Weapons of countries participating in World War II. World War II Weapons (Germans)

The Second World War significantly influenced the development of small arms, which remained the most massive type of weapons. The share of combat losses from it was 28-30%, which is quite an impressive indicator, given the massive use of aviation, artillery and tanks ...

The war showed that with the creation of the most modern means of armed struggle, the role of small arms did not diminish, and the attention that was paid to them in the belligerent states during these years has increased significantly. The experience of using weapons accumulated during the war years has not become obsolete today, becoming the basis for the development and improvement of small arms.

7.62-mm rifle model 1891 of the Mosin system
The rifle was developed by the captain of the Russian army S.I. Mosin and in 1891 adopted by the Russian army under the designation "7.62-mm rifle model 1891". After modernization in 1930, it was launched into mass production and was in service with the Red Army before World War II and during the war. Rifle mod. 1891/1930 distinguished by high reliability, accuracy, simplicity and ease of use. During the war years, more than 12 million rifles mod. 1891/1930 and carbines created on its basis.

7.62-mm sniper rifle of the Mosin system
The sniper rifle differed from a conventional rifle by the presence of an optical sight, a bolt handle bent to the bottom and improved processing of the barrel bore.

7.62-mm rifle model 1940 of the Tokarev system
The rifle was developed by F.V. Tokarev, in accordance with the desire of the military command and the highest political leadership of the country to have a self-loading rifle in service with the Red Army, which would allow the rational use of ammunition and provide a large effective range of fire. Mass production of SVT-38 rifles began in the second half of 1939. The first batches of rifles were sent to the Red Army units involved in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940. In the extreme conditions of this "winter" war, such shortcomings of the rifle as cumbersomeness, heavy weight, inconvenience of gas regulation, sensitivity to pollution and low temperature. To eliminate these shortcomings, the rifle was modernized, and already from June 1, 1940, the production of its modernized version of the SVT-40 began.

7.62mm sniper rifle of the Tokarev system
The sniper version of the SVT-40 differed from the serial samples by a more thorough fit of the USM elements, qualitatively better handling bore and a special tide on the receiver for installing a bracket with a telescopic sight on it. On the SVT-40 sniper rifle, a specially created PU sight (universal sight) of 3.5 times magnification was installed for it. He allowed to fire at a distance of up to 1300 meters. The mass of the rifle with the sight was 4.5 kg. Sight weight - 270 g.

14.5-mm anti-tank rifle PTRD-41
This gun was developed by V.A. Degtyarev in 1941 to combat enemy tanks. The PTRD was a powerful weapon - at a distance of up to 300 m, its bullet pierced armor with a thickness of 35-40 mm. The incendiary effect of the bullets was also high. Thanks to this, the gun was successfully used throughout the Second World War. Its release was discontinued only in January 1945.

7.62 mm DP light machine gun
The light machine gun, created by the designer V.A. Degtyarev in 1926, became the most powerful automatic weapon of the rifle divisions of the Red Army. The machine gun was put into service in February 1927 under the name "7.62-mm DP light machine gun" (DP meant Degtyarev - infantry). A small (for a machine gun) weight was achieved thanks to the use of an automation scheme based on the principle of removing powder gases through a hole in a fixed barrel, a rational device and layout of parts of the moving system, as well as the use of air cooling of the barrel. The aiming range of a machine gun is 1500 m, the maximum range of a bullet is 3000 m. Of the 1515.9 thousand machine guns fired during the Great Patriotic War, the overwhelming majority were Degtyarev's light machine guns.

7.62 mm submachine gun of the Degtyarev system
The PPD was adopted in 1935, becoming the first submachine gun to be widely used in the Red Army. The PPD was designed for a modified 7.62 cartridge of a Mauser pistol. The firing range of the PPD reached 500 meters. The trigger mechanism of the weapon made it possible to fire both single shots and bursts. There were a number of PPD modifications with improved store mountings and modified production technology.

