With his stocky frame, and his generals uniform smothered with medals, mikhail kalashnikov looked the quintessential soviet military veteran. Mousegun, george washingtongl, mark, and any others who believe the myths that the ak47 was a stolen german design, copied from the stg44, or designed by hugo schmeisser and other captured germans, etc. There is much in common between this biography of ak47 by the new york times journalist cj chivers and rob and edwin lewis the supersonic secrets. The most popular automatic rifle in history was first put into use on this day in 1947 hence the marking 47. Hugo schmeisser left the designer of the stg44, and mikhail kalashnikov right, designer of the ak47. He liked to be surrounded only by lovely objects and good books. Interestingly, kalashnikov is also a poet who published six books. Today, kalashnikov designs have become the most widely manufactured and best known military small arms in history. The monument to kalashnikov in moscow successfully blended into the urban landscape. It has recently come to light that schmeisser may have some overdue credit coming for the ak47. The owner of this site is the city mayors office this moment was also noted. As evidence, the author claims that kalashnikov and schmeisser worked together in izhevsk in 194652, and that the ak is visually similar to the stg 44. Media caption the statues sculptor says the kalashnikov is a symbol of russia the society commissioned the 7.
In addition, a number of german laborers were enlisted or coerced to work in the ussr under the technical designer. Please provide a confirmation on this accusation, and that hugo at all stayed in ussr. Anyone who read about the history of an ak, heard the theory of german involvement. Kalashnikov, the arms designer credited by the soviet union with creating the ak47, the first in a series of rifles and machine guns. For the umpteenth time the installation of a monument to the famous soviet and russian arms designer, m.
The ak stands for avtomat kalashnikova the automatic by kalashnikov. Mihail kalasnikov has finally admitting he was helped by the german inventor and arms maker hugo schmeisser to create the ak47 assault rifle. Hugo schmeisser 24 september 1884 12 september 1953 was a german developer of 20th century infantry weapons schmeisser was born in jena, thuringia. He holds an advanced degree of doctor of technical sciences. Hugo schmeisser and the avtomat kalashnikova model 1947 controversy. Mikhail kalashnikov admits german help to create ak47 rifle tuesday, february 17, 2009 posted by transsylvania phoenix at 5. Readers of this delightful book will wonder why he ever bothered.
Mikhail timofeyevich kalashnikov, weapons inventor, died on december. It was a 5meterhigh statue of mikhail kalashnikov, the designer of the infamous machine gun in 1949, on a 4meterhigh pedestal. Meet the new kalashnikov ak12 laststandonzombieisland. The new rifle, created by hugo schmeisser, did not employ any new technological principals or concepts. Purged by stalin and exiled to siberia as a boy, kalashnikov later accepted the stalin prize for. Book of the ak47 is designed to educate you about the world of kalashnikovs, past, present and future as well as everything combloc related. Weapons 190320 was the gunsmith hugo schmeisser by the creator of the kalashnikov. The official story has always been that mikhail kalashnikov, who served as a tank mechanic in the soviet red army during the second world war, while recovering from combat wounds, took the time to. Originally posted by mannlicherbesides, he pirated the ak design from hugo schmeisser. Since 1949, mikhail kalashnikov has lived and worked in izhevsk, udmurtia.
Schmeisser was working in izhevsk while kalashnikov, a senior sergeant lacking special education, was supposedly developing his ak47 during three years period from 1945 to 1947 in a different plant, in the. November 10th, 1919 december 23rd, 20 was a famous russian firearms engineer. Mikhail kalashnikov biography of mikhail kalashnikov. The life and work of hugo schmeisser mostly took place in the weapons manufacturing city of suhl, thuringia. Mikhail timofeyevich kalashnikov was a russian lieutenantgeneral, inventor, military. Born in a poor peasant family in the village of kurya, altai region, he started his engineering career working at a train depot, where kalashnikov was able to learn much about mechanics. Is there any solid evidence that mikhail kalashnikov is. But father hugo was one of the most famous european gunsmiths louis schmeisser designed and made the machine guns even before the first world war.
In his design engineering department, hugo schmeisser and dr. Terrorist in black uniform and mask with kalashnikov prepare for revolution photo with kalashnikov and kaddafi musiam of wheapon, izhevsk, russia 2012 moscow,russiaseptember 20,2017. Beyond mikhail kalashnikov s 2009 admission that schmeisser helped design the famous ak47, which strongly resembles schmeisser s stg44, little is known of his life during this period, until 1952 when he and other german specialists returned home to germany. Monument to the designer mikhail kalashnikov, the creator of the kalashnikov assault rifle. Gruner mg 42, a pioneer in the area of the sheet metal embossing technology, worked into the 1950s.
Justice demands that hugo schmeisser be acknowledged as the designer of the worlds most popular infantry weapon, while mikhail kalashnikov be known for what he was. Was the gunsmith hugo schmeisser by the creator of the. His father, louis schmeisser 18481917, was one of the bestknown weapons designers in europe. After all, the concept of a battle rifle capable of full automatic fire and chambered for a less powerful cartridge compared to the conventional rifle caliber belonged to the russian designer vladimir fyodorov and his automatic rifle. Kalashnikov statue changed because of german weapon bbc news.
