RetroWARTHINK 008: Automatic Weapons: Whose on 1st?
Military small arms historians are either liars or haven't properly assembled-the-pieces to what they somewhat know--like FORGOTTEN WEAPONS guru, Ian McCollum and the many milspeeple out there just parroting what's fed them instead of FIGURING THINGS OUT FOR THEMSELVES AND DEVELOPING AN INDEPENDENT UNDERSTANDING BASED ON OBJECTIVE, PHYSICAL REALITIES.
We, the unhappy few, the military professionals--when planning REAL-WORLD operations haven't the time to split hairs on what is an "Assault Rifle" and what is a "Battle Rifle" or "Battle Carbine" etc. However, let's end the BS here & now of what-is-what.
NEW, Accurate Small Arms Definitions
"Sub-Machine Gun" selective or just full automatic firing tiny pistol cartridges: SMG
"Light Machine Gun" is a selective fire or just full automatic machine gun under 20 pounds: LMG
"Medium Machine Gun" is a selective fire or just full automatic machine gun over 20 pounds: MMG
"Heavy Machine Gun" is a selective fire or just full automatic machine gun over 30 pounds: HMG
"Semi-Automatic Rifle": SAR
"SELective Fire Full-sized cartridges, Automatic Rifle": SELFAR
"Assault Rifle" selective fire, cartridges inter-mediate of a pistol and large rifle size: AR
"Battle Rifle" semi-automatic fire of intermediate cartridges: BR
"Battle Carbine" semi-automatic fire of intermediate cartridges, short barrel: BC
Maximum Rounds Start using the largest practical ammunition carry in a gun to initiate firefights: MRS
Stripper Clip Loading of a firearm: SCL
PRELoaded Magazines: PRELMs
HOWEVER COMMA, WHAT WE URGENTLY NEED TO KNOW DOES THE ENEMY HAVE AUTOMATIC WEAPONS or NOT?
Let's Get Military History RIGHT
1st GENeration warfare, contrary to civilian normies and milsheeple stupidtalk, was dominated by MISSILE firers--not swords and long poles. Throwing spears, darts and bow/crossbow-propelled arrows & bolts on horseback strips away enemy hand shields so one can close-in and use poles/knives/swords. We were damn blessed God killed off the Mongol leaders--defending us from 300 meter range-reach, missile volley, horse-archers--or else no Western Civilization. No Gospel transmission to the world of the Lord Jesus Christ's pardon for mankind's individual sins. The Roman segmented body armor could withstand arrows--but being foot-immobile, they needed to lure-in Parthian horse-archers to defeat them--not always possible. Parthian horse-archers rendered the worst defeat ever upon the Romans, killing asswipe Crassus at the battle of Carrhae. The Mongols wouldn't have taken the bait.
Infantry holding long poles (Swiss Pikemen) were a nasty defeat for horsemen absurdly trying to poke THEM with long poles and hack at them with curved swords (sabres). 2nd GENeration warfare, infantry in squares firing single-shot, non-automatic, gunpowder smooth-bore, firearms also gave French Field Marshal Napoleon's still-absurd Cavalry with long poles (lancers) a nasty defeat in 1815's Waterloo. That 100 years later Cavalry was still wanting to poke people with poles and hack them with swords when bows/crossbows and fast manual re-loading firearms could defeat foes with missile volleys from safe stand-offs were available is beyond comprehension. The Cavalry pole charge was dead against rifled barrel firearms by the 1860ish American Civil War (ACW)--and afterwards, the U.S. Army hunted down and shot down Indians with lever-action "repeating" rifles FROM HORSEBACKS. John Wayne's Rooster Cogburn holding horse reins with his teeth to fire with both hands is a visual. His horse didn't throw him. Shrug.
IF a horse cannot be used as a 30 mph, 300 mile reach, mobile firearms-firing platform, then FIND OUT by trial & error what muzzle flash/noise levels a horse can tolerate, then suppress the short-length carbine to be under that level. Horse silhouettes too high? Then, lower the profile by putting Cavalry/Infantry on bicycles. To fire-on-the-move, make them 2-seaters so the back-seater is a GUNNER.
combatreform.org/militaryvehicles.htm
The 1st Machine Gun was the hand-crank-powered, American Gatling machine gun around time of the ACW. The 1st recoil-operated MG was the British Maxim; thus, from 1860 to the end of WW1, MGs were large & heavy, crew-served weapons aka medium and heavy MGs (MMGs and HMGs). These MMGs and HMGs created a Base-Of-Fire (BOF) to suppress enemies so bolt-action riflemen could advance--best visual depiction is the John Milius "Rough Riders" 1997 mini-series of Teddy Roosevelt's taking San Juan hill during the 1898 Spanish-American war.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDPhoOmW7WA
MMGs and HMGs proceeded to mow down millions of bolt-action riflemen before they could even reach their foe's trenchlines for rifle-bayonet attacks.
SGT York of the 82nd "All American" Division in WW1 had a M1903 Springfield bolt-action rifle and a .45 ACP and captured German Luger 9mm pistols to wipe-out the Germans in their trenchlines. Though the movie has some errors like actor Gary Cooper firing his rifle twice without cycling the bolt, it accurately shows him and his men crossing "No Man's Land" and producing no enemy suppressive fire resulting in at least half the men being mowed down by German heavy machine guns. When he began rifle picking-off Germans along the trenchlines, he stays at a safe stand-off so he could operate its bolt action. A Stripper Clip Loading (SCL) is shown once, but once his 5x rifle shots were used up he WENT TO HIS SEMI-AUTOMATIC PISTOLS in order to fire fast enough to get the charging Germans before they got him.
