After world war ii, as general designer of small arms for the soviet army, his design subordinates included the germans hugo schmeisser, designer of the stg44, and werner gruner of mg 42 fame who was a. With his stocky frame, and his generals uniform smothered with medals, mikhail kalashnikov looked the quintessential soviet military veteran. Was the gunsmith hugo schmeisser by the creator of the. Mihail kalashnikov admits german help to create the ak.
After wwii, as gemeral designer of small arms for the soviet army, his design subordinates included the germans hugo schmeisser, designer of the stg 44, and werner gruner of mg42. Kalashnikov, the arms designer credited by the soviet union with creating the ak47, the first in a series of rifles and machine guns. November 10th, 1919 december 23rd, 20 was a famous russian firearms engineer. The owner of this site is the city mayors office this moment was also noted. In his design engineering department, hugo schmeisser and dr. Since 1949, mikhail kalashnikov has lived and worked in izhevsk, udmurtia. Back in the late 1940s, soviet weapons engineer mikhail kalashnikov with a good bit of assistance from guest worker hugo schmeisser, came up with a neat rifle. Suspicions that the ak47 was based on the stg44 are reinforced by the fact that hugo schmeisser was captured by the soviet army in 1945 and spent years in the city of izhevsk, the main center of. Media caption the statues sculptor says the kalashnikov is a symbol of russia the society commissioned the 7. Eugene stoner and mikhail kalashnikov holding each others inventions ak47 and m16 1990 close. His father, louis schmeisser 18481917, was one of the bestknown weapons designers in europe. Vector silhouettes of weapons soldier case with kalashnikov ak rifle bottle. Meet the new kalashnikov ak12 laststandonzombieisland. Eugene stoner and mikhail kalashnikov holding each others.
The 47 in the guns name refers to the year it was invented 1947. Beyond mikhail kalashnikov s 2009 admission that schmeisser helped design the famous ak47, which strongly resembles schmeisser s stg44, little is known of his life during this period, until 1952 when he and other german specialists returned home to germany. In exhaustive detail and told in his own entertaining way, comrade sweeney. Mousegun, george washingtongl, mark, and any others who believe the myths that the ak47 was a stolen german design, copied from the stg44, or designed by hugo schmeisser and other captured germans, etc. Justice demands that hugo schmeisser be acknowledged as the designer of the worlds most popular infantry weapon, while mikhail kalashnikov be known for what he was. Seems to me it was at least partly inspired by the design of the german mg 42. Schmeisser was working in izhevsk while kalashnikov, a senior sergeant lacking special education, was supposedly developing his ak47 during three years period from 1945 to 1947 in a different plant, in the. There is much in common between this biography of ak47 by the new york times journalist cj chivers and rob and edwin lewis the supersonic secrets. According to information on the internet, the monument to mikhail kalashnikov moscow cost. Mikhail kalashnikovs monument was opened this week to great. The name of mikhail timofeyevich kalashnikov has become well known the world over because of the avtomat kalashnikova, the eponymous assault rifle which he designed and perfected.
Actually, kalashnikov did design the ak47, he just had help from a team of designers and engineers who helped turn the prototype into a final design, and schmeisser was likely one of them. Interestingly, kalashnikov is also a poet who published six books. The ak47 and ak74 kalashnikov rifles and their variations. Please provide a confirmation on this accusation, and that hugo at all stayed in ussr. The following is an article that was originally written in russian by tfb contributor maxim popenker, and andrey ulanov, and translated to english by peter samsonov. Kalashnikov statue changed because of german weapon bbc. It has recently come to light that schmeisser may have some overdue credit coming for the ak47. Buy the gun that changed the world 1 by mikhail kalashnikov, elena joly, andrew brown isbn. After all, the concept of a battle rifle capable of full automatic fire and chambered for a less powerful cartridge compared to the conventional rifle caliber belonged to the russian designer vladimir fyodorov and his automatic rifle. Son siberian fist mikhail kalashnikov before the war, managed to finish only seven years. The gun that changed the world by mikhail kalashnikov with andrew brown and elana joly. Today, kalashnikov designs have become the most widely manufactured and best known military small arms in history. Mikhail kalashnikov biography of mikhail kalashnikov. Mihail kalasnikov has finally admitting he was helped by the german inventor and arms maker hugo schmeisser to create the ak47 assault rifle.
