine for four rounds, equipped with clips, + 1 round in the chamber
Sight: open or optical

7.62-mm submachine guns of samples 1934, 1934/38 and 1940 of the Degtyarev system (GAU index - 56-A-133) are various modifications of the submachine gun developed by the Soviet gunsmith Vasily Degtyarev in the early 1930s. The first submachine gun adopted by the Red Army.
Characteristics
Weight, kg: 3.63 (without magazine)
5.45 (curb)
Length, mm: 788
Cartridge: 7.62x25 mm TT
Caliber, mm: 7.62
Principles of operation: free shutter
rate of fire,
shots/min: 800
Sighting range, m: 500
Type of ammunition: box magazine for 25 rounds
drum magazine for 73 rounds, later for 71 rounds
Sight: sighting bar with collar and front sight

The Degtyarev submachine gun was a fairly typical representative of the first generation of this type of weapon. It was used in the Finnish campaign of 1939-40, as well as at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War...

7.62 mm Degtyarev light machine gun (DP)
The most powerful automatic weapon of the rifle units of the Red Army was a light machine gun, created by the designer V. A. Degtyarev in 1926. In terms of its combat qualities, the machine gun surpassed similar foreign models, in particular - german machine gun MG-13. Its survivability was increased to 75,000-100,000 rounds, while survivability of 10,000 rounds was considered normal for a light machine gun. An important advantage was its simplicity and manufacturability. The manufacture of the Degtyarev light machine gun took one and a half times less time than for foreign samples, two times less pattern measurements and transitions than for a revolver, and more than three times less than for a rifle. The machine gun was put into service in February 1927 under the name "7.62-mm light machine gun DP (Degtyarev - infantry)". The supply of Degtyarev light machine guns to the troops began in the same 1927 and was carried out at a fairly fast pace: if on October 1, 1928 there were 8811 light machine guns in the Red Army, then by the beginning of 1937 their number was 95 thousand. 1515.9 thousand machine guns fired during the Great Patriotic War, the vast majority were Degtyarev light machine guns ...

Technical data of the DP machine gun:

Caliber: 7.62mm
Muzzle velocity: 840 m/s
Weight in combat position: 11.9 kg
Length: 1270 mm
Magazine capacity: 47 rounds
Rate of fire: 600 rds / min.
Practical rate of fire: 80 rds / min.
Sighting range: 1500 m

The easel machine gun SG-43 was developed by the gunsmith P.M. Goryunov with the participation of M.M. Goryunova and V.E. Voronkov at the Kovrov Mechanical Plant. Adopted on May 15, 1943. SG-43 began to enter the troops in the second half of 1943.

The SG-43 machine gun with an air-cooled barrel was superior in performance to the Maxim machine gun. But the old "Maxim" continued to be produced until the end of the war at the Tula and Izhevsk factories, and until its completion it was the main heavy machine gun of the Red Army ...
Direct shot range:
chest figure - 420 m,
on the running figure - 640 m.
Length, mm: 1140 (machine gun body)
1550 (on a wheeled machine)
1260 (on a tripod machine)
Barrel length, mm: 665 (rifled part)
Cartridge: 7.62x54 mm (with ordinary, tracer and armor-piercing incendiary bullets)
Caliber, mm: 7.62
rate of fire,
shots/min: 600-700
Muzzle velocity, m/s: 800 (heavy bullet model 1930)
855 (light model 1908)
Sighting range, m: 2000 (2300 for a heavy bullet)
Maximum
range, m: 1000 (effective)
Type of ammunition: tape 200 or 250 rounds
Sight: frame with the possibility of introducing lateral amendments.

7.62-mm submachine guns of the 1942 and 1943 models of the Sudayev system (PPS) are variants of the submachine gun developed by the Soviet designer Alexei Sudayev in 1942. Used by Soviet troops during the Great Patriotic War ...

Often PPS is considered as the best submachine gun of the Second World War ...
Characteristics:
Weight, kg: 3.04 (without magazine)
3.67 (with loaded magazine)
Length, mm: 615/820 mm with stock folded/unfolded
Barrel length, mm: 272
Cartridge: 7.62x25 mm TT
Caliber, mm: 7.62
Principles of operation: free shutter
rate of fire,
shots / min: 700
Muzzle velocity, m/s: 500
Sighting range, m: 200
Maximum
range, m: 350
Type of ammunition: box magazine for 35 rounds

Simonov's 7.62-mm self-loading carbine (SKS, Index GRAU - 56-A-231, also known abroad as SKS-45) is a Soviet self-loading carbine designed by Sergei Simonov, adopted in 1949 ...
(!!!) The first copies began to arrive in active units at the beginning of 1945 - this was the only case in which the 7.62×39 mm cartridge was used in World War II.
Characteristics:
Weight, kg: 3.75 (without cartridges)
3.9 (equipped)
Length, mm: 1260/1020 (with bayonet in combat/stowed position)
Barrel length, mm: 520
Cartridge: 7.62×39 mm
Caliber, mm: 7.62
Principles of operation: removal of powder gases, locking by tilting the shutter down, self-loading
rate of fire,
shots / min: 30-40 (combat)
Muzzle velocity, m/s: 735
Sighting range, m: 1000
Maximum
range, m: 400 (effective)
Type of ammunition supply: box-shaped two-row fixed magazine, loaded with a clip for 10 rounds
Sight: sector

The two decades between the world wars can by no means be called a peaceful respite. Numerous local wars, internal and border conflicts, and obvious preparations for a new big war, coupled with the experience of the First World War, which turned all ideas about the weapons system, significantly stimulated the development of weapons and the arms industry. And although during this time only one generation of weapons has changed, this change has significantly changed the face of war and peace. Transformation went in different ways, because the views on the future war, and the role of military branches and types of weapons in different countries were not the same.