SGT York WW1 Battle Scene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmRRhxo0RHc
Clearly, the Allies needed Semi-Automatic Rifles (SARs) so they could generate "walking fire" to suppress enemies ahead--yet the British Army refused to field them, the French created bad SARs but fortunately, the Germans toyed with pistols with large magazines. The American BAR arrived at WW1's end and was the game-changer that should have been upgraded with pistol grips, fluted barrels, SCLing, side or top magazine loading etc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1918_Browning_Automatic_Rifle
QUOTE:
The large amounts of ammunition expended by BAR teams in Korea placed additional demands on the assistant gunner to stay in close contact with the BAR at all times, particularly on patrols.[67] While the BAR magazines themselves always seemed to be in short supply, Gen. Marshall reported that "riflemen in the squad were markedly willing to carry extra ammunition for the BAR man".[68]
In combat, the M1918A2 frequently decided the outcome of determined attacks by North Korean and Chinese communist forces. Communist tactical doctrine centered on the mortar and machine gun, with attacks designed to envelop and cut off United Nations forces from supply and reinforcement. Communist machine gun teams were the best-trained men in any given North Korean or Chinese infantry unit, skilled at placing their heavily camouflaged and protected weapons as close to UN forces as possible.[69] Once concealed, they often surprised U.N. forces by opening fire at very short ranges, covering any exposed ground with a hail of accurately sighted machine gun fire.[69] Under these conditions it was frequently impossible for U.S. machine gun crews to move up their Browning M1919A4 and M1919A6 guns in response without taking heavy casualties; when they were able to do so, their position was carefully noted by the enemy, who would frequently kill the exposed gun crews with mortar or machine gun fire while they were still emplacing their guns.[69] The BAR gunner, who could stealthily approach the enemy gun position alone (and prone if need be), proved invaluable in this type of combat.[69]
During the height of combat, the BAR gunner was often used as the 'fire brigade' weapon, helping to bolster weak areas of the perimeter under heavy pressure by communist forces. In defense, it was often used to strengthen the firepower of a forward outpost.[69] Another role for the BAR was to deter or eliminate enemy sniper fire. In the absence of a trained sniper, the BAR proved more effective than the random response of five or six M1 riflemen.[69]
Compared to World War II, US infantry forces saw a huge increase in the number of night engagements. The added firepower of the BAR rifleman and his ability to redeploy to 'hot spots' around the unit perimeter proved indispensable in deterring night infiltration by skirmishers as well as repelling large-scale night infantry assaults.[70]
Modern BAR: Ideal LMG?
As one Special Forces sergeant declared, "Many times since my three tours of duty in Vietnam I have thanked God for ... having a BAR that actually worked, as opposed to the jamming M16 ... We had a lot of Viet Cong infiltrators in all our [Special Forces] camps, who would steal weapons every chance they got. Needless to say, the most popular weapon to steal was the venerable old BAR."[71]
The bottom-magazine feed limits the size of the PRELM to 20-rounds unlike top-feed Bren, Madsen or side-feed FA42 SELFARs/LMGs.
Too bad the new M1918A3 doesn't fire 7.62mm x 51mm NATO...
http://oow-govmil.com/firearms/hcar-heavy-counter-assult-rifle/
Weapon Specifications:
Weight – 11.75 pounds (16” Barrel); 12.5 pounds (20” Barrel)
Length – 38.25 in. (16” Barrel); 42.25 in. (20” Barrel)
Barrel – Chrome Moly, 4 Groove, 1/10 Twist, 5/8-24 Muzzle Thread
Barrel Length – 16” and 20” available
Caliber – .30-06
Action – Closed Bolt
Gas System – Adjustable 3 Position*
Feed System – 30rd Detachable Magazine [has bolt-hold-open when empty for speed reloading]
Maximum Effective Range – 1200m
*The Most Robust Gas System Designed By John Moses Browning Capable of Withstanding Extreme High Pressure Loads
combatreform.org/lightmachineguns.htm
Early on it was realized LIGHT (under 20 pounds) machine guns (LMGs) that could be carried by the assaulting infantrymen themselves were needed to create mini-BOFs if they hoped to have any chance of making it to the enemy's trenchlines. The Madsen was the 1st LMG featuring the brilliant top-loaded box magazine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madsen_machine_gun
The Madsen is a light machine gun that Julius A. Rasmussen and Theodor Schoubue designed and proposed for adoption by Colonel Vilhelm Herman Oluf Madsen, the Danish Minister of War, and that the Danish Army adopted in 1902. It was the world's first true light machine gun produced in quantity and Madsen was able to sell it in 12 calibres to over 34 countries. The gun saw extensive combat for over 100 years.[3][4]
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LMG know-how enabled the bolt-action rifle to be replaced by automatic weapons, and some WW1 LMGs that could also fire by single-shot--like the BAR could be seen as an Assault Rifle (AR)--but for them firing full-sized cartridges requiring them to be 20 pounds heavy to be controllable on full auto. Stupidspeak says a 10-pound rifle firing a full-sized cartridge is NOT controllable on full auto--I call this out as BS because of German Paratrooper success in WW2 with their FG42s firing 7.92mm x 57mm aka 8mm Mauser cartridges. I also say BS to those claiming the M14 and FN FAL firing 7.62mm x 51mm NATO cartridges are not controllable on full auto fired from the shoulder into a trenchline, room or vehicle interior. I'm also damn tired of these so-called "experts" shooting SELFARs with the camera only pointed at themselves to show how tough they-think-they-are and showboat the muzzle flashes.
