What country developed and used this weapon in World War II ?

Germany

This is the Sturmgewehr 44 or StG-44, the grandfather of all modern assault rifles. Its appearance on the battlefield was nothing short of revolutionary. It fired the 7.92 x 33 mm Kurz (short) round . Soldiers loved the weapon because the cartridge packed enough punch, without making the weapon unmanageable because of recoil.

At first, Hitler was opposed to this kind of weapon, feeling that the bolt action rifle that he used in WWI was better. However, when he actually fired a prototype, he was so impressed, he wanted it named “Sturmgewehr” . This meant “storm rifle”, as in “taking the objective by storm”.

Many of these rifles were captured by the Russians, and may have been used as a starting point in the development of the AK-47. Over 500,000 StG-44s were manufactured, and examples today can be purchased in the range of $20,000 to $40,000.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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What are your thoughts on this subject?

15 Comments

Lupe Hernandez

andesean, I saw it.

Mark Yakabuski

That’s an AK-47? Sadly way too recognizable given it’s popularity with terrorists.

Karin Johansson

Leapy Lee, me neither

Leapy Lee

Not really interested in questions about guns

Fred Keogh

The Kalashnikov was a basic copy of this weapon.

earlepg

dan chesters, I learned very early on that the majority, in certain cases can be friendly, but one must be careful when using it. I've found that the double chance is the most useful; the major caveat being the choice of the best two answers to bank on (in this case it was pretty obviously Russia and Germany).

Irene Townsend

Suzanne Wilson, Like wise, will go with my instinct next time as well.

Suzanne Wilson

Denise Currie, Me too Denise. My instinct was Germany but decided to check with the majority. In future I'll just go with my gut.

andesean

It would be nice if the photo of the weapon was actually visible.

Denise Currie

Oh dear,Majority Vote gave me Russia, Never mind

matthew rosa

As I Understood It From A Documentary Series About Guns. The Makers And Their "Main Customers,"-The Wehrmacht, -Knew The Process Of Hitler's Approval Of This Or Any Other New weapon Would Be Long, Difficult, And He Would Eventually End In Him NOT Approving It For The Troops!-So, To Deal With The Worsening Situation On The Battlefields, They Went Behind Der Fuehrer's Back And Moved Supplies Of The Gun To Both Fronts (Eastern And Western.) One German General, Thinking That The Guns Arrived Through Normal (And Official) Production And Approval "Channels," Wrote To Hitler To Send More Of These New Guns!- And THAT Was When He Found Out!