New approaches, new technologies

World War Experience and Rapid Development military equipment demanded a transition from an empirical path with periodically created "commissions" to extensive and systematic research and development work with close interaction between the customer, researcher, developer, manufacturer and user. In 1921, on the basis of the experimental workshop of the Kovrov Arms Plant, on the initiative of V.G. Fedorov and with the participation of V.A. Degtyarev, the country's first design bureau (PKB) for small arms was created. Design Bureau of the Kovrov Plant became the center for the development of new weapons, a school for a number of prominent gunsmiths, including S.G. Simonov and G.S. Shpagin, and subsequent theoretical developments by V.G. Fedorov became the basis for the development of the national weapons school. Six years later, the Design Bureau of the First Tula Arms Plants was created. But the matter was not limited to the creation of permanent design bureaus. Since 1920, the Scientific Testing Weapons and Machine-Gun Range (later the Scientific Testing Range small arms) the place of "baptism" of all new models of military small arms. In the Artillery Academy of the Red Army in 1929, a rifle and machine gun department was organized, and in 1932, the department of small arms under the guidance of the well-known specialist A.A. Blagonravova.

The First World War tightened the requirements not only for weapons, but also for the scale and timing of their production. This was implemented in different countries in different ways. In France and Great Britain, for example, they maintained a fairly isolated position of arms firms, production was carried out on special equipment with the widespread involvement of skilled manual labor. And in the USSR and Germany, they carried out thorough work on the introduction of a unified system of normals and standards into the military industry, the use of standard machine tools, non-deficient materials in the arms industry. It is worth noting the close military-technical cooperation between the USSR and Weimar Germany in the 1920s and early 1930s (which became a kind of continuation of the cooperation between tsarist Russia and Kaiser Germany in the 19th and early 20th centuries). In addition to the often mentioned cooperation in the field of tank building, aviation and military chemistry, there was cooperation in the "shooting" field. So, in the USSR, samples were supplied for testing and study. German weapons. In addition, in 19251927, several “light” and “heavy” Dreyse machine guns under the Russian cartridge were purchased. S-96 Mauser pistols were bought in large quantities, and its modification of 1920 even became known in the world as “bolo”, or “Bolshevik”. The Soviet side received new machines, technologies, experience in design and engineering work.

The course towards industrialization, announced at the end of 1925, contributed to the introduction of the principles of mass production, in-line production into weapons production. Here we can mention the introduction in the second half of the 1930s of conveyor assembly, and the development of a method for obtaining threaded channel barrel by mandrel (broaching) instead of cutting, and the gradual introduction of stamping and welding of metal parts. Well, how did the development of the weapon itself go?

"Shop", "automatic", "self-loading"?

The experience of the First World War did not give a definite answer to the question about the main weapon of an infantryman. In Soviet Russia, there was some prospect of a new automatic individual weapon, suitable for arming at least part of the infantry - the "machine gun". By the end of 1920, the first 100 pieces of Fedorov assault rifles were handed over in Kovrov. In 1921, Fedorov proposed the idea of ​​"unification" - the creation of a family of weapons based on a machine gun. For that time, this was a breakthrough it became possible to simplify the production of various types of weapons, their development in the troops, repair and supply. In 19211924, such a family was created in the Kovrov Design Bureau. It included: an automatic carbine and a rifle, an assault rifle, a light machine gun with a quick barrel change, a light machine gun with water and air cooling of a heavy barrel, a coaxial tank machine gun (for the MS-1 and T-12 tanks), aviation single, twin and built-in machine guns, light machine gun (one of the prototypes of the "single"), heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft machine guns. Fedorov's work served as the basis for the subsequent development of the entire arms industry: a fundamentally new type of military weapon was worked out, the idea of ​​unification was tested, and the foundations of experimental design work and a new arms production were laid. However, in October 1925, work on the machine was stopped, and in 1928 it was generally removed from service. The formal reasons were the "non-standard" caliber, the complexity and bulkiness of the system. In 1924, work on a new cartridge was also stopped.

The USSR returned to the idea automatic rifle under a regular rifle cartridge. However, not only in the USSR. At that time, for example, the Czech automatic rifle ZH-29 aroused great interest, although not accepted in Czechoslovakia itself, but sold to different countries. In our country, three competitions for an “automatic” rifle, held in 1926, 1928 and 1930, could not identify a clear contender for adoption.