LET'S SEE A YOUTUBE GUN NUT SET-UP 3x STEEL POP-DOWN TARGETS 25 METERS AWAY AND HAVE THEM FIRE A SELFAR LIKE A M14 or FN FAL AT THEM FROM THE SHOULDER--AIMING DOWN LOW AT THE SIMULATED FEET OF THE BAD GUYS.
5 Tips for Better Automatic Firing
https://blog.gunassociation.org/full-auto-shoot-tips/
We should hear instantly the clang-or no clang of the spray & pray bullets hitting and knocking down these targets or missing and nadda happening. I write this because I have read the actual Vietnam combat reports from Soldiers and morons and they are adamant that they were often pinned-down by enemy AK47/AKM fires.
The lamestupid milhistory put forward that the AR was born by the Germans with their Stg44 in late WW2 are LIES put out by American immoral stoics who nod & wink at Nazi fascists' brutality who YES, rightly hate forced socialist Communism--but wrongly refuse to give credit where credit is due them. This can't learn-from-the-enemy dangerous delusionality continues to the present.
WHO Created the Automatic Rifle 1st?
1915: Russian Fedorov Avtomat: World's 1st AR in Combat
The irony of all of this is the British could have had a Semi-Automatic Rifle (SAR) in 1915 with the Howell Automatic Rifle (HAR) modification of the bolt-action Lee-Enfield SMLE. That they didn't modify SMLEs into HARs by WW2's beginning, either which is intolerable.
The French did field M1917 RSC SARs in WW1--but fed by only 5-round SCLing. Uggh.
The following is a good article on the British .256 copy of Japanese 6.5mm Arisaka--but wrong about Russians following the penis-erection German Stg44. Russia's Fedorov used 6.5mm Arisaka to Create Avtomat, World's 1st Assault Rifle in 1915.
http://www.quarryhs.co.uk/256brit.htm
THE .256 INCH BRITISH: A LOST OPPORTUNITY
By Anthony G. Williams ©
A version of this article originally appeared in Guns Review International, February 1996. Last update 25 September 2010.
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Americans don't have to LIE here; we created the 1st reliable mass-produced, SELective Fire, Automatic Rifle (SELFAR)--the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) in 1918. Earlier in WW1, the Russians succeeded with their Federov Avtomat on a small-scale and the French tried and failed BIG TIME with the Chauchat LMG before the BAR--but the French LMG was infamously unreliable. Though 20-pounds heavy, the U.S. Army could have equipped EVERY infantryman with a PRELoaded, 20-round, box Magazine-fed (PRELM), BAR in WW1--firing full-sized 7.62mm x 82mm (.30/06) cartridges, it could fire fully automatic and by aimed single shots. Make a Load Bearing Equipment (LBE) that carries beaucoup 20-round PRELMs and have EVERY infantryman wear it to carry the beaucoup mags to keep everyone firing. Beaucoup--French for A LOT, 20-somethings.
combatreform.org/lightmachineguns.htm
My faults with the BAR are: lack of a pistol grip: SOLVED in later models. Weight: could have been solved by ditching the wood furniture for plastics and fluting the barrel. Bottom loading magazine would have been better if top-loaded like the Czech Bren LMG or sideways like the German FG42 to get larger PRELMs. Lack of Stripper Clip Loading (SCL); perhaps solvable by a re-design? The reality today's 20-something, "OK, fucktards" civilian normies and status-quo-loving milsheeple refuse to admit is:
AMMUNITION RESUPPLY IS NOT GOING TO COME BY PRELMS--BUT BY STRIPPER CLIPS--or worse loose rounds.
There WERE smart people alive during WW1-2 ("OK, Millenial" retards) who realized the above and made the world's 1st Assault Rifle, the Avtomat by the pre-Communist Russians:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedorov_Avtomat
The Fedorov Avtomat (also anglicized as Federov,[3][4] Russian: Автомат Фёдорова) or FA was a select-fire, crew-served automatic rifle and also world's first operational automatic rifle, designed by Vladimir Grigoryevich Fyodorov in 1915 and produced in the Russian Empire and later in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. A total of 3,200 Fedorov rifles were manufactured between 1915 and 1924 in the city of Kovrov; the vast majority of them were made after 1920. The weapon saw limited combat in World War I, but was used more substantially in the Russian Civil War and in the Winter War. Some [EDITOR: liars] consider it to be an "early predecessor" or "ancestor" to the modern assault rifle,[4][5][6][7].
Captain V. Fedorov began a prototype of a semi-automatic rifle in 1906, working with future small arms designer Vasily Degtyaryov as his assistant. A model was submitted to the Rifle Commission of the Russian army in 1911, which eventually ordered 150 more rifles for testing. In 1913, Fedorov submitted a prototype automatic rifle with a stripper clip-fed fixed magazine, chambered for his own experimental rimless 6.5 mm cartridge, called the 6.5mm Fedorov. This new rimless ammunition was more compact than the rimmed Russian 7.62×54mmR, better suited for automatic weapons and produced less recoil, however, the round was prone to occasional jamming. When fired from an 800 mm barrel, this experimental cartridge propelled a pointed jacketed bullet weighing 8.5 grams at an initial velocity of 860 m/s with a muzzle energy of 3,140 J as opposed to the 3,550 J muzzle energy of 7.62×54mmR ammunition from a barrel of the same length.[8] 6.5 mm Fedorov rifles were tested late in 1913 with somewhat favorable results.
