First Assault Rifles

Many historians believe that the first assault rifle was the Sturmgewehr 44, otherwise known as the STG44. The Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifles were the outcome of the German need to provide infantrymen with heavier firepower from their rifles. Which before the STG44 were not effective in close range combat. Prior to this design, heavy fire power from infantry units were typically in the form of machine gun crews. The STG44 assault rifles were designed to resolve this issue as well, providing individual soldiers with greater fire power without needing to wait for machine gun crews to arrive and set up. “The STG44 assault rifle design was considered revolutionary.” (WWII Database) Even though the design did not particularly evolve to any significant advances, the concept of assault rifles certainly lived on and became the standard weapons of modern infantrymen. The AK-47 and the M16 assault rifles, for example, hailed no heritage from STG44 design directly, but the STG44 assault rifles undoubtedly changed the thinking of the standard issue infantry rifles.

I think the STG44 had the greatest impact, out of all the weapons that I have talked about, on the outcome of what guns are today. The weapon was loved by those who used it and feared by those who stood in its sights. Although the STG44 was such an advanced weapon it came too late during WWII to make a difference in the war. But none the less the ones that did make it to the battle field reeked havoc on its enemies.

"Sturmgewehr 44." WWII Database. FlumeCreekCompanyLLC , 2/7/10. Web. 16 May 2010. .