The development of new models was delayed, the country's new industry was still being created. And as a temporary measure in 1930, modernized samples of almost the entire range of artillery and small arms were adopted, from a revolver to a heavy howitzer. Including the magazine rifle of the 1891/30 model. The dragoon model was taken as the basis (the infantry rifle was discontinued as early as 1923). They installed a new sight with a straight bar, the front sight became cylindrical and received a fuse, instead of a box-shaped clip, a lighter and more convenient lamellar clip was introduced, the device and accessories, the bayonet mount were improved, the bayonet itself was left needle-shaped. Once again, the “career” of the 7.62 mm rifle cartridge of the 1908 model was extended (by that time the metric system had already been established, and instead of “three-linear” they began to write “7.62 mm”). A deeper modernization of the magazine rifle was also proposed, but in anticipation of the imminent re-equipment of the “automatic” rifle, it was abandoned, as on the eve of the First World War. In 1938, a magazine carbine was adopted for special troops (sappers, signalmen, and others).

And in the course of work, automatic rifles acquired such features of an “automatic machine” as a variable fire mode and a replaceable magazine. Such features were possessed by the S.G. automatic rifle adopted for service in 1936. Simonov (ABC-36) with an automatic gas engine and locking the barrel bore with a vertically moving bolt wedge. The rifle could fire in bursts - they even adopted a bayonet-bipod (for new rifles they created bladed bayonet-knives) for greater stability when firing from a stop, but in general, the accuracy turned out to be too low, so single fire was considered the main one. Nevertheless, the issue of a new rifle was by no means considered resolved, and in May 1938 a competition was announced for a self-loading rifle. It was believed that in terms of fire power, a self-loading rifle corresponds to two magazine rifles, it allows you to fire on the go, without stopping and without wasting energy to reload. The rifles of Simonov, Rukavishnikov and Tokarev were submitted to the competition. On February 26, 1939, the "7.62-mm self-loading rifle of the Tokarev system, model 1938 (SVT-38)" was adopted. It is worth noting here that, despite the fact that every weapon has a specific author, a whole team of designers, technologists, and workers is involved in its creation and refinement. SVT-38 was supposed to become the main rifle of the army; its production began at the Tula Arms Plant.

Combat experience was not long in coming SVT "went" to the front already during the Soviet-Finnish war of 19391940. Naturally, the new SVT, as well as the ABC-36, received a lot of criticism. Even before the end of the campaign, by order of I.V. Stalin, a commission was created to resolve the issue of improving the SVT (switching to another model in the conditions of proximity big war was too risky). It was primarily about reducing the mass of SVT without compromising strength and reliability. As a result, the ramrod and magazine were lightened, the stock was strengthened, the bayonet-knife was shortened (up to this point, a long bayonet was traditionally regarded as the dignity of a rifle). And in April 1940, the SVT-40 was adopted. It was not possible to eliminate greater sensitivity to pollution and grease than that of the "shops". In addition, new weapons were more difficult for fighters to master. The production of SVT-40 was started by TOZ and the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant.

In general, by the beginning of World War II, a self-loading rifle was in service only in two countries in the USSR and the USA (the Garand rifle). In most armies, the magazine rifle remained the main one. The British, for example, were quite pleased with their modernized 10-shot Lee Enfield, in Germany they adopted a modification of the good old Mauser-98 Kar.98k carbine as a mass infantry weapon (although work on a self-loading rifle was going on here too), and in France, the all-new Mle 1936 MAS, the latest mass-produced military repeating rifle.

Sniper weapon

At the end of the 1920s, enterprises for the production of military optical instruments began to appear in the USSR (also not without the help of Germany). This, among other things, made it possible to start arming the army with sniper rifles.

At the same time, shooters and instructors began to be trained at the Shot courses, and snipers were also seriously trained at regimental schools and at OSOAVIAKhIM courses.

In 1931, a sniper rifle based on a rifle of the 1891/30 model entered service with the Red Army. It was distinguished from the “linear” one not only by the attachment of the optical sight, but also by the best quality of the barrel and receiver, their fastening in the stock and debugging mechanisms. The bolt handle was bent down so that when reloading it did not cling to the sight. Unlike the "linear" sniper rifle, it was aimed without a bayonet, and it did not have one. The stock of the rifle was made of walnut wood. It was a new generation sniper weapon although it was created on the basis of the “linear” one, it was made specially, on separate lines.

Sniper rifles supplied to the Red Army were initially equipped with a PT sight with a magnification of 4x, but an improved VP sight was soon adopted. In 19361937, the PT and VP were also replaced by a 4x PE sight. In 1940, a 3.5x PU sight appeared, originally intended for SVT (in the development of new automatic and self-loading rifles, their sniper version was provided), but soon came to magazine sniper rifles. The sniper SVT differed from the "linear" one in a better barrel finish and a mount for the sight bracket.

"Policeman" or "military"?

Throughout the interwar period, the attitude towards the submachine gun was ambiguous. On the one hand, it became possible to obtain a maneuverable and relatively cheap weapon that developed a high power of fire at short ranges, on the other hand, its capabilities beyond these short ranges were very modest. Some armies, including the Red Army, were eyeing this weapon. With the advent and spread of light machine guns, his role as an "ersatz machine gun" came to naught, they began to look at him as an auxiliary weapon.

