Hugo schmeisser left the designer of the stg44, and mikhail kalashnikov right, designer of the ak47. The ak47 and ak74 kalashnikov rifles and their variations. Mikhail kalashnikov admits german help to create ak47 rifle tuesday, february 17, 2009 posted by transsylvania phoenix at 5. Mikhail kalashnikov biography of mikhail kalashnikov. I did break down and buy one of the usa made aks, the io sports, a couple years ago, mostly just for the sake of familiarity. Timofey kalashnikov was deported when mikhail was still a boy. Russias famous small arms designer published monday, july 14, 2014 was the recently deceased mikhail kalashnikov, known as the creator of the worlds most popular infantry weapon, a genius and a hero, or a false soviet idol. Looking at some of his other work, i cant rule out at least the possibility that this rumor id true. Mikhail kalashnikov, the world famous soviet and russian designer of small arms. After ww2 altogether with 16 other german engineers was held in captivity for 6 years 19461952 where around their inventions was organised russian soviet. And what role, if any, did hugo schmeisser play in the invention.
In 1930, his father and most of his family were deprived of property and deported to the village of nizhnyaya mokhovaya, tomsk oblast. From his hospital bed, he began work on an automatic rifle layout. Kalashnikov, a peasant autodidact and then a loyal communist, filled the bill perfectly. Kalashnikov was born 16 july 1942 in kazakh ssr, soviet union, the son of legendary weapons designer mikhail kalashnikov and ekaterina viktorovna kalashnikova. Sergeant mikhail timofeyevich kalashnikov is widely credited with having invented the rifle that. Only a week was left of 20 when mikhail kalashnikov died at 94, the k. He went on to write six books and continued to write poetry all of his life. Kalashnikov is still generally credited as the designer of the ak47, though he did admit in 2009 in an interview given on the occasion of his 90 th birthday that he might have been helped by hugo schmeisser and his team. Explore books by mikhail kalashnikov with our selection at. Mikhail kalashnikov books and biography waterstones. Since 1949, mikhail kalashnikov has lived and worked in izhevsk, udmurtia. Kalashnikov won a weapon layout competition, which resulted in the creation of his ak47 rifle.
For the umpteenth time the installation of a monument to the famous soviet and russian arms designer, m. The mp18 was designed by louis and hugo schmeisser, 10,000 were issued to the end of wwi, more after that. Dec 23, 20 mikhail kalashnikov, who designed the assault rifle that has killed more people than any other firearm in the world, died monday at the age of 94 kalashnikov, who was in his 20s when he created the ak47 just after world war ii, died in his home city of izhevsk, near the ural mountains, where his gun is still made, a spokesman for the provinces president said. The ak47 was first fielded with russian troops in 1949, years before the us issued its true. Diamond company alrosa extracted 29 december 1995 gem diamonds weighing 50. The opening ceremony of the monument to constructor of small arms mikhail kalashnikov. Who was the one that came up with this great creation. Its just a version, that the ak47 assault rifle was engineered by hugo schmeisser in cooperation with group of other german engineers. Kalashnikov was born on 10 november 1919 in kurya, altai krai, russia, one of nineteen children to timofey aleksandrovich kalashnikov 18831930 and aleksandra frolovna kalashnikova 18841957.
Mar 27, 2014 i red in comments in some article about kalashnikov that after the ww2 russians forced hugo schmeisser with some other german technicians to help recreat mp43 to ak47 and then they spread a propaganda that kalashnikov created ak47. Eugene stoner, mikhail kalashnikov, hugo schmeisser, assault rifle. On september 19, 2017, a gigantic monument was unveiled in the central part of moscow, ordered by the russian militaryhistorical society rvio founded in 2012 by president vladimir putins decree. It is an aw kent as a kalashnikov, an ak, or in roushie slang, kalash. Jan, 2014 mikhail kalashnikov, who designed the ak47, wrote a letter to the head of the russian orthodox church shortly before his death in december saying he feared he was to blame for the untold. Russian experts admit it is hard to determine hugo schmeisser s contribution to the design and development of the ak47 assault rifle because all official documents. After deportation to tomsk oblast, his family had to combine farming with hunting, and.
