German weapons of WWII. Weapons of World War II
Fascist preparation Germany at the beginning of World War II has become an aspect of serious developments in the field of military technology. The armament of fascist troops at that time according to last word technology undoubtedly became a significant advantage in battles, which allowed the Third Reich to lead many countries to surrender.
The USSR especially experienced the military power of the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War. Before the attack on Soviet Union the forces of Nazi Germany numbered about 8.5 million people, including in ground forces there were approximately 5.2 million people.
Technical equipment determined many ways of conducting combat operations, maneuverability and strike capabilities of the army. After the campaign in Western Europe, the German Wehrmacht left behind the best weapons that showed the greatest effectiveness in combat operations. Before the attack on the USSR, these prototypes underwent intensive modernization, their parameters were brought to maximum levels.
The fascist infantry divisions, as the main tactical troops, were armed with repeating rifles with 98 and . Although the Treaty of Versailles for Germany included a ban on the production of submachine guns, German gunsmiths still continued to produce this type of weapon. Shortly after the beginning of the formation of the Wehrmacht, a submachine gun appeared in its appearance, which, due to the fact that it was different small in size, an open barrel without a forearm and a folding butt, quickly patented itself and was put into service back in 1938.
The experience gained in combat required the subsequent modernization of the MP.38. This is how the MP.40 submachine gun appeared, which featured a more simplified and cheaper design (in parallel, some changes were made to the MP.38, which later received the designation MP.38/40). Compactness, reliability, and an almost optimal rate of fire were justified advantages of this weapon. German soldiers called it the “bullet pump.”
The battles on the Eastern Front showed that the submachine gun still needed to improve its accuracy. This problem was already taken up by H. Schmeisser, who equipped the design with a wooden butt and a device for switching to a single fire. True, the production of such MP.41s was insignificant.
Germany entered the war with only one machine gun, which was used in both manual and tank, easel and anti-aircraft types. The experience of its use has proven that the concept of a single machine gun is quite correct. However, in 1942, the brainchild of modernization was the MG.42, nicknamed " Hitler's saw”, which is considered the best machine gun of the Second World War.
The fascist forces brought a lot of trouble to the world, but it is worth recognizing that they really understood military technology.
Let's talk about many myths that have long been boring, about true and fictitious facts and about the real state of affairs during the Great Patriotic War.
On the topic of the Great Patriotic War, there are many myths directed against Russia, from “they were filled with corpses” to “two million raped German women.” One of them is the superiority of German weapons over Soviet ones. It is important that this myth spreads even without anti-Soviet (anti-Russian) motivation, “accidentally” - a typical example is the depiction of Germans in films. This is often highly artistically depicted as a procession of “blond beasts” with rolled-up sleeves, who from the hips pour long bursts of “Schmeissers” (see below) on the Red Army fighters from the hip, and they only occasionally snarl with rare rifle shots. Cinematic! This happens even in Soviet films, and in modern ones it can even reach one shovel handle for three against sailing “tigers”.
Let's compare the weapons that were available at that time. However, this is a very broad topic, so let’s take small arms as an example, and “in a narrow range”, mass for the rank and file. That is, we don’t take pistols, neither do machine guns (we would like them, but the article has a limited scope). We also do not consider specific items, such as Vorsatz J/Pz curved-barrel attachments, and we will examine the specified “narrow” range specifically for mass products, without specifically highlighting early models (SVT-38 from SVT-40, MP-38 from MP-40, for example) . I apologize for such superficiality, but you can always read the details on the Internet, and now we only need a comparative review of mass-produced models.
Let's start with the fact that the impression from many in the film that “almost all Germans, unlike the Red Army soldiers, had automatic weapons” is false.
In 1940, a German infantry division should have had 12,609 rifles and carbines, and only 312 submachine guns, i.e. less than the actual machine guns (425 light and 110 easel), and in the Soviet Union in 1941 - 10,386 rifles and carbines (including snipers), while submachine guns - 1,623 (and, by the way, 392 light machine guns and 166 easel, and also 9 large-caliber). In 1944, the Germans had 9,420 carbines and rifles (including sniper rifles) per division, which accounted for 1,595 submachine guns and assault rifles, while the Red Army had 5,357 rifles with carbines, and 5,557 submachine guns. (Sergei Metnikov, Confrontation between the small arms systems of the Wehrmacht and the Soviet Army, “Weapons” No. 4, 2000).
It is clearly seen that in the state the share automatic weapons There were more in the Red Army even at the beginning of the war, and over time the relative number of submachine guns only increased. However, it is worth considering that “what was required” and “what actually existed” did not always coincide. Just at this time, the rearmament of the army was underway, and a new range of weapons was just being formed: “As of June 1941, in the Kiev Special Military District, rifle formations had light machine guns from 100 to 128% of the staff, submachine guns - up to 35%, anti-aircraft machine guns - 5-6% of the state.” It should also be taken into account that the largest losses of weapons occurred at the beginning of the war, 1941.
It was in the Second World War that the role of small arms changed compared to the First: long-term positional “trench” confrontations were replaced by operational maneuvering, which placed new demands on small arms. By the end of the war, the specializations of weapons were already quite clearly divided: long-range (rifles, machine guns) and for short distances using automatic fire. Moreover, in the second case, a battle at a distance of up to 200 m was first considered, but then an understanding came of the need to increase sighting range automatic weapons up to 400-600 m.
But let's get down to specifics. Let's start with German weapons.
First of all, of course, the Mauser 98K carbine comes to mind.
Caliber 7.92x57 mm, manual reloading, 5-round magazine, sighting range - up to 2000 m, therefore widely used with optical sights. The design turned out to be very successful, and after the war, Mausers became a popular base for hunting and sporting weapons. Although the carbine is a remake of a rifle from the end of the previous century, the Wehrmacht began to arm itself with these carbines en masse only in 1935.
The first automatic self-loading rifles began to arrive in the Wehrmacht infantry only at the end of 1941, these were Walther G.41.
Caliber 7.92x57 mm, gas-operated automatic, magazine for 10 rounds, sighting range - up to 1200 m. The appearance of this weapon was caused by the high assessment of the Soviet SVT-38/40 and ABC-36, to which the G-41 was still inferior. Main disadvantages: poor balance (the center of gravity is very forward) and demanding maintenance, which is difficult in front-line conditions. In 1943 it was upgraded to the G-43, and before that the Wehrmacht often preferred to use captured Soviet-made SVT-40s. However, in the Gewehr 43 version, the improvement was precisely in the use of a new gas exhaust system, borrowed precisely from the Tokarev rifle.
The most famous weapon in appearance is the “Schmeisser” with its characteristic shape.
Which has nothing to do with the designer Schmeisser, the Maschinenpistole MP-40 was developed by Heinrich Vollmer.We will not consider the early modifications of MP-36 and -38 separately, as stated.
Caliber: 9x19 mm Parabellum, rate of fire: 400-500 rounds/min, magazine: 32 rounds, effective firing range: 150 m for group targets, generally 70 m for single targets, since the MP-40 vibrates strongly when firing. This is exactly the question of “cinematography versus realism”: if the Wehrmacht had attacked “like in the movies,” then it would have been a shooting range for Red Army soldiers armed with “mosinki” and “svetki”: the enemy would have been shot another 300-400 meters away. Another significant drawback was the absence of a barrel casing when it quickly heated up, which often led to burns when firing in bursts. It should also be noted that the stores are unreliable. However, for close combat, especially urban combat, the MP-40 is a very good weapon.
Initially, the MP-40 was only available to command personnel, then they began to issue it to drivers, tank crews and paratroopers. There was never a cinematic mass appeal: 1.2 million MP-40s were produced throughout the war, in total more than 21 million people were drafted into the Wehrmacht, and in 1941 there were only about 250 thousand MP-40s in the army.
Schmeisser, in 1943, developed the Sturmgewehr StG-44 (originally MP-43) for the Wehrmacht.
By the way, it is worth noting that there is a myth that the Kalashnikov assault rifle was allegedly copied from the StG-44, which arose due to some external similarity and ignorance of the structure of both products.
Caliber: 7.92x33 mm, rate of fire: 400-500 rounds/min, magazine: 30 rounds, effective firing range: up to 800 m. It was possible to mount a 30 mm grenade launcher and even use an infrared sight (which, however, required backpack batteries and he was by no means compact). Quite a worthy weapon for its time, but mass production was mastered only in the fall of 1944; in total, approximately 450 thousand of these assault rifles were produced, which were used by SS units and other elite units.
Let's start, of course, with the glorious Mosin rifle of the 1891-30 model, and, of course, the carbine of the 1938 and 1944 model.
Caliber 7.62x54 mm, manual reloading, magazine for 5 rounds, sighting range - up to 2000 m. The main small arms of the Red Army infantry units of the first period of the war. Durability, reliability and unpretentiousness have entered legends and folklore. The disadvantages include: a bayonet, which, due to an outdated design, had to be carried permanently attached to the rifle, a horizontal bolt handle (that’s realistic - why not bend it down?), inconvenient reloading and a safety lock.
Soviet weapons designer F.V. Tokarev developed a 10-round self-loading rifle SVT-38 in the late 30s
Then a modernized version of the SVT-40 appeared, weighing 600 g less, and then on this basis the sniper rifle.
Caliber 7.62x54 mm, gas-operated automatic, magazine for 10 rounds, sighting range - up to 1000 m. One can often come across an opinion about the capriciousness of the rifle, but this is due to the general conscription into the army: for fighters "from the plow" the Mosin rifle, of course, is easier to use operation. In addition, in front-line conditions there was often a shortage of lubricants, and unsuitable ones could be used. Additionally, one should point out the low quality of the cartridges supplied under Lend-Lease, which produced a lot of soot. However, it all comes down to the need to comply with maintenance regulations.
At the same time, SVT had a greater firepower due to automation and twice as many cartridges in the magazine as the Mosin rifle, so the preferences were different.
As mentioned above, the Germans valued captured SVTs and even adopted them as a “limited standard”.
