What is true and what are myths about the creator of the legendary Kalashnikov assault rifle, and why this weapon is called number 1 in the world

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The abbreviation AK rarely needs additional decoding. There are more legends than facts about the creation of a legendary weapon, as well as about the creator himself. Did Mikhail Timofeevich borrow German developments? Could a sergeant with a 7-grade education have realized such a successful project? Did third-party engineers help him? And why even the enemies of the Russians prefer the Kalashnikov assault rifle?

Official version and help from colleagues

The generally accepted version of the creation of the legendary machine gun says that in 1941, the tank commander of Art. Sergeant Kalashnikov ended up in the hospital, where he began to ponder the future invention. Behind the shoulders of the young soldier were already successful rationalization proposals in the pre-war period of service in the tank forces. After being discharged, Kalashnikov was given a six-month leave, during which the young innovator began to design weapons. He had access to workshops in Alma-Ata, where, with the help and support of the institute's staff, he created the first submachine gun.

This sample did not pass the tests, but the self-taught inventor interested the experts. Subsequent developments with the participation of colleagues lasted about 5 years, after which the AK was presented at the test site. Three modified samples reached the final stage - Dementieva, Kalashnikov and Bulkin. But it was the universal model of Mikhail Timofeevich, due to its reliability and simplicity, that was adopted by the SA in 1949. Some researchers are completely sure that the designer alone carried out all the work, from drawings to zeroing. But the main part of experts is inclined to believe that the AK has incorporated the best developments of the tested designs. Much, according to the testimony of individual eyewitnesses, was made for the future machine gun by the designer Zaitsev - Kalashnikov's partner. The latter, having carefully studied all the available solutions, competently combined the best characteristics from various types of weapons, creating a world-famous assault rifle.

Sergeant and incomplete schooling

In 2002, an anonymous article was published in Moscow, refuting the involvement of Kalashnikov in the invention of the famous weapon. In a published interview with the developer Shiryaev, the world-famous inventor was called a figurehead who had never participated in the competition for the best weapon.

The topic was also discussed that an inconspicuous sergeant, who did not even graduate from high school, would never have surpassed the knowledge of experienced gunsmith designers. In response to these statements, an article by retired lieutenant colonel Antonov followed, in which he called the accusatory publication a routine sensation by the "elusive Joe" and pointed out the complete inconsistency of the material presented. The hero of the printed skirmishes Kalashnikov also considered it necessary to appear in the Military Knowledge magazine with explanations, laying out objective refutations on the shelves.

German Borrowings and Fritz Partner

Periodically, the opinion pops up that Kalashnikov in his work simply copied the main units from the German Sturmgever rifle. This myth was debunked by military historian and weapons researcher Andrei Ulanov. He claims that a completely independent weapons school existed in the USSR. The developers focused on reliability, achieved by a minimum of rubbing surfaces and energy potential, which made it possible to grind any debris that fell into the mechanism. This became a distinctive feature of the Kalashnikov weapon, thanks to which he won over other creators of assault rifles.

Military experts have relied on a high degree of reliability, pushing the revision of the remaining parameters to the background. By the way, the borrowed components are also available in the "Sturmgever": the trigger mechanism, for example, coincides with the invention of the Czech Holek. But the thing is that the main shooting schemes were invented at the dawn of the twentieth century. Why then not accuse the authors of all pistols of repeating Browning's scheme, considering him the progenitor? The second version, working against Kalashnikov, is his personal collaboration with the German Schmeisser. Ulanov claims that this is impossible, since these people have never met, working in different cities. Kalashnikov, according to supporters of the historian's beliefs, created an absolutely original sample. Its assault rifle differs from the "Sturmgewer" in the parsing scheme and the concept of the structure.

Components of success and worldwide fame

When Kalashnikov was asked what he saw as the secret of his success, he explained that he always remembered: soldiers do not graduate from academies. Simplicity paired with reliability was seen by him as a paramount task. Therefore, even a schoolboy was able to assemble and disassemble the AK. Having achieved success and recognition, the designer did not stop working on the modernization of his brainchild. Today, several modifications with additional devices are known. So, in some models it is meant to mount an under-barrel grenade launcher, a muzzle compensator (for less recoil), a bayonet, a night vision device, etc. In terms of sales, the Kalashnikov assault rifle has surpassed its main competitor - the American M-16 rifle (100 million units / 10 million).

This fact allows us to call the AK the most versatile weapon both in the Soviet Union and among foreigners. This sample has withstood many years of testing, proving its reliability and durability even in the most difficult climatic conditions. The first massive use of AK outside the Union occurred in 1956 when the uprising in Hungary was suppressed. AK was also noted in the Vietnam War. The machine gun was used by soldiers of the North Vietnamese army and partisans of the NLF. In the impenetrable jungle, M-16s periodically failed, as a result of which the Americans sometimes changed their weapons for captured AKs. The popularity of the AK was also brought about by the Afghan war, where terrorists were already armed with Kalashnikov's invention. It is said that when the leader of the Afghan mujahideen and the sworn enemy of the Soviet military, Ahmad Shah Massoud, was asked about the preferred weapon, he answered: "Kalashnikov."

By the way, the surname Kalashnikov itself can tell a lot about its wearer. Like the usual Russian surnames Livanov, Gilyarovsky, Furmanov, etc.