Back in 1927, F.V. Tokarev introduced a submachine gun chambered for a revolving cartridge. With the advent of the 7.62-mm pistol cartridge, submachine guns began to be developed for it (to solve such a problem, this cartridge had quite good ballistics). In 1930, by order of the Deputy People's Commissar for Military Affairs, I.P. Uborevich began extensive testing of submachine guns. Samples of F.V. Tokareva, V.A. Degtyareva, S.A. Korovina, S.A. Prilutsky, I.N. Kolesnikov. Degtyarev, convinced of the futility of trying to somehow unify the submachine gun with his DP, switched to a more traditional scheme, with a blowback and a carbine stock. The store was located below and was box-shaped (“horn”, as it will be called in the army), designed for 25 rounds, and this “auxiliary” weapon was enough. In this form, the Degtyarev submachine gun was put into service in 1934 (PPD-34). In 19371938, PPDs were manufactured in the amount of 4,106 pieces, “linear” magazine rifles 3,085,000 pieces (32,855 copies of sniper rifles were produced over the same period). In the PPD of the 1934/38 model, the store mount was strengthened and even a bayonet was introduced for hand-to-hand combat, but this "accessory" did not take root.

The first war in which both sides widely used submachine guns was the 19321935 war between Bolivia and Paraguay. Among them was the Suomi submachine gun by the Finnish designer A. Lahti. Along with the Spanish "Labora", "Star" and the German MPE "Erma", "Suomi" also participated in the Spanish Civil War of 19361939. Nevertheless, this experience convinced a few. Moreover, the “career” of the American Thompson submachine guns, which, despite their considerable cost (and they differed in good finish and more complex than others, automatics with frictional deceleration of the half-free shutter), received commercial success, gave reason to consider the submachine gun "weapons of gangsters and the police" (by the way, after the Second World War, the most suitable "service" for submachine guns was precisely the "police").

In the meantime, at the beginning of 1939, the intensive use by the Finns of the few in general "Suomi" became one of the unpleasant surprises for the command of the Red Army during the Soviet-Finnish War (although the "Suomi" itself was not a secret , along with other samples, it was tested in the USSR in early 1930 -X). They managed to withdraw their own PPDs from the Red Army 9 months before the start of the fighting in Karelia. Captured "Suomi" were very popular with Soviet fighters, especially after the transition to the tactics of assault groups. And this is not surprising, because in order to arm such groups, even the old Fedorov assault rifles had to be removed from the warehouses. The available PPDs were urgently transferred from warehouses and from the border troops of the NKVD to army units in Karelia, and their production was also resumed. Moreover, according to the Suomi type, they urgently developed a disk (drum) magazine for 73 cartridges for PPD-34/38. This disc, and the fact that Soviet troops they massively saw the PPD only during the battles, gave rise to a persistent legend that the PPD itself was “copied” from the Suomi. Later, when the weapon itself was better adapted to the disk and its neck was excluded, the magazine capacity was reduced to 71 rounds, a modification of the PPD-40 appeared. It was launched into production, but in the same 1940, the G.S. submachine gun appeared. Shpagin, who was to become the main one in the Red Army.

How to "lighten" the handbrake

The primary issue in the infantry weapon system after the First World War was the light machine gun. It was he who, allowing to solve the problem of combining fire and movement at the level of small units, became the basis of "group" tactics. Among the first, the French were engaged in light machine guns, who were simply not allowed to stay with the worst Shosha light machine gun. It was quite reasonable to start work with the creation and refinement of a new 7.5-mm cartridge, the French gunsmiths received a very good Mle 1924/29 Chatellerault machine gun. In parallel with this, other light machine guns began to appear - the British Vickers-Berthier, the American M1918A2 Browning, the Czech ZB-26 and ZB-30, the Swiss Furrer M25 and S2-100 Solothurn, the Finnish L / S 26 Lahti-Zaloranta, Japanese Type 11, Italian Brixia Model 1923. In an effort to get a light and quickly reloaded machine gun, they used air-cooled barrels and magazines with a capacity of 2050 rounds. If by the end of World War I the average weight of light machine guns was 11.5 kg, then by the mid-1930s it was 8.5 kg. Many machine guns, such as the same French Chatellerault, had a single fire mode, although subsequent experience did not confirm its necessity.

Concerning Soviet Union, then here they did not yet have either the appropriate design or the capacities for its production. In order to nevertheless provide the troops with a light machine gun instead of the rapidly worn out Lewises (leftover from the First World War), it was decided to follow the German path to convert the Maxim light machine gun into a light machine gun. Of the two conversion options, the first of which was presented by I.N. Kolesnikov, and the second designer F.V. Tokarev, they chose the latter, and in May 1925, the MT (“Maxim-Tokarev”) machine gun with an air-cooled shortened barrel, a folding bipod, a wooden butt and a new descent entered service with the Red Army. However, only 2,450 of them were released (even less than Fedorov’s assault rifles), since then new sample, the authorship of which belonged to V.A. Degtyarev.

The head of the design bureau of the Kovrov plant, Degtyarev, took the system of his own automatic carbine as the basis for the light machine gun. Combining the well-known schemes of the gas engine of automation with a long piston stroke, locking the bore with two swinging lugs, bred by the striker, with original solutions (for example, a bolt carrier as the bottom cover of the receiver), he was able to get a compact and simple system, although for its refinement it took several years. And they did not go in vain during the tests, the Degtyarev sample surpassed both the Tokarev rework system and the German Dreyse. The machine gun received the designation "7.62-mm light machine gun mod. 1927" or DP ("Degtyareva, infantry", also referred to as DP-27) and became the first mass machine gun of a completely domestic design.