As for automatic weapons, at the beginning of the war the troops had a number of V.A. submachine guns. Degtyareva PPD-34/38
It was developed back in the 30s. Caliber 7.62x25 mm, rate of fire: 800 rounds/min, magazine for 71 rounds (drum) or 25 (horn), effective firing range: 200 meters. It was used mainly by border units of the NKVD, since, unfortunately, the combined arms command still thought in terms of the First World War and did not understand the importance of submachine guns. In 1940, the PPD was structurally modernized, but still remained unsuitable for mass production in wartime, and by the end of 1941 it was replaced in service by the cheaper and more effective Shpagin PPSh-41 submachine gun
PPSh-41, which became widely known thanks to cinema.
Caliber 7.62x25 mm, rate of fire: 900 rounds/min, effective range: 200 meters (sight - 300, which is important for single-shot shooting). The PPSh inherited a 71-round drum magazine, and later received a more reliable open-arm magazine with 35 rounds. The design was based on stamping-welded technology, which made it possible to mass produce the product even in harsh military conditions, and in total about 5.5 million PPSh were produced during the war years. Main advantages: high effective firing range in its class, simplicity and low cost of manufacturing. Disadvantages include significant weight, as well as too high rate of fire, which leads to excessive consumption of ammunition.
We should also recall the PPS-42 (then PPS-43), invented in 1942 by Alexey Sudaev.
Caliber: 7.62x25 mm, rate of fire: 700 rounds/min, magazine: 35 rounds, effective range: 200 meters. The bullet retains destructive power up to 800 m. Although the PPS was very technologically advanced in production (stamped parts are assembled by welding and rivets; material costs are half and labor costs are three times less than that of the PPSh), it never became mass weapons, although about half a million were produced during the remaining years of the war. After the war, the PPS was massively exported and also copied abroad (the Finns made a replica of the M44 chambered for the 9 mm cartridge already in 1944), then it was gradually replaced by the Kalashnikov assault rifle among the troops. The PPS-43 is often called the best submachine gun of World War II.
Some will ask: why, since everything was so good, did the blitzkrieg almost succeed?
Firstly, do not forget that in 1941 rearmament was just underway, and the provision of automatic weapons according to the new standards had not yet been carried out.
Secondly, hand-held small arms in the Great Patriotic War are not the main damaging factor; losses are usually estimated between a quarter and a third of the total.
Thirdly, there are areas where the Wehrmacht had a clear advantage at the beginning of the war: mechanization, transport and communications.
But the main thing is the number and concentration of forces accumulated for a treacherous attack without declaring war. In June 1941, the Reich concentrated 2.8 million Wehrmacht forces to attack the USSR, and the total number of troops with the allies was more than 4.3 million people. At the same time, in the western districts of the Red Army there were only about 3 million people, and it was in the districts that less than 40% of the personnel were located near the border. Combat readiness, alas, was also far from 100%, especially in terms of technology - let’s not idealize the past.
We also must not forget about the economy: while the USSR was forced to hastily evacuate factories to the Urals, the Reich made full use of the resources of Europe, which gladly fell under the Germans. Czechoslovakia, for example, before the war was the leader in arms production in Europe, and at the beginning of the war, every third german tank was produced by the Skoda concern.
And the glorious traditions of gunsmith designers continue in our time, including in the field of small arms.
Assault rifle FG-42 (FG - 42).
In May 1941, during the capture of the island of Crete, German paratroopers suffered significant losses. This was due to the fact that the paratroopers had only personal weapons with them - a P08 pistol (“Parabellum”). Bad design suspension system The parachute did not allow one to be armed to the teeth, so carbines and machine guns were dropped in a separate container. According to the standard, within 80 seconds the paratroopers had to get rid of the parachute and find a container with weapons and ammunition. Only then could they fully engage in battle with the enemy. It was during these 80 seconds that the German paratroopers were almost completely destroyed. The “Cretan failure” made the command of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) think about creating a light, but at the same time powerful weapon for paratroopers. The tactical and technical specifications proposed combining the incompatible: a rifle with small dimensions chambered for a heavy rifle cartridge should have a fire mode translator and not be inferior in weight to a standard Mauser carbine. In general, it was supposed to be a product of combining a submachine gun, a rifle and a light machine gun. The army authorities, realizing the unreality of such a project, immediately rejected the Luftwaffe's request.
In any army there has always been rivalry between the branches of the military. Therefore, it is clear that Air Force Commander-in-Chief Hermann Goering has long dreamed of special weapons only for the Airborne Forces (Airborne Forces). Thanks to Goering's position, the Ministry of Aviation directly turned to arms manufacturers Krieghoff and Rheinmetal l. The latter, at the beginning of 1942, provided a sample of the weapon, which was ultimately preferred. The FG - 42 rifle (Fallschirmlandunsgewehr - 42) was designed by the leading engineer of the Rheinmetal company, Louis Stange, the author of the MG - 34 and MG - 42 light machine guns.
The FG - 42 assault rifle immediately catches your eye with its unusual appearance. Firstly, the magazine is located on the left, horizontal to the rifle. Secondly, the bayonet, unlike most of its counterparts, is tetrahedral needle-shaped. Thirdly, the pistol grip is strongly inclined for ease of shooting from the air at ground targets. The rifle has a short wooden fore-end and a fixed bipod. Another feature of the FG - 42 rifle is that the barrel bore and the butt resting point on the shoulder are located on the same line, which minimizes the recoil force. Instead of a compensator brake, a Gw.Gr.Ger.42 mortar can be screwed onto the barrel of the FG - 42 rifle, which could be fired by all types of rifle grenades that existed in Germany at that time.
After Goering was presented with one of the first samples of the FG-42, he immediately showed it to Hitler. The Fuhrer was fascinated. As a result, the first batch of FG-42 rifles was armed with Hitler's personal guard.
After some testing of the FG-42 assault rifle, the Luftwaffe planned to launch the first batch of 3,000 pieces. The Wehrmacht Armament Directorate (HWaA) could not help but notice the excessively increased independence of Goering's charges. The HWaA leadership demanded that the weapon be subjected to tests independent of the Luftwaffe. Excessive pickiness revealed many shortcomings of the rifle and its design was considered unsuccessful. The Air Force Weapons Directorate set the task of eliminating the shortcomings of the parachute rifle as soon as possible.
Refinement of the FG - 42 rifle has grown into a radical modernization. Carbon steel has been replaced by high quality alloy steel. The angle of the pistol grip has changed. Practice has shown that shooting from the air leads to rotation of the parachutist, and on the ground the large angle of the pistol grip was inconvenient for holding the weapon. In order to prevent frostbite among paratroopers in winter, the metal stock was replaced with a wooden one. The design of the muzzle brake-compensator has been improved. The bipod in the modernized version was moved to the muzzle; they made it possible to fire from slopes of hills. New option was shorter by 35 mm.
The modernization of the FG - 42 did not affect the designation in any way, although these were already different rifles. The first option and the second were related only by the principle of construction. In some German documents they were presented as FG - 42 I and FG - 42 II. Towards the end of the war, a modification of the FG-42 with a sniper scope appeared. A variant with belt power is also known. The upgraded rifle combines the qualities of a submachine gun, a sniper rifle, a rifle grenade launcher and a light machine gun. For airborne units This combination turned out to be an absolute plus.
FG - 42 received its baptism of fire during the operation to free the leader of the Italian fascists Benito Mussolini. Despite the fact that the parachute rifle was not officially adopted, it was quite widely used in battles on various stages of the theater of operations. FG - 42 became an integral companion of the “green devils,” as the German paratroopers were called by the Anglo-American troops. In total, about seven thousand FG-42 I and FG-42 II assault rifles were produced.
The FG-42 automatic rifle is one of the most interesting examples of Wehrmacht small arms. There is nothing revolutionary in the design of the rifle, but Louis Stange managed to combine the incompatible. This was the impetus for the development of a number of similar systems in America and Switzerland. Some parts and components found application in the developments of Soviet designers.
There aren't many of these rifles left these days. FG - 42 is a very rare weapon, found mainly in museums and private collections. There is also one in Moscow. At any time you can admire the FG - 42 at the Central Museum of the Armed Forces.
Documentary photographs show German paratroopers with FG - 42 assault rifles (FG - 42).
C.G. Haenel MP-43 / MP-44 / Stg.44 - assault rifle (Germany).
The development of hand-held automatic weapons chambered for a cartridge intermediate in power between a pistol and a rifle began in Germany at the beginning of the Second World War. The intermediate cartridge 7.92x33 mm (7.92mm Kurz), developed on its own initiative by the German company Polte, was chosen as the base one. In 1942, by order of the German Armaments Directorate, two companies began developing weapons for this cartridge - C.G. Haenel and Karl Walther. As a result, two samples were created, initially classified as automatic carbines - (MachinenKarabine, MKb). The Walter company sample was designated MKb.42(W), the Haenel company sample, developed under the leadership of Hugo Schmeisser, was designated Mkb.42(H). Based on the test results, it was decided to develop the Henel design, which included significant changes, primarily related to the trigger device.
Due to Hitler's reluctance to begin production of a new class of weapons, development was carried out under the designation MP-43 (MachinenPistole = submachine gun).
The first samples of the MP-43 were successfully tested on the Eastern Front against Soviet troops, and in 1944 more or less mass production of a new type of weapon began, but under the name MP-44. After the results of successful front-line tests were presented to Hitler and approved by him, the nomenclature of the weapon was changed again, and the model received the final designation StG.44 (SturmGewehr-44, assault rifle). The name SturmGewehr had a purely propaganda meaning, however, as usual, it firmly stuck not only to this model, but also to the entire class of hand-held automatic weapons chambered for an intermediate cartridge.
The MP-44 was an automatic weapon built on the basis of automatic weapons with a gas engine. The barrel was locked by tilting the bolt down behind the receiver. The receiver is stamped from a steel sheet, and the stamped trigger block together with the pistol grip is hinged to the receiver and folds forward and down for disassembly. The butt was made of wood and was removed during disassembly; a return spring was located inside the butt. The sight is sectorial, the safety and the fire mode selector are independent, the bolt handle is located on the left and moves with the bolt frame when firing. The muzzle of the barrel has a thread for attaching a rifle grenade launcher, usually covered with a protective sleeve. The MP-44 could be equipped with an active IR sight "Vampire" as well as a special crooked barrel device Krummlauf Vorsatz J, designed for firing from tanks at the enemy in the dead zone near the tank ("firing from around the corner").
