The AK-47 becomes the standard infantry rifle of the USSR 10 years earlier

Lets say that Mikhail Kalashnikov, designer of the Automatic Kalashnikov, is born ten years earlier, and as a result, the AK-47 becomes the standard infantry rifle ten years earlier (with out the help of Hugo Schmeisser). This would put the rifle in the USSR army around the time that Nazi-Germany invaded Poland. How would this affect the war? Would it affect it at all? Would the Germans try to create an even better rifle?

Your thoughts good people of AH.com.
 
Ignoring butterflies as a result of Kalashnikov's earlier birth, while an AK-47 in WW2 would be rather cool, it probably wouldn't affect the war's outcome so much. Most likely the Germans would capture some, come out with an improved Stg.44, and lose all the same.
 

CalBear

Moderator
Donor
Monthly Donor
Not much difference except that there is a much greater need for ammunition in the war's first year-year & a half, something that the Soviets did not have in abundance in the early days of the war (the AK is a great burner of ammo). A significant percentage of the Red Army carried submachine guns by 1943 (mostly the PPSh-41 with its nasty little 7.62 Takarov round), but they were not the same sort of rock & roll all day long that the AK has proved to be.

A better question is WHY the Red Army would adopt the weapon. The idea and advantages of an assault rifle ran counter to military thinking of the pre-war period.
 

Nikephoros

Banned
http://world.guns.ru/assault/as00-e.htm

The history of the concept of the assault rifle started in the early 1910's, when the famous Russian armorer, col. Fedorov designed a small-bore selective-fire rifle with detachable box magazine. Initially, Fedorow designed a brand new small-caliber 6.5mm cartridge for his rifle, but, due to WW1, switched to the Japanese 6.5mm Arisaka load, which was less powerful than the Russian 7.62x54R and available in quantity. This rifle was aquired by the Russian army in small numbers in 1916 and served (in very limited quantities though) with the Russian and Soviet (Red) Army up to 1925. While the design of the selective-fire rifle was not unique for that time, the concept of the "lightened" cartridge, more suitable for full-auto fire, was new. Also, col.Fedorov invented the idea of infantry weapons families (assault rifle, light machinegun, medium machinegun, vehicle and/or aircraft mounted MGs) based on the same actions and receivers.

I wouldn't quite call that an assault rifle, but the concept WAS out there.
 
The European theater was not an infantry war, hence the assault rifle would not have had a strategic effect. Certain close quarters battles like Stalingrad would have resulted in lower casualties and quicker going for the Soviets.
 
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