PPSh-41

World War II The impetus for the development of the PPSh came from the Winter War (November 1939 to March 1940) between the Soviet Union and Finland, when the Finnish Army employed the Suomi KP/-31 submachine gun as a highly effective tool for close-quarter fighting in forests and built-up urban areas. The Red Army's older PPD submachine gun had been in production since 1934, but it was expensive to manufacture, both in terms of material and labor, as it used numerous milled metal parts (particularly for its receiver). The firearm-designer Georgy Shpagin wanted to reduce costs by using metal stamping for the production of the parts. In September 1940 Shpagin developed a prototype PPSh which also featured a simple gas-compensator designed to prevent the muzzle from rising during bursts; this improved shot grouping by about 70% relative to the PPD. The new weapon was produced in a network of factories in Moscow, with high-level local Party members made directly responsible for meeting production-targets. A few hundred weapons were produced in November 1941 and another 155,000 were made during the next five months. By spring 1942, the PPSh factories were producing roughly 3,069 units a day. Soviet production figures for 1942 indicate an output of almost 1.5 million units. Barrel production was often simplified by using barrels for the 7.62mm Mosin–Nagant: the rifle barrel was cut in half and two PPSh barrels were made from it after machining the chamber for the 7.62×25mm Tokarev cartridge. After the German Army captured large numbers of the PPSh-41 in the course of the German-Soviet War of 1941-1945, Berlin instituted a program to convert the trophy weapons to use the standard German submachine-gun cartridge – the 9×19mm Parabellum. The Wehrmacht officially adopted the converted PPSh-41 as the "MP 41(r)" (not to be confused with the Schmeisser MP41); unconverted PPSh-41s were designated "MP 717(r)" and supplied with 7.63×25mm Mauser ammunition. German-language manuals for the use of captured PPShs were printed and distributed in the Wehrmacht. In addition to barrel replacement, converted PPSh-41s also had a magazine adapter installed, allowing them to use MP 40 magazines. The less powerful 9mm round generally reduces the cyclic rate of fire from 800 to 750 RPM. (Modern aftermarket conversion-kits based on the original Wehrmacht one also exist, using a variety of magazines, including Sten magazines.) As standard, each PPSh-41 came with two factory-fitted drum magazines, matched to the weapon with marked serial-numbers. If drum magazines were mixed and used with different serial-numbered PPSh-41, a loose fitting could result in poor retention and failure to feed. Drum magazines were superseded by a simpler PPS-42 box-type magazine holding 35 rounds, although an improved drum magazine made from 1 mm thick steel was also introduced in 1944. The USSR had produced more than five million PPSh-41 submachine guns by the end of World War II. The Red Army would often equip platoons - and sometimes entire companies - with the weapon, giving them excellent short-range firepower. Thousands were dropped behind enemy lines in order to equip Soviet partisans to disrupt Axis operations, supply-lines and communications. Korean War After the Second World War, the USSR supplied the PPSh in large quantities to Soviet-aligned states and to Communist guerrilla forces. During the Korean War of 1950 to 1953, North Korea's Korean People's Army (KPA) and the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) fighting in Korea received large numbers of the PPSh-41, in addition to the North Korean Type 49 and the Chinese Type 50 - each licensed copies of the PPSh-41 with small mechanical revisions. Though relatively inaccurate, the Chinese PPSh has a high rate of fire and was well-suited to the close-range firefights that typically occurred in Korea, especially at night. United Nations Command forces in defensive outposts or on patrol often had trouble returning a sufficient volume of fire when attacked by companies of infantry armed with the PPSh. Some U.S. infantry officers ranked the PPSh as the best combat-weapon of the war: while lacking the accuracy of the U.S. M1 Garand and M1 carbine, it provided more firepower at short distances. ==Features==