7.62 mm Shpagin system submachine gun mod. 1941 g.
The PPSh (Shpagin submachine gun) was adopted by the Red Army in December 1940 under the name "7.62 mm Shpagin submachine gun arr. 1941 (PPSh-41)". The main advantage of the PPSh-41 was that only its barrel needed careful machining. All other metal parts were made mainly by cold stamping from sheet. The parts were joined using point and arc electric welding and rivets. You can disassemble and assemble the submachine gun without a screwdriver - there is not a single screw connection in it. From the first quarter of 1944, submachine guns began to be equipped with more convenient and cheaper to manufacture sector magazines with a capacity of 35 rounds. In total, more than six million PPShs were produced.

7.62-mm pistol of the Tokarev system mod. 1933 g.
The development of pistols in the USSR practically started from scratch. However, already at the beginning of 1931, the Tokarev pistol, recognized as the most reliable, lightweight and compact, was put into service. In the mass production of TT (Tula, Tokarev), which began in 1933, the details of the firing mechanism, barrel and frame were changed. The sighting range of the TT is 50 meters, the range of the bullet is from 800 meters to 1 kilometer. Capacity - 8 rounds of 7.62 mm. The total production of TT pistols for the period from 1933 to the completion of their production in the mid-50s is estimated at 1,740,000 pieces.

PPS-42 (43)
The PPSh-41, which was in service with the Red Army, turned out to be - mainly due to its too large size and mass - insufficiently convenient when conducting a battle in settlements, indoors, for scouts, paratroopers and crews of combat vehicles. In addition, in wartime conditions, it was required to reduce the cost of mass production of submachine guns. In this regard, a competition was announced to develop a new submachine gun for the army. The Sudaev submachine gun, developed in 1942, won this competition and was put into service at the end of 1942 under the name PPS-42. Modified the following year, a design called PPS-43 (shortened the barrel and butt, changed the cocking handle, fuse box and shoulder rest latch, barrel cover and receiver combined into one piece) was also adopted. PPS is often called the best submachine gun of the Second World War. It is distinguished by its convenience, high enough combat capabilities for a submachine gun, high reliability, and compactness. At the same time, the faculty is very technologically advanced, simple and cheap to manufacture, which was especially important in a difficult, protracted war, with a constant lack of material and labor resources. Developed by the faculty in besieged Leningrad, based on the compilation of its project and the project of Lieutenant Technician I.K Bezruchko-Vysotsky (design of the shutter and return system). Its production was deployed there, at the Sestroretsk Arms Factory, initially for the needs of the Leningrad Front. While food for the Leningraders went to the besieged city along the road of life, not only refugees were taken back from the city, but also new weapons.

In total, about 500,000 PPS units of both modifications were produced during the war.

By the end of the 30s, almost all participants in the coming world war had formed common directions in the development of small arms. The range and accuracy of destruction was reduced, which was compensated for by a higher density of fire. As a consequence, the beginning of the mass rearmament of units with automatic small arms - submachine guns, machine guns, assault rifles.

Accuracy of shooting began to fade into the background, while the soldiers who were advancing in a chain were taught to shoot on the move. With the advent of airborne troops it became necessary to create special lightweight weapons.

Maneuver warfare also affected machine guns: they became much lighter and more mobile. New types of small arms appeared (which was dictated primarily by the need to fight tanks) - rifle grenades, anti-tank guns and RPGs with cumulative grenades.

Small arms of the USSR of World War II

The rifle division of the Red Army on the eve of the Great Patriotic War was a very formidable force - about 14.5 thousand people. The main type of small arms were rifles and carbines - 10,420 pieces. The share of submachine guns was insignificant - 1204. There were 166, 392 and 33 units of easel, light and anti-aircraft machine guns, respectively.

The division had its own artillery of 144 guns and 66 mortars. Firepower was supplemented by 16 tanks, 13 armored vehicles and a solid fleet of auxiliary automotive vehicles.

Rifles and carbines

Mosin's three-line
The main small arms of the infantry units of the USSR in the first period of the war were undoubtedly the famous three-line - 7.62 mm rifle S.I. qualities, in particular, with an aiming range of 2 km.