If youre interested in what else the the captains journal has to say, you might try thumbing through the archives and visiting the main index, or. Kalashnikov, was followed by a whole chain of scandals. Mikhail timofeyevich kalashnikov 10 november 1919 23 december 20 was a russian designer who is known for designing the ak47, akm, and ak74 assault rifles when he served in the soviet army during world war ii. Chivers was an officer in the us marine corps before joining the new york times as a senior wr. Mikhail kalashnikov union of soviet socialist republics. Kalashnikov statue changed because of german weapon bbc.
In plain language, this simple man straightforwardly tells of the adversity he surmounted as a youth to. I do not believe that mikhail kalashnikov was as involved in the development of the ak47 as the soviets led the world to believe. The life and work of hugo schmeisser mostly took place in the weapons manufacturing city of suhl, thuringia. Dec 24, 20 mikhail kalashnikov, the former red army sergeant behind one of the worlds most omnipresent weapons the ak47 and its variants and copies, used by national armies, terrorists, drug gangs.
Hugo schmeisser was interrogated for weeks by weapon expert teams of the. The first automatic weapon of this kind the sturmgewehr 44 was developed by the germans during the latter part of world war two. Mikhail kalashnikov, inventor of the ak47 dead at 94. Schmeisser s work while in izhevsk 19461952 is shrouded in darkness. Kalashnikov, the arms designer credited by the soviet union with creating the ak47, the first in a series of rifles and machine guns that would indelibly associate his name with modern war and become the most abundant firearms ever made, died on monday in izhevsk, the capital of the udmurtia republic, where he lived.
Mikhail kalashnikovs monument was opened this week to great. Today news sad news has arrived that mikhail kalashnikov has died after a lengthy illness, said the. Can you believe that the new monument in moscow to honor. But the russians are claiming that the similarities are stopping once you get to look inside the rifle. Explore through and see which you might want to buy first, or next. The gun that changed the world by mikhail kalashnikov with andrew brown and elana joly. Dec 23, 20 the inventor of the iconic ak47 assault rifle, mikhail kalashnikov has died at the age of 94. Kalashnikov statue altered after sculptors monumental error world. From start to finish, the life of mikhail kalashnikov is the stuff of soviet peasantbringsglorytomotherrussia legend. Schmeisser was working in izhevsk while kalashnikov, a senior sergeant lacking special education, was supposedly developing his ak47 during three years period from 1945 to 1947 in a different plant, in the. In addition, a number of german laborers were enlisted or coerced to work in the ussr under the technical designer.
Mikhail kalashnikov admitted in 2009 that schmeisser helped design him the famous ak47. His signature invention has been reproduced more than 100 million times since. Legends and reality of the ak i had a copy of this until water damage destroyed it. The stg44 sturmgewehr 44 was invented by hugo schmeisser and first. Mikhail kalashnikov author of the gun that changed the world. Russia unveils monument of mikhail kalashnikov, designer of. Produced in 1919, mikhail kalashnikov grew up in a big peasant family. Kalashnikov who started as a selftaughtinventor ascended to the prominent position of general designer of small arms for the soviet army. After wwii, as gemeral designer of small arms for the soviet army, his design subordinates included the germans hugo schmeisser, designer of the stg 44, and werner gruner of mg42. Hugo schmeisser 24 september 1884 12 september 1953 was a german developer of infantry weapons in the 20th century schmeisser was born in jena, thuringia. Mikhail kalashnikov was born november 10, 1919 in the village kurya altai region in a large peasant family. The rifle was designed by mikhail timofeyevich kalashnikov ak stands for automatic kalashnikov, back when he. Justice demands that hugo schmeisser be acknowledged as the designer of the worlds most popular infantry weapon, while mikhail kalashnikov be known for what he was.
Kalashnikov statue changed because of german weapon bbc news. Schmeisser, however, broke even popular perception. After the second world war, hugo schmeisser, the designer of stg44 also known as mp44, found himself in russian izhevsk, and few years later russia magically comes up with its own ak47. He holds an advanced degree of doctor of technical sciences. The most popular automatic rifle in history was first put into use on this day in 1947 hence the marking 47. Mikhail kalashnikov s autobiography is an intriguing look into the life and mind of a selftaught weapons designer who believed in what he did and for whom he did it.