In general, the MP-44 was a fairly successful model, providing effective fire with single shots at a range of up to 600 meters and automatic fire at a range of up to 300 meters. It was the first mass-produced model of a new class of weapons - assault rifles, and had an undoubted influence on ALL subsequent developments, including, of course, the Kalashnikov assault rifle. HOWEVER, it is impossible to talk about Kalashnikov’s DIRECT BORROWING from the Schmeisser design - as follows from the above, the AK and MP-44 designs contain too many fundamentally different solutions (receiver layout, trigger mechanism, barrel locking unit, and so on). The disadvantages of the MP-44 include the excessively large mass of the weapon, sights located too high, which is why the shooter had to raise his head too high when shooting while lying down, and shortened magazines for 15 and 20 rounds were even developed for the MP-44. In addition, the butt mount was not strong enough and could be destroyed in hand-to-hand combat.
In total, about 500,000 versions of the MP-44 were produced, and with the end of the Second World War its production ended, but until the mid-1950s it was in service with the GDR police and airborne troops Yugoslavia.
Ofenrohr/Panzerschreck - rocket-propelled anti-tank gun (Germany).
In 1943, the Germans made an attempt to solve the problem of anti-tank defense with the help of the Ofenror rocket gun (chimney), firing cumulative action rocket mines at a range of up to 150 m. The gun was created based on the design of the American Bazooka anti-tank rifle and consists of an open both ends of a smooth-walled pipe with three guides, a pulse generator with electrical wiring and a plug box, a trigger mechanism and a sight.
The gun is fired using a sight consisting of front and rear sights. To protect against the hot powder gases generated during a shot, the gunner had to put on a gas mask and gloves before firing from the Ofenror gun. This circumstance significantly complicated the use of the gun, so in 1944 a modification of it appeared, equipped with a protective shield. This modification is known as "Panzerschrek" (tank horror).
Shotguns of both modifications fire cumulative action rocket mines, capable of penetrating a sheet of armor steel 150-200 mm thick at a distance of up to 180 m. Anti-tank companies of motorized rifle regiments were primarily armed with such guns. tank divisions at the rate of 36 guns per company. At the end of 1944, each Wehrmacht infantry division had 130 Panzerschreck rifles in active use and 22 spare rifles. These guns also entered service with some Volkssturm battalions.
The pipe at the rear end has a ring that protects the channel from contamination and damage, and also makes it easier to insert a mine into the pipe channel; a shoulder rest with a shoulder pad, two handles for holding the gun when aiming, two swivels with a belt for carrying the gun and a spring latch for holding the mine in a loaded gun. Ignition of the mine's reactive charge at the moment of firing is ensured by a pulse generator and a firing mechanism.
MP - 38/40 - submachine gun (Germany).
The MP-38 and MP-40 submachine guns, often erroneously referred to as Schmeissers, were developed by the German designer Vollmer at the Erma company, and entered service with the Wehrmacht in 1938 and 1940, respectively. Initially, they were intended to arm paratroopers and crews of combat vehicles, but later they entered service with infantry units of the Wehrmacht and SS.
In total, about 1.2 million MP-38 and MP-40 units were produced. The MP-40 was a modification of the MP-38, in which the milled receiver was replaced by a stamped one. The magazine neck has also changed, with stamped ribs appearing on it to increase strength. There were a number of other minor differences.
Both MP-38 and MP-40 operate on the blowback principle. The fire is fired from an open bolt. The safety devices are the simplest - a shaped cutout in the receiver where the bolt handle is inserted to secure it (the bolt). In some versions, the bolt handle was movable in the transverse plane, and made it possible to fix the bolt in the forward position by extending it towards the axis of the weapon. The return spring is cylindrical, enclosed in a telescopic casing to protect it from dirt. A pneumatic recoil damper is built into the design of the firing pin, which acts as a fire rate retarder. As a result, the weapon becomes quite controllable. There is a special lug under the barrel that acts as a stop when firing from armored personnel carriers and other equipment.
The stock folds down. Sights include a front sight in a ring-shaped muzzle and a reversible rear sight for ranges of 100 and 200 meters.
The advantages of the system include good controllability of the weapon, but the disadvantages are the absence of a fore-end or barrel casing, which led to hand burns on the barrel during intense shooting, and a shorter effective firing range compared to Soviet models (PPSh, PPS).
Mauser C-96 - pistol (Germany).
The development of the pistol was started by the Federle brothers, employees of the German company Mauser, around 1894. In 1895, the first samples appeared, and at the same time a patent was received in the name of Paul Mauser. In 1896, they were presented to the German Army for testing, but were not accepted into service. However, Mauser C-96 pistols enjoyed considerable success on the market. civilian weapons up until the 1930s - they were popular among travelers, explorers, bandits - all those who needed a fairly compact and powerful weapon with a decent effective firing range - and in this regard the Mauser C-96 still looks very good, and Compared to many pistols and revolvers of the early twentieth century, it had a superior range by several times.
The pistol was repeatedly subjected to various modifications, the most significant of which were the transition to smaller triggers, new types of safety (changed several times), and changes in barrel length. In addition, at the beginning of the 1930s, the Germans produced models with detachable box magazines, including those with the ability to fire automatically.
The Mauser C-96 has served in many wars, starting with the Boer War in South Africa(1899-1902), in the First and Second World Wars, in civil wars in Russia and Spain (in the latter case, mainly copies of locally produced Mausers were used). In addition, Mauser C-96s were purchased by China in the 1930s, and were even produced there under license, and chambered for the .45 automatic transmission cartridge (11.43 mm).
Technically, the Mauser C-96 is self-loading pistol, built on the basis of automation with a short barrel stroke and locking under the barrel combat cylinder, swinging in a vertical plane when interacting with elements of the pistol frame. The larva is connected to a movable receiver, into which the barrel is screwed in front, and a rectangular bolt moves inside it. With two teeth on the upper surface, the larva engages the bolt, and when the barrel-box-bolt group moves back, the larva lowers, releasing the bolt and stopping the barrel. When the bolt moves back, it throws up the spent cartridge case, cocks the open hammer and sends a new cartridge into the barrel.
Box-shaped stores located in front trigger guard, for most models - non-detachable, 10 rounds. Options with magazines for 6 or 20 rounds were also produced (in small batches). All magazines are double-row, filled from above when the bolt is open, with one cartridge each or from a special clip for 10 rounds (similar to the Mauser Gev. 98 rifle). If it was necessary to unload the pistol, each cartridge had to be removed from the magazine by manually working the entire reloading cycle with the bolt, which was a major design flaw. Later, with the advent of detachable magazines, this design flaw was eliminated.
The safety lever was located at the rear of the frame, to the left of the trigger, and in models different years release could lock the trigger mechanism, either in any position of the trigger (early models), or only after the trigger was manually pulled back slightly until disconnected from the sear (since 1912, the so-called “new type safety” was designated NS - “ Neue Sicherung").
Sights are either fixed or with a rear sight adjustable for range, notched up to 1000 meters. Of course, this was nothing more than a marketing ploy - at a distance of 1000 meters even in the most better conditions the spread of hits exceeded 3 meters. However, at a range of up to 150-200 meters, the Mauser C-96 provided quite acceptable shooting accuracy and lethality, especially when using a standard holster-butt.
Most Mausers were chambered for the 7.63 mm Mauser cartridge (almost completely similar to the domestic 7.62x25 mm TT cartridge). In addition, in 1915, the German army ordered Mausers chambered for its standard 9 mm Parabellum cartridge. Such pistols were designated by a large number “9” carved into the cheeks of the handle and filled with red paint. In addition, a small number of Mauser C-96s were chambered for the 9x25mm Mauser Export cartridge.
From 1920 until the early 1930s, German Mauser C-96s were produced with shortened 99 mm barrels (in accordance with the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles). It was precisely these Mausers that were purchased by Soviet Russia in the 1920s, and this fact gave rise to calling all short-barreled Mausers “Bolo” models (Bolo - from Bolshevik).
With Hitler coming to power in Germany, the production of army weapons began there with new strength, and at the beginning of the 1930s, the Germans were developing new modifications of the Mauser C-96 - including models 711 and 712. Both models had detachable magazines for 10 or 20 (sometimes even 40) rounds, and model 712 also had a fire mode translator on the left side of the frame. The rate of fire of the 712 model reached 900 - 1000 rounds per minute, which, with a light barrel and a powerful cartridge, limited the use of automatic fire to short bursts, and required the use of an attached butt holster to ensure more or less acceptable accuracy.
In general, the Mauser C-96 is in some way a landmark, a classic example of self-loading pistols. It has both undoubted advantages (high range and shooting accuracy) and disadvantages (considerable weight and size, inconvenience of loading and unloading). Despite the fact that the Mauser C-96 was practically not in service as the main model, in the first third of the 20th century it had well-deserved and widespread popularity.
P-08 / Luger "Parabellum" - pistol (Germany).
Georg Luger created the world famous "Parabellum" around 1898, based on the cartridge and locking system designed by Hugo Borchardt. Luger modified the Borchardt lever locking system to make it more compact. Already in 1900-1902, Switzerland adopted the Parabellum model 1900 of 7.65 mm caliber into service with its army. A little later, Georg Luger, together with the DWM company (the main manufacturer of Parabellums in the first quarter of the twentieth century), redesigned his cartridge for a 9 mm caliber bullet, and the most popular pistol cartridge in the world, 9x19 mm Luger / Parabellum, was born.
In 1904, the 9 mm parabellum was adopted by the German Navy, and in 1908 - German army. Subsequently, the Luger was in service in many countries around the world, and were in service at least until the 1950s.
The Parabellum pistol (the name comes from the Latin proverb Si vis pacem, Para bellum - If you want peace, prepare for war), is a self-loading pistol with a single-action strike trigger. The pistol is built according to a scheme with a short barrel stroke and locking with a lever system.
In the locked position, the levers are in the “dead center” position, rigidly fixing the bolt in the movable receiver connected to the barrel. When the entire system of levers moves back under the influence of recoil after a shot, the levers with their central axis are located on the protrusion of the pistol frame, which forces them to pass the “dead center” and “fold” upward, unlocking the barrel and allowing the bolt to go back.