The PPSh-41 fires the standard Soviet pistol and submachine gun cartridge, the 7.62×25mm Tokarev. Weighing approximately 12 pounds (5.45 kg) with a loaded 71-round drum and 9.5 pounds (4.32 kg) with a loaded 35-round box magazine. The PPSh is capable of a rate of about 1250 rounds per minute, Although the PPSh drum magazine holds 71 rounds, misfeeding is likely to occur with more than about 65. In addition to feed issues, the drum magazine is slower and more complicated to load with ammunition than the later 35-round box magazine that increasingly supplemented the drum after 1942. While holding fewer rounds, the box magazine does have the advantage of providing a superior hold for the supporting hand. Although the PPSh is equipped with a sliding bolt safety, the weapon's open-bolt design still presents a risk of accidental discharge if the gun is dropped on a hard surface. ==Users==

soldier armed with a PPSh-41 in Stalingrad during the autumn of 1942. , 1943. Current • − Licensed copies under the designation "Type 49". Used by the Worker-Peasant Red Guards • Russian separatist forces in Ukraine − Limited usage in the beginning of the war in Donbas. • − Limited usage in the Syrian civil war • − As of 2011, 300,000 were stored in Ministry of Defense warehouses. Former • − Formerly in service with the Afghan Army, until the 1980s. Also used by various pro PDPA civilian militias. • • − Used by MPLA forces during the Angolan War of Independence. • • − Made licensed copies under the designation "Type 50". • • • − Used during World War II • − Used by the Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic and the Combat Groups of the Working Class. This weapon became iconic due to its presence during the construction of the Berlin Wall in the hands of both units. Designated "MPi41" in East German service, the PPSh-41 was gradually replaced by the AK-47 beginning in 1960. • Estonia − Estonian partisans used captured SMGs against the Soviets in 1941. • • − Used during civil conflicts in 1990s. • • − Captured and reissued PPSh-41s in the early 1940s. Produced a local version in the early 1950s called the "7.62mm Géppisztoly 48.Minta", or simply "48m". • • Iran − In January 1943, the Iranian government and the Soviet Union signed a deal to produce the PPSh-41 in Iran under license and deliver a number of those submachine guns to the Soviet Union. Limited numbers of the PPSh-41 were produced and the production line was closed before World War Two ended. After the end of the war unknown numbers were produced and were used by Shahrbani and the military. The local version used a tangent rear sight. • Iraqi insurgents • Italian Partisans − Used examples captured from German soldiers • • Lebanese National Movement • • Malayan National Liberation Army − Used by MNLA supplied by Soviet Union only small numbers • • − Used captured guns, and also converted some to 9×19mm Parabellum under the designation "MP-41(r)" and the 7.63x25mm Mauser under the designation "MP-717(r)" • − It was used by the First Polish Army. After the war, it was made under license as the "7.62 mm pm wz.41" by Łucznik Arms Factory. • − Captured and reissued PPSh-41 submachine guns during 1941–1944. Made licensed copies during the 1950s at Cugir Arms Plant under the designation "PM PPȘ Md. 1952". • • • − Captured from the communist forces during the Korean War. Also operated regeneration facility at the arsenal in Busan. • − In service with the Soviet Army in 1942. • - Limited ad-hoc use during the Korean War. • ==Variants==

• Type 50: Chinese-made variant of the PPSh-41. A U.S. ordnance report during the Korean War stated that this version could not accept drum magazines. However, that report turned out to be mistaken. • Type 49: North Korean-made variant of the PPSh-41 with a different shaped stock with straight stick magazine. This model does accepts drum-based magazines as well. Modifications include the addition of a full pistol grip, The changes resulted in a weight of 3.4 kg (7.5 lb), making K-50M lighter than the PPSh-41 by 500 g (1.1 lb). The weapon uses a 35-round stick magazine, but the 71-round drum magazine can be used if the stock is fully extended. • PPSh-45: A late war variant of PPSh-41, featuring only full auto and using early PPSh-41 production tangent sights. It had a foldable stock that could also be used as a grip, and had no wood parts. ==References==