In the autumn of 1915, Fedorov was posted as a military observer to France, in the Mont-Saint-Éloi sector. Here he was impressed by the ubiquity of the French Chauchat and by the firepower it brought, but less so about its mobility. According to Fedorov's memoirs, it is here he came up with the idea of introducing into Russian service a weapon with firepower intermediate between the rifle and the light machine gun, but with mobility comparable to a rifle. His decision to adapt his semi-automatic rifle design for this purpose was one of wartime expediency. Fedorov set to the task upon his return to Russia in January 1916. He retained the mechanism of his semi-automatic rifle, with the major addition of a selective fire switch. The fixed magazine was replaced by a curved 25-round detachable box magazine. Due to limited trial nature of its production, most of its parts were custom fitted and not interchangeable, including the magazine. Therefore, in practice, the Fedorov was issued to the troops with only one magazine, which would be reloaded through the breech via standard 5-round Arisaka stripper clips.[9]
Production of the new cartridge was out of question so it was decided to convert 6.5 mm Fedorov rifles to use the Japanese 6.5×50mmSR Arisaka ammunition which was in abundance, having been purchased from Japan and Great Britain along with Arisaka rifles. (About 763,000 Arisaka-type rifles were imported to Russia,[10][11] along with approximately 400 million cartridges for them; domestic production of the Arisaka cartridge remained insignificant though.[11]) The change of ammunition involved only minimal changes to the rifle, including a chamber insert and a new range scale for the rear sights.[12] The somewhat less powerful Japanese cartridge meant that the muzzle velocity was only about 654–660 m/s because of constrained barrel length.[2][12]
In terms of accuracy, Russian data indicates that when fired in short bursts the Fedorov Avtomat could reliably hit targets having a profile of 0.6×0.5 m at a distance of 200 m. At 400 m the dispersion increased to 1.1×0.9 m and at 800 m it was 2.1×1.85 m. Consequently, burst fire was only considered effective up to about 500 m.[13]
In 1916, the Weapons Committee of the Russian Army decided to order no less than 25,000 Fedorov automatic rifles. In the summer of 1916, a company from the 189th Izmail Regiment was equipped with 8 Fedorov Avtomats. Trained in tactics with the new weapon, they concluded that the Fedorov worked best as a crew-served weapon: the gunner armed with the Fedorov, and an ammo bearer armed with an Arisaka rifle. As both weapons used the same ammo and same 5-round stripper clips, this allowed for the greatest flexibility. It also allowed for the ammo bearer to fire defensively, while the gunner reloaded. It was also recommended that the primary mode of fire be in semi-automatic, as the Fedorov would rapidly overheat in full-auto. After completing their training, the company was deployed to the Romanian front in early 1917. It was supposed to report back valuable combat experience with the new weapon, but this did not happen because the company disintegrated during the Kerensky Offensive. About 10 other Avtomats were given to the Russian naval aviation; Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia telegraphed back that his pilots found it more suitable than the Chauchat in light aircraft.[14]
At the time of its use, the Fedorov Avtomat was one of only three practical fully automatic rifles in service, the other two being the American Browning Automatic Rifle and the French CSRG M1915. Although these alternative rifles were initially intended for mobile assault fire, both models became more or less exclusively used as stationary light machine guns due to their higher weight and caliber. However, the lighter, lower recoil Fedorov Avtomat, which was less than half the weight of the BAR and CSRG, retained a unique niche role as a mobile assault rifle.[20] Despite this pioneering status, the Fedorov Avtomat was not without its flaws, and was notoriously difficult to clean, maintain, and repair.[20]
In contemporary Russian terminology, the word "avtomat" denotes assault rifle, although historically the term has had a broader meaning.[24] Contemporary Western writers have struggled to classify the Fedorov Avtomat. Some [EDITOR: German fangirls] consider it to be an "early predecessor" or "ancestor" to the modern assault rifle,[4][26][6][7] while others believe that the Fedorov Avtomat was the world's first assault rifle. The dispute centers on whether the cartridge, which was "one of the least powerful rifle-caliber cartridges then in use",[27][28][29] counts as a full-power or intermediate-power cartridge. Still other writers argue that the Cei-Rigotti (which predates the Fedorov by 20 years) was the world's first assault rifle because it was also select-fire and chambered for an intermediate-power cartridge; however, its 25-round magazine was fed by stripper clips rather than being detachable.[30][31] [EDITOR: boo fucking whoo]
1895: Cei-Rigotti's Assault Rifle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cei-Rigotti
The Cei-Rigotti (also known as the Cei gas rifle[1]) is an early automatic rifle created in the final years of the 19th century by Amerigo Cei-Rigotti, an officer in the Royal Italian Army. Although the rifle was never officially adopted by any military, it was tested extensively by the Italian Army during the lead-up to the First World War[2]
The rifle was gas operated and had selective fire capabilities (single shots or fully automatic). Available information on this gun is sparse and often contradictory.