Automation "Degtyarev" acted due to the removal of powder gases through the gas outlet at the bottom of the barrel, included a regulator of the amount of exhaust gases. The fire was only automatic (continuous), the machine gun had an automatic fuse, a wooden butt and a removable folding bipod. Despite the overall disk store, the difficulty of replacing an overheated barrel in combat conditions and working with a regulator, the DP fully justified its purpose and was valued by the troops. And Degtyarev soon became perhaps the most respected and eminent domestic gunsmith designer.

The production of DP was mastered in Kovrov. It is characteristic that in 1927 such a important element weapons, like the 76 mm regimental gun. The “queen of the fields”, the infantry, needed more and more firepower each rifle squad received a light machine gun and a rifle grenade launcher, battalions heavy machine guns and anti-tank guns, regiments regimental guns (later company, battalion and regimental mortars would be added). The share of machine guns in rifle divisions grew mainly due to manual DPs: if in 1929 the division had 81 light and 189 heavy machine guns per 12,800 personnel, then in 1935, respectively, 354 manual and 180 heavy machine guns per 13,000 people.

machine gun drama

So you can call the situation that developed in the early 1930s in the Red Army with an easel machine gun. And I must say, not only in the Red Army. Machine guns during this period were considered mainly as a weapon of defense, and in this capacity, the armies of most countries were quite satisfied with the machine guns of the First World War, which remained regular at the beginning of World War II. In the British army, it was the Vickers, in the American M1917 Browning, in the French Mle1914 Hotchkiss, in the Japanese Type 3. The changes concerned mainly sights and installations. Heavy machine guns were designed to cover the battalion’s area of ​​operations with fire, so it was believed that they should “be able” to fire semi-direct and indirect fire at a distance of 5,000 to 7,000 m. To do this, they were equipped with optical sights and quadrants. The fire of machine guns on air targets was also considered a big plus, so both the 1920s and 1930s were marked by the rapid development of anti-aircraft machine gun mounts, universal machine tools and anti-aircraft sights.

In 1930, among other systems, the Maxim machine gun was also modernized. The main reason for this was the appearance of a cartridge with a heavy "long-range" bullet. For firing at long ranges, "Maxim" was equipped with an optical sight and a goniometer-quadrant. Accordingly, the armored shield received a window for the sight. A new design safety on the trigger lever made it possible to turn it off and fire with one hand. The return mechanism received an external return spring tension indicator. The barrel casing and shield mount were strengthened, and non-ferrous metals were replaced with steel. The production of the modernized machine gun continued at TOZ until 1940. At the same time, a special bureau at the plant was engaged in improving production technology.

For all its reliability, ease of control and accuracy in shooting, the Maxim remained too bulky and clearly did not meet the officially accepted theory of “deep combat”, when high mobility of firepower was required both in the offensive and in defense. Its modernization did not solve this problem. The mass of "Maxim" on the Sokolov machine was at least 66 kg, which meant that in field conditions the machine gun had to be served by a team of 57 people, in battle of 23 people, and well-trained physically. In addition, the reliable operation of the machine gun required high accuracy in assembly and debugging, which means that a large number of highly qualified assemblers were required.

Tactical and technical requirements for a new easel machine gun were issued back in 1928. The main attention was paid to the work of Degtyarev, who presented a prototype easel machine gun based on the DP already in 1930. But the work dragged on.

In search of a "large" caliber

Large-caliber machine guns after the First World War developed more intensively spurred the development of military aviation and armored vehicles. Two directions stood out: machine guns of 12.714.5 mm caliber and lightweight automatic guns of 2025 mm caliber (like Oerlikon, Solothurn, Madsen).

In the USSR, work on a 1220 mm machine gun began in 1925. The final choice had not yet been made, knowing that Germany had abandoned the 13 mm caliber in favor of the 20 mm. In the PKB TOZ under the leadership of a veteran machine-gun business I.A. Pastukhov, based on the 12.7-mm Vickers cartridge and the German Dreyse machine gun, developed the P-5 machine gun (“five-line machine gun”). The Design Bureau of the Kovrov Plant worked on a machine gun chambered for a more powerful 12.7 mm cartridge and based on a DP. After the maneuvers of 1929, which showed the need for weapons to fight aircraft at altitudes up to 1,500 m, People's Commissar of Defense K.E. Voroshilov asked to expedite the work. Preference in 1931 was given to the Degtyarev large-caliber (DK) with a disk magazine for 30 rounds. A cartridge with an armor-piercing bullet also gave it an "anti-tank" character. The military exploitation of the DK did not live up to expectations, and in 1935 its production was stopped. Only two years later G.S. Shpagin created a very successful drum feed mechanism for the tape, which worked from the movement of the bolt handle and did not require a significant alteration of the machine gun. In December 1938, the “12.7-mm easel machine gun of the 1938 model DShK (“DegtyarevaShpagin large-caliber)” was adopted on Kolesnikov’s universal wheel-tripod machine. For the whole of 1940, Kovrov Plant No. 2 named after. Kirkizha produced 566 DShKs, and in the first half of 1941 - 234.

