USSR 1941

"I know what you're thinking!" Spakin raised the Poposa in his hand, and smiled with a clear expression: "You may think that we only need to replace the bullets of the submachine gun with the bullets of the rifle... Then we can both deal with enemies at a distance and use the bullets 'squeak' for close combat! No, Comrade Shulka, that is a machine gun, and you cannot hold a machine gun and engage in close combat with the enemy!"

Spakin is right, it is true that you cannot hold the machine gun in close combat with the enemy. Its recoil prevents it from shooting like a submachine gun, and it can also shoot at any time while charging forward.

But that was not what Shulka was talking about.

"No, Comrade Spakin!" Shulka took out a bullet and held it in his hand, and said, "I mean, it's time to develop a new type of bullet!"

Spakin couldn't help being surprised: "Develop a new type of bullet?"

"Yes, Comrade Spakin!" Shulka said: "There are generally two types of ammunition for small arms, one is rifle ammunition and the other is pistol ammunition. The former is used for rifles and machine guns, the latter for pistols and submachine guns.

Rifle ammunition is no problem for machine guns, it can provide troops with long-range firepower, but for ordinary soldiers, there has always been a problem of excess power! "

"Excessive power?" Spakin looked at Shulka suspiciously.

This is another question about actual combat, so it's no wonder Spakin didn't know about it.

"Yes, excess power!" Shulka said: "To be precise, this is a problem of World War I. During World War I, the enemy and us fought more in trench warfare, and the distance between each other was farther away, and Both hid in the trenches to aim at the target, so long-range, powerful rifles were demanded!"

"Isn't this a good thing?" Spakin asked puzzled.

"Of course it's a good thing!" Shulka replied: "But the consequence is that the rifle bullets cannot be fired continuously like the submachine gun!"

Spakin said "Oh": "You mean, we should find a balance between rifle bullets and pistol bullets? It can have a longer range, and the recoil can be borne by individual soldiers. within the range!"

"Yes!" Shulka nodded, it is easier to talk to smart people.

This is the intermediate power bullet, which is the bullet used in assault rifles.

Bullets are more important than developing assault rifles.

There is a saying "Look at the bullet before looking at the gun\

,"That is to say, if you want to know whether a gun is a good gun or its performance, the first thing to look at is the bullet rather than the gun. The bullet determines many things, such as power, speed of fire, etc. The gun is actually a kind of firing bullet. A tool, if not for some major flaw, is largely determined by the bullet.

And if you try to develop an assault rifle based on the existing two types of bullets without developing intermediate power bullets, it is basically impossible and meaningless...Using rifle bullets becomes a recoil machine gun, using pistol bullets It becomes a submachine gun with insufficient power and short range.

The Soviet Union lagged behind in this regard. They waited until the Germans used the assault rifle, the STG44, on the battlefield and was captured by the Soviet army, and then suddenly discovered that they should start developing "intermediate power bullets".

That's why the AK47 failed to catch up with World War II. When it was developed, World War II had ended for nearly two years.

This question needs to be dug deeper, and it also involves the tactical issues of World War I and World War II:

There were no tanks during World War I. To be precise, tanks did not appear until the end of World War I, but there was basically no infantry-tank coordination and they were not used on the battlefield on a large scale.

At this time, the battle between the infantry, apart from hiding in the trenches and shooting at each other as mentioned earlier, is a group charge without cover.

In the case of a group charge, the battle often takes place at a farther distance... Seeing the enemy start a group charge from a distance, the other side will bombard with cannons and raise their guns, and it will be too late when they are close.

So soldiers naturally demanded rifles with a longer range and greater power, so all countries generally use rifle bullets with a range of one thousand meters.

In fact, one thousand meters can really play a role at this time. Thousands of rifles are already firing, and the dense bullets fly towards the charging enemies. A blind cat can kill several enemies when it encounters a dead mouse.

But the development of the war to the Second World War was different.

The difference between World War II and World War I lies in the extensive use of tanks, and group charges have been abandoned by various countries.

As a result, the rifle with a range of 1,000 meters quickly lost its effect... The enemy leaped forward in skirmish formation, and even had tanks covering them. The situation where long-distance shooting could hit the target or suppress the enemy as in World War I basically did not exist.

Even with the coordination of tanks and other equipment, the combat distance has become closer and closer.

According to statistics, 70% of the battles in World War II took place within 400 meters.

This distance is awkward with existing gear:

The rifle is too powerful and the range is too far, so it causes a lot of waste... A bullet with a range of 400 meters can do it, why do you need a range of 1000 meters? Either way it hits the target and kills it, does it matter a bigger hole or a smaller hole?

Waste is second to none. After all, war is all about consumption. The key point is that its recoil leaves no room for improvement.

The power of the submachine gun is too small and the range is close, most of them only have a range of 150 meters.

As a result, a firepower gap was formed between 150 meters and 400 meters.

Spakin thought for a moment, then said, "That's a big problem, you understand?"

"Yes, I know!" Shulka nodded.

Of course he knows that developing a new type of bullet means rebuilding a whole production line, and even after that, there will still be three kinds of bullets in the army, which is also a new problem for logistics.

"But I think it's worth it!" Shulka said: "It must also be the trend of war development! Because... the research and development of weapons and equipment is for war, not the other way around, hoping that war or soldiers adapt to outdated equipment system!"

Spakin nodded silently: "If you choose the latter, you want soldiers to adapt to the outdated equipment system, then they will be defeated by the enemy, that is, they will be eliminated by the enemy!"

"Yes, Comrade Spakin!" Shulka said. "This is the survival of the fittest, the law of the jungle of nature. Many people think that we humans are beyond this law, but others are not! Human beings are just... It’s just playing this game with the situation of war!”

Spakin gave a long sigh, looked at Shulka with admiration, and said: "That's right, Comrade Shulka! So, if you don't want to be eliminated by the enemy ... I think it's best to start this new type now The development of bullets!"

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