The Luger was produced with a variety of barrel lengths - from 98 mm to 203 mm (artillery model) and more. They were also produced in a "carbine" version, with a long barrel, a removable wooden fore-end and a detachable butt. Some (early) models were equipped with an automatic fuse back side handles.
In general, the Parabellums were distinguished by a very comfortable handle, providing a comfortable grip and convenient aiming, and good shooting accuracy. However, they were difficult (and therefore expensive) to produce, and very sensitive to contamination.
Walter P-38 - pistol (Germany).
The first commercial pistol was produced by the Karl Walter Waffen Factory in 1911. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, the Walter company was mainly engaged in the creation of hunting rifles. The production of pistols turned out to be quite a successful business for the company, and the later Walter brand pistols earned international recognition. In addition to Karl Walter himself, his sons Fritz, Erich and Georg also became gunsmiths. They actively supported their father's cause and became leading designers of small arms.
In 1929, the Walter pistol was born, which received the PP index (Polizei Pistole - from German police pistol) and was initially used by the police.
In 1931, the PPK pistol (Polizei Pistole Kriminal) was created - a shortened version of the PP pistol for discreet carrying by representatives of the criminal police. Naturally, both the RR and the RRK were actively used not only by the police, but also by various services of the Third Reich: the Gestapo, Abwehr, SS, SD, Gestapo and other organizations. In addition, they were adopted by the Wehrmacht as personal weapons, convenient due to their small size and reliable in field conditions.
The P-38 pistol was developed back in the second half of the thirties specifically as an army pistol (ArmeePistole).
Its first user was Sweden, which purchased a small number of Walther HP (Heeres Pistole) pistols in 1938; in April 1940, this pistol, under the official designation Pistole 38, was adopted by the Wehrmacht. It was one of the newest pistols for that time and was adopted to replace the Parabellum. The P-08/Luger "Parabellum" began to be considered a "soldier's" pistol, and the P-38 - an "officer's" pistol.
It was produced not only in Germany, but also in Belgium and occupied Czechoslovakia. The R-38 was also popular with the Red Army and allies as a good trophy and a weapon for close combat. The production of P-38 pistols continued immediately after the end of the war in 1945 - 1946, from military reserves, since the factories where the pistol was produced were destroyed, production was carried out under the supervision of the French occupation authorities. In the mid-1950s, the Carl Walther company began to rise from its post-war ruins. The production of PP and RRK pistols was established in France by Manurhin under license from Walther, and at the end of 1950 the company resumed production of P-38 pistols for the commercial market, as well as for the needs of the newly created armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Only in 1957, the Bundeswehr again adopted this pistol, only now not as the P-38, but as the P-1 (P is short for “pistole” - “pistol” in it), while the commercial version of the same pistol was -still called P-38. Essentially it was the same pistol, only its frame was made of lightweight aluminum alloy.
In 1975, a reinforcing hexagonal cross-section rod was introduced into the design of the P1/P38 pistols, located in a frame in the area where the barrel locking cylinder is located. In the early 1970s, to unify and modernize the very diverse fleet of German police pistols, the P4 pistol was developed and approved for use, which was a modification of the P1/P38 pistol with a shortened barrel and a modified safety mechanism. P4 pistols remained in production until 1981, being supplanted by the more advanced Walther P5 model. Even in the 1990s, it was still in service with some countries around the world. Interestingly, some production P4 pistols were marked "P38 IV" rather than "P4", which suggests that they were converted from regular P38 pistols.
Somewhat later, an even shorter-barreled version of the R-38K was created specifically for concealed carry by employees of the anti-terrorist units of the Federal Republic of Germany, which had a barrel only 90 mm long, barely protruding forward from the short bolt casing. The R-38K pistol was produced in small quantities and was used by fighters of the famous anti-terrorist unit KSK. This shortened version had significant similarities with a similar modification of the P-38 pistol, produced in very small quantities for the Gestapo during the Second World War. Visually, the post-war R-38K differed from the “Gestapo” version in the location of the front sight - on post-war pistols the front sight was located on the bolt, while on military pistols it was on a shortened barrel, close to the front edge of the bolt.
The last commercial P38 pistols were released by Walther in 2000. Pistols of the P-38 series in general were quite good and, in their way, a milestone weapon, but in the Bundeswehr, P1 pistols earned the contemptuous definition of “8 warning shots plus one aimed shot,” and in German tests on a police pistol in the mid-1970s, not a P- 38, nor P4 passed the reliability test. In addition, these pistols were distinguished by a typically German love of overcomplication - for example, in the design of the P-38 pistol there were 11 springs, mostly small, while in the design of its predecessor, the Luger P-08 "Parabellum" pistol there were only 8 springs, and in the design of the Tokarev TT pistol there are even fewer - only 6.
Especially for shooter training Walther company produced a version of the P-38 pistol chambered for the small-caliber 5.6 mm rimfire cartridge (22LR). This version had automatic blowback action. In addition, conversion kits were produced to adapt conventional 9 mm R-38 pistols to a cheap small-caliber cartridge. These kits included a replacement barrel, bolt, recoil springs, and magazine.
The total number of Walter P-38 pistols has exceeded 1 million. To this day it is one of the best pistols.
MG-42 - machine gun (Germany).
The Wehrmacht (the army of Nazi Germany) approached the beginning of World War II with the MG-34, created in the early 1930s, as a single machine gun. For all its advantages, it had two serious drawbacks - firstly, it turned out to be quite sensitive to contamination of the mechanisms, and, secondly, it was too labor-intensive and expensive to produce, which did not allow it to meet the ever-increasing needs of the troops for machine guns. Therefore, back in 1939, the development of a new machine gun to replace the MG34 began, and in 1942, the Wehrmacht adopted a new single machine gun, the MG42, developed by the little-known company Metall und Lackierwarenfabrik Johannes Grossfuss AG.
The machine gun was put into production at the Grossfus company itself, as well as at the Mauser-Werke, Gustloff-Werke, Steyr-Daimler-Puh and others. Production of the MG42 continued in Germany until the end of the war, and the total production was at least 400,000 machine guns. At the same time, the production of the MG-34, despite its shortcomings, was not completely curtailed, since, due to some design features (the method of changing the barrel, the ability to feed the tape from either side), it was more suitable for installation on tanks and combat vehicles. After the end of the war, the career of the MG-42, widely recognized as one of the best machine guns not only of World War II, but in general in the single class, continued.
Since the late 1950s, Germany has been adopting MG42 variants chambered for the 7.62 mm NATO cartridge, first under the designation MG-42/59, later as MG-3. This same machine gun is in service in Italy, Pakistan (also produced), and in a number of other countries. In Yugoslavia, the MG-42 variant was in service for a long time in a version chambered for the “native” 7.92 mm Mauser cartridge.
The MG-42 was developed to meet very specific requirements: it had to be a universal (single) machine gun, as cheap as possible to manufacture, as reliable as possible and with high firepower, achieved at a relatively high rate of fire. Cheapness and speed of production were achieved by a number of measures. Firstly, the widespread use of stamping: the receiver together with the barrel casing were made by stamping from a single blank, whereas for the MG-34 these were two separate parts made on metal-cutting machines. In addition, in comparison with the MG-34, for the purpose of simplification, they abandoned the possibility of feeding the tape from either side of the weapon, the possibility of magazine feed, and the fire mode switch. As a result, the cost of MG-42 compared to MG-34 decreased by approximately 30%, and metal consumption by 50%.
The MG-42 is built on an automatic basis with a short barrel stroke and rigid locking using a pair of rollers. A special coupling with figured cutouts is rigidly installed on the breech of the barrel. There are two rollers in the bolt cylinder that can move outward (to the sides) when the bolt body presses on them from behind under the influence of the return spring with its wedge-shaped protrusions in the front part. In this case, the rollers engage with grooves on the barrel coupling, ensuring rigid locking of the barrel. After the shot, the barrel, locked by the bolt, rolls back approximately 18 millimeters. Then the shaped protrusions on the inner walls of the receiver press the rollers inside the combat cylinder, disengaging the bolt from the barrel. The barrel stops, and the bolt continues to roll back, removing and removing the spent cartridge case and feeding a new cartridge. The fire is fired from an open bolt. As mentioned above, the fire mode is burst only, the safety in the form of a transversely sliding pin is located on the pistol grip and locks the sear. The charging handle is on the right side of the weapon. When firing, it remains motionless and may differ in shape and design for samples from different years of production and from different factories.
The machine gun is powered from metal non-scattered belts with an open link. The belts are made in the form of sections with 50 rounds each. Sections can be connected to each other, forming a tape of any size, multiple of 50 cartridges of capacity. As a rule, belts for 50 rounds of ammunition were used in boxes from the MG-34 in the light machine gun version and belts for 250 rounds (of 5 sections) in boxes for the easel version. The tape feeds only from left to right. The design of the tape feed mechanism is simple and reliable, later widely copied in other samples. On the hinged cover of the tape feed mechanism there is a shaped lever that swings in a horizontal plane. This lever has a shaped longitudinal groove at the bottom, in which a pin protruding from the shutter slides upward, and when the shutter moves, the lever moves left and right, setting the tape feed fingers in motion.
Due to the high rate of fire, the MG-42 required frequent replacement of barrels, and the solution developed by Grossfus engineers made it possible to replace the barrel in just 6 - 10 seconds. The movable barrel is fixed in the receiver at only two points - in the muzzle with a special coupling, and in the breech - with a folding clamp. To change the barrel, it is necessary, of course, that the bolt be in the rear position. In this case, the machine gunner simply folded the clamp located in the right rear part of the barrel casing to the right, while the barrel turned slightly in a horizontal plane to the right around the muzzle, and the breech of the barrel, inserted into the hole in the clamp, extended sideways beyond the barrel casing (see diagram and photo). Next, the machine gunner simply pulled out the barrel backwards and inserted a fresh barrel in its place, after which he snapped the clamp into place. This scheme for changing the barrel precisely explains one large window on the right side of the barrel casing - it was necessary in order to ensure the rotation of the barrel and the removal of its breech outside the casing. The only drawback of this design is, like the MG-34, the absence of any handles on the barrel, which required the use of heat-insulating mittens or other improvised means to remove the hot barrel. During intense shooting it was necessary to change barrels every 250 - 300 shots.
