A while back, I was searching for a suitable picture of a virtually unavailable Sturmgewehr 44, the first widely manufactured assault rifle, fielded by Germany in the closing days of WWII. It was suggested on this forum that gunwriter Mike Venturino might have such an animal. I did contact Mike, and it turns out he has an original MP44 (the first designation of the StG44). He shared a couple of photographs taken by his wife Yvonne. I was very grateful for their help, and have now drafted an article slated for future publication in The Blue Press. What follows is the picture I selected (after post processing enhancement) and the draft article. Comments welcome.
John
The MP44, later renamed the Sturmgewehr 44, has the distinction of being the very first mass-produced assault rifle. A German development, this firearm was one of the most significant weaponry concepts of World War II. It came on stream too late to make a decisive difference in the war, but it did set a startling precedent for a new class of combat arm that is being copied even today.
As World War II began with the invasion of Poland by German forces in September, 1939, the Wehrmacht was equipped mostly with bolt action rifles, a few types of submachine guns and some crew-served machine guns. The standard infantry cartridge was the 7.92x57mm, or as it’s sometimes called, the 8mm Mauser. This was a full-power battle rifle round, roughly equivalent to our own .30-06. This was used in rifles and machine guns. The German submachine guns, principally MP38s and later MP40s, used the 9x19mm, also known as the 9mm Parabellum or 9mm Luger cartridge. As the war progressed, the German arms authorities realized that the rifle cartridge used in the long and unwieldy Karabiner 98k was overly powerful within the most common battle distances of up to 300 yards, and the 9mm used in pistols and submachine guns was pretty much worthless at over 100 yards. As the war against Russia developed beginning in 1941, the Germans began to face a number of semiautomatic rifles such as the Tokarev SVT-38 and SVT-40, as well as the PPSh-41 submachine gun.
While some halting efforts had been made to field semiautomatic rifles firing the 8mm Mauser round, the German Army realized that they were fighting a war with mostly outdated arms. The Army then re-examined a concept that had been around since the 1930s, an intermediate cartridge midway in power between the full power rifle round and the 9mm. A cartridge based on a shortened 8mm Mauser, the 7.92x33mm Kurz, was selected as the basis for weapons development. Development contracts were issued to the arms making firms of Walther and Haenel. The experimental weapons were designated as the Maschinenkarabiner 1942. The Walther prototype was named the MKb42(W) and the Haenel offering became the MKb42(H). Both were gas-operated weapons that could be used in either semiautomatic or full automatic mode. Tests showed the Haenel design spearheaded by designer Hugo Schmeisser to be superior. Field trials of this weapon were conducted in late 1942 and early 1943. It was decided, based on these trials, that a closed-bolt hammer-fired weapon would be an improvement to the open-bolt striker-fired design originated by Schmeisser. In the midst of this changeover, Adolf Hitler suspended all new rifle programs.
The weapons development people proceeded by taking the subversive risk of trying to hoodwink Hitler. They simply mislabeled the improved MKb42(H) as the Maschinenpistole 43 (MP43). It was mentioned publicly as just an upgrade to the then-current submachine guns. When Hitler discovered this subterfuge, he again ordered that the program be halted. I’m pretty sure he had one of his famous hissy-fits over it. However, in March, 1943 he was finally persuaded that the program be re-started for evaluation purposes only. Following six months of combat usage, the evaluation was quite positive, and in April 1944, Hitler let the program continue, re-naming the new arm as the MP44. The weapon illustrated is one of these. I’m indebted to Yvonne Venturino for the use of the photograph.
In July, 1944 when his field commanders told him that their men needed more of the new rifle, Hitler was given the opportunity to test the MP44 personally. He was then most impressed, and gave the arm the name Sturmgewehr 44, literally “storm rifle,” or as we know it now in English, “assault rifle.” This renaming was a propaganda move, but the fact remained that the StG44 was a brand new concept that would re-write weapons tactics in the future.
