Special Design Bureau

 "State Committee of Defense
to comrade L.P. Beria

Several major German small arms designers remain in the German territory occupied by Soviet troops.

1. Stange, creator of the MG-34 and MG-42 machine guns as well as other systems. Stange worked at the Rheinmetall-Borsig design bureau in Sömmerda.
2. Grune, creator of the MG-42 and MG-45 machine guns. He led the design bureau at the Johannes Grossfuss company in Döbeln.
3. Horn, creator of a new automatic carbine. He worked together with Grune at the  Johannes Grossfuss design bureau in Döbeln.
4. Schmeisser, creator of the MP-40 submachine gun, MP-44 automatic carbine, and a number of other systems. Schmeisser owns the Haenel factory in Suhl. 
5. Barnitzke, creator of anti-tank rifles and a new automatic carbine. Barnitzke led a design group at the Gustloff-Werke factory in Suhl since 1925.
6. Gropp, a specialist in automatic carbines and semiautomatic rifles, worked in Barnitzke's group at the Gustloff-Werke factory in Suhl.
7. Ladek, a pistol specialist. Worked in Barnitzke's group at the Gustloff-Werke factory in Suhl.
8. Lorentz, leader of the ammunition group at the Polte factory design bureau in Magdeburg. Creator of the model 1943 intermediate round. 

Due to the high level of qualification of the aforementioned designers, it is sensible to recruit them to work in a special design bureau.

Chief of the Red Army GAU, Marshal of Arillery, Yakovlev

September 4th, 1945."

Via Aleksey Isayev.

Isayev notes that the descriptions of the German designers' achievements is not necessarily correct. For instance, Schmeisser didn't create the MP-40 (which is correctly reflected in lower level reports).

AP-I Bullets

"250th Rifle Division HQ

Artillery Supply Department

December 3rd, 1941

To Chiefs of Artillery Supply of Rifle Regiments of the 250th Rifle Division

Copy for only the 916th Rifle Regiment

I propose to you that you should instruct each of your troops via chiefs of supply and squad commanders regarding the use of BS-40 armour piercing bullets issued in your units. Issue 10 rounds to each soldier on the front line and ensure that they are kept well and used only against armoured targets.

David vs Goliath

"Results of trials of the 45 mm gun and anti-tank rifles and the effectiveness of anti-tank grenades on the Tiger tank

On November 13th and 14th, 1944, trials of 45 mm armour piercing shells and subcaliber shot, anti-tank rifles, and anti-tank grenades against the tracks of a Tiger tank were held.

The following were provided by the 285th Rifle Division:

1. 45 mm gun and crew: 1
2. Anti-tank rifles and crews: 2
3. Subcaliber shot for the 45 mm gun: 20
4. Armour piercing shells for the 45 mm gun: 30
5. Anti-tank rifle cartridge: 40
6. Anti-tank grenade: 15
7. Hand grenade: 15

The 45 mm gun and anti-tank rifles were fired at a range of 30-300 m at angles of 90 and 45 degrees.

Fedorov Avtomat

"July 7th, 1924
Minutes #222/23

On weapons (Sheydeman):

1. Categorically reject Fedorov's rifle if ammunition is not manufactured at the same time.
2. As soon as possible limit the number of avtomats chambered in the 0.25" caliber, dedicating resources and effort to the creation of 0.3" avtomats and to starting production of these avtomats at the Kovrov factory.

Lend Lease Review

"June 19th, 1945

Report on use of tanks in combat by the 8th Guards Molodecheno Order of the Red Banner Mechanized Brigade in the Patriotic War

In combat during 1943, the 44th Guards Tank Regiment, a part of the 8th Guards Molodecheno Order of the Red Banner Mechanized Brigade, was armed with T-34 tanks that had a 76 mm gun and T-70 tanks that had a 45 mm gun. Later it did not use these types of tanks.

In combat during 1944-1945 the regiment used mainly M4A2 tanks with the 75 mm gun and partially with the 76 mm gun.

As a result, the summary of combat experience in 1944-1945 will focus on foreign M4A2 tanks.