Mosin's three-line

The three-ruler is the ideal weapon for newly recruited soldiers, and the simplicity of the design created tremendous opportunities for its mass production. But like any weapon, the three-line had flaws. A permanently attached bayonet in combination with a long barrel (1670 mm) created inconvenience when moving, especially in wooded areas. Serious criticism was caused by the shutter handle during reloading.

After battle

On its basis was created sniper rifle and a series of carbines of the 1938 and 1944 model. Fate measured the three-line for a long century (the last three-line was released in 1965), participation in many wars and an astronomical "circulation" of 37 million copies.

Sniper with a Mosin rifle

SVT-40
At the end of the 30s, the outstanding Soviet weapons designer F.V. Tokarev developed a 10-round self-loading rifle cal. 7.62 mm SVT-38, which received the name SVT-40 after modernization. It "lost weight" by 600 g and became shorter due to the introduction of thinner wood parts, additional holes in the casing and a reduction in the length of the bayonet. A little later, a sniper rifle appeared at its base. Automatic firing was provided by the removal of powder gases. Ammunition was placed in a box-shaped, detachable store.

Sighting range of SVT-40 - up to 1 km. SVT-40 fought with honor on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. Our opponents also appreciated it. Historical fact: capturing rich trophies at the beginning of the war, among which there were many SVT-40s, the German army ... adopted it, and the Finns created their own rifle, TaRaKo, on the basis of SVT-40.

Soviet sniper with SVT-40

The AVT-40 automatic rifle became the creative development of the ideas implemented in the SVT-40. It differed from its predecessor in the ability to conduct automatic fire at a rate of up to 25 rounds per minute. The disadvantage of AVT-40 is low accuracy of fire, strong unmasking flame and loud sound at the moment of firing. In the future, as the troops received massive amounts of automatic weapons, it was removed from service.

Submachine guns

PPD-40
Great Patriotic War was the time of the final transition from rifles to automatic weapons. The Red Army began to fight, armed with a small number of PPD-40 - a submachine gun designed by the outstanding Soviet designer Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev. At that time, the PPD-40 was in no way inferior to its domestic and foreign counterparts.

Designed for a pistol cartridge cal. 7.62 x 25 mm, the PPD-40 had an impressive 71 rounds of ammunition placed in a drum-type magazine. Weighing about 4 kg, it could fire at a speed of 800 rounds per minute with an effective range of up to 200 meters. However, a few months after the start of the war, it was replaced by the legendary PPSh-40 cal. 7.62 x 25 mm.

PPSh-40
The creator of the PPSh-40, designer Georgy Semenovich Shpagin, was faced with the task of developing an extremely easy-to-use, reliable, technologically advanced, cheap-to-manufacture mass weapon.

PPSh-40

Fighter with PPSh-40

From its predecessor, the PPD-40, the PPSh inherited a drum magazine for 71 rounds. A little later, a simpler and more reliable sector horn magazine for 35 rounds was developed for it. The mass of the equipped assault rifles (both variants) was, respectively, 5.3 and 4.15 kg. The rate of fire of the PPSh-40 reached 900 rounds per minute with an aiming range of up to 300 meters and with the ability to conduct single fire.

Assembly shop PPSh-40

To master the PPSh-40, a few lessons were enough. It was easily disassembled into 5 parts made by stamping-welded technology, due to which during the war years the Soviet defense industry produced about 5.5 million automatic machines.

PPS-42
In the summer of 1942, the young designer Alexei Sudaev presented his brainchild - a 7.62 mm submachine gun. It was strikingly different from its "older brothers" PPD and PPSh-40 in rational layout, higher manufacturability and ease of manufacture of parts by arc welding.

PPS-42

Son of a regiment with a Sudaev assault rifle

PPS-42 was 3.5 kg lighter and required three times less time to manufacture. However, despite the obvious advantages, massive weapons he never did, leaving the PPSh-40 primacy.

DP-27 light machine gun

By the beginning of the war, the DP-27 light machine gun (infantry Degtyarev, cal 7.62mm) had been in service with the Red Army for almost 15 years, having the status of the main light machine gun of infantry units. Its automation was powered by the energy of powder gases. The gas regulator reliably protected the mechanism from dirt and high temperatures.