The MG42 could be used as a light machine gun with a fixed folding bipod, and could also be mounted on infantry and anti-aircraft tripods from the MG34.
Mauser 98 K carbine with optical sight. On documentary photographs, on carabiners German soldiers, standard ZF 41 military sights are installed.
German Mauser K98k carbine from the Second World War with a 30 mm Gw.Gr.Ger.42 rifle grenade launcher mounted on the barrel.
The use of a muzzle grenade launcher on a 98 K carbine (on the left - a combat grenade with an AZ 5071 impact detonator is inserted).
To enable infantry to suppress distant targets, beyond the reach of hand grenades, muzzle grenade launchers (original name "Schiessbecher" - "shooting can") were provided. Thanks to the use of various grenades, the device was very versatile in use. It could be used to fire at tanks and fortified points of infantry formations, although by the end of the war the use of muzzle-mounted grenade launchers against tanks lost all practical meaning.
Gun grenades (hand grenades were not suitable here) could be fired using a special cartridge. When this cartridge was fired, gas pressure was created, which ejected the grenade. At the same time, a wooden pin pierced the bottom of the grenade, thus removing it from the safety catch. Any other cartridge could cause the barrel to jam and lead to the destruction of the weapon (and injury to the shooter). When the grenade was fired, the detonator was also activated. If necessary, it could be unscrewed and used like a hand grenade, only with the difference that it had a very short period detonation.
Mauser Gew. 98 - the original Mauser rifle of the 1898 model.
In the photo - a soldier with a Mauser rifle - MAUSER.
Rifle bayonet, World War I, model 98/05.
CARBINE MAUSER 98K (1898). Germany. The main weapon of the Wehrmacht.
History of weapons:
By the end of the 19th century, the German arms company of the Mauser brothers already had a reputation as a well-known developer and supplier of small arms - rifles developed by the Mauser brothers were in service not only with the Kaiser's Germany, but also with many other countries - Belgium, Spain, and Turkey, among others. In 1898, the German army adopted a new rifle, created by the Mauser company based on previous models - Gewehr 98 (also designated G98 or Gew.98 - model rifle (1898). New rifle The Mauser turned out to be so successful that, in a slightly modified form, it served in the German army until the end of the Second World War, and was also exported in various versions and produced under license in various countries (Austria, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, etc.). Until now, rifles based on the Gew.98 design are very popular, produced and sold, however, mainly in the form of hunting weapons.
Together with the Gew.98 rifle, the Kar.98 carbine was also released, but it was produced in its original form only until 1904 or 1905, when the Gew.98 system underwent the first changes in connection with the adoption of a new 7.92 x 57 mm cartridge, which had a pointed bullet instead of a blunt one. The new bullet had much better ballistics and the rifles as a result received new sights, redesigned for a longer-range cartridge. In 1908, another version of the carbine based on the Gew.98 appeared, which from the early 1920s received the designation Kar.98 (K98). In addition to the reduced length of the stock and barrel relative to the Gew.98, the K98 had a bolt handle curved down and a hook for mounting on a sawhorse under the muzzle of the barrel. The next, most widespread modification was the Karabiner 98 kurz - a short carbine released in 1935 and adopted as the main individual weapon of the Wehrmacht infantry. Until 1945, German industry, as well as the industry of countries occupied by Germany (Austria, Poland, Czech Republic) produced millions of K98k units. The carbine was distinguished by minor improvements, the mounting pattern of the gun belt, and sighting devices (front sight in the front sight). After the end of World War II, a significant number of both the K98k and other variants of the Mauser rifle were released into civilian markets, and are still sold today. Even in Russia, KO-98 hunting carbines have recently appeared, which are nothing more than captured Mausers from 60 years ago, converted to chamber 7.62 x 51 mm (308 Winchester).
The device of the Mauser 98 K carbine.
The 98 K carbine is a repeating weapon with a longitudinally sliding, rotary bolt. The magazine holds 5 rounds, box-shaped, non-detachable, completely hidden in the stock. Placing cartridges in the magazine in a checkerboard pattern, loading the magazine with the bolt open, one cartridge at a time through the top window in the receiver or from 5-round clips. The clip is inserted into grooves in the rear of the receiver and the cartridges are squeezed out of it with your finger down into the magazine. On early rifles, the empty clip had to be removed by hand; at 98 K, when the bolt is closed, the empty clip is automatically ejected from the slots. The magazine is discharged one cartridge at a time by operating the shutter. The bottom cover of the magazine is removable (for inspection and cleaning of the magazine nest) and is secured with a spring-loaded latch in front of the trigger guard. Loading cartridges directly into the chamber is not allowed, as it can lead to breakage of the extractor tooth.
The Mauser bolt is longitudinally sliding, locked by turning 90 degrees, with two massive front lugs and one rear one. The loading handle is rigidly mounted on the bolt body, on early rifles it is straight, starting from the K98a it is bent down, located in the rear of the bolt. There are gas outlet holes in the bolt body, which, when gases break through from the cartridge case, remove the powder gases back through the hole for the firing pin and down into the magazine cavity, away from the shooter's face. The bolt is removed from the weapon without the help of tools - it is held in the receiver by a bolt lock located on the left of the receiver. To remove the bolt, you need to put the safety in the middle position, and by pulling the front part of the lock outward, remove the bolt back. A design feature of the Mauser bolt is a massive non-rotating extractor that grips the rim of the cartridge during its removal from the magazine and rigidly holds the cartridge on the bolt mirror. Together with a slight longitudinal displacement of the bolt back when turning the handle when opening the bolt (due to the bevel on the bolt box jumper), this design ensures the initial movement of the cartridge case and reliable extraction of even very tightly seated cartridge cases in the chamber. The cartridge case is ejected from the receiver by an ejector mounted on the left wall of the receiver (on the bolt lock) and passing through a longitudinal groove in the bolt.
The trigger is impact, the trigger is with a release warning, the mainspring is located around the firing pin, inside the bolt. The firing pin is cocked and armed by opening the bolt by turning the handle. The condition of the firing pin (cocked or deflated) can be determined visually or by touch by the position of its shank protruding from the rear of the bolt. The fuse is three-position, reversible, located in the rear of the bolt. It has the following positions: horizontally to the left - “safety on, bolt locked”; vertically upward - “safety is on, bolt is free”; horizontally to the right - "fire". The "up" safety position is used to load and unload the weapon and remove the bolt. The safety is easily switched with the thumb of the right hand.
Sights include a "^"-shaped front sight and a "v"-shaped rear sight, adjustable in range from 100 to 2000 meters. The front sight is mounted on the base in the muzzle of the barrel in a transverse groove, and can move left or right to shift the middle point of impact. The adjustable rear sight is located on the barrel in front of the receiver. On some samples, the front sight is covered with a semicircular removable front sight.
The stock is wooden, with a semi-pistol grip. The butt plate is steel, has a door that closes the cavity for storing accessories. The ramrod is located in the front of the stock, under the barrel, and is short in length. To clean a weapon, a standard cleaning rod is assembled (screwed together) from two halves, which requires at least two carbines. It is possible to mount a bayonet under the barrel. The carbine is equipped with a gun belt. The front swivel is located on the rear stock ring, instead of the rear swivel there is a through slot in the butt, where the belt is threaded and secured with a special buckle (the Gew.98 rifle had a regular rear swivel). On the side of the butt there is a metal disk with a hole, which is used as a stop when disassembling the bolt and firing pin assembly with a spring.
In general, Mauser rifles of the 1898 model and their derivatives can easily be called one of the best in their class. In addition, such features as high strength of the receiver and the locking unit as a whole. the ease of mounting the barrel (it screws into the receiver), the compatibility of the bottom diameter of the 7.92 mm Mauser cartridge with many other cartridges (.30-06, .308 Winchester, .243 Winchester, etc.) made Mausers extremely popular as a base for hunting and sports weapons. Suffice it to say that most modern English hunting carbines of the most prestigious brands (Holland & Holland, Rigby, etc.) are made precisely on the basis of the Mauser design, and these carbines are produced not only for ordinary cartridges, but also for powerful “magnums” for hunting the most big game like .375 H&H Magnum.
For the modern Russian citizen, the word “Mauser” usually brings to mind the narrowed gaze of Felix Dzerzhinsky and the well-known poem by Vladimir Mayakovsky. But in both cases we are talking about the famous 7.63 mm pistol. And only people more or less knowledgeable in weapons know about the no less famous rifles of the Mauser brothers. After the Second World War, Soviet warehouses were so full of captured “ninety-eighths” that it was decided to convert them into weapons adapted for use in hunting conditions. Where they are still widely and regularly used.
It took Paul Mauser almost thirty years of hard work to create the most popular shutter in the world, which remains in demand in our time. What General Ben-Vilgene confirms: “The Mauser rifle is the best as a combat rifle and as a rifle for target shooting. In general, the Mauser rifle was very carefully crafted.”
General characteristics:
data for the Mauser K98k carbine (data for the Gew.98 rifle are given in parentheses)
Caliber: 7.92x57 mm Mauser
Automatic type: manual reloading, locking by turning the bolt
Length: 1101 mm (1250 mm)
Barrel length: 600 mm (740 mm)
Weight: 3.92 kg (4.09 kg)
Magazine: 5 rounds box-shaped, integral
Tags to search: weapons from the Second World War, German weapons since the Second World War.
By the end of the 30s, almost all participants in the coming world war had formed common directions in the development of small arms. The range and accuracy of the attack was reduced, which was compensated by the greater density of fire. As a consequence of this, the beginning of mass rearmament of units with automatic small arms - submachine guns, machine guns, assault rifles.
Accuracy of fire began to fade into the background, while the soldiers advancing in a chain began to be taught shooting on the move. With the advent of airborne troops, the need arose to create special lightweight weapons.
Maneuver warfare also affected machine guns: they became much lighter and more mobile. New types of small arms appeared (which was dictated, first of all, by the need to fight tanks) - rifle grenades, anti-tank rifles and RPGs with cumulative grenades.
