After several years of rejecting the idea of a new automatic or semi-automatic weapon, Hitler asked his top commanders on the Eastern Front what they needed – and their answer was that they needed this type of firearm. So the Germans developed the Sturmgewehr 44, better known as the StG 44, in the early 1940s and began mass production in 1944.
In one of their final attempts to turn the tide of the War back to their favor, the Wehrmacht mass-produced over 425,000 StG 44s. The Sturmgewehr or storm rifle (assault rifle) in English, was the first custom made and a mass-produced assault rifle. This rifle drastically changed warfare forever, although that change didn’t come in time for the German Wehrmacht.
The Firearms Blog takes a closer look at the Sturmgewehr in another amazing video:
The German Sturmgewehr ‘storm rifle’ is one that needs no introduction. It is an automatic firearm with a historical mystique. These weapons are highly sought-after among collectors, but they are still effective firearms in their own right. In this video, we do some actual shooting with an old MP43.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOy3xykPKP0