Tank Experience

"Report on the use of tanks in the Patriotic War of 1941-1945

1st Tank Battalion, 3rd Guards Minsk-Gdansk Order of Lenin Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov Tank Brigade

1. The armament and ammunition of the T-34 tank are of high quality.
   To make it easier to use the commander's cupola, we consider it necessary to remove the periscope.
   Practice shows that nonstop observation from a tank has a great effect in combat. This is especially true in the last part of the war in 1945 when the Germans used the Faustpatrone in large quantities. Soldiers armed with the Faustpatrone hiding in thick forests, enfilades, or settlements dealt great damage to tanks firing suddenly from concealment. To successfully combat the Faustpatrone and discover them in due time, it is necessary for all crew members to observe the battlefield in all directions. The existing observation devices do not allow this. To improve vision we consider it necessary to introduce a periscope in the front plate for the machine gunner and side vision periscopes for the driver.
   The TSh-15 sight should have 5x magnification.

The Other Degtyaryev

The Red Army had two primary machine guns during the Great Patriotic War and the period preceding it: the light DP-27 and heavy Maxim. All Soviet armoured vehicles were equipped with a modified variant of the light machine gun. However, even these proven designs had their competitors. Given certain circumstances, they could have become widely used as well. One of them, the DS-39 heavy machine gun, even had a tank version produced and tested.

Whisper Quiet

When firearms were invented, the loud noise produced by a gunshot was more of an advantage than a drawback, especially when it was used against "old school" armies. With time, the demoralizing effect of the sound and flame of a gunshot became effective only against savages, but became very troublesome for the weapon's operator. Introduction of various types of special forces made this issue a pressing one, and by the start of the 20th century inventors began to combat it.

The One with the Rifle Shoots

"The first myth that is repeated by the film industry in particular is that the Red Army went into battle with one rifle for every 3, 5, even 10 men, fill in the blank yourself. This myth maintains that in the USSR, near Moscow, militiamen with one rifle per 10 had to stop German tanks, even though that is madness, that is not possible. The Red Army never had big problems, specifically big problems, with small arms. This was because there were large stockpiles from the Tsarist army and then the trophies from the Polish campaign. You'll laugh, but the source of this myth is the German Volkssturm. They really had one rifle with one clip of ammunition per 3 or 5 men. In the Red Army, in the worst case scenario, had its auxiliary troops go unarmed: drivers or artillerymen that fire guns from the rear at map squares. They don't really need a rifle. When there was not enough guns, such as in the summer of 1941, the guns were taken from these rear line units, from the horse handlers and such. On the front line the troops were armed well. The claim that soldiers would go into battle and would have to find a weapon there is nonsense. This is a very resilient myth. There are scarier things in war than having to go into battle to get a rifle, but this myth persists. "

Aleksey Isayev: Myths of the Great Patriotic War

Organization

"Central Committee of the VKP(b) to comrade G.M. Malenkov

The straight PPSh magazine designed by comrade O.S. Petrenko was vetted by the GAU and approved for production in July of 1943 (after a ten month period when 20 magazines were produced at the Instrumental Local Production Factory by the Moscow City Council and tested at proving grounds).

Post-War Rearmament

"2611-1033ss

June 18th, 1949

On the acceptance of new types of weapons into service with the Soviet Army

The Council of Ministers of the USSR decrees that:

1. The Soviet Army accepts into service:
1. The 7.62 mm Simonov semiautomatic carbine model 1945 instead of the model 1944 carbine.
2. The 7.62 mm Kalashnikov assault rifle model 1947 instead of the model 1941 and model 1943 submachineguns.
3. The 7.62 mm Degtyaryev model 1944 light machine gun instead of the DPM machine gun.
4. The 7.62 mm model 1943 cartridge.
2. The new weapons will be called:
1. 7.62 mm Simonov semiautomatic carbine (SKS)
2. 7.62 mm Kalashnikov assault rifle (AK)
3. 7.62 mm Degtyaryev model 1944 light machine gun (RPD)
4. 7.62 mm model 1943 cartridge.
3. The Minister of the Armed Forces comrade Vasilevskiy must present a plan for the re-armament of the Armed Forces with the new weapons within one month.

Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, I.Stalin

Chief Administrator of the Council of Ministers, M. Pomaznev"

Via dms-mk1.