According to several publications, the prototype rifle was chambered for the 6.5×52mm Mannlicher–Carcano.[3] The gun was supposedly presented by Cei-Rigotti to his superiors in a private demonstration in 1895. An Italian newspaper reported on this event in 1900.[4] According to another source, a demonstration was actually held publicly in Rome on June 13, 1900, when 300 rounds were fired on full automatic before the gun got so hot it seized up.[5] Yet another source mentions a demonstration in the same year at the Brescia Arsenal.[6]
The British also ordered and tested the gun after this event, but they found it unsuitable.[4] The rifle found at the U.K. National Firearms Centre in Leeds is chambered in 7.65x53mm Mauser, as is another example found in a U.S. private collection.[7]
Reportedly, prototypes with magazines up to a capacity of 50 rounds existed.[3]
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M1 Garand & en blocs
The crafty Soviet Russian Army before the nearly-fatal Stalin purges, had adopted the Simonov AVS-36 SeLective Fire, Full-sized cartridge, Automatic Rifle (SELFAR) then, the Tokarev SVT-38 and AVT-40 SELFAR that could be loaded either by PRELMs or SCL firing 7.62mm x 54 rimmed cartridges (the same Moisin-Nagant bolt-action rifles fired) on "selective fire"--either full automatic or semi-automatic--BEFORE Americans adopted the M1 Garand which couldn't fire on "spray & pray" to dominate 1st meeting engagement contacts, clear trenchlines or rooms, caves etc.
AVS-36
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1TsIRFpML0
SVT-38
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGLZ7Mt8kpA
QUOTE:
"A lot of people think that the U.S. was the only country in World War II to mass-issue a semi-automatic infantry rifle, but that isn't true. While the U.S. was the only country to issue *everyone* a semi-auto, both the Soviet Union and Germany produced large numbers of them. The Soviet rifle in particular was developed over pretty much the same timeline as the M1 Garand, and literally millions of them were made and used in the war.
Today we are taking a look at the second Soviet self-loader adopted as an infantry standard, the SVT-38. The SVT was actually the runner-up up in the formal Soviet trials, and a rifle made by Simonov was actually adopted first in 1936 - but it proved too fragile in field use, and Tokarev's rifle was brought in to replace it. The weapon was only made for a couple years before being updated to the SVT-40, and today the 1938 models are quite rare in the U.S."
Meet the Russian SVT-40 SAR
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SVT-40
The SVT-40 (Samozaryadnaya Vintovka Tokareva, Obrazets 1940 goda, "Tokarev self-loading rifle, model of 1940", Russian: Самозарядная винтовка Токарева, образец 1940 года, often nicknamed "Sveta") is a Soviet semi-automatic rifle. The SVT-40 saw widespread service during and after World War II. It was intended to be the Soviet Red Army's new service rifle, but its production was disrupted by the German invasion in 1941, resulting in a change back to the older Mosin–Nagant bolt-action rifle for the duration of World War II. After the war, the Soviet Union adopted new rifles, such as the SKS and the AK-47.
The SVT-38 was equipped with a bayonet and a 10-round detachable magazine. The receiver was open-top, which enabled reloading of the magazine using 5-round Mosin–Nagant stripper clips. Quite a few pictures have been observed of non-Soviets (namely Germans and Finns) using SVT-38s and 40s with what appear to be Bren or LS/26 20-round magazines. Very little is known about usage with the unsupported magazines (including their reliability and max capacity).
By the time of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the USSR in June 1941, the SVT-40 was already in widespread use by the Red Army. In a Soviet infantry division's table of organization and equipment, one-third of rifles were supposed to be SVTs, though in practice they seldom achieved this ratio. The first months of the war were disastrous for the Soviet Union; they lost hundreds of thousands of SVT-40s. To make up for this, production of the Mosin–Nagant rifles was reintroduced. In contrast, the SVT was more difficult to manufacture, and troops with only rudimentary training had difficulty maintaining it. Submachine guns like the PPSh-41 had proven their value as simple, cheap and effective weapons to supplement infantry firepower. This led to a gradual decline in SVT production. In 1941, over one million SVTs were produced but in 1942 Ishevsk arsenal was ordered to cease SVT production and switch back to the Mosin–Nagant 91/30. Only 264,000 SVTs were manufactured in 1942 and production continued to diminish until the order to cease production was finally given in January 1945. Total production of the SVT-38/40 was around 1,600,000 rifles, of which 51,710 were the SVT-40 sniper variant.[1][2][3]
To supplement the Red Army's shortage of machine guns, an SVT version capable of full-automatic fire (designated the AVT-40) was ordered into production on 20 May 1942; the first batches reached the troops in July.[10] It was externally similar to the SVT, but its modified safety also acted as a fire selector allowing for both semi-automatic and fully automatic fire modes. When fired automatically the rifle had a rate of fire of approximately 750 RPM, faster than even the DP machine gun which fired the same cartridge at 550 RPM. To better resist the stress of automatic fire, the AVT featured a slightly stouter stock made of hardwood usually distinguished with a large “A” engraved in it; surplus AVT stocks were later used on refurbished SVTs. In service, the AVT proved a disappointment: automatic fire was largely uncontrollable, and the rifles often suffered breakages under the increased strain.(Documents discovered after the war indicated that during testing, under continuous Full Auto fire, an AVT-40's barrel would be "shot out", meaning the rifling in the barrel would be completely worn down, in as little as 200-250 rounds.) The use of the AVT's automatic fire mode was subsequently prohibited, and production of the rifle was relatively brief; none were made after the summer of 1943.[10]
The first country outside the Soviet Union to employ the SVT was Finland, which captured some 2,700 SVT-38s during the Winter War, and over 15,000 SVTs during the Continuation War. The SVT saw extensive use in Finnish hands.[15] The Finns even attempted to make their own clone of the SVT-38 designated Tapako, though only a prototype was ever conceived.[16] The Finns would continue to experiment with producing their own SVT-based rifles until the late '50s with the introduction of the RK-62. Germany captured hundreds of thousands of SVTs from the Eastern Front. As the Germans were short of self-loading rifles themselves, SVT-38 and 40s, designated respectively as Selbstladegewehr 258(r) and Selbstladegewehr 259(r) by the Wehrmacht, saw widespread use in German hands against their former owners. Study of the SVT's gas-operated action also aided in the development of the German Gewehr 43 rifle.[17]
The main reason for the gradual downfall of SVT usage in combat was not its technical disadvantages; rather, the reason was that, with the immense, continual demand for rifles in the front lines, Soviet factories could produce other, simpler designs in far greater quantities in the same length of time it took to produce the SVT. In 1944 the Soviet Union adopted the 7.62x39 round used in the RPD Light Machinegun, SKS, and AK-47 Rifles. In 1945 the SKS was adopted which replaced the SVT-40 as the main infantry rifle, which itself was replaced by the AK-47 in 1948.