Small arms of the USSR World War II
On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, the rifle division of the Red Army was a very formidable force - about 14.5 thousand people. The main type of small arms were rifles and carbines - 10,420 pieces. The share of submachine guns was insignificant - 1204. There were 166, 392 and 33 units of heavy, light and anti-aircraft machine guns, respectively.
The division had its own artillery of 144 guns and 66 mortars. The firepower was supplemented by 16 tanks, 13 armored vehicles and a solid fleet of auxiliary vehicles.
Rifles and carbines
Three-line Mosin
The main small arms of the USSR infantry units of the first period of the war was certainly the famous three-line rifle - the 7.62 mm S.I. Mosin rifle of the 1891 model, modernized in 1930. Its advantages are well known - strength, reliability, ease of maintenance, combined with good ballistics qualities, in particular, with an aiming range of 2 km.
Three-line Mosin
Three-ruler – perfect weapon for newly recruited soldiers, and the simplicity of the design created enormous opportunities for its mass production. But like any weapon, the three-line gun had its drawbacks. The permanently attached bayonet in combination with a long barrel (1670 mm) created inconvenience when moving, especially in wooded areas. The bolt handle caused serious complaints when reloading.
After battle
On its basis, a sniper rifle and a series of carbines of the 1938 and 1944 models were created. Fate gave the three-line a long life (the last three-line was released in 1965), participation in many wars and an astronomical “circulation” of 37 million copies.
Sniper with Mosin rifle
SVT-40
At the end of the 30s, the outstanding Soviet weapons designer F.V. Tokarev developed a 10-round self-loading rifle cal. 7.62 mm SVT-38, which after modernization received the name SVT-40. It “lost weight” by 600 g and became shorter due to the introduction of thinner wooden parts, additional holes in the casing and a decrease in the length of the bayonet. A little later, a sniper rifle appeared at its base. Automatic firing was ensured by the removal of powder gases. The ammunition was placed in a box-shaped, detachable magazine.
The target range of the SVT-40 is up to 1 km. The SVT-40 served with honor on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. It was also appreciated by our opponents. Historical fact: having captured rich trophies at the beginning of the war, among which there were many SVT-40s, the German army... adopted it for service, and the Finns created their own rifle on the basis of the SVT-40 - TaRaKo.
Soviet sniper with SVT-40
The creative development of the ideas implemented in the SVT-40 became the AVT-40 automatic rifle. It differed from its predecessor in its ability to fire automatically at a rate of up to 25 rounds per minute. The disadvantage of the AVT-40 is its low accuracy of fire, strong unmasking flame and loud sound at the moment of firing. Subsequently, as automatic weapons entered the military en masse, they were removed from service.
Submachine guns
PPD-40
The Great Patriotic War was the time of the final transition from rifles to automatic weapons. The Red Army began to fight, armed with a small number of PPD-40 - a submachine gun designed by the outstanding Soviet designer Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev. At that time, PPD-40 was in no way inferior to its domestic and foreign counterparts.
Designed for a pistol cartridge cal. 7.62 x 25 mm, the PPD-40 had an impressive ammunition load of 71 rounds, housed in a drum-type magazine. Weighing about 4 kg, it fired at a rate of 800 rounds per minute with an effective range of up to 200 meters. However, just a few months after the start of the war it was replaced by the legendary PPSh-40 cal. 7.62 x 25 mm.
PPSh-40
The creator of the PPSh-40, designer Georgy Semenovich Shpagin, was faced with the task of developing an extremely easy-to-use, reliable, technologically advanced, cheap to produce mass weapon.
PPSh-40
Fighter with PPSh-40
From its predecessor, the PPD-40, the PPSh inherited a drum magazine with 71 rounds. A little later, a simpler and more reliable sector horn magazine with 35 rounds was developed for it. The weight of the equipped machine guns (both versions) was 5.3 and 4.15 kg, respectively. The rate of fire of the PPSh-40 reached 900 rounds per minute with an aiming range of up to 300 meters and the ability to fire single shots.
PPSh-40 assembly shop
To master the PPSh-40, a few lessons were enough. It could easily be disassembled into 5 parts made using stamping and welding technology, thanks to which during the war years the Soviet defense industry produced about 5.5 million machine guns.
PPS-42
In the summer of 1942, the young designer Alexey Sudaev presented his brainchild - a 7.62 mm submachine gun. It was strikingly different from its “bigger brothers” PPD and PPSh-40 in its rational layout, higher manufacturability and ease of manufacturing parts using arc welding.
PPS-42
Son of the regiment with a Sudaev machine gun
PPS-42 was 3.5 kg lighter and required three times less manufacturing time. However, despite its quite obvious advantages, it never became a mass weapon, leaving the PPSh-40 to take the lead.
DP-27 light machine gun 
By the beginning of the war, the DP-27 light machine gun (Degtyarev infantry, 7.62mm caliber) had been in service with the Red Army for almost 15 years, having the status of the main light machine gun of infantry units. Its automation was powered by the energy of powder gases. The gas regulator reliably protected the mechanism from contamination and high temperatures.
The DP-27 could only fire automatically, but even a beginner needed a few days to master shooting in short bursts of 3-5 shots. Ammunition of 47 rounds was placed in a disk magazine with a bullet towards the center in one row. The magazine itself was mounted on top of the receiver. The weight of the unloaded machine gun was 8.5 kg. An equipped magazine increased it by almost another 3 kg.
Machine gun crew DP-27 in battle
It was powerful weapon with an aiming range of 1.5 km and a combat rate of fire of up to 150 rounds per minute. In the firing position, the machine gun rested on a bipod. A flame arrester was screwed onto the end of the barrel, significantly reducing its unmasking effect. The DP-27 was serviced by a gunner and his assistant. In total, about 800 thousand machine guns were produced.
Small arms of the Wehrmacht of World War II
The main strategy of the German army is offensive or blitzkrieg (blitzkrieg - lightning war). The decisive role in it was assigned to large tank formations, carrying out deep breakthroughs of the enemy’s defenses in cooperation with artillery and aviation.
Tank units bypassed powerful fortified areas, destroying control centers and rear communications, without which the enemy quickly lost their combat effectiveness. The defeat was completed by motorized units of the ground forces.
Small arms Wehrmacht infantry division
The staff of the German infantry division of the 1940 model assumed the presence of 12,609 rifles and carbines, 312 submachine guns (machine guns), light and heavy machine guns - 425 and 110 pieces, respectively, 90 anti-tank rifles and 3,600 pistols.
Weapon The Wehrmacht generally met the high demands of wartime. It was reliable, trouble-free, simple, easy to manufacture and maintain, which contributed to its serial production.
Rifles, carbines, machine guns
Mauser 98K
The Mauser 98K is an improved version of the Mauser 98 rifle, developed at the end of the 19th century by the brothers Paul and Wilhelm Mauser, founders of the world famous arms company. Equipping the German army with it began in 1935.
Mauser 98K
The weapon was loaded with a clip of five 7.92 mm cartridges. A trained soldier could shoot 15 times within a minute at a range of up to 1.5 km. The Mauser 98K was very compact. Its main characteristics: weight, length, barrel length - 4.1 kg x 1250 x 740 mm. The indisputable advantages of the rifle are evidenced by numerous conflicts involving it, longevity and a truly sky-high “circulation” - more than 15 million units.
At the shooting range. Mauser 98K rifle
G-41 rifle
The self-loading ten-shot rifle G-41 became the German response to the massive equipping of the Red Army with rifles - SVT-38, 40 and ABC-36. Its sighting range reached 1200 meters. Only single shooting was allowed. Its significant disadvantages - significant weight, low reliability and increased vulnerability to contamination - were subsequently eliminated. The combat “circulation” amounted to several hundred thousand rifle samples.
G-41 rifle
MP-40 "Schmeisser" assault rifle
Perhaps the most famous Wehrmacht small arms of the Second World War was the famous MP-40 submachine gun, a modification of its predecessor, the MP-36, created by Heinrich Vollmer. However, as fate would have it, he is better known under the name “Schmeisser”, obtained thanks to the stamp on the store - “PATENT SCHMEISSER”. The stigma simply meant that, in addition to G. Vollmer, Hugo Schmeisser also participated in the creation of the MP-40, but only as the creator of the store.
MP-40 "Schmeisser" assault rifle
Initially, the MP-40 was intended to arm the command staff of infantry units, but later it was transferred to the disposal of tank crews, armored vehicle drivers, paratroopers and special forces soldiers.
A German soldier fires from an MP-40
However, the MP-40 was absolutely unsuitable for infantry units, since it was exclusively a melee weapon. In a fierce battle in open terrain, having a weapon with a firing range of 70 to 150 meters meant for a German soldier to be practically unarmed in front of his enemy, armed with Mosin and Tokarev rifles with a firing range of 400 to 800 meters.
StG-44 assault rifle
Assault rifle StG-44 (sturmgewehr) cal. 7.92mm is another legend of the Third Reich. This is certainly an outstanding creation by Hugo Schmeisser - the prototype of many post-war assault rifles and machine guns, including the famous AK-47.
The StG-44 could conduct single and automatic fire. Its weight with a full magazine was 5.22 kg. At a target range of 800 meters, the Sturmgewehr was in no way inferior to its main competitors. There were three versions of the magazine - for 15, 20 and 30 shots with a rate of up to 500 rounds per second. The option of using a rifle with underbarrel grenade launcher and an infrared sight.
Creator of Sturmgever 44 Hugo Schmeisser
Not without its shortcomings. The assault rifle was heavier than the Mauser-98K by a whole kilogram. Her wooden butt couldn't stand it sometimes hand-to-hand combat and just broke down. The flame escaping from the barrel revealed the location of the shooter, and the long magazine and sighting devices forced him to raise his head high in a prone position.
Sturmgever 44 with IR sight
In total, before the end of the war, German industry produced about 450 thousand StG-44s, which were used mainly by elite SS units.
Machine guns
By the beginning of the 30s, the military leadership of the Wehrmacht came to the need to create a universal machine gun, which, if necessary, could be transformed, for example, from a manual one to an easel one and vice versa. This is how a series of machine guns was born - MG - 34, 42, 45.
