Position with automatic weapons in the pre-war USSR

It is generally accepted that in the Soviet Union the situation with automatic weaponsespecially with submachine guns was unimportant.

Especially against the background of the Wehrmacht and the shortcomings of the Soviet-Finnish war. But we have already found out that the Soviet units possessed not a smaller number of submachine guns, and often more.

Often like to recall the fact that February 21 1939, were removed from production - Dektyarev submachine guns (RPM). But they were removed due to certain design flaws that had to be eliminated and to simplify the design.

The basis of this decision was very respectful for the USSR: the planned purchase price of PPD-34, in 1936, was 1350 rubles. For comparison: the price of a Mosin rifle 90 rubles; Nagan revolver - 50 rubles; Degtyarev light machine gun (DP-27) - 787 rubles. A weighty argument to simplify the design.

However, the refusal of submachine guns was not provided, on the contrary, they began the development of a new software. Submachine guns were regarded as a promising weapon. The designers were told to correct the deficiencies in the PPD as soon as possible.

Already 20 August 1940, the factory tests were presented submachine gun design G. S. Shpagin - the famous PCA. At the same time tested the submachine gun B. G. Shpitalnogo.

The result - December 21 1940 of the year, adopted - PCA-41. The same Dektyarev machine gun, after modifications, was put into production. In 1940, PPDs were made - 81118 pieces. Its production comes to naught, only with the adoption of the armament - PCA-41.

Submachine gun Degtyarev PPD-34

Submachine gun with a free gate B.G. Spit

Prewar years

In the Soviet Union, really great efforts were made to arm infantry with self-loading and automatic weapons.

Back in the 20s, intensive work was going on to create an automatic (self-loading) rifle for the 7,62 mm cartridge of the 1908 sample of the year, which was the main ammunition of infantry.

Already in the 1926 year passed competitive tests, the best were rifles Degtyarev, Tokarev and Fedorov. But work to improve the reliability and simplicity continued. The following tests were performed in 1928, 1930. After their passage, they decided to launch an experimental batch of Dektyarev rifles. But in the 1931, a S.G. Simonov rifle appeared, which showed the best results in tests, in the 1935-1936. According to their results, they adopted the Simonov rifle - ABC-36.

The price of the planned purchase of ABC-36 in 1937 was 1393 rubles. If from 1934 to 1939, the PPD was purchased a little more than 4000, then ABC, after its adoption, 1937, 10280, 1938, 24401.

Work continued and after the adoption of the ABC, 22 May 1938, announced another competition for the development of an automatic rifle. The tests were carried out in late August and early September 1938 of the year, according to their results the rifle F. won. Tokarev, after modifications and further tests - February 26 1939 was adopted by the Red Army. Designated as “SVT-38”, a self-loading rifle of the Tokarev system, 7,62 mm.

This automatic rifle cost 880 rubles (in the mass series), that is, it was more economical than the RPM and Simonov rifles. According to the plan, SVT were supposed to be released: in 1939 year - 50 thousand, 1940 year - 600 thousand, 1941 year - 1,8 million, 1942 year - 2 million. Production of rifles of the 1891-1930 model. folded. According to the results of the Soviet-Finnish war, it was refined and named “SVT-40”.

The Tokarev automatic rifle was supposed to come into service with units that came into direct fire with the enemy, which is called "head-on". Old rifle sample 1891-1930. remained on the arsenal of signalers, gunners, drivers, anti-aircraft gunners, etc. (cooks).

Automatic rifle system Simonov arr. 1936.

Self-loading rifle Tokarev arr. Xnumx

SVT-40 sniper rifle with a PU optical sight

1941 State of the Year

Thus, we see that the country's leadership was not asleep and by the year of 1941 the rearmament of the troops with automatic weapons was gaining momentum.

The division of the rifle division of the state No.4 / 400 consisted of 11 people. Armament: the commander has a self-loading rifle SVT, 1-n machine gun, the machine gunner still has a pistol, or a revolver, the assistant machine gunner - SVT, 2-va PPD-40, 3 SVT and 3 ordinary Mosin rifles. That is, automatic weapons prevailed in the squad.

The rifle company had: 2 heavy machine gun, 27 PPD, 104 SVT, 2 sniper rifles, 9 carbines, 11 rifles, 22 pistols, or revolvers. In total, the state should have been in the division - 1204 submachine guns.

В tank of the division, according to the pre-war state, there were: 3551 Mosin rifles, 1270 carbines of the 1938 model, 45 sniper rifles, 972 SVT, 531 PPD, 2934 pistols and revolvers.

That is, in the infantry and tank units of the USSR, as well as the Wehrmacht were not:

- individual units of machine gunners (platoons, companies, battalions, even departments);

- self-loading (automatic) rifles, as in the Wehrmacht) prevail over submachine guns, since at that time they were the best weapons for infantry units.

The submachine gun quite correctly occupied the niche of auxiliary weapons of infantry units.

Degtyarev light machine gun

PPD arr. 193438 early (top) and late (bottom) release; clearly visible drum shop in the second sample

Comments

[SOLDIERru]

It’s not enough that they disgraced the Finns. So also in 1941, such a potential profiled. And after they came up with different tales. Like the speech of Stalin, "On the unpreparedness of the peace-loving countries for war."

[Pavel Cherniga]

However, they won the Great Patriotic War. And my grandfather personally passed it from Lviv to Berlin from 41 to 45 years old with a Mosin rifle and had a red star for courage and for military merits, in general, a complete soldier set, as they said then.

[bistrov.]

Contrary to popular belief that almost every Wehrmacht soldier was armed with an MP-38 or MP-40 submachine gun (machine gun for some reason), this was far from the case and the German soldier fought the whole war with a rifle (carbine) ) Mauser -98, or 98 kurts (short), and the Germans didn’t have an automatic rifle at the beginning of the war (the Walther automatic rifle, a small number of which was put into the army, was soon withdrawn from service and was remade for a long time on the model of Soviet self-loading rifles and was adopted only at the end of the war, when the train had already left). Before the war, the USSR had about 1,2 million self-loading rifles of excellent quality, which were much better than even American ones, which were charged from above with an 8-charge cartridge. For example, all the German factories during the years of the war produced about 900 thousand submachine guns, and the USSR almost 7 million!

[Michael HORNET]

No need to run into the Garand M1 - this pack was inserted into the rifle instantly, and it cost nothing, and the whole infantry ammunition was worn in finished packs
This flaw about the audibility of the shelling of the clip is, firstly, relevant only in close combat, and secondly, you participated in the battle, usually there is a palette of sounds in the assortment, and it reveals the clatter of a pack with a subtle musical ear :)), thirdly not one soldier in battle
If SVT had a magazine for 20 rounds and changed quickly - then yes, but 10 rounds in total, and there were never many stores for it,
So the Garand M1 is indeed the best self-loading rifle of the Second World War, but the SVT-40 in second place is undoubtedly

[Kurkin]

In general, the SVT had 2 types of ammunition, both from detachable shops, and with the help of a standard Mosin clip of 5 rounds with a magazine fastened. The holder, as well as on the mosquito, was inserted into the rifle from above and the cartridges were squeezed out into the store, fastened to the SVT. There were plenty of clips for a mosquito in the army. In addition, the SVT had a shutter delay, it worked when all the cartridges in the magazine were used up, this simplified its loading with clips and saved time on reloading in return to battle. So the SVT 40 is still the best self-loading rifle since the Second World War. .

[kopar]

SVT-40, as well as SVD (Degtyarev self-loading rifle), ABC, the best automatic rifles at that time. Just the literacy of the Red Army fighters was low for these products.