In its final form, the 37-inch weapon was fairly heavy, weighing 11.5 pounds versus the U.S. M1 Garand’s 9.5 pounds. It was gas operated, utilizing a long gas piston that cammed the tilting bolt out of locking engagement. The short cartridge generated a muzzle velocity of 2,247 feet per second and utilized a spitzer (pointed) bullet. This gave an effective range of about 325 yards. The barrel was 16.5 inches long. The long, curved magazine held 30 rounds, and a stripper clip cartridge loading guide for the mag was provided in a vertical hole at the rear of the butt under a spring-loaded trapdoor. The V-notch rear sight was adjustable for elevation, and the front sight was a hooded post. The design provided for a straight line of recoil, predating the AR-10 and AR-15 rifles by quite a few years. The butt stock was usually hardwood or laminated hardwood of varying types, and the ribbed pistol grip stocks could be either plastic or wood. A rotating safety lever fell under the thumb of a right-handed shooter, and was safe in the “up” position. Above the safety was a push-through button. When the button extended to the left, the arm fired semiautomatically. When pushed to extend from the right side of the receiver, it switched the rifle to full automatic fire. A large pushbutton served as a magazine release, located just above and to the rear of the magazine well opening. Field stripping was easy. A sliding crossbolt could be pushed out of the side at the rear of the receiver, allowing the buttstock to slide off directly to the rear. Then the operating spring, bolt, and long gas piston with its attached cam hook could be removed rearward, allowing the gun to be cleaned from the breech. The trigger group could be pivoted downward, much like the present-day M16. An ejection port cover almost identical to that later used on the M16 (except flipping up instead of down) was provided on the right side. A reciprocating operating handle projected from the left side. A unique curved barrel extension was sometimes provided, allowing shooting around corners. An early infra-red night sight (the Vampir) or a sniper scope could be attached to some models that had suitable mounts for them.
It was then late in the war, but the new assault rifle proved its worth on the Eastern front against Russia, easily outclassing and outranging the Russian submachine guns. The StG44 also proved to be controllable and accurate in full-auto fire at about 550 rounds per minute. It could thus take on the role of light machine guns in providing supporting fire. American troops first encountered it in large numbers in December 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge, the Germans’ last-gasp all-out attempt to turn the tide of war in their favor. Inasmuch as the Germans could not produce the new rifle in sufficient quantity quickly enough to make a real difference in the war, the StG44 proved to be too little too late. At the close of the war, records show that 425,977 of them were built. The Russians were quick to grasp the assault rifle concept, and the AK-47 was their answer to the sturmgewehrs they encountered in the Great Patriotic War. Today there are few nations that do not have some form of intermediate-range assault weapon in their arms inventories.
Since nearly all imports of full-auto weapons have been halted in the United States, very few legal MP44s or StG44s exist here. Overseas, they are not considered that rare and unopened crates of them, unused since WWII, occasionally surface. When they do come up for sale here, usually at auction, these historic weapons command sales prices of between $20,000 and $30,000.
The StG44 was a landmark weapon, the first of its kind. Today, semiautomatic replicas in .22 Long Rifle caliber are about as close as most folks in the U.S. will ever come to one. They are made as the GSG-StG44 by German Sport Guns Gmbh in Germany and imported by ATI (American Tactical Imports) of Rochester, New York. Reports on them show that they are close duplicates of the originals in appearance and heft, and that they operate reliably and accurately.
(c) 2013 JLM
John
The MP44, later renamed the Sturmgewehr 44, has the distinction of being the very first mass-produced assault rifle. A German development, this firearm was one of the most significant weaponry concepts of World War II. It came on stream too late to make a decisive difference in the war, but it did set a startling precedent for a new class of combat arm that is being copied even today.
As World War II began with the invasion of Poland by German forces in September, 1939, the Wehrmacht was equipped mostly with bolt action rifles, a few types of submachine guns and some crew-served machine guns. The standard infantry cartridge was the 7.92x57mm, or as it’s sometimes called, the 8mm Mauser. This was a full-power battle rifle round, roughly equivalent to our own .30-06. This was used in rifles and machine guns. The German submachine guns, principally MP38s and later MP40s, used the 9x19mm, also known as the 9mm Parabellum or 9mm Luger cartridge. As the war progressed, the German arms authorities realized that the rifle cartridge used in the long and unwieldy Karabiner 98k was overly powerful within the most common battle distances of up to 300 yards, and the 9mm used in pistols and submachine guns was pretty much worthless at over 100 yards. As the war against Russia developed beginning in 1941, the Germans began to face a number of semiautomatic rifles such as the Tokarev SVT-38 and SVT-40, as well as the PPSh-41 submachine gun.
While some halting efforts had been made to field semiautomatic rifles firing the 8mm Mauser round, the German Army realized that they were fighting a war with mostly outdated arms. The Army then re-examined a concept that had been around since the 1930s, an intermediate cartridge midway in power between the full power rifle round and the 9mm. A cartridge based on a shortened 8mm Mauser, the 7.92x33mm Kurz, was selected as the basis for weapons development. Development contracts were issued to the arms making firms of Walther and Haenel. The experimental weapons were designated as the Maschinenkarabiner 1942. The Walther prototype was named the MKb42(W) and the Haenel offering became the MKb42(H). Both were gas-operated weapons that could be used in either semiautomatic or full automatic mode. Tests showed the Haenel design spearheaded by designer Hugo Schmeisser to be superior. Field trials of this weapon were conducted in late 1942 and early 1943. It was decided, based on these trials, that a closed-bolt hammer-fired weapon would be an improvement to the open-bolt striker-fired design originated by Schmeisser. In the midst of this changeover, Adolf Hitler suspended all new rifle programs.