Kalashnikovseries assault rifles by gordon l rottman. As his surname would imply, his invention was the kalashnikov assault rifle, the ak47. Kalashnikov became the laureate of state reward again. How did the theory that a kalashnikov rifle was invented by. Ak47 designer kalashnikov wrote penitent letter cbs news. The assault rifle designed by hugo schmeisser during wwii stg 44 sturmgewehr 44, also known as mp 43 and mp 44 looks very similar with the ak47, designed by kalasnikov. Each man had a reputation for tinkering and each began designing firearms. Is there any solid evidence that mikhail kalashnikov is. Many historians are claiming michail kalashnikov has stolen the ak47 design from the germans. Hugo schmeisser did, except of course his original customer was hitlers army rather than stalins. These are the biggest myths about the infamous ak47 the. Top 5 myths about the iconic kalashnikov assault rifle russia beyond.
Hugo schmeisser 24 september 1884 12 september 1953 was a german developer of 20th century infantry weapons schmeisser was born in jena, thuringia. Mikhail timofeyevich kalashnikov, russian weapons designer born nov. Weapons 190320 was the gunsmith hugo schmeisser by the creator of the kalashnikov supporters of the german origin of the kalashnikov assault rifle the two main argument. Allegedly, german engineer hugo schmeiser, who worked in izhevsk after ww2 really developed an ak and kalashnikov had nothing to do with it. The ak47 was the creation of mikhail kalashnikov 191920, while the ar15 was the brainchild of eugene morrison stoner 19221997. Mikhail kalashnikov admits german help in creating ak47. Son siberian fist mikhail kalashnikov before the war, managed to finish only seven years. Jan 14, 2014 ak47 designer, mikhail kalashnikov, dead at 94 moscow in a regretful letter penned a few months before his death, mikhail kalashnikov, the designer of the ak47 assault rifle, asked the head of. Nov 20, 2012 the word over there is that it is a german design that did not make it into production before the war ended, and that the actual designer was none other than hugo schmeiser. Mikhail kalashnikov biography famous people biographies. In fact, avtomat kalashnikova, or ak47, has precious little to do with mikhail timofeyevich himself he was merely appointed to be its inventor, writes alan petrov on russian defence blog maxpark.
Usually, the theory presented is that the ak47 is a conversion of the german sturmgewehr 44 rifle, designed by hugo schmeisser. The story that it was the brainchild of the lowly sergeant mikhail kalashnikov made great soviet propaganda, but the origins of the design remain a mystery. Kalashnikov was born on 10 november 1919 in kuriya, altai krai, russian sfsr. The following is an article that was originally written in russian by tfb contributor maxim popenker, and andrey ulanov, and translated to english by peter samsonov. The most popular rifle in the world ak47 kalashnikov.
The ak47 is the most commonly encountered assault rifle on the planet. The twoway the designer of the ak47, who died last month, reportedly wrote a 2012 letter to the head of the russian orthodox church. For the development of the light machine gun kalashnikov was awarded the title of the hero of socialist labour. Technical education hugo schmeisser as his soviet rival mikhail kalashnikov, was not. His father, louis schmeisser 18481917, was one of the bestknown weapons designers in europe. He holds a degree of doctor of technical sciences 1971 and is a member of 16 academies. Mikhail kalashnikov wikipedia, a enciclopedia livre. Moscow unveils monument to kalashnikov, designer of ak47. Russia unveils monument of mikhail kalashnikov, designer of iconic ak47 rifle. Mikhail timofeyevich kalashnikov soviet military designer.
Hugo schmeisser and his brother hans were interrogated for weeks by weapon expert teams of the american and british secret services. It was a 5meterhigh statue of mikhail kalashnikov, the designer of the infamous machine gun in 1949, on a 4meterhigh pedestal. Here are some reliable, verifiable published sources. Mikhail kalashnikov holds a prototype of his famous ak47 assault rifle, during a. The assault rifle designed by hugo schmeisser during wwii. With as many as 100 million copies in circulation no one knows the exact figure, it is the bestselling gun of all time. Also i red that kalashnikov was stupid person who didnt know anything about building wepons. I was watching a documentary about the ak47 earlier and they did a short interview with a russian man who is skeptical that kalashnikov designed the rifle.
