The StG 44 (abbreviation of Sturmgewehr 44, "assault rifle 44") is a German selective-fire rifle developed during World War II. It is also some times called Mp 43 or Mp 44. There is a historical reason for that too.
This is the world's first fully automatic rifle or assault rifle. Most other automatic rifles under development at that time used rifle rounds which are too power full, hence produce too much recoil to be used in combat, because of that recoil those rifles were impossible to control in full automatic firing modes, on the other hand sub machine guns which employed pistol sized rounds didn't offer much stopping power or range to be used instead of rifles.
The Stg 44 was the first ever weapon which used intermediate rounds which allowed it to perform both as rifle for long range attacks and fully auto weapon in close encounters.
The development of STG 44 was started very early in years of WW2, and it was a very favorite weapon of German military commanders and troops, however for some reason Hitler didn't like it and he cancelled it, this denied the Germans a very huge advantage over allies, who were also developing BAR, some German commanders tried to use it hiding it and renaming it as MP 43 and MP 44 which means Maschinenpistole 44, When Hitler discovered this fact he cancelled and forbade it again, by the time he came to senses it was already too late, and Germany was already losing the war.
This weapon however performed admirably especially on eastern fronts offering greatly increased volume of fire compared to standard infantry rifles which put the allies at a great disadvantage, however it arrived on the battle field too late to have any significant impact on the outcome of war. Its significant impact however was the fact that allies were so impressed with it that it started a whole new arms race creating a new class of weapons caring the name ASSAULT RIFLES.
The rifle was chambered for the 7.92×33mm Kurz cartridge. This shorter version of the German standard (7.92×57mm) rifle round, in combination with the weapon's selective-fire design, provided a compromise between the controllable firepower of a sub-machine gun at close quarters with the accuracy and power of a Karabiner 98k bolt-action rifle at intermediate ranges. While the StG44 had less range and power than the more powerful infantry rifles of the day, Army studies had shown that few combat engagements occurred at more than 300 m and the majority within 200 m. Full-power rifle cartridges were excessive for the vast majority of uses for the average soldier. Only a trained specialist, such as a sniper, or soldiers equipped with machine guns, which fired multiple rounds at a known or suspected target, could make full use of the standard rifle round's range and power.
The British were critical of the weapon, saying that the receiver could be bent and the bolt locked up by the mere act of knocking a leaning rifle onto a hard floor. A late-war U.S. assessment derided the weapon as "bulky" and "unhandy", prone to jamming, and meant to be thrown away if the soldier could not maintain it. Many of these criticisms are more a testimonial of the Allied aversion rather than an accurate view of the weapon's characteristics, which were proven highly effective during combat in the war.
| Specifications |
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| Weight | 4.6 kg (10 lb) unloaded with magazine / 5.13 kg (11.3 lb) loaded |
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| Length | 94 cm (37 in) |
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| Barrel length | 42 cm (16.5 in) |
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| Cartridge | 7.92×33mm Kurz, (aka. 7.9mm Kurz or Pistolenpatrone 43) |
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| Action | Gas-operated, tilting bolt, full auto or semi-auto |
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| Rate of fire | 550–600 rounds/min |
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| Muzzle velocity | 685 m/s (2,247 ft/s) |
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| Effective firing range | 300 m (automatic) 600 m (semi-automatic) |
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| Feed system | 30-round detachable box magazine |
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| Sights | Adjustable sights, rear: V-notch; front: hooded post |
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