DP-27 could only conduct automatic fire, but even a beginner needed a few days to master the shooting in short bursts of 3-5 rounds. Ammunition of 47 rounds was placed in a disk magazine with a bullet to the center in one row. The store itself was mounted on top of the receiver. The mass of the unloaded machine gun was 8.5 kg. The equipped magazine increased it by almost 3 kg more.

Machine gun crew DP-27 in battle

It was a powerful weapon with an aiming range of 1.5 km and a combat rate of fire of up to 150 rounds per minute. In the firing position, the machine gun rested on the bipod. A flame arrester was screwed on the end of the barrel, significantly reducing its unmasking effect. DP-27 was served by the shooter and his assistant. In total, about 800 thousand machine guns were fired.

Small arms of the Wehrmacht of World War II

Basic strategy German army- offensive or blitzkrieg (blitzkrieg - lightning war). The decisive role in it was assigned to large tank formations, carrying out deep breakthroughs in the enemy's defenses in cooperation with artillery and aviation.

Tank units bypassed powerful fortified areas, destroying control centers and rear communications, without which the enemy would quickly lose combat effectiveness. The defeat was completed by motorized units. ground forces.

Small arms of the Wehrmacht infantry division
The staff of the German infantry division of the 1940 model assumed the presence of 12609 rifles and carbines, 312 submachine guns (automatic machines), light and heavy machine guns - respectively 425 and 110 pieces, 90 anti-tank rifles and 3600 pistols.

Weapon The Wehrmacht as a whole met the high requirements of wartime. It was reliable, trouble-free, simple, easy to manufacture and maintain, which contributed to its serial production.

Rifles, carbines, machine guns

Mauser 98K
The Mauser 98K is an improved version of the Mauser 98 rifle, developed at the end of the 19th century by the brothers Paul and Wilhelm Mauser, founders of the world famous arms company. Equipping the German army with it began in 1935.

Mauser 98K

The weapon was equipped with a clip with five 7.92 mm cartridges. A trained soldier could aim 15 shots within a minute at a distance of up to 1.5 km. The Mauser 98K was very compact. Its main characteristics are: weight, length, barrel length - 4.1 kg x 1250 x 740 mm. Numerous conflicts with its participation, longevity and truly transcendental "circulation" - more than 15 million units testify to the indisputable advantages of the rifle.

At the shooting range. Rifle Mauser 98K

Rifle G-41
The G-41 self-loading ten-shot rifle was the German response to the massive equipping of the Red Army with rifles - SVT-38, 40 and AVS-36. Its sighting range reached 1200 meters. Only single shooting was allowed. Its significant disadvantages - significant weight, low reliability and increased vulnerability from pollution - were subsequently eliminated. Combat "circulation" amounted to several hundred thousand rifle samples.

Rifle G-41

Automatic MP-40 "Schmeisser"
Perhaps the most famous small arms of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War was the famous MP-40 submachine gun, a modification of its predecessor, the MP-36, created by Heinrich Volmer. However, by the will of fate, he is better known under the name "Schmeisser", obtained thanks to the stamp on the store - "PATENT SCHMEISSER". The stigma simply meant that in addition to G. Volmer, Hugo Schmeisser also participated in the creation of the MP-40, but only as the creator of the store.

Automatic MP-40 "Schmeisser"

Initially, the MP-40 was intended to arm the command staff of infantry units, but later it was transferred to the disposal of tankers, drivers of armored vehicles, paratroopers and special forces.

German soldier firing from MP-40

However, the MR-40 was absolutely not suitable for infantry units, since it was an exclusively close-range weapon. In a fierce battle on open area having a weapon with a firing range of 70 to 150 meters meant for a German soldier to be practically unarmed in front of his enemy, armed with Mosin and Tokarev rifles with a firing range of 400 to 800 meters.

Assault rifle StG-44
Assault rifle StG-44 (sturmgewehr) cal. 7.92mm is another legend of the Third Reich. It is undoubtedly an outstanding creation by Hugo Schmeisser and is the inspiration for many post-war assault rifles and assault rifles, including the famous AK-47.

