STG-44

The Sturmgewehr 44, designed by Hugo Schmeisser, was the precursor to all other handheld automatic rifles. Even though the Germans had automatic weapons they were either light machine guns and needed an additional soldier to reload the weapon, or small and compact guns to be used in tanks or cars, such as the MP40. These weapons however were only intended for Close Quarters Battle (CQB) and were not effective at long distances due to the size of their ammo (9mm), which delivered significantly less stopping power than their standard rifles. The STG-44 changed that with an effective range between 300-600 meters depending on if you were firing on semi or fully automatic. There was just one problem with the rifle, it did not hold the standard 7.92x57mm rounds. Schmeisser had attempted to make a 7.92x57mm rifle capable of being fired on fully automatic but the recoil from the weapon made it impossible to control. To solve this problem they invented their own round, the 7.92x33mm Kurz. This cartridge was the same caliber as their standard rounds, but had been shortened to control recoil without sacrificing stopping power enabling them to engage targets from farther distances with fully automatic fire. When news of the new cartridge reached Hitler he ordered that development be stopped, because if it was meant to replace standard rifles he wanted keep the effective range that weapons such as the Karabiner 98k had, which could engage an enemy from up to 1000 meters away. Upon inspection by Hitler himself he was thoroughly impressed with the weapon and wanted it to be shipped out to front line troops as soon as possible. However, he also wanted to make sure the rifles could be deployed to soldiers in vast numbers, because he knew a handful on the front lines for field testing would not make a big difference. By the end of the war he was able to send out almost half a million of these to his troops, and it is said that if they had been deployed earlier in the war Germany would have been a even more formidable opponent and victory over the Nazis would have been much more difficult.

Wikipedia contributors. "StG 44." //Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia//. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 14 November 2013. Web. 21 November 2013.

Wikipedia Contributors. "7.92x33mm Kurz." //Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia//. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 12 October 2013. Web. 21 November 2013.

American Tactical Imports. "GSG STG-44." //Pitchengine.com//. 21 Novemeber 2013.