The weapons development people proceeded by taking the subversive risk of trying to hoodwink Hitler. They simply mislabeled the improved MKb42(H) as the Maschinenpistole 43 (MP43). It was mentioned publicly as just an upgrade to the then-current submachine guns. When Hitler discovered this subterfuge, he again ordered that the program be halted. I’m pretty sure he had one of his famous hissy-fits over it. However, in March, 1943 he was finally persuaded that the program be re-started for evaluation purposes only. Following six months of combat usage, the evaluation was quite positive, and in April 1944, Hitler let the program continue, re-naming the new arm as the MP44. The weapon illustrated is one of these. I’m indebted to Yvonne Venturino for the use of the photograph.
In July, 1944 when his field commanders told him that their men needed more of the new rifle, Hitler was given the opportunity to test the MP44 personally. He was then most impressed, and gave the arm the name Sturmgewehr 44, literally “storm rifle,” or as we know it now in English, “assault rifle.” This renaming was a propaganda move, but the fact remained that the StG44 was a brand new concept that would re-write weapons tactics in the future.
In its final form, the 37-inch weapon was fairly heavy, weighing 11.5 pounds versus the U.S. M1 Garand’s 9.5 pounds. It was gas operated, utilizing a long gas piston that cammed the tilting bolt out of locking engagement. The short cartridge generated a muzzle velocity of 2,247 feet per second and utilized a spitzer (pointed) bullet. This gave an effective range of about 325 yards. The barrel was 16.5 inches long. The long, curved magazine held 30 rounds, and a stripper clip cartridge loading guide for the mag was provided in a vertical hole at the rear of the butt under a spring-loaded trapdoor. The V-notch rear sight was adjustable for elevation, and the front sight was a hooded post. The design provided for a straight line of recoil, predating the AR-10 and AR-15 rifles by quite a few years. The butt stock was usually hardwood or laminated hardwood of varying types, and the ribbed pistol grip stocks could be either plastic or wood. A rotating safety lever fell under the thumb of a right-handed shooter, and was safe in the “up” position. Above the safety was a push-through button. When the button extended to the left, the arm fired semiautomatically. When pushed to extend from the right side of the receiver, it switched the rifle to full automatic fire. A large pushbutton served as a magazine release, located just above and to the rear of the magazine well opening. Field stripping was easy. A sliding crossbolt could be pushed out of the side at the rear of the receiver, allowing the buttstock to slide off directly to the rear. Then the operating spring, bolt, and long gas piston with its attached cam hook could be removed rearward, allowing the gun to be cleaned from the breech. The trigger group could be pivoted downward, much like the present-day M16. An ejection port cover almost identical to that later used on the M16 (except flipping up instead of down) was provided on the right side. A reciprocating operating handle projected from the left side. A unique curved barrel extension was sometimes provided, allowing shooting around corners. An early infra-red night sight (the Vampir) or a sniper scope could be attached to some models that had suitable mounts for them.
It was then late in the war, but the new assault rifle proved its worth on the Eastern front against Russia, easily outclassing and outranging the Russian submachine guns. The StG44 also proved to be controllable and accurate in full-auto fire at about 550 rounds per minute. It could thus take on the role of light machine guns in providing supporting fire. American troops first encountered it in large numbers in December 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge, the Germans’ last-gasp all-out attempt to turn the tide of war in their favor. Inasmuch as the Germans could not produce the new rifle in sufficient quantity quickly enough to make a real difference in the war, the StG44 proved to be too little too late. At the close of the war, records show that 425,977 of them were built. The Russians were quick to grasp the assault rifle concept, and the AK-47 was their answer to the sturmgewehrs they encountered in the Great Patriotic War. Today there are few nations that do not have some form of intermediate-range assault weapon in their arms inventories.
Since nearly all imports of full-auto weapons have been halted in the United States, very few legal MP44s or StG44s exist here. Overseas, they are not considered that rare and unopened crates of them, unused since WWII, occasionally surface. When they do come up for sale here, usually at auction, these historic weapons command sales prices of between $20,000 and $30,000.
The StG44 was a landmark weapon, the first of its kind. Today, semiautomatic replicas in .22 Long Rifle caliber are about as close as most folks in the U.S. will ever come to one. They are made as the GSG-StG44 by German Sport Guns Gmbh in Germany and imported by ATI (American Tactical Imports) of Rochester, New York. Reports on them show that they are close duplicates of the originals in appearance and heft, and that they operate reliably and accurately.
(c) 2013 JLM