Genius-Hero, Simonov: looks like actor Steven Weber, yes:?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Gavrilovich_Simonov
Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov (Russian: Сергей Гаврилович Симонов; 9 April 1894 – 6 May 1986) was a Russian weapons designer; he is one of the fathers of the modern assault rifle.
Mostly known for the Samozaryadnyi karabin sistemi Simonova (Russian: Самозарядный карабин системы Симонова), 1945 (Self-loading Carbine, Simonov's system, 1945), or SKS carbine, he also pioneered the assault and semi-automatic rifle field in the 1920s and 1930s, mostly under the supervision of both Vladimir Fyodorov and Fedor Tokarev. His early work preceded both the M1 Garand (of 1933), and the later M1 Carbine, AK-47, and M16 series.
During World War II, Simonov designed some firearms of his own; a submachine gun which did not enter production, and a self-loading anti-tank rifle, the 14.5×114mm PTRS, which went on to form the basis — in scaled-down form - of the SKS. An earlier semi-automatic rifle, the AVS-36, was hindered by official insistence on using the powerful 7.62×54mmR, which was at that point standard amongst Russian rifles. Unfortunately, as had been demonstrated with the Fedor Tokarev's SVT-40, the rim of the 7.62×54mmR was detrimental to the rapid, reliable function of a semi-automatic rifle. [EDITOR: as was the rimmed .303 cal British cartridge in the Bren LMG] The design was proven with the 14.5×114mm PTRS-41 ammo. The SKS could have been scaled to fire the 7.62×54mmR. The power just wasn't needed.
By 1943, advances in thinking - and confirmed data showed engagements took place between 100 meters to 300 meters — led to the adoption of a shorter, less powerful round, the 7.62×39mm M1943 (also known as "7.62 Soviet" or "7.62 short" to differentiate it from several other rounds in 7.62 mm calibre). Field trials of the new rifle proved the weapon and, in 1944 a pre-production run of the SKS went to the Belorussian Offensive for battlefield trials. After some tweaking, it was officially adopted and designated the 7.62 Samozaryadnyi Karabin Sistemy Simonova Obrazets 1945 g. (translated, "7.62 Self-loading Carbine System Simonov model year 1945") or SKS-45, and chosen as the ideal replacement for the SVT-40.
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The Germans created the successful Gewehr 43 SAR and the fabulous FG 42 SELFAR firing full-sized, 7.92mm Mauser cartridges, the latter for its fallschirmjaeger paratroopers giving them a tactical advantage through-out WW2.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gewehr_43
The Gewehr 43 or Karabiner 43 (abbreviated G43, K43, Gew 43, Kar 43) is a 7.92×57mm Mauser caliber semi-automatic rifle developed by Germany during World War II. The design was based on that of the earlier G41(W), but incorporating an improved short-stroke piston gas system similar to that of the Soviet Tokarev SVT-40, and it incorporated innovative mass-production techniques.
The German invasion of the Soviet Union led to small numbers of the SVT-40 being captured and returned to Germany for examination.
In 1941, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union as part of Operation Barbarossa. Just prior to the opening of hostilities, the Soviet Red Army had started re-arming its infantry, complementing its older bolt-action rifles with the new semi-automatic SVT-38s and SVT-40s. This was a shock to the Germans, who ramped up their own semi-automatic rifle development efforts significantly.
The SVT series used a simpler gas-operated mechanism, which was soon emulated by Walther in its successor to the G41(W), producing the Gewehr 43 (or G43). The simpler, sturdier design and mechanism of the G43 made it lighter, easier to produce, more reliable and also much tougher than the Gewehr 41; elite German mountain troops would use them as ladder rungs during climbing. The addition of a 10-round stamped-steel detachable box magazine was an improvement over the integral box magazine of the G41(W). The Gewehr 43 was intended, like the G41, to be loaded using 5-round stripper clips without removing the magazine.[citation needed] Soldiers armed with the weapon typically carried one standard stripper clip pouch and a Gewehr 43 pouch with two spare magazines.
It was accepted and entered into service as the Gewehr 43, renamed Karabiner 43 in April 1944, with production amounting to just over 400,000 between 1943 and 1945. The Wehrmacht intended to equip each grenadier (infantry) company in the army with 19 G43s, including 10 with scopes, for issue as the company commander saw fit.
Fabulous FG 42 SELFAR
The FG 42 (German: Fallschirmjägergewehr 42, "paratrooper rifle 42") is a selective-fire 7.92×57mm Mauser automatic rifle[1][2] produced in Nazi Germany during World War II.[7] The weapon was developed specifically for the use of the Fallschirmjäger airborne infantry in 1942 and was used in very limited numbers until the end of the war.
