Thier are two models i have noticed of the german assult rifle. The stg44 and the mp44 is thier any difference? and how did they fare in combat? An effective weapon that was prized, a souvenir weapon or a just an inovation. anything on the FG42 as well.
The StG-44 was an automatic carbine that was to be used to provide increased firepower to the rifle squad based around the Mauser Kar 98K, which was a five round strip feed bolt action rifle. The StG-44 having a 30 round banana clip. The G41/G43 was an attempt to close the gap in squad firepower with the Americans equipped with the M-1 Garrand. All three being semi-auto. M-1 (8) rounds and the Gs 10 rounds in a box magazine. The weapon was designated MP for Maschinen Pistole because of a deployment dispute caused by Hitler. In laymen's terms the StG-44 is the same as the MP-44. The FG-42 was used by the Fallschirmjagertruppen as means to increase firepower to the squad. It was similar in firepower to the BAR. It was fully automatic and had a 20 round box magazine. All these weapons were extremely effective and so much so that the M-60 is based on some German 1940s design. The MP-44 is also the father of the Assault Rifle which lately has negative press associated with that incorrect terminology. It is also disputed whether Kalishnikov stole the design for the AK-47 from the StG-43. Just take a look and what do you think?
i have seen showed some photoes to others and the first reactions i get are "that looks like an AK" so if he did steal it that would mean it was a good design. Have you heard anything of combat reports of them being used against either sides of Europe?
I'm never quite comfortable that the AK design was 'stolen' from the sturmgewehr, MP43/44 etc. as that would imply a complete 'port' of design from one to the other. The most significant factor seems the German development of the 'intermediate' (Kurz, short?) round, I can give them the credit for succesfully developing that idea (who thought of it first? can't remember...) which inevitably led to assault rifle style configurations. Despite similar appearance and operating statistics they(AK/MP) are different in design. Though many standard rifles looked very similar they're not often slated as 'copies' of one another. If it's copies we're looking for then the MG42's got to win. Manufacturers(FN,H&K??) stripped and 'blue-printed' an original 42 as no plans existed when developing their post war Machineguns. The design essentially lives on not much altered in many modern arsenals. As for the FJ...Have you seen the price of copies/de-acts??? blimey. I imagine runners are even more extremely priced?? Just thought... KFZ? have you seen the Krummlauf attachment for the stg/mp43/44 for firing round corners?
Just thought... KFZ? have you seen the Krummlauf attachment for the stg/mp43/44 for firing round corners? Yea, , seems a bit silly and probably more dangerous to the firer. Cant imagine what it does to the rifleing. Barrel would heat up like a electric fire.
I was talking to someone somewhere who said a lot of the german machine guns which studied in detail and copied and the FG42 mechanism eventually found its way into the M60. THough considoring how well the M60 is liked then its probably fitting, i guess the FG 42 wasnt that great. Is interesting, i find the mag fed LMG (with standard rifle cartridge) interesting as weopen system now (practically) extinct. Kev
I'm never quite comfortable that the AK design was 'stolen' from the sturmgewehr, MP43 as that would imply a complete 'port' of design from one to the other. Although he would never admit it, partially due to patriotism, perhaps fear of Stalin and maybe ego, the AK-47 is a direct copy of the StG-44 designed from the Maschinenkarabiner 1942 (MKb 42) developed in 1942. Keep in mind the AK-47 was designed in 1946 and released in 1947 hence, Avtomat Kalashnikov model 1947. True the SKS was developed in 1945 but that's still of course later. The MKb 42 was in response to the excellent SVT 40 semi-automatic rifle which along with the PPSh-41 were used by Soldaten as special weapons and adopted by many NCOs as service weapons on the Russian Front SVT40 designated as SIG.259(r) by Wehrmacht. Now here's where it gets interesting. The Red Army had captured or was given control of Thuringia and the city of Suhl where Haenel Arms Factory was located which just happened to be the home of the StG-44. Hugo Schmeisser was forced to work under Mikhail Kalashnikov after the Wehrmacht's defeat. Shortly afterwards we see the AK 47 introduced and Hugo Schmeisser has a mysterious death in Siberia in 1953, he was only 69. Now granted I don't have GRU-KGB files on disk but it is obvious besides the fact that the AK 47 clearly borrows gas system, cartridge concept, and design layout from the StG-44, that Kalashnikov copied Schmeisser. What Kalashnikov did was to improve the design and loosen the tolerances of the German design to make a weapon that you can drag though the mud and still depend on.
