 [The National Interest] The PPsH-41 submachinegun undoubtedly reigns as an icon of the Soviet war machine in World War II, immortalized in combat photographs and in films such as Cross of Iron and The Tin Drum. Like the T-34 tank and the Il-2 Shturmovik attack plane, the "Pepsha" or "Papasha" ("Daddy") was not only a rugged marvel of mass production, but performed well compared to more expensive contemporaries. Both the Red Army and later the Chinese and North Korean armies would employ the "burp gun" on an unprecedent scale. |