German machine gunner with MG-42
The 7.92 mm MG-42 is rightly called one of the best machine guns of World War II. It was developed at Grossfus by engineers Werner Gruner and Kurt Horn. Those who experienced its firepower were very outspoken. Our soldiers called it a “lawn mower,” and the allies called it “Hitler’s circular saw.”
Depending on the type of bolt, the machine gun fired accurately at a speed of up to 1500 rpm at a range of up to 1 km. Ammunition was supplied using a machine gun belt with 50 - 250 rounds of ammunition. The uniqueness of the MG-42 was complemented by a relatively small number of parts - 200 - and the high technology of their production using stamping and spot welding.
The barrel, hot from shooting, was replaced with a spare one in a few seconds using a special clamp. In total, about 450 thousand machine guns were produced. The unique technical developments embodied in the MG-42 were borrowed by gunsmiths from many countries around the world when creating their machine guns.
Content
Based on materials from techcult
Everyone is familiar with the popular print image of the Soviet “soldier-liberator.” In the minds of Soviet people, the Red Army soldiers of the Great Patriotic War are emaciated people in dirty greatcoats who run in a crowd to attack after tanks, or tired elderly men smoking rolled-up cigarettes on the parapet of a trench. After all, it was precisely such footage that was mainly captured by military newsreels. At the end of the 1980s, film directors and post-Soviet historians put the “victim of repression” on a cart, handed him a “three-line gun” without cartridges, sending him towards the armored hordes of fascists - under the supervision of barrage detachments.Now I propose to look at what actually happened. We can responsibly declare that our weapons were in no way inferior to foreign ones, while being more suitable for local conditions of use. For example, a three-line rifle had larger clearances and tolerances than foreign ones, but this “flaw” was a forced feature - the weapon’s lubricant, which thickened in the cold, did not remove the weapon from combat.
So, review.
Nagan- a revolver developed by the Belgian gunsmiths brothers Emil (1830-1902) and Leon (1833-1900) Nagan, which was in service and produced in a number of countries in the late 19th - mid-20th centuries. 
TK(Tula, Korovina) - the first Soviet serial self-loading pistol. In 1925, the Dynamo sports society ordered the Tula Arms Plant to develop a compact pistol chambered for 6.35x15 mm Browning for sporting and civilian needs.
Work on creating the pistol took place in the design bureau of the Tula Arms Plant. In the fall of 1926, gunsmith designer S.A. Korovin completed the development of a pistol, which was named the TK pistol (Tula Korovin).
At the end of 1926, TOZ began producing the pistol; the following year the pistol was approved for use, receiving the official name “Tula Pistol, Korovin, Model 1926.”
TK pistols entered service with the NKVD of the USSR, middle and senior command staff of the Red Army, civil servants and party workers.
The TK was also used as a gift or award weapon (for example, there are known cases of awarding Stakhanovites with it). Between the autumn of 1926 and 1935, several tens of thousands of Korovins were produced. In the period after the Great Patriotic War, TK pistols were kept for some time in savings banks as a reserve weapon for employees and collectors. 
Pistol arr. 1933 TT(Tula, Tokarev) - the first army self-loading pistol of the USSR, developed in 1930 by Soviet designer Fedor Vasilyevich Tokarev. The TT pistol was developed for the 1929 competition for a new army pistol, announced to replace the Nagan revolver and several models of foreign-made revolvers and pistols that were in service with the Red Army by the mid-1920s. The German 7.63×25 mm Mauser cartridge was adopted as a standard cartridge, which was purchased in significant quantities for the Mauser S-96 pistols in service. 
Mosin rifle. The 7.62 mm (3-line) rifle of the 1891 model (Mosin rifle, three-line) is a repeating rifle adopted by the Russian Imperial Army in 1891.
It was actively used in the period from 1891 to the end of the Great Patriotic War, and was modernized many times during this period.
The name three-ruler comes from the caliber of the rifle barrel, which is equal to three Russian lines (the old measure of length was equal to one tenth of an inch, or 2.54 mm - respectively, three lines are equal to 7.62 mm).
Based on the 1891 model rifle and its modifications, a number of models of sporting and hunting weapons, both rifled and smooth-bore, were created. 
Simonov automatic rifle. The 7.62 mm automatic rifle of the Simonov system, model 1936, ABC-36 is a Soviet automatic rifle developed by gunsmith Sergei Simonov.
It was originally developed as a self-loading rifle, but during improvements an automatic fire mode was added for use in an emergency. The first automatic rifle developed in the USSR and put into service.
Tokarev self-loading rifle. 7.62-mm self-loading rifles of the Tokarev system of the 1938 and 1940 models (SVT-38, SVT-40), as well as the Tokarev automatic rifle of the 1940 model - a modification of the Soviet self-loading rifle developed by F.V. Tokarev.
The SVT-38 was developed as a replacement for the Simonov automatic rifle and was adopted by the Red Army on February 26, 1939. First SVT arr. 1938 was released on July 16, 1939. On October 1, 1939, gross production began at the Tula, and from 1940 - at the Izhevsk arms plant. 
Simonov self-loading carbine. The 7.62 mm Simonov self-loading carbine (also known abroad as SKS-45) is a Soviet self-loading carbine designed by Sergei Simonov, adopted for service in 1949.
The first copies began to arrive in active units at the beginning of 1945 - this was the only case of the use of the 7.62x39 mm cartridge in World War II 
Tokarev submachine gun, or the original name - the Tokarev light carbine - an experimental model of automatic weapon created in 1927 for a modified Nagan revolver cartridge, the first submachine gun developed in the USSR. It was not adopted for service; it was produced in a small experimental batch and was used to a limited extent in the Great Patriotic War. 
P Degtyarev submachine gun. 7.62 mm submachine guns of the 1934, 1934/38 and 1940 models of the Degtyarev system 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.
The Degtyarev submachine gun was a fairly typical representative of the first generation of this type of weapon. Used in the Finnish campaign of 1939-40, as well as at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War. 
Shpagin submachine gun. The 7.62-mm submachine gun of the 1941 model of the Shpagin system (PPSh) is a Soviet submachine gun developed in 1940 by designer G. S. Shpagin and adopted by the Red Army on December 21, 1940. PPSh was the main Soviet submachine gun armed forces in the Great Patriotic War. 
After the end of the war, in the early 1950s, the PPSh was removed from service with the Soviet Army and gradually replaced by the Kalashnikov assault rifle; for a little longer it remained in service with rear and auxiliary units, units of internal troops and railway troops. It was in service with paramilitary security units at least until the mid-1980s.
Also, in the post-war period, PPSh was supplied in significant quantities to countries friendly to the USSR, was in service with the armies of various states for a long time, was used by irregular forces and was used in armed conflicts around the world throughout the twentieth century.
Sudaev's submachine gun. 7.62 mm submachine guns of the 1942 and 1943 models of the Sudaev system (PPS) are variants of the submachine gun developed by the Soviet designer Alexei Sudaev in 1942. Used by Soviet troops during the Great Patriotic War.
The PPS is often considered the best submachine gun of World War II. 
P machine gun "Maxim" model 1910. Machine gun "Maxim" model 1910 - with tank machine gun, a variant of the British Maxim machine gun, widely used by Russian and Soviet armies during the First World War and the Second World War. The Maxim machine gun was used to destroy open group targets and enemy fire weapons at a distance of up to 1000 m. 
Anti-aircraft variant
- 7.62 mm quad machine gun "Maxim" on anti-aircraft installation U-431
- 7.62-mm coaxial machine gun "Maxim" on the U-432 anti-aircraft gun 
P machine gun Maxim-Tokarev- Soviet light machine gun designed by F.V. Tokarev, created in 1924 on the basis of the Maxim machine gun. 
DP(Degtyarev Infantry) - a light machine gun developed by V. A. Degtyarev. The first ten serial DP machine guns were manufactured at the Kovrov plant on November 12, 1927, then a batch of 100 machine guns was transferred for military testing, as a result of which on December 21, 1927 the machine gun was adopted by the Red Army. The DP became one of the first small arms created in the USSR. The machine gun was widely used as the main fire support weapon for infantry at the platoon-company level until the end of the Great Patriotic War. 
DT(Degtyarev tank) - a tank machine gun developed by V. A. Degtyarev in 1929. Entered service with the Red Army in 1929 under the designation “7.62-mm tank machine gun of the Degtyarev system mod. 1929" (DT-29) 
DS-39(7.62 mm Degtyarev heavy machine gun, model 1939). 
SG-43. The 7.62 mm Goryunov machine gun (SG-43) is a Soviet heavy machine gun. It was developed by gunsmith P. M. Goryunov with the participation of M. M. Goryunov and V. E. Voronkov at the Kovrov Mechanical Plant. Entered service on May 15, 1943. The SG-43 began to enter service with the troops in the second half of 1943. 
DShK And DShKM- large-caliber heavy machine guns chambered for 12.7×108 mm. The result of modernization of the large-caliber heavy machine gun DK (Degtyarev Large-caliber). The DShK was adopted by the Red Army in 1938 under the designation “12.7 mm Degtyarev-Shpagin heavy machine gun model 1938”
In 1946, under the designation DShKM(Degtyarev, Shpagin, large-caliber modernized) machine gun was adopted by the Soviet Army. 
PTRD. Anti-tank single-shot rifle mod. 1941 Degtyarev system, adopted for service on August 29, 1941. It was intended to combat medium and light tanks and armored vehicles at distances of up to 500 m. The gun could also fire at pillboxes/bunkers and firing points covered by armor at distances up to 800 m and at aircraft at distances up to 500 m. 
PTRS. Anti-tank self-loading rifle mod. 1941 Simonov system) is a Soviet self-loading anti-tank rifle, adopted for service on August 29, 1941. It was intended to combat medium and light tanks and armored vehicles at distances of up to 500 m. The gun could also fire at pillboxes/bunkers and firing points covered by armor at distances up to 800 m and at aircraft at distances up to 500 m. During the war some of the guns were captured and used by the Germans. The guns were named Panzerbüchse 784 (R) or PzB 784 (R). 
Dyakonov grenade launcher. The Dyakonov system rifle grenade launcher is designed to use fragmentation grenades to destroy living, mostly hidden, targets that are inaccessible to flat fire weapons.