The StG-44 could conduct single and automatic fire. Its weight with a full magazine was 5.22 kg. In the aiming range of 800 meters, the Sturmgever was in no way inferior to its main competitors. There were three versions of the store - for 15, 20 and 30 shots with a rate of up to 500 shots per second. The option of using a rifle with an underbarrel grenade launcher and an infrared sight was considered.

Creator Sturmgever 44 Hugo Schmeisser

Not without its drawbacks. The assault rifle was a whole kilogram heavier than the Mauser-98K. Her wooden stock could not withstand hand-to-hand combat sometimes and simply broke. The flame escaping from the barrel betrayed the shooter's location, and the long magazine and sighting devices made him raise his head high when lying down.

Sturmgever 44 with IR sight

In total, until the end of the war, German industry produced about 450 thousand StG-44, which were mainly armed with elite units and units of the SS.

Machine guns
By the beginning of the 30s, the military leadership of the Wehrmacht came to the need to create a universal machine gun, which, if necessary, could be transformed, for example, from manual to easel and vice versa. So a series of machine guns was born - MG - 34, 42, 45.

German machine gunner with MG-42

MG-42 7.92 mm is quite rightly called one of the best machine guns of the Second World War. It was developed at Grossfus by the engineers Werner Gruner and Kurt Horn. Those who have experienced its firepower have been very outspoken. Our soldiers called it "the lawn mower", and our allies called it "Hitler's circular saw."

Depending on the type of shutter, the machine gun fired aimed at a speed of up to 1500 rpm at a distance of up to 1 km. The ammunition supply was carried out using a machine-gun belt for 50 - 250 rounds. The uniqueness of the MG-42 was complemented by a relatively small number of parts - 200 and high manufacturability of their production by stamping and spot welding.

The barrel, red-hot from firing, was replaced with a spare one in a few seconds using a special clamp. In total, about 450 thousand machine guns were fired. The unique technical know-how embodied in the MG-42 was adopted by gunsmiths around the world when creating their machine guns.

Content

Based on materials from techcult

The further back in time the years of battles with the Nazi invaders go, the more myths, idle speculations, often unintentional, sometimes malicious, overgrown those events. One of them is that the German troops were completely armed with the notorious Schmeissers, who are an unsurpassed example of an assault rifle of all times and peoples before the appearance of the Kalashnikov assault rifle. What really was the small arms of the Wehrmacht of World War II, was it as great as it is "painted", it is worth understanding in more detail in order to understand the real situation.

The blitzkrieg strategy, which consisted of a lightning-fast defeat of the enemy troops with the overwhelming advantage of the tank formations covered, assigned the motorized ground forces an almost auxiliary role - to finish the final defeat of the demoralized enemy, and not to wage bloody battles with the massive use of rapid-fire small arms.

Perhaps that is why, by the beginning of the war with the USSR, the overwhelming majority of German soldiers were armed with rifles, not machine guns, which is confirmed by archival documents. So, the Wehrmacht infantry division in 1940 in the state should have been available:

• Rifles and carbines - 12 609 pcs.
• Submachine guns, which would later be called assault rifles - 312 pcs.
• Light machine guns - 425 pcs., Easel - 110 pcs.
• Pistols - 3 600 pcs.
• Anti-tank rifles - 90 pcs.

As can be seen from the above document, small arms, their ratio in terms of the number of types had a significant preponderance towards the traditional weapons of the ground forces - rifles. Therefore, by the beginning of the war, the infantry formations of the Red Army, mainly armed with excellent Mosin rifles, were in no way inferior to the enemy in this matter, and the standard number of submachine guns of the Red Army rifle division was even much greater - 1,024 units.

Later, in connection with the experience of fighting, when the presence of rapid-fire, quickly reloading small arms made it possible to gain an advantage due to the density of fire, the Soviet and German high commands decided to massively equip the troops with automatic manual weapons, but this did not happen immediately.

