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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| It's not funny. Weapons from World War II in modern warfare |
| 2024-02-07 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Dmitry Astrakhan [REGNUM] During the SVO, photographs periodically appear in which soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces are armed with weapons of past generations, sometimes even from the time of the Great Patriotic War. And on the enemy side, the use of such weapons is simply a massive phenomenon. Each photo provokes not only military-technical discussions, but also leads to heated public discussions. But with them everything is more or less clear. On the one hand, mockery of the outdated weapons used by the Ukrainian native infantry was for some time one of the favorite topics of our media people. The real characteristics of the weapon were never taken into account. When photos of reservists from the DPR and LPR appeared in February 2022, in which steel helmets, Soviet duffel bags and weapons of different years of production were massively present, “experts” again played their role. I remember that back then you could read about the highest characteristics of the rifle with which “our grandfathers reached Berlin,” and even about the horror that this rifle brought to NATO. In fact, weapons from the 1940s were widely used from the very beginning of the conflict. It's just that in many cases it's not as obvious to the general public. Both we and the enemy widely use the Soviet heavy-caliber DShK machine gun, which, by the way, is loved by users. This also applies to the American Browning M2 machine gun, which was massively supplied to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Both machine guns are popular in their class and have been used in almost every military conflict from World War II to the present day, so they are often considered modern weapons. Moreover, in both cases the cartridges have not changed and continue to remain the basic type of ammunition. Machine guns chambered for a rifle cartridge are also not so rare. The enemy received a large number of German MG3s, which are a modernization of the MG42 for the common NATO cartridge. Well, the MG42, in fact, is the same “saw” with which the Wehrmacht fought throughout the war. Soviet DP/DPM machine guns from the Great Patriotic War also appear periodically at the front. Our caliber has not changed, so they can be used if necessary. Interestingly, in the USSR in 1946 there was a modernization called RP-46, the main change of which was the transition from the characteristic disk magazine to tape feeding. Certain types of kits for converting DP to RP-46 were produced in several countries at once and are even now being produced for the civilian market in the USA. I think that if the use of these machine guns becomes widespread, then we will see their conversion to a belt version soon. Actually, the store was the main drawback of the original system. Separately among small arms are types that, for various reasons, were considered obsolete. This is exactly the case with light machine guns, primarily RPD. It became the first machine gun chambered for an intermediate belt-fed cartridge, essentially creating an entire class of weapons. But for financial reasons it was withdrawn from service in the USSR and replaced by the RPK. And later the cartridge was changed. Then the entire class of light machine guns was called into question, and we approached the SVO with a view of them as an outdated weapon. But the “big war” showed that this may not be entirely true; the discussion about their usefulness is in full swing. At the front it is not uncommon to hear that one would like to have more light machine guns. Especially if not instead of, but in addition to systems chambered for a rifle cartridge. Definitely outdated weapons are submachine guns, especially of the military and first post-war generations. Their massive use was noted by the Ukrainian side, which took them both from its own reserve warehouses and received them from abroad. The usefulness of such weapons is clearly limited to territorial defense, self-defense weapons and other auxiliary functions. Fortunately, only a few trophy specimens have been spotted on our side so far. Pistols stand apart. For most military users, the pistol is not the primary weapon, so its functions are not very related to performance. There are exceptions, but they are not massive compared to the total number of troops. Therefore, to a reasonable extent, we can say that outdated pistols may well perform their functions. It’s definitely better to have an outdated TT than nothing if such a problem arises. It is important to understand that among the old models of small arms there are those that can be used either in their original role or in a new one. Also, if you approach the issue thoughtfully, with the help of old models you can strengthen the capabilities of units in certain tasks if they enter service as an addition to modern standard equipment. However, many samples may require certain modifications, installation of modern sights, replacement of wooden parts, and so on. Every time Maxim’s machine gun flashes in the photo, you don’t have to shout that everything is lost. It is important to first understand the technique and tactics of the issue, and not just swing on an emotional swing. But enough with technology and history. Since weapons have been at war for a long time, many were able to visit the “receiving” side. Let's start with the fact that both Brownings and Soviet DShKs shoot no worse than modern heavy machine guns. But they are still placed either on stationary points or on cars. And so I have never met a single person who would like to be under their fire. Moreover, taking into account the greater accuracy of fire, they are in no way inferior to modern Utyos. Situations where Maxim machine guns, correctly installed at strong points and designed for long-term firing, created big problems for the attackers were also not isolated. And no one made malicious jokes about Chapaev and the carts at that moment, I can assure you. Such jokes are written by those who have never come under Maxim’s fire. And I have never seen anyone throw away these outdated weapons with the words “why do I need an extra machine gun?!” So the way you look at a weapon and joke about it very much depends on which side of the gun you are on at that moment. If you look from the muzzle, many things look different. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #5 The Ukraine is using Maxims: https://taskandpurpose.com/news/ukraine-maxim-machine-gun-russia/ They have plenty of ammo for it, it doesn't break very often and in a fixed position or on a vehicle, it's weight isn't an issue. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxim_gun#Russo-Ukrainian_War |
| Posted by: Chantry 2024-02-07 19:48 |
| #4 If it make a bang and a hole at the receiving end, it's suitable. |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2024-02-07 09:21 |
| #3 The Russians are even breaking out WW1 weapons. Granted they are for the security forces in the out regions where most people don't have weapons, so it works. But still... |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2024-02-07 09:18 |
| #2 They will still kill you |
| Posted by: Chris 2024-02-07 08:25 |
| #1 ...Fella on YouTube named Mark Felton has an interesting video on this subject (and many others)- actually documented a surprising number of WWII era German vehicles and weapons in the Middle East. Mike |
| Posted by: MikeKozlowski 2024-02-07 06:42 |