It combined the characteristics and firepower of a light machine gun in a lightweight form slightly shorter (but considerably bulkier and heavier) than the standard-issue Karabiner 98k bolt-action infantry rifle. Considered one of the most advanced weapon designs of World War II,[8][9] the FG 42 influenced post-war small arms development, and many features of its design, such as general shape, stock style, gas-rotating bolt operation (itself copied from the Lewis gun) and sheet metal and plastic construction were copied by the U.S. Army when they developed the M60 [medium] machine gun.[10]
The Reich Air Ministry (Reichsluftfahrtministerium or RLM) sought to develop an universal shoulder-fired automatic rifle that could replace the bolt-action rifle, submachine gun, and light machine gun in the air assault role.[8] The proposed weapon would also simplify logistics and provide greater firepower to the individual paratrooper.
The RLM went directly to German industry with its plans—the so-called LC-6 specification issued 14 December 1941 mentioned amongst others that the weapon should not exceed 1,000 mm (39.4 in) in length, should not be significantly heavier than the Karabiner 98k bolt action standard service rifle, should be able to fire single shots from a closed bolt, provide fully automatic fire from an open bolt, feed from detachable 10- or 20-round magazines and be able to fire rifle grenades. Despite the introduction of the 7.92×33mm Kurz intermediate cartridge promoted by the Heer (developed for the promising MP 43 assault rifle), the Luftwaffe favored the long-range potential of the 7.92×57mm Mauser full-power rifle cartridge and this chambering was one of the main design prerequisites.[8]
Whilst not a true bullpup rifle design the seemingly awkward placement of the magazine housing (horizontally to the side rather than directly beneath the receiver) allowed the bolt mechanism to extend into the buttstock assembly, effectively reducing the overall length of the weapon as the magazine well did not interfere with the location of the pistol grip.
Stripper Clip Loading (SCL) the FG 42
The rifle fed from either a 10- or 20-round detachable box magazine or standard 5-round stripper clips into an empty magazine in the gun.[18] The empty weight of the 100 mm (3.9 in) long 10-round magazine is 185 g (6.5 oz) and of the 150 mm (5.9 in) long 20-round magazine 290 g (10 oz).[7]
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Beautiful M14 showing SCL into its 20-round magazine
After WW2, the NATO allies fielded the FN FAL * and Americans, the M14 (PRELM & SCL fed) SELFARs in standardized 7.62mm x 51mm NATO--while they could fire on full automatic they were thought to be "uncontrollable" and had this capability removed making them--SARs--good for aimed fire out to 1, 000 meters aka Long Range Battle (LRB).
combatreform.org/tacknives.htm
How Important Is Fully Automatic Fire?
WW1 Automatic Weapons
MILLIONS of unarmored (no body armor or shields) men died trying to take enemy trenches with bolt-action rifles with fixed bayonets with at the most 1 shot of suppressive fire crossing the "No Man's Land" between the lines. First steps to fix this were the Germans creating a 32-round "snail" mini-drum for their semi-automatic, 9mm Luger pistols that stormtruppen would carry bags of extra mini-drums to re-load and keep clearing Allied trenches during Close Quarters Battle (CQB). Fast, single-shot firing wasn't considered enough of an instant firepower salvo upon reaching the enemy trench line, so firing pistol bullets on full automatic--one trigger squeeze and the gun fires as fast as it can until you let go of the trigger or ammo runs out was offered in the M1918 Bergman Sub-Machine Gun (SMG). The "sub" in SMG refers to them shooting small 9mm pistol cartridges to carry more ammo and be controllable in full automatic fire a SELFAR firing full-sized rifle cartridges cannot do.
Caught foolishly off-guard by the German Operation BARBAROSSA invasion despite their excellent intel networks and British MI6-SIS friendly warnings, Stalin's Russia had to go into desperation mass-production mode; cranking-out Ppsh 41, 75-round drum magazine for Maximum Rounds Start (MRS), Short-Range Battle (SRB), under 100 meters range-reach, pistol-cartridge-shooting Sub-Machine Guns (SMGs) to WIN WW2. That's right, WIN WW2.
With the Germans COMING TO THEM, in desperation defense, the Russians chose to mass-produce 100x short-range, SMGs with fully automatic firepower combat overmatch than 10x short-to-long range, SARs. The Ppsh 41 was a war-winner. The Russians even fielded hard body armor for its tank-riding infantry to withstand direct hits from German/Japanese riflemen. Ponder that for awhile when 110, 000 UNARMORED U.S. infantrymen died in WW2 while only 6, 000 tank crewmen died.
PERFECT SARs or SELFARs--or ARs are the "enemy" of GOOD-ENOUGH SMGs if out-numbered and lack the time to make the former.
When Britain's survival was in question after the Fall of France in 1940, they began mass-producing minimalist STEN SMGs in 9mm able to load captured German MP40 SMG PRELMs.
In a direct head-to-head fight, Russian Ppsh 41 SMGs bested M1 Garand SARs and M2 Assault Rifles (ARs) in Korea.
That's right--the 1st nation to combat-field an AR to its entire army was again, America with the inter-mediate .30 Carbine cartridge-shooting M1 Carbine that with full automatic capabilities was called the M2--unfortunately firing from 15 to 30-round box magazines bested by the Ppsh 41's 75-round drums for MRS--even if only loaded with 60 rounds for reliability. American Thompson and M3 Grease Gun SMGs should have shot .30 Carbine cartridges for 100 meter plus range-reach instead of being range-limited to under 50 meters shooting the uberfat 11mm/.45 cal ACP pistol bullets--which would have made them--YOU GUESSED IT--ARs!