New Machine Guns

"State Committee of Defense decree #6721s

October 14th, 1944

Moscow, Kremlin

On the production of modernized light infantry and tank Degtyaryev machine guns

In order to improve the fighting ability of light infantry and tank Degtyaryev pattern machineguns, the State Committee of Defense decrees that:

The People's Commissar of Armament comrade Ustinov and director of factory #2 comrade Fomin must prepare the tools and the manufacturing process for production of modernized light infantry and tank Degtyaryev machine guns before December 1st, 1944, and shift to production of the modernized  light infantry and tank Degtyaryev machine guns in December.

Chairman of the State Committee of Defense, I. Stalin"

Artillery Wishlist

"Themes for research to inventors and technologists of small arms and artillery for 1943

1. Develop an a muzzle brake for the anti-tank rifle that also acts as a flash suppressor.
2. Design a suppressor that can silence a gunshot past a range of 100-150 meters. The suppressor must weigh no more than 1 kg, must be removable from a machine gun without disassembly, must be simple in design, and must have minimum screw threads or deep drilling. The precision of fire must not suffer from using the suppressor.
3. Develop a method for increasing the lifespan of light machine gun barrels. The lifespan should be 25-30 thousand rounds.

British Demo

By the summer of 1941 the British were still struggling to equip their army with modern anti-tank weapons in the face of a German invasion, which was considered all but a certainty. This rush resulted in a number of weapons, from more conventional anti-tank cannons to rifle grenades and bombards. The comparison of the weapons' effectiveness is fairly predictable.

Pistol Power

Conservative elements within the tank corps favoured the Nagant M1895 revolver. It was relatively simple and could be fired out of a smaller pistol port than the TT. However, the Nagant took much longer to reload and could not use submachinegun ammunition in a pinch.

"For ISU-122 crews it is desirable to have a TT pistol, since the long loading time for Nagant revolvers puts the crew into a critical position. The limited amount of ammunition in a revolver causes frequent reloads. There is also much more ammunition for a pistol available inside the vehicle."

Via Andrei Ulanov.

Small Arms

"August 8th, 1942

To the artillery quartermasters of the 124th and 125th Tank Battalions

I report to you the supply of 7.62 mm rifle cartridges and F-1 grenades carried in KV, T-34, T-60, and T-40 tanks for precise inventory.

Tank	Total MG ammunition	Ammunition by type			F-1 grenades
		Light bullet	AP-I bullet	Tracer
KV	3000	2400	500	100	25
T-34	3000	2400	510	90	25
T-60	950	760	160	30	10
T-40	2000	1000	340	60	10

At the same time, I instruct you that AP-I ammunition should be loaded in magazines separately, not mixed with ammunition that has light bullets. Magazines with AP-I ammunition must be specially marked. Check how magazines were loaded in your units and load AP-I ammunition separately.

Report on execution of this order to the artillery supply department of the brigade by 16:00 on August 9th, 1942

Artillery quartermaster of the 112th Tank Brigade, Intendant 3rd Class, Tomilin"

Via Ivagkin.

Small Arms Feedback

"HQ of the 27th Rifle Division

Dept 1

November 14th, 1945

#1/0793

To the commander of the 132nd Rifle Corps

I present my notes and conclusions on infantry weapons, ammunition, and preparation of infantry based on experience in the Patriotic War of 1941-45.

1. Notes on design.
1. TT model 1930 pistol: has design defects. The center of mass is bad (almost in the center of the pistol), it must be closer to the handle, like the Borchardt-Luger pistol. It is desirable to reduce the mass to 800-850 grams, change the shape of the pistol grip to make shooting more comfortable, and increase the angle between the barrel and handle.

Even More MKb 42(H) Intel

"GAU Artillery Committee Information Department

Information Summary #16

July 1943

...

New German light machinegun and ammunition for it

In June of 1943, Red Army units captured a new 7.9 mm machinegun firing intermediate cartridges.

Kalashnikov and the Intermediate Round

After an unsuccessful attempt at a submachinegun and light machinegun, the young small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov did not lose hope, but began to design a new semiautomatic carbine for the new intermediate round. However, here too he was faced with defeat. Why did it happen, and what lessons did the future author of the AK learn from this?

Kalashnikov's Debut

If you ask a foreigner words he associated with Russia, "Kalashnikov" is likely going to be one of them. The famous assault rifle became one of the symbols of not only Russia and the USSR, but the 20th Century. The assault rifle's designer, Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov, also got a share of the glory. As it often happens, this glory was rather one-sided and often subjective. Let's try to get through the other creations of the designer who was defined by his best known work.