The most massive small arms of the German army by 1939 was the Mauser rifle - Mauser 98K. It was a modernized version of the weapon developed by German designers at the end of the previous century, repeating the fate of the famous "mosinka" model of 1891, after which it underwent numerous "upgrades", being in service with the Red Army, and then Soviet army until the end of the 50s. Specifications the Mauser 98K rifles are also quite similar:

An experienced soldier was able to aim and fire 15 shots from it in one minute. Equipping the German army with this simple, unpretentious weapon began in 1935. In total, more than 15 million units were manufactured, which undoubtedly indicates its reliability and demand among the troops.

The G41 self-loading rifle, on the instructions of the Wehrmacht, was developed by the German designers of the weapons concerns Mauser and Walther. After the state tests carried out, the Walter system was recognized as the most successful.

The rifle had a number of serious flaws that came to light during operation, which dispels another myth of superiority. German weapons... As a result, the G41 in 1943 underwent a significant modernization, primarily associated with the replacement of the gas vent system, borrowed from the Soviet SVT-40 rifle, and became known as the G43. In 1944, it was renamed the K43 carbine, and without making any design changes. This rifle, in terms of technical data and reliability, was significantly inferior to self-loading rifles produced in the Soviet Union, which is recognized by gunsmiths specialists.

Submachine guns (PP) - assault rifles

By the beginning of the war, the Wehrmacht had several types of automatic weapons in service, many of which were developed back in the 1920s, often produced in limited series for the needs of the police, as well as for export:

The main technical data of the MR 38, produced in 1941:

• Caliber - 9 mm.
• Cartridge - 9 x 19 mm.
• Length with folded stock - 630 mm.
• Magazine with a capacity of 32 rounds.
• Sighting range - 200 m.
• Weight with a loaded magazine - 4.85 kg.
• Rate of fire - 400 rounds / min.

By the way, by September 1, 1939, the Wehrmacht had only 8.7 thousand units of MR 38. However, after taking into account and eliminating the shortcomings of the new weapon revealed in the battles during the occupation of Poland, the designers made changes, mainly concerning reliability, and the weapon became produced in large quantities. In total, over the years of the war, more than 1.2 million units of MP 38 and its subsequent modifications - MP 38/40, MP 40, entered service with the German army.

It was MR 38 who were called Schmeisser by the soldiers of the Red Army. The most likely reason for this was the stigma on stores chambered for them with the name of the German designer, co-owner of the arms manufacturer Hugo Schmeisser. His surname is also associated with a very widespread myth that the Stg-44 assault rifle or Schmeisser assault rifle, which he developed in 1944, outwardly similar to the famous Kalashnikov invention, is his prototype.

Pistols and machine guns

Rifles and machine guns were the main weapons of the Wehrmacht soldiers, but one should not forget about the officer's or additional weapons - pistols, as well as machine guns - hand, easel, which were a significant force in the course of fighting. They will be discussed in more detail in the following articles.

Speaking about the confrontation with Nazi Germany, it should be remembered that in fact Soviet Union fought with all the "united" Nazis, so the Romanian, Italian and even the troops of many other countries had not only small arms of the Wehrmacht of World War II, produced directly in Germany, Czechoslovakia, a former real forge of weapons, but also own production... As a rule, it was of inferior quality, less reliable, even if it was produced under the patents of German gunsmiths.

Small arms - barreled weapons, usually firearms, for firing bullets or other projectiles with a caliber of 20 mm or less.

Over the years, the following classification has developed:

- by caliber - small (up to 6.5 mm), normal (6.5 - 9.0 mm) and large (from 9.0 mm);

- by designation - combat, sighting, training;

- by the method of control and holding - revolvers, pistols, rifles, submachine guns, machine guns, anti-tank guns;

- according to the method of use - manual, held when shooting directly by the shooter, and easel, used from a special machine or installation;

- by the way of service in battle - individual and group;

- according to the degree of automation - non-automatic, self-loading and automatic;

- by the number of trunks - one-, two- and multi-barrel;

- by the number of charges - single-shot, multi-charge;

- according to the method of storing loaded cartridges - magazine, drum, tape-fed, barrel-magazine;

- according to the method of feeding the cartridge into the bore - self-loading, manual reloading weapon;

- according to the design of the barrel - rifled and smooth-bore.