The Pedersen Device to Create a SAR using Bolt-Action Rifles
Pederson created in 1917 an adapter to fit into the bolt-action rifle that would semi-automatically shoot new .30 caliber pistol cartridges from a 40-round PRELM. The adapter and at least 5x 40-round PRELMs were to be issued to the entire U.S. ARMY Expeditionary Force (AEF) in France for the 1919 spring offensive had not the war taken an Armistice "time-out" earlier in 1918. Very quiet, with over 100, 000 Pedersen adapters, mags and slightly-modified, M1903 Springfield bolt-action rifles collecting dust after WW1's pause, why didn't someone try firing them from Cavalry horseback to see if it didn't spook the horse etc.? GMTA--unless Great Minds don't think at all.
Certainly, the Pedersen Device SAR could have been improved on to include full automatic firing as an option to spray a burst before entering a trenchline, room, bunker etc. like a SMG making it a SELFAR. In fact, switch-out the bolts for the original, and full-sized .30/06 cartridges are still in the box magazine below for MRB/LRB out to 1, 000 meters fed by SCL. Hmm. Interesting concept we should emulate today by new rifles that can feed by both SCL and PRELMs.
Summary/Conclusions
1st reliable, combat-utilized, SeLective Fire Full-Sized Cartridge, Automatic Rifle (SELFAR): TIE; Russian 6.5mm Arisaka cartridge-shooting, Fedorov Avtomat in 1915 and the American 7.62mm x 82mm (.30/06) cartridge-shooting, BAR in 1918. 1st Assault Rifle, ever--the Italian 6.5mm Carcano cartridge-shooting, Cei-Rigotti in 1895--but no combat or widespread Army use.
1st Sub-Machine Gun (SMG): German Bergman in 1918
1st Army-widely used, Semi-Automatic Rifle (SAR): American M1 Garand rifle in 1936
1st Army-widely-used, Assault Rifle (AR): American M2 Carbine in 1941. Fedorov Avtomat was before the M2 but used only in small numbers in WW1 combats and if you think its 6.5mm cartridge was scaled-down enough for full auto controlability--I say yes to both--it being a SELFAR and an AR.
Caveats--being the "1st" doesn't mean THE BEST.
The Russian's AVS-36, SVT-40 and German G36, FG 42 SELFARs were better than American 8-shot M1 Garands by having 15 to 20-round, PRELMs--as well as SCL capabilities the M1 was dependent on. The M1 Garand was/is SCLD. Both Russia and Germany were in a fight-to-the-death in the east and couldn't mass-produce "perfect" SELFARs as fast as "good-enough", SMGs--so they cranked-out the latter. America had the safe homeland luxury to mass-produce M1 Garand SARs--as well as SMGs.
This BS normie status quo narrative-loving fangirl, drooling over the German Stg44 because it LOOKS more bad-ass than the American deer hunting rifle-look M2 Carbine doesn't change the fact that the latter appeared as the 1st AR albeit with a weaker cartridge. Its the 7.92mm short Kurz rifle cartridge of the Stg44 that gave it its "Assault" capability of controlled fully automatic fire like a SMG that could be a mini-Base-Of-Fire (mBOF) substitute for the infantry squad's belt-fed, long 7.92mm Mauser cartridge-shooting, MG42 not-so-light machine gun (LMG) being taken out--usually leaving a bunch of manual, bolt-action, long 7.92mm shooting, Kar98 riflemen without automatic weapons.
To claim the Russians who were way ahead of the Germans who captured their AVS-36 and SVT-40 SELFARs early in 1941 copied the Nazis' Stg44 at war's end is nauseating Amero-Fascist propaganda. The Russians were well aware that SELFARs firing full-sized rifle cartridges are difficult to control and realized the need to scale-down a rifle cartridge into an intermediate size between a too-small pistol and a too-big rifle cartridge. Fedorov realized this in 1915 and acted on it with his 6.5mm shooting Avtomat. Jury is still out on whether 6.5mm is controlable on full auto--the Russians say YES--so the Avtomat did shoot an inter-mediate cartridge making it an AR. Goldilocks & the 3x Bears with too hat, too cold and just right porridge on a deadly serious, global scale. The Russians were also aware their AVS-36es and SVT-38s were heavy so they insured their new SKS SARs and AKM (AK47) ARs were lighter & more compact.
Goldilocks & the 3 Ammunition Cartridges
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c6u5xM_30E
The recent "discovery" of the U.S. ARMY to change-over to the 6.8mm cartridge in-between the anemic 5.56mm and still large 7.62mm x 51mm NATO round could have and should have happened after WW1 preventing us being saddled with the weak 5.56mm for short-range, closed terrain (TBATE) jungle fighting (TBAM) in Vietnam that fails miserably in open terrain deserts and mountains.
To prevent being stuck with the wrong cartridge for the TBATE/TBAM situation, the new American "M16A5" rifle or "M4A7whatever" should be MODULAR like the Colt CM901 so whatever ammo we need can be shot thru it--to include captured enemy types via adapters.
combatreform.org/21stcenturyrifle.htm
Moreover, RIFLE 21 should be fed by both SCL and PRELMs like the best American, Russian SELFARs and Russian SKS SARs do. A single reliable drum for MRS capabilities should be supplied to each Soldier to initiate and firepower-dominate like the Ppsh 41 SMGs did .
Semper Airborne!
NOTES
* The Canadian FN FAL can be fed by SCL. See pic below.
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