StG45

Infobox Weapon
name=Sturmgewehr 45


caption=Sturmgewehr 45
origin=flagcountry|Nazi Germany
type=Assault rifle
is_ranged=yes
service=May 1945
used_by=Nazi Germany
wars=World War II
designer=
design_date=1944
manufacturer=
production_date=1945
number=
variants=
weight=kg to lb|5.22|abbr=on|precision=1|wiki=yes
length=mm to in|940|abbr=on|precision=1|wiki=yes
part_length=mm to in|419|abbr=on|precision=1|wiki=yes
cartridge=7.92x33mm Kurz
action=Roller-delayed blowback
rate=350-450 rounds/min
velocity=convert|685|m/s|0|lk=on|sp=us|abbr=on
range=300 m
feed=10 or 30-round detachable box magazine
sights=Rear: V-notch; front: hooded post

The Mauser Sturmgewehr 45 (aka StG45(M), literally "Storm Rifle" or "Assault Rifle" 1945) was a prototype assault rifle developed by Mauser for the Wehrmacht at the end of World War II, using a roller-delayed blowback mechanism. It fired 7.92x33mm (7.92 mm "Kurz") ammunition at a cyclic rate of around 450 rounds per minute.

Overview

The Sturmgewehr 45 was intended to replace the Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle, because the latter was rather expensive and time-consuming to produce. Compared to the StG44's cost of 70 Reichsmarks, the StG45(M)'s calculated cost was 45 Reichsmarks. Parts for only 30 complete rifles were produced before the war ended.

While the StG45(M) was intended to use the same 30-round magazine as its predecessor, the rifle is commonly pictured with the 10-round magazine designed for the Volksturmgewehr. The shorter magazine was used by Mauser engineers during testing, as its lower profile was easier to use when test-firing at the Mauser facility range.

The German technicians involved in developing the Sturmgewehr 45 continued their research in France at AME. The StG45 mechanism was modified by Vorgrimmler, Löffler and Kunert at the Mulhouse facility between 1946 and 1949. Three versions were made, chambered in .30 Carbine, 7.92x33mm Kurz as well as the 7.65x35mm cartridge developed by Cartoucherie de Valence and adopted in 1948; a 7.5x38mm variant using a partial aluminium bullet was abandoned in 1947. The AME 49, under the name Carabine Mitrailleuse 1950, was retained for production among 12 different prototypes designed by AME, MAC and MAS. When France canceled the mass production of this weapon, the team went to work at CETME in Spain and developed the line of CETME automatic rifles.

Germany eventually purchased the license for the design and manufactured the Heckler & Koch G3 as well as an entire line of weapons built on the same system, one of the most famous being the MP5.

A few other post-World War II weapons used the roller-delayed locking system, such as the SIG 510.

ources

* [http://www.feldgrau.com/articles.php?ID=60 "German Weapons during WWII"]
* [http://www.bellum.nu/armoury/HKG3.html "Heckler & Koch G3"]