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The StG44 (Sturmgewehr 44, or Assault Rifle 44) is a select-fire automatic rifle made by Nazi Germany. It is considered as one of the first assault rifles in history (a select-fire infantry rifle that uses intermediate rifle cartridges). It was developed in the later years of World War II. The Wehrmacht divisions that invaded the Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa were being pushed back by the Red Army by late 1942. Many Soviet rifle companies were issued PPSh-41 submachine guns and the trained guard troops were issued semi-automatic SVT-38 rifles, whereas the majority of the Wehrmacht divisions still relied on the bolt-action Kar98k. Facing the overwhelming level of automatic firepower, Nazi leadership urged development of new arms and infantry doctrines.
The StG44 (Sturmgewehr 44, or Assault Rifle 44) is a gas-operated automatic rifle made by Nazi Germany, and considered the first mass-produced assault rifle (a select-fire infantry weapon that uses intermediate rifle cartridges). It is chambered for the 7.92x33mm Kurz cartridge (Pistolenpatrone 43), a shorter version of the the 7.92×57mm Mauser rifle cartridge. It has a magazine capacity of 30 rounds and is relatively heavy, weighing around 5kg loaded. It also has a fairly slow rate of fire of about 500 rounds per minute, which made the gun controllable in full-auto. It had a selector switch for fully automatic and semi-automatic modes.


Due to the political atmosphere at 1943, mostly attributed to Nazi Germany's leader Adolf Hitler, early StG44 models were released under the designations MP43 and MP44 (Maschinenpistole 1943 and 1944 respectively). Recognizing the weapon's performance and the new fighting doctrine's success on the Eastern front in 1944, the rifle received minor improvements and was redesignated as the StG44. It has been stated that Hitler himself renamed the MP44 after being impressed by its performance, but this claim is disputed by some historians.
The StG44 was developed in the later years of World War II as a response to the overwhelming firepower of the PPSh-41 submachine guns and SVT-40 semi-automatic rifles fielded by the Soviet Red Army, and also to supplement the weaponry of the Wehrmacht and SS divisions. The StG has a longer range than the MP40 9x19mm submachine gun, while being more effective in close combat than the bolt-action Kar98K. By supplementing the Kar98K and MP40, soldiers were able to function better in many battlefield situations. It also reduced the dependency of the German armed forces on the MG34 and MG42 machine guns.


The StG44 was designed for a new cartridge, the 7.92x33mm Kurz (Pistolenpatrone 43), a shorter version of the the 7.92×57mm Mauser rifle cartridge. The fully-automatic weapon had more range than the MP40 SMGs chambered for 9x19mm pistol cartridges, while being able to fulfill the fire suppression role of a machine gun. By replacing the bolt-action Mauser Kar98k rifles with the StG44, units were able to function better in close and medium-range combat. StG44 rifles were widely given to upper hierarchical units of the Wehrmacht such as the Panzergrenadier (Mobile Infantry), the Fallschirmjäger (Paratrooper) and most importantly the Waffen-SS.
The weapon started out in 1943 under the designation MP43, then in 1944 as the MP44 (Maschinenpistole 1943 and 1944). It was named this way because Germany's leader Adolf Hitler did not approve of the concept, though he allowed the design to be kept in production after heeding the requests of German generals for a new infantry weapon. Hitler apparantly had a change of heart after field testing the MP44 himself and had the weapon renamed as the "Sturmgewehr 44" (storm/assault gun 1944) for propaganda purposes.


The rifle's automatic action is actuated by gas, which pushes back a long-stroke piston rod. It has a magazine capacity of 30 rounds and is relatively heavy, weighing around 5kg loaded. It also has a fairly slow rate of fire of about 500 rounds per minute. The combination of light cartridges and low rate of fire made the gun relatively controllable in full auto. It had a selector switch for fully automatic and semi-automatic modes.
StG44 rifles were mainly given to upper hierarchical units of the Wehrmacht such as the Panzergrenadier (Mobile Infantry) and Fallschirmjäger (Paratrooper). It was also widely distributed to the Waffen-SS.


The introduction of the StG44 and new German infantry doctrines were too late to have an effect on the war itself, as by 1944 it was clear the defeat of the Nazi regime was imminent. Stockpiles of StG44 rifles recovered after the war inspired other nations to develop similar arms, a trend made evident by Mikhail Kalashnikov's AK rifle and later with Eugene Stoner's AR-15 rifle. A small batch of StG44s were produced post-WWII, and together with other surplus guns they briefly served the East German army as the Iron Curtains of the USSR fallen across eastern Europe.<ref name = "StG44 Wiki">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StG_44 Wikipedia entry on the StG44]</ref>
The introduction of the StG44 and new infantry doctrines were too late to have an effect on the war itself, as by 1944 it was clear the defeat of the Nazi regime was imminent. Stockpiles of StG44 rifles recovered after the war inspired other nations to develop similar arms, a trend made evident by Mikhail Kalashnikov's AK rifle and Eugene Stoner's AR-15 rifle. A small batch of StG44s were produced post-WWII, and together with other surplus guns they briefly served the East German army as the Iron Curtains of the USSR fell across eastern Europe.<ref name = "StG44 Wiki">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StG_44 Wikipedia entry on the StG44]</ref>


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