Widely used in pre-war conflicts, during the Soviet-Finnish War and at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War. According to the staff of the rifle regiment in 1939, each rifle squad was armed with a rifle grenade launcher of the Dyakonov system. In documents of that time it was called a hand-held mortar for throwing rifle grenades. 
125-mm ampoule gun model 1941- the only ampoule gun model mass-produced in the USSR. Widely used with varying success by the Red Army at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War, it was often made in semi-handicraft conditions.
The projectile most often used was a glass or tin ball filled with flammable liquid "KS", but the range of ammunition included mines, a smoke bomb and even homemade "propaganda shells". Using a blank 12-gauge rifle cartridge, the projectile was fired at a distance of 250-500 meters, thereby being an effective weapon against some fortifications and many types of armored vehicles, including tanks. However, difficulties in use and maintenance led to the ampoule gun being withdrawn from service in 1942. 
ROKS-3(Klyuev-Sergeev Backpack Flamethrower) - Soviet infantry backpack flamethrower from the Great Patriotic War. The first model of the ROKS-1 backpack flamethrower was developed in the USSR in the early 1930s. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the rifle regiments of the Red Army had flamethrower teams consisting of two sections, armed with 20 ROKS-2 backpack flamethrowers. Based on the experience of using these flamethrowers at the beginning of 1942, the designer of the Chemical Engineering Research Institute M.P. Sergeev and designer of military plant No. 846 V.N. Klyuev developed a more advanced backpack flamethrower ROKS-3, which was in service with individual companies and battalions of backpack flamethrowers of the Red Army throughout the war. 
Bottles with a flammable mixture ("Molotov cocktail").
At the beginning of the war, the State Defense Committee decided to use combustible bottles in the fight against tanks. Already on July 7, 1941, the State Defense Committee adopted a special resolution “On anti-tank incendiary grenades (bottles)”, which obliged the People’s Commissariat Food Industry organize from July 10, 1941 the equipment of liter glass bottles fire mixture according to the recipe of Research Institute 6 of the People's Commissariat of Ammunition. And the head of the Military Chemical Defense Directorate of the Red Army (later the Main Military Chemical Directorate) was ordered to begin “supplying military units with hand incendiary grenades” from July 14.
Dozens of distilleries and beer factories throughout the USSR quickly turned into military enterprises. Moreover, the “Molotov Cocktail” (named after the then deputy of I.V. Stalin for the State Committee for Defense) was prepared directly on the old factory lines, where just yesterday they bottled citre, port wines and fizzy “Abrau-Durso”. From the first batches of such bottles, they often did not even have time to remove the “peaceful” alcohol labels. In addition to the liter bottles specified in the legendary Molotov decree, the “cocktail” was also made in beer and wine-cognac containers with a volume of 0.5 and 0.7 liters.
Two types of incendiary bottles were adopted by the Red Army: with self-igniting liquid KS (a mixture of phosphorus and sulfur) and with flammable mixtures No. 1 and No. 3, which are a mixture of aviation gasoline, kerosene, naphtha, thickened with oils or a special hardening powder OP- 2, developed in 1939 under the leadership of A.P. Ionov, - in fact, it was the prototype of modern napalm. The abbreviation “KS” is deciphered in different ways: “Koshkin mixture” - after the name of the inventor N.V. Koshkin, and “Old Cognac”, and “Kachugin-Maltovnik” - after the name of other inventors of liquid grenades.
A bottle with self-igniting liquid KS, falling on a solid body, broke, the liquid spilled and burned with a bright flame for up to 3 minutes, developing a temperature of up to 1000°C. At the same time, being sticky, it stuck to the armor or covered inspection slits, glass, and observation devices, blinded the crew with smoke, smoking them out of the tank and burning everything inside the tank. A drop of burning liquid falling on the body caused severe, difficult to heal burns.
Combustible mixtures No. 1 and No. 3 burned for up to 60 seconds with temperatures up to 800 ° C and emitting a lot of black smoke. Bottles with gasoline were used as a cheaper option, and thin glass tube ampoules with CS liquid, which were attached to the bottle with apothecary rubber bands, served as an incendiary agent. Sometimes ampoules were placed inside bottles before throwing. 
Used bulletproof vest PZ-ZIF-20(protective shell, Frunze Plant). It is also CH-38 Cuirass type (CH-1, steel breastplate). It can be called the first mass-produced Soviet body armor, although it was called a steel breastplate, which does not change its purpose.
The body armor provided protection against German submachine guns and pistols. The body armor also provided protection against fragments of grenades and mines. Bulletproof vests were recommended to be worn by assault groups, signalmen (during the laying and repair of cables) and when performing other operations at the discretion of the commander.
Information often comes across that the PZ-ZIF-20 is not the SP-38 (SN-1) body armor, which is incorrect, since the PZ-ZIF-20 was created according to documentation from 1938, and industrial production was established in 1943. The second point is that they are 100% similar in appearance. Among the military search teams it is called “Volkhovsky”, “Leningradsky”, “five-sectional”.
Photos of reconstruction: 
Steel bibs CH-42 
Soviet assault engineering and sapper guards brigade in steel breastplates SN-42 and with machine guns DP-27. 1st ShISBr. 1st Belorussian Front, summer 1944
ROG-43 hand grenade
Manual fragmentation grenade ROG-43 (index 57-G-722) is a long-range weapon designed to destroy enemy personnel in offensive and defensive combat. The new grenade was developed in the first half of the Great Patriotic War at the plant named after. Kalinin and had the factory designation RGK-42. After being put into service in 1943, the grenade received the designation ROG-43.
RDG hand smoke grenade.
RDG device
Smoke grenades were used to provide screens measuring 8 - 10 m and were used mainly to “blind” the enemy located in shelters, to create local screens to camouflage crews leaving armored vehicles, as well as to simulate the burning of armored vehicles. Under favorable conditions, one RDG grenade created an invisible cloud 25 - 30 m long.
Burning grenades did not sink in water, so they could be used when crossing water barriers. The grenade could smoke from 1 to 1.5 minutes, producing, depending on the composition of the smoke mixture, thick gray-black or white smoke.
RPG-6 grenade.
The RPG-6 exploded instantly upon impact with a hard barrier, destroyed armor, hit the crew of an armored target, its weapons and equipment, and could also ignite fuel and explode ammunition. Military tests of the RPG-6 grenade took place in September 1943. The target used was a captured Ferdinand assault gun, which had frontal armor up to 200 mm and side armor up to 85 mm. Tests showed that the RPG-6 grenade, when the head part hit the target, could penetrate armor up to 120 mm.
Manual anti-tank grenade arr. 1943 RPG-43
RPG-41 impact hand anti-tank grenade, model 1941
RPG-41 was intended to combat armored vehicles and light tanks, having armor up to 20 - 25 mm thick, and could also be used to combat bunkers and field-type shelters. The RPG-41 could also be used to destroy medium and heavy tanks when they hit vulnerable areas of the vehicle (roof, tracks, chassis and etc.)
Chemical grenade model 1917
According to the “Temporary Rifle Regulations of the Red Army. Part 1. Small arms. Rifle and hand grenades”, published by the head of the People's Commissariat of Military Commissariat and the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR in 1927, the hand chemical grenade mod. 1917 from the reserve stockpiled during the First World War.
VKG-40 grenade
In the 1920s-1930s, the Red Army was armed with the muzzle-loading “Dyakonov grenade launcher,” created at the end of the First World War and subsequently modernized. 
The grenade launcher consisted of a mortar, a bipod and a quadrant sight and was used to destroy manpower fragmentation grenade. The mortar barrel had a caliber of 41 mm, three screw grooves, and was rigidly attached to a cup that was screwed onto the neck, which was put on the rifle barrel, fixed on the front sight with a cutout.
RG-42 hand grenade
RG-42 model 1942 with UZRG fuse. After being put into service, the grenade was given the index RG-42 (hand grenade of 1942). The new UZRG fuse used in the grenade has become the same for both the RG-42 and the F-1.
The RG-42 grenade was used both offensively and defensively. In appearance, it resembled an RGD-33 grenade, only without a handle. The RG-42 with a UZRG fuse belonged to the type of remote-action fragmentation offensive grenades. It was intended to defeat enemy personnel.
Rifle anti-tank grenade VPGS-41
VPGS-41 when used
Characteristic distinctive feature ramrod grenades had a “tail” (ramrod), inserted into the bore of the rifle and serving as a stabilizer. The grenade was fired with a blank cartridge.
Soviet hand grenade mod. 1914/30 with protective cover 
Soviet hand grenade mod. 1914/30 refers to double-type anti-personnel fragmentation hand grenades. This means that it is designed to destroy enemy personnel with hull fragments when it explodes. Remote action means that the grenade will explode after a certain period of time, regardless of other conditions, after the soldier releases it from his hands.
Double type - means that the grenade can be used as an offensive one, i.e. grenade fragments have a small mass and fly at a distance shorter than the possible throwing range; or as a defensive one, i.e. fragments fly to a distance exceeding the throwing range.
The double action of the grenade is achieved by putting on the grenade a so-called “shirt” - a cover made of thick metal, which ensures that during an explosion, fragments of greater mass fly over a greater distance.
RGD-33 hand grenade
An explosive charge is placed inside the case - up to 140 grams of TNT. A steel tape with a square notch is placed between the explosive charge and the body to produce fragments during an explosion, rolled into three or four layers. 
The grenade was equipped with a defensive case, which was used only when throwing a grenade from a trench or shelter. In other cases, the protective cover was removed.
And of course, F-1 grenade
Initially, the F-1 grenade used a fuse designed by F.V. Koveshnikov, which was much more reliable and easier to use than the French fuse. The deceleration time of Koveshnikov's fuse was 3.5-4.5 seconds.
In 1941, designers E.M. Viceni and A.A. Poednyakov developed and put into service to replace Koveshnikov's fuse a new, safer and simpler in design fuse for the F-1 hand grenade.
In 1942, the new fuse became common for the F-1 and RG-42 hand grenades; it was called UZRG - “unified fuse for hand grenades.”
* * *
After the above, it cannot be said that only rusty three-ruler rifles without cartridges were in service.
About chemical weapon during the Second World War, a separate and special conversation...