Of greatest interest is the classification according to the method of management and retention, since it determines the actual types and purpose firearms.

The main structural elements of firearms are: barrel; locking device and ignition device; cartridge feeding mechanism; signaling devices; trigger mechanism; sleeve extraction and removal mechanism; stocks and handles, safety devices; sighting devices; devices that ensure the integration of all parts, mechanisms of firearms.

The barrel is designed to give the bullet directional movement. The inner cavity of the barrel is called the barrel bore. The end of the barrel closest to the chamber is called the breech, the opposite end is the muzzle. By the device of the channel, the barrels are divided into smooth-bore and rifled. The barrel bore of a rifled weapon has, as a rule, three main parts: the chamber, the bullet entrance, the rifled part.

The chamber is designed to accommodate and fix the cartridge. Its shape and dimensions are determined by the shape and dimensions of the cartridge case. In most cases, the shape of the chamber is three or four cones: in the chambers for a rifle and intermediate cartridge there are four cones, for a cartridge with a cylindrical sleeve - one. The magazine chambers begin with a cartridge input - a groove along which the bullet of the cartridge slides when it is fed from the magazine.

Bullet entrance - the section of the barrel bore between the chamber and the rifled part. The bullet entrance serves for the correct orientation of the bullet in the bore and has the shape of a truncated cone with grooves, the fields of which smoothly rise from zero to full height. The length of the bullet entrance must ensure that the leading part of the bullet enters the rifling of the barrel before the bottom of the bullet leaves the muzzle of the case.

The rifled part of the barrel serves to give the bullet not only translational, but also rotational movement, which stabilizes its orientation in flight. The grooves are strip-like grooves that curl along the bore walls. The bottom surface of the groove is called the bottom, the side walls are called the edges. The edge of the groove facing the chamber and receiving the main pressure of the bullet is called combat or leading, the opposite is idle. The protruding areas between the grooves are the groove fields. The distance at which the grooves make a full revolution is called the groove pitch. For weapons of a certain caliber, the rifling pitch is unambiguously related to the angle of inclination of the rifling - the angle between the edge and the generatrix of the barrel.

Locking mechanism - a device that closes the bore from the breech side. In revolvers, the rear wall of the frame or "breech" acts as a locking mechanism. In most firearms, the bore is locked by a bolt.

The firing (igniting) mechanism is designed to initiate a shot. Depending on the principle of action, the following types of firing mechanisms can be distinguished: drummer; hammer-striker; bolt; firing mechanism of electric spark action.

The cartridge feed mechanism is designed to feed the cartridge into the chamber from the store.

Signaling devices - designed to inform the shooter about the presence of a cartridge in the chamber or to the cocked position of the firing mechanism. Signaling devices can be signal spokes, ejectors with an inscription, signal pins.

Trigger mechanism - designed to release the cocked parts of the percussion mechanism. In firearms, the trigger and firing mechanisms are most often viewed as a single unit and are called the firing mechanism.

The mechanism for extracting and removing casings - designed to extract spent casings or cartridges from the chamber and remove them from the weapon.

Distinguish between complete removal of casings (cartridges) from the weapon - ejection, or partial (removal of the cartridge case / cartridge from the chamber) - extraction. During extraction, the spent cartridge case / cartridge is finally removed manually.

Safety devices - designed to protect against unintentional firing.

Sights - designed to aim weapons at a target. Most often, sights consist of a rear sight and a front sight - the so-called simple open sight. In addition to a simple open sight, the following types of sights are distinguished: sights with interchangeable pillars, a sector sight, a frame sight, an angle sight, a diopter sight, optical sight, night vision sight, telescopic or collimator sight.

Devices that ensure the integration of all parts, mechanisms of firearms. For long-barreled and medium-barreled weapons, this role is played by the receiver (block), for short-barreled weapons - a frame with a handle.

Stocks and handles (for long-barreled weapons) - designed for ease of holding and using the weapon. They are made of wood, plastic and other materials that do not conduct heat well.