About personal weapons

The idea of ​​re-equipping the army (at least the command staff) with a self-loading pistol was returned shortly after the end of the Civil War. The state of isolation and the sad experience of the World War required reliance mainly on one's own forces. Already in 19231924, S.A. pistols were tested. Korovin and S.A. Prilutsky chambered for the 7.65 mm Browning cartridge. Military tests of the Prilutsky pistol were carried out only in 1928, together with the German 7.65-mm "Walter". But in the same year, they decided to switch to the Mauser pistol cartridge its caliber was equal to the traditional domestic 7.62 mm, and Mauser cartridges were already produced in the USSR for S-96 Mauser pistols. In 1929, pistols chambered for this cartridge were introduced by Korovin, Prilutsky and Tokarev.

Before resolving the issue with a pistol in 1930, among other modernized weapons, the Nagan revolver of the 1895/30 model was also adopted (changed sights, the self-cocking mode was now for all revolvers). And in parallel, 17 domestic and foreign systems of pistols were tested and in February 1931 they issued the first mass order for a Tokarev pistol, which received the designation "7.62-mm pistol model 1930 TT" ("Tula-Tokarev"). The TT pistol, in fact, combining the Mauser cartridge, the automation system and the M1911 Colt locking unit, the Browning exterior design of 1903 and original solutions, was distinguished by good ballistics.

Abroad, since the mid-1930s, a number of new pistols have entered service: Type 94 Nambu in Japan, M1934 Beretta in Italy, wz.1935 (VIS) in Poland, L-35 Lahti in Finland, MAS-35 in France, 37M "Frommer" in Hungary, P.38 "Walter" in Germany. Note that R.38 "Walter" and "Browning High Power" played a big role in the further development of pistols in the world.

The experience of the “assault” groups of the First World War revived interest in automatic pistols, a kind of “holster submachine guns”. Much attention in the USSR was shown to the automatic Spanish "Mauser-Astra" model 901, F.V. Tokarev. But this type of weapon was not put into service at that time. But a new military-style self-loading pistol was required, and in May 1938 a new competition was announced.

In addition to the lack of reliability revealed during operation, the TT did not meet the requirements of the armored forces now one of the main "consumers" of personal weapons, in particular, it was inconvenient for firing through special hatches of tanks and armored vehicles, and this was then considered essential. After a series of tests, the main contender for the new pistol was the 9-shot version of P.V. Vojvodina. In terms of practical rate of fire, it surpassed the TT by 1.2 times, in accuracy at a distance of 25 m by 1.21.4 times. But the war intervened. My military career then continued not only TT, but also "Nagant". However, a pistol and a revolver in those years were jointly carried military service and in a number of other armies.

And again about ammunition

Important changes occurred in the interwar period and in the families of cartridges. The desire to increase the effectiveness of machine-gun fire at long ranges forced the introduction of heavy bullets, more stable on the trajectory and less losing speed in flight, the rapid development of military equipment and the complication of combat conditions increased the importance of special bullets. During the 19301940s, only the 7.62-mm rifle cartridge received variants with the B-30 armor-piercing bullet, the B-32 armor-piercing incendiary bullet, the T-30 tracer, the BZT armor-piercing incendiary tracer, and the sighting and incendiary PZ. The transition, for example, of the Italian and Japanese armies from caliber 6.5 mm to calibers 7.358 and 7.7 mm, respectively, is typical. This step, seemingly unfavorable in terms of the weight of the ammunition load, the flatness of the trajectories and the supply of troops, was intended to increase the power of machine-gun fire. In Japan, for example, 4 non-interchangeable types of rifle and machine gun cartridges were then in service.

The production of cartridges during this period also tried to reduce the cost the need for them amounted to billions of pieces. And here, the work on replacing scarce brass in the design of the sleeve and lead in the core of bullets with steel turned out to be very promising.

By the 1930s, the debate about grenades and dedicated "grenadiers" had passed. Hand grenades have already earned the nickname "pocket artillery" and have become the weapon of every fighter. The Red Army had hand grenades main (anti-personnel) and special purpose. The first were divided into offensive, defensive and offensive-defensive. The lethal radius of an offensive grenade should not exceed 2025 m, with a throw range of 3040 m, this gave the fighter a margin of distance when moving on the attack. The defensive grenade produced heavy fragments with a damage radius of up to 200 m and was thrown from behind cover. By 1939, offensive-defensive grenades of the 1914/30 model and RGD-33, defensive F-1 and Mils all fragmentation, remote action were in service.

RGD-33 systems M.G. Dyakonov, like the 1914/30 model grenade, had a removable fragmentation shirt that turned an offensive grenade into a defensive one. Her fuse was inserted from above, and in general she was more technologically advanced, safer. Its effectiveness somewhat reduced the duration of loading in preparation for the throw. Grenades of "special purpose" were considered heavy high-explosive for undermining obstacles and shelters, anti-tank, chemical (with low-resistance OM or smoke) and incendiary. After the Soviet-Finnish war, a new offensive grenade RG-41 and an anti-tank high-explosive RPG-40 were introduced.

