Volkssturmgewehr VG 1-5
| Volkssturmgewehr VG 1-5 | |
|---|---|
|
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| general information | |
| Military designation: | VG 1-5 |
| Country of operation: | German Empire |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Gustloff works |
| Development year: | 1944 |
| Manufacturer country: | German Empire |
| Production time: | January 1945 to May 1945 |
| Weapon Category: | Self-loading rifle |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 886 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 4.27 kg |
| Barrel length : | 380 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 7.92 x 33 mm |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 30 cartridges |
| Ammunition supply : | Curve magazine |
| Fire types: | Single fire |
| Visor : | open sights |
| Closure : | Gas delayed ground seal |
| Charging principle: | Recoil loader |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Volkssturmgewehr VG 1-5 ( Volkssturmgewehr Spezial , Volksgewehr or VG-45 ) was a self-loading rifle in caliber 7.92 × 33 mm , which was procured by the Wehrmacht to equip the Volkssturm .
history
After the Volkssturm was formed on October 18, 1944, and all "men aged 16 to 60 years of age capable of armed weapons" were required to do military service, the need for inexpensive and quickly manufactured rifles, so-called Volkssturm rifles, increased enormously. Various models have been developed by several companies. After the test phase, the self-loading rifle of the Gustloff works went into series production. The other models were repeating rifles (VG 1 and VG 2).
function
The locking system on which the VG 1-5 is based was developed in 1944 under the direction of the then chief designer Barnitzke and was a novelty. The VG 1-5 has a ground lock delayed by gas pressure . This works as follows: gas extraction holes in the barrel direct the gas into a sleeve that is pushed onto the front end of the barrel. The sleeve is connected to the barrel jacket on which the breech is attached at the rear end. The forward gas pressure in the case delays the return of the system as long as there is gas pressure, which allows the use of the central cartridge P43 in conjunction with an unlocked lock. That of the StG 44 serves as a magazine .
literature
- Terry Gander, Peter Chamberlain: Encyclopedia of German Weapons 1939–1945 - Hand weapons, artillery, captured weapons, special weapons , 2nd edition, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-613-02481-6 , p. 56
- Reiner Lidschun, Günter Wollert: Infantry weapons. Illustrated encyclopedia of infantry weapons from around the world up to 1945 , Parragon Verlag, ISBN 978-1-4454-3816-0 , p. 177ff
- Jaroslav Lugs: Handguns. Systematic overview of handguns and their history. 2 volumes. 8th edition. Military publishing house of the GDR, Berlin 1986, ISBN 3-327-00032-8 .
- WHB Smith, Joseph E. Smith: Small Arms of the World. The basic manual of military small arms. American - British - Russian - German - Italian - Japanese, and all other important Nations. 5th edition, revised and enlarged, 3rd printing. Military Service Publishing Co., Harrisburg PA 1957.
- WHB Smith, Joseph E. Smith: The Book of Rifles , Copyright 1948 by the National Rifle Association, The Stackpole Co. Harrisburg, PA, USA
- Melvin M. Johnson, Charles T. Haven: Automatic Weapons of the World , Copyright 1945 by the authors. William Morrow & Co. NY, USA.
Individual evidence
- ↑ R I C H T L I N I E *) Semi-automatic military rifles i. See number 29 d of the War Weapons List (KWL) ( Memento of October 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Guideline VB 3 - 10 17 03, Federal Office of Economics and Export Control , April 21, 1999
- ↑ VG 1-5 Semi-Auto Carbine in 7.62x33mm short Germany. Security Arms, accessed January 10, 2015 .