The Second World War significantly influenced the development of small arms, which remained the most massive type of weapons. The share of combat losses from it was 28-30%, which was quite an impressive indicator, given the massive use of aviation, artillery and tanks.

The greatest development during the war years, both in qualitative and quantitative terms, received self-loading rifles, incl. their kind of assault rifles and machine guns, incl. aviation and tank.

Personal weapons revolvers and pistols played a supporting role. At the same time, the revolvers were already at the dawn of their use, although they also served for weapons, both army units and auxiliary troops and some special forces. Presumably, at least 5 million revolvers were used during the war.

During the war, pistols did not receive noticeable development, despite their wide model variety. In total, a relatively small number of them were released - about 16 million, which is explained by their performance of the function of personal weapons in self-defense. Only in a few cases did pistols play the role of the main weapon - security in the rear, operations military intelligence etc. The leaders in the production of pistols, both in quantitative and qualitative terms, were Germany and the United States.

Born in the interwar period the new kind small arms - the submachine gun received the greatest development in the USSR, Great Britain, the USA and Germany. Moreover, only British and Soviet troops used it as the main infantry weapon. All other countries regarded the submachine gun as an auxiliary weapon for tankers, artillerymen, rear personnel, etc. At the same time, in close and street battles, he has shown himself to be an effective and irreplaceable weapon in practice. In addition, mass production of submachine guns was the most technologically advanced and cheapest among all types of small arms.

Machine guns that took part in World War II can be roughly divided into three categories. The first is machine guns from the First World War. These included, first of all, heavy machine guns, technically backward, but still providing a high density of fire in stationary installations. The second is the transitional machine guns, created in the interwar period. These include two types - manual and aviation. Light machine guns of this period actively entered the "fashion", competing with automatic rifles. Aviation, were the main armament of aircraft, not yet supplanted by small-caliber cannons. The third is machine guns developed during the war. These are, first of all, uniform (universal) machine guns, as well as large-caliber machine guns of all types. It was these machine guns that not only ended the war, but also for several more decades, and some still, were in service with many armies of the world.

It should be noted that during the war, all armies, without exception, experienced a shortage of light machine guns, which was explained as follows. First, the priority in production was given to aircraft and tank machine guns. Secondly, the losses of machine guns on the fronts were too great, since they were one of the primary targets of artillery. Thirdly, the machine gun, possessing rather complex mechanisms, required qualified maintenance by technical personnel, which was almost absent at the front. Repairs were carried out either in the rear workshops or at manufacturing plants. Thus, a significant part of the light machine guns were being repaired. Fourthly, during the battle, because of the weight and dimensions, they more often threw a machine gun than a rifle. Hence, all the armies had a fairly large number of captured machine guns.

Anti-tank rifles, both in the First and Second world war, remained an exotic weapon and were produced and used by a limited number of countries. The USSR was the sole leader in the production and use of PTR. Germany, having enough PTR, no longer had the object of their mass use, since the reservation Soviet tanks was higher than the armor penetration of the German PTR.

As in the First World War, in the Second the main small arms were the rifle in all its varieties. The only difference from the previous war was that self-loading and automatic (assault) rifles took the lead. A separate place was occupied by a sniper rifle, since a sniper from a separate "military trade" became a "mass profession" of the Second World War.

The leaders in the production of rifles were naturally the largest participants in the war: Germany. USSR, Great Britain and the USA. Despite the huge number of rifles produced during the Second World War, a significant number of them were used both since the First World War and pre-war production. Many old rifles have undergone modernization, replacement of barrels, bolts and other worn out parts. From infantry rifles, they made cavalry carbines, changed the caliber of weapons.

With a huge number of rifles produced, the level of their losses, in the main belligerent countries, exceeded production. Replenishment of losses was possible only by attracting stocks of obsolete samples. As a rule, they were used to arm auxiliary and rear units, and were used for training purposes.

Approximate number of small arms, samples of which took part in the war in the context of countries and types of weapons (in thousand units)

1) revolvers

2) pistols

3) rifles

4) submachine guns

5) machine guns

6) anti-tank guns

The table does not include data on transferred / received weapons and trophy receipts.