Russian experts admit it is hard to determine hugo schmeisser s contribution to the design and development of the ak47 assault rifle because all official documents pertaining to his time working alongside kalashnikov as a gun designer are. How did the theory that a kalashnikov rifle was invented. Legends and reality of the ak i had a copy of this until water damage destroyed it. The root of these arguments dates back to the 1970s, when an article in german weapons journal dwjdeutsches waffen journal first compared the ak47 and sturmgewehr 44. The ak47 is the most commonly encountered assault rifle on the planet. Weapons 190320 was the gunsmith hugo schmeisser by the creator of the kalashnikov. He holds a degree of doctor of technical sciences 1971 and is a member of 16 academies. Terrorist in black uniform and mask with kalashnikov prepare for revolution photo with kalashnikov and kaddafi musiam of wheapon, izhevsk, russia 2012 moscow,russiaseptember 20,2017. Monument to the designer mikhail kalashnikov, the creator of the kalashnikov assault rifle. The official story has always been that mikhail kalashnikov, who served as a tank mechanic in the soviet red army during the second world war, while recovering from combat wounds, took the time to. Mikhail kalashnikov admits german help in creating ak47. Hugo schmeisser left the designer of the stg44, and mikhail kalashnikov right, designer of the ak47. His gun, one of the first successful assault rifles, was made from a simple sheet of stamped steel, coupled to a trunnion and a collection of parts. Book of the ak47 is designed to educate you about the world of kalashnikovs, past, present and future as well as everything combloc related.
Readers of this delightful book will wonder why he ever bothered. For the umpteenth time by peter samsonov on tank archives. Hugo schmeisser and the avtomat kalashnikova model 1947 controversy. The most popular rifle in the world ak47 kalashnikov. After deportation to tomsk oblast, his family had to combine farming with. Is there any solid evidence that mikhail kalashnikov is. Mikhail kalashnikov s assault rifle bridged the gap between the slow but accurate rifle and the fast but inaccurate submachine gun, and thus brought us in the 1940s to the point where armies still stand today. Mikhail kalashnikov admits german help to create ak47 rifle tuesday, february 17, 2009 posted by transsylvania phoenix at 5. The ak stands for avtomat kalashnikova the automatic by kalashnikov. But father hugo was one of the most famous european gunsmiths louis schmeisser designed and made the machine guns even before the first world war.
Hugo schmeisser 24 september 1884 12 september 1953 was a german developer of 20th century infantry weapons schmeisser was born in jena, thuringia. It was a 5meterhigh statue of mikhail kalashnikov, the designer of the infamous machine gun in 1949, on a 4meterhigh pedestal. Mikhail timofeyevich kalashnikov was a russian lieutenantgeneral, inventor, military. Beyond mikhail kalashnikov s 2009 admission that schmeisser helped design the famous ak47, which strongly resembles schmeisser s stg44, little is known of his life during this period, until 1952 when he and other german specialists returned home. Mikhail kalashnikov, inventor of the ak47 dead at 94. In addition, a number of german laborers were enlisted or coerced to work in the ussr under the technical designer. Mikhail kalashnikov admitted in 2009 that schmeisser helped design him the famous ak47.
The most popular automatic rifle in history was first put into use on this day in 1947 hence the marking 47. Born in a poor peasant family in the village of kurya, altai region, he started his engineering career working at a train depot, where kalashnikov was able to learn much about mechanics. Kalashnikov statue changed because of german weapon bbc news. Anyone who read about the history of an ak, heard the theory of german involvement. Mikhail timofeyevich kalashnikov, weapons inventor, died on december. Russian experts admit it is hard to determine hugo schmeisser s contribution to the design and development of the ak47 assault rifle because all official documents pertaining to his time working alongside kalashnikov as a gun designer are still classified suspicion increases. The life and work of hugo schmeisser mostly took place in the weapons manufacturing city of suhl, thuringia. Purged by stalin and exiled to siberia as a boy, kalashnikov later accepted the stalin prize for. Originally posted by mannlicherbesides, he pirated the ak design from hugo schmeisser. The monument to kalashnikov in moscow successfully blended into the urban landscape. Allegedly, german engineer hugo schmeiser, who worked in izhevsk after ww2 really developed an ak and kalashnikov had nothing to do with it.
On september 19, 2017, a gigantic monument was unveiled in the central part of moscow, ordered by the russian militaryhistorical society rvio founded in 2012 by president vladimir putins decree. The kalashnikov ak47 is the most ubiquitous assault rifle in the world, with more ak47s and its variants in use than any other individual small arm. Recently, yuri pasholok pointed out an unfortunate mistake that was made by the sculptor, who placed an exploded diagram of a sturmgewehr on the monument. He liked to be surrounded only by lovely objects and good books. Delve deep into the world of not only mikhail kalashnikov s famous ak47, but everything combloc related with our new book of the ak47. After the second world war, hugo schmeisser, the designer of stg44 also known as mp44, found himself in russian izhevsk, and few years later russia magically comes up with its own ak47. Kalashnikov, was followed by a whole chain of scandals. Mikhail kalashnikov union of soviet socialist republics. The new rifle, created by hugo schmeisser, did not employ any new technological principals or concepts. He holds an advanced degree of doctor of technical sciences. Magazine ak47 books ak47 books kalashnikov library. For the umpteenth time the installation of a monument to the famous soviet and russian arms designer, m.
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