Rifle (“gun”) grenade launchers in the Red Army accounted for 3 for each rifle and cavalry platoon. In the second half of the 1920s, Dyakonov improved his rifled mortar and grenade, which were put into service even before the revolution. An additional propellant charge was now placed in the bottom obturator of the grenade, which increased the firing range to 850 m (the charge could also be pulled out to shoot up to 500 m, with less recoil). The sight of the grenade launcher was changed several times. The rifle grenade was considered so important that in 1930 the Art Committee of the Main Artillery Directorate abandoned the development of rifles with automatics that provided for a movable barrel when a grenade launcher was installed, such automatics simply stopped working.

By the end of the 1930s, in OKB-16, Ya.G. Taubin created a 40.8-mm automatic grenade launcher with his own grenade, but then the military abandoned such weapons the time for automatic grenade launchers had not yet come.

Semyon Fedoseev | Illustrations by Yuri Yurov

The Degtyarev submachine gun (PPD) is a Soviet 7.62 mm submachine gun designed by the talented gunsmith Vasily Degtyarev in the early 1930s. The first modification of the Degtyarev submachine gun (PPD-34) was put into service in 1934, and the last (PPD-40) entered service in 1940.

PPD became the first Soviet serial submachine gun. Its production continued until the end of 1942. This weapon was actively used during the Soviet-Finnish war, as well as at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. It was later replaced by the cheaper and more technologically advanced Shpagin submachine gun (PPSh).

History of creation

Submachine guns appeared during the First World War. This weapon was supposed to greatly enhance firepower infantry, allowing to get out of the "positional impasse" of trench warfare. By that time, machine guns had shown themselves to be a very effective defensive weapon, capable of stopping any enemy attack. However, they were clearly not suitable for offensive operations. PMV machine guns had a very solid weight and for the most part were easel. So, for example, the well-known Maxim machine gun weighed more than 20 kg (without water, cartridges and machine tool), and together with the machine tool - more than 65 kg. The machine guns of the First World War had a calculation of two to six people.

Not surprisingly, the idea of ​​arming the infantry with light, rapid-fire weapons that could be easily carried and used by one person soon appeared. It led to the emergence of three types of automatic weapons at once: an automatic rifle, a light machine gun and a submachine gun that uses pistol cartridges for firing.

The first submachine gun appeared in Italy in 1915. Later, other countries participating in the conflict took up similar developments. Submachine guns did not render great influence during the WWI, however, the design developments made during this period were used to create a number of successful models of these weapons.

In the USSR, work on the creation of new submachine guns began in the mid-20s. Initially, they planned to equip junior and middle officers, replacing pistols and revolvers. However, the attitude of the Soviet military leadership towards these weapons was somewhat dismissive. Due to the low performance characteristics, submachine guns were considered "police" weapons, the pistol cartridge had low power and was effective only in close combat.

In 1926, the Artillery Directorate of the Red Army approved the technical requirements for submachine guns. Ammunition for a new type of weapon was not immediately chosen. Initially, they planned to manufacture submachine guns chambered for 7.62 × 38 mm Nagan, but later preference was given to the Mauser cartridge 7.63 × 25 mm, which was actively used in the Red Army weapon system.

In 1930, testing of prototypes of the first Soviet submachine guns began. Tokarev (chambered for 7.62 × 38 mm Nagant) and Degtyarev and Korovin (chambered for the Mauser cartridge) presented their developments. The leadership of the Red Army rejected all three samples. The reason for this was the unsatisfactory performance characteristics of the weapons presented: light weight samples, together with a high rate of fire, gave a very low accuracy of fire.

Over the next few years, more than ten new types of submachine guns were tested. Almost all well-known Soviet weapons designers dealt with this topic. The submachine gun created by Degtyarev was recognized as the best.

This weapon had a relatively low rate of fire, which had a positive effect on its accuracy and accuracy. In addition, the Degtyarev submachine gun was much cheaper and more technologically advanced than competitors. The future PPD had a large number of cylindrical parts (receiver, barrel shroud, butt plate), which could be easily made on conventional lathes.

After some refinement, the Degtyarev submachine gun was put into service on June 9, 1935. First of all, they planned to arm the junior command staff of the Red Army as a replacement for revolvers and self-loading pistols. Serial production of weapons began at the Kovrov Plant No. 2.

However, over the next few years, the production of PPD went, to put it mildly, slowly: in 1935, only 23 weapons were manufactured, and in 1935 - 911 pieces. Until 1940, a little more than 5 thousand units of PPD rolled off the assembly line. For comparison: only in 1937-1938. More than 3 million magazine rifles were produced. From this it can be seen that the Degtyarev submachine gun remained for the Soviet army and industry for a long time, in fact, a kind of curiosity and a prototype on which the production technology and tactics of using new weapons were worked out.

Taking into account the experience of using PPD in the troops, in 1938 a slight modernization of the submachine gun was carried out: the design of the magazine mount was changed, which significantly increased its reliability. The sight mount has also been changed.

After the modernization, the weapon received a new name: the Degtyarev system submachine gun samples 1934/38. At the same time, the opinion of Soviet military leaders about the role of submachine guns in the modern conflict somewhat changed. The reason for this was the experience of several armed conflicts, including the civil war in Spain, in which the USSR took an active part.

Voices began to be heard that the number of submachine guns in the Red Army was clearly not enough and it was necessary to urgently increase their production. However, it turned out to be not so easy to do this: the PPD was quite complicated and expensive for a large-scale release. Therefore, at the beginning of 1939, an order from the artillery administration appeared, according to which the PPD was generally removed from the production program, up to "... eliminating the noted shortcomings and simplifying the design."