After wwii, as gemeral designer of small arms for the soviet army, his design subordinates included the germans hugo schmeisser, designer of the stg 44, and werner gruner of mg42. After the second world war, hugo schmeisser, the designer of stg44 also known as mp44, found himself in russian izhevsk, and few years later russia magically comes up with its own ak47. The name of mikhail timofeyevich kalashnikov has become well known the world over because of the avtomat kalashnikova, the eponymous assault rifle which he designed and perfected. Vector silhouettes of weapons soldier case with kalashnikov ak rifle bottle. Magazine ak47 books ak47 books kalashnikov library. Legends and reality of the ak i had a copy of this until water damage destroyed it. Delve deep into the world of not only mikhail kalashnikov s famous ak47, but everything combloc related with our new book of the ak47. Mikhail kalashnikovs monument was opened this week to great. Back in the late 1940s, soviet weapons engineer mikhail kalashnikov with a good bit of assistance from guest worker hugo schmeisser, came up with a neat rifle.
Mikhail kalashnikov s assault rifle bridged the gap between the slow but accurate rifle and the fast but inaccurate submachine gun, and thus brought us in the 1940s to the point where armies still stand today. In exhaustive detail and told in his own entertaining way, comrade sweeney. Beyond mikhail kalashnikov s 2009 admission that schmeisser helped design the famous ak47, which strongly resembles schmeisser s stg44, little is known of his life during this period, until 1952 when he and other german specialists returned home. He holds a degree of doctor of technical sciences 1971 and is a member of 16 academies. Mikhail kalashnikov union of soviet socialist republics. Created by senior sergeant mikhail kalashnikov, and first adopted by the ussr soon after world war ii 19391945, its production continues to this day, with an estimated 75 million produced. The root of these arguments dates back to the 1970s, when an article in german weapons journal dwjdeutsches waffen journal first compared the ak47 and sturmgewehr 44. Eugene stoner and mikhail kalashnikov holding each others inventions ak47 and m16 1990 close. The following is an article that was originally written in russian by tfb contributor maxim popenker, and andrey ulanov, and translated to english by peter samsonov. Kalashnikov statue changed because of german weapon bbc. Mikhail kalashnikov admits german help in creating ak47.
The ak47 is the most commonly encountered assault rifle on the planet. Technical education hugo schmeisser as his soviet rival mikhail kalashnikov, was not. His gun, one of the first successful assault rifles, was made from a simple sheet of stamped steel, coupled to a trunnion and a collection of parts. After world war ii, as general designer of small arms for the soviet army, his design subordinates included the germans hugo schmeisser, designer of the stg44, and werner gruner of mg 42 fame who was a. Kalashnikov simply was a fraud to not giving credit to the person who was responsible for the ak47. Allegedly, german engineer hugo schmeiser, who worked in izhevsk after ww2 really developed an ak and kalashnikov had nothing to do with it. Kalashnikov, was followed by a whole chain of scandals. According to information on the internet, the monument to mikhail kalashnikov moscow cost.
After deportation to tomsk oblast, his family had to combine farming with. On september 19, 2017, a gigantic monument was unveiled in the central part of moscow, ordered by the russian militaryhistorical society rvio founded in 2012 by president vladimir putins decree. Suspicions that the ak47 was based on the stg44 are reinforced by the fact that hugo schmeisser was captured by the soviet army in 1945 and spent years in the city of izhevsk, the main center of. The 47 in the guns name refers to the year it was invented 1947. The rifle was designed by mikhail timofeyevich kalashnikov ak stands for automatic kalashnikov, back when he was only 27 years old. The kalashnikov ak47 is the most ubiquitous assault rifle in the world, with more ak47s and its variants in use than any other individual small arm. The most popular rifle in the world ak47 kalashnikov.
Seems to me it was at least partly inspired by the design of the german mg 42. Buy the gun that changed the world 1 by mikhail kalashnikov, elena joly, andrew brown isbn. Russian experts admit it is hard to determine hugo schmeisser s contribution to the design and development of the ak47 assault rifle because all official documents pertaining to his time working alongside kalashnikov as a gun designer are still classified suspicion increases. Actually, kalashnikov did design the ak47, he just had help from a team of designers and engineers who helped turn the prototype into a final design, and schmeisser was likely one of them. He went on to write six books and continued to write poetry all of his life. The ak47 and ak74 kalashnikov rifles and their variations. Mikhail kalashnikov, inventor of the ak47 dead at 94.
Russian experts admit it is hard to determine hugo schmeisser s contribution to the design and development of the ak47 assault rifle because all official documents pertaining to his time working alongside kalashnikov as a gun designer are. For the umpteenth time by peter samsonov on tank archives. The gun that changed the world by mikhail kalashnikov with andrew brown and elana joly. Son siberian fist mikhail kalashnikov before the war, managed to finish only seven years. These are the biggest myths about the infamous ak47 the. Eugene stoner and mikhail kalashnikov holding each others.