PPSh-41

The Pistolet-pulemet Shpagin 41 (PPSh-41) (In Russian: Пистолет пулемёт Шпагин-41) Is a variant of Pistolet-pulemet. Designed by Georgii Shpagin. It is one of tommy-guns more mass-produced in WWII. Used by Soviet Union during the war.

This variant replaces the PPD, whose fabrication was expensive and time consuming. The PPSh-41 is designed to be a cheaper alternative. Its cost was based on not having all the screws and metal parts are stamped.

The PPSh was not only better from the standpoint of fabrication, their superiority also extending to other areas. He had a phenomenal rate of fire, about 900 TPM (rounds per minute) as a reputation for durability and need little maintenance. Also thought it was more targeted than many weapons from other countries more expensive and complex.

Some 6 million copies of this weapon was produced by the end of the war. Its reputation and availability meant that whole divisions were equipped with it.

Themselves German were very impressed with the gun and used it whenever captured. Due to the similar dimensions of the cartridge, 7.62 x 25 mm and 9 mm, only needed a good adapter to convert the ammunition PPSh-41 to fire live ammunition MP38/40. The Wehrmacht officially adapted PPSh-41 converted as MP717 (r).

The PPSh, survived the war and want the ease of construction or the large number of units available was used to support many guerrilla movements backed by the USSR.

However, PPS has some problems. She stuck a lot, especially in its version of the drum, and its high rate of fire, and ease of shooting meant that quickly spent ammunition available, which inevitably caused logistical problems for guerrilla movements. Moreover, in forests dense, their relative low power made it a relatively ineffective weapon.