Thus, the leadership of the Red Army already recognized the usefulness of submachine guns in general, but it was absolutely not satisfied with the quality and cost of the PPD. Nine months before the start of the Winter War, all PPDs were excluded from the Red Army's weapons system and transferred to storage. They were never offered a replacement.

Many historians call this decision erroneous, but it is unlikely that the number of manufactured PPDs could seriously strengthen the Red Army in the event of a large-scale conflict. There is an opinion that the cessation of production of PPD was associated with the adoption of the SVT-38 automatic rifle.

The experience of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940 made it possible to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of submachine guns in a different way. The Finns were armed with the Suomi submachine gun (very similar to Degtyarev's creation), which they used very effectively in the battles for the Mannerheim Line. This weapon made a great impression on the fighters and command staff of the Red Army. The complete rejection of submachine guns was recognized as a mistake. In letters from the front, the military asked to equip at least one squad per company with such weapons.

The necessary conclusions were drawn instantly: all the PPDs stored in the warehouses were again put into service and sent to the front line, and a month after the start of hostilities, the mass production of the submachine gun was launched again. Moreover, in January, the third modification of the PPD was adopted, and the plant in Kovrov, where submachine guns were manufactured, switched to a three-shift mode of operation.

The modification was aimed at simplifying the weapon and reducing the cost of its production. For comparison: the price of one submachine gun was 900 rubles, and a light machine gun cost 1150 rubles. Modification PPD-40 had the following differences:

• A smaller number in the casing of the barrel, the bottom of the casing was made separately, and then pressed into the pipe.
• The receiver was made from a pipe with a separate sight block.
• The design of the shutter was changed: now the striker was fixed motionless with a pin.
• A new ejector with a leaf spring was installed on the PPD-40.

In addition, the stock was simplified (now made of stamped plywood) and the trigger guard, which was now made by stamping instead of milling.

A drum magazine was developed for the new submachine gun (the same as that of the Suomi), its capacity was 71 rounds.

Serial production of the PPD-40 began in March 1940, and more than 81,000 units of this weapon were produced in a year. The mass appearance of the PPD-40 at the end of the Winter War gave rise to the legend that Degtyarev copied his assault rifle from the Finnish Suomi.

PPD was also used at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War, but was later replaced by a cheaper and more technologically advanced PPSh, which could be produced at any industrial enterprise. Until 1942, PPDs were made in besieged Leningrad, they were used by the fighters of the Leningrad Front. Later, the release of the PPD was abandoned in favor of the simpler and cheaper Sudayev submachine gun.

By the way, the Germans did not disdain PPD either. Many photographs of Nazi soldiers with captured Degtyarev submachine guns have been preserved.

Design description

The Degtyarev submachine gun is a typical example of the first generation of this weapon. PPD automation works due to the recoil energy of the free shutter.

The barrel of the weapon had four right-hand rifling, it was connected to the receiver with a thread. From above, the barrel was closed with a perforated casing, which protected it from mechanical damage, and the soldier’s hands from burns. Modification of 1934 had a large number of holes on the barrel casing, on the version of 1938 there were fewer of them, but the size of the holes increased.

PPD-34 did not have a fuse, it appeared only on subsequent modifications.

The PPD shutter consisted of several elements: a drummer with an axis, a shutter handle, an ejector with a spring and a striker. The bolt returned to the front extreme position using a return mechanism, which included a return-action spring and a butt plate, which was screwed onto the receiver section.

The trigger mechanism of the submachine gun was placed in a special trigger box, which was attached to the ledge of the box and secured with a pin. The PPD had a fire translator, which made it possible to fire both single shots and bursts. The impact mechanism of the PPD is of the striker type, the striker performed its task in the extreme forward position of the shutter.

The PPD fuse blocked the bolt and was located on its cocking handle. This submachine gun assembly was not very reliable, especially on worn weapons. However, despite this, it was almost completely copied in the design of the PPSh.

Ammunition came from a sector two-row magazine with a capacity of 25 rounds. During the shooting, it was used as a handle. For the 1934/38 modification, a drum magazine with a capacity of 73 rounds was developed, and for the 1940 modification, for 71 rounds.

The sighting devices of the PPD consisted of a sector sight and a front sight, which theoretically allowed firing at 500 meters. However, only an experienced fighter with a lot of luck could hit the enemy from the RPM at a distance of 300 meters. Although, it should be noted that the 7.62 × 25 mm TT cartridge had excellent power and good ballistics. The bullet retained its lethal force at a distance of 800 meters.

The fighters were advised to fire in short bursts, continuous fire could be fired at close range (less than 100 meters), no more than four stores in a row to avoid overheating. At distances of more than 300 meters, reliable target engagement could be ensured by concentrated fire from several PPDs at once.

Characteristics

Below are the performance characteristics of the Degtyarev submachine gun:

• cartridge - 7.62x25 TT;
• weight (with cartridges) - 5.4 kg;
• length - 778 mm;
• muzzle velocity - 500 m/s;
• rate of fire - 900-1100 rds / min;
• sighting range - 500 m;
• magazine capacity - 25 or 71 rounds.

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