Kalashnikov was a tank mechanic, while stoner served in the united states marines corps. Tribune mikhail kalashnikovs autobiography is an intriguing look into the life and mind of a selftaught weapons designer who believed in what he did and for whom he did it. The kalashnikov isnt by kalashnikov alexander boot. Dec 23, 20 mikhail kalashnikov, inventor of the ak47, died at age 94 monday after a decorated career in the russian military. Victor graduated in 1966 from a mechanical institute in izhevsk in the soviet union.
Mikhail kalashnikov is the author of the gun that changed the world 3. More than 1,000,000 mp40 were issued during wwii, developed at erma by heinrich vollmer from earlier designs that schmeisser. How the father of the ak47 became an unlikely soviet hero. When asked if this is an ak47, one officer said no, and then added but every part is compatible. Idk if its true, just red it in comments and curious. A little over three decades ago i was in the army, and one of the weapons we trained with was based on the ak47. He is probably most universally known for the maschinenpistole 40, a weapon he did not design, he simply held the patent of the mp40s box magazine. Kalashnikov suffered remorse over rifle he invented.
Nra, russian banker went to bat for kalashnikov talking. Hugo schmeissers request to increase his salary, march 4th, 1947. Hugo schmeisser 24 september 1884 12 september 1953 was a german developer of. Oct 09, 2003 shamed by his parents exile, he was determined to do his bit for the soviet cause. His claim was that hugo schmeisser was the lead designer and the story of a sergeant tank commander designing the ak is propaganda. Was the gunsmith hugo schmeisser by the creator of the.
In his design engineering department, hugo schmeisser and dr. Mikhail kalashnikov admitted in 2009 that schmeisser helped. Hugo schmeisser was a german and soviet developer of infantry weapons in the 20th century. Mikhail kalashnikov born 1919 received not only the soviet unions highest. Proceedings of the 8th international seminar held in uzhgorod, ussr lecture notes in mathematics by kalashnikov, v. Russia unveils monument of mikhail kalashnikov, designer of iconic ak47 rifle the ak47, the smallarms mainstay of russias armed forces for over 60 years, is also featured on the national emblems of several african nations and on that of east timor. In opposition, the russians claim that schmeisser only role was to implement the new manufacturing technologies for mass producing the new assault rifle.
Today, kalashnikov designs have become the most widely manufactured and best known military small arms in history. Home ak47 moscow unveils monument to kalashnikov, designer of ak47 a new monument to russian firearm designer mikhail kalashnikov is unveiled during an official ceremony in moscow, russia, tuesday, sept. But father hugo was one of the most famous european gunsmiths louis schmeisser designed and made the machine guns even before the first world war. In 2009, kalashnikov allegedly admitted that schmeisser helped. One of them is the legendary kalashnikov, the ak47. We offer some links to books for sale where we can.
Prior to world war ii, automatic rifles were already in service, and semiautomatic rifles as well, but none were fairly lightweight and highly controllable in full automatic fire. He went on to write six books and has continued to write poetry all his life. I had an overall negative feeling about mikhail kalashnikov when i first heard that he died. Hugo schmeisser was a german developer of infantry weapons in the 20th century. Anyone who read about the history of an ak, heard the theory of german involvement. Recently, yuri pasholok pointed out an unfortunate mistake that was made by the sculptor, who placed an exploded diagram of a sturmgewehr on the monument. Thus the ak47 emerged as the model t of assault rifles.
Then there is the fact that hugo schmeisser, who did in fact help develop the stg44, worked in the russian city of izhevsk after world war ii. Mikhail kalashnikov simple english wikipedia, the free. I considered it one of those mild, everyday ironies that the man who invented one of the killing machines of the 20 th century, the ak47, was now, himself, dead. In his youth, kalashnikov wrote poetry, and his dream was to become a poet. Inventor of iconic ak47 assault rifle mikhail kalashnikov. Sep 26, 2017 a statue of the inventor of the ak47 assault rifle featured an embarrassing mistake. This article is filed under the categorys firearms,guns and was published december 23rd, 20 by herschel smith. Schmeisser was working in izhevsk while kalashnikov was supposedly developing the ak47 from 1945 to 1947 in a different plant, in the city of kovrov.
Mikhail kalashnikov got the stalin state reward first class for his invention. Was ak47 assault rifle developed by hugo schmeisser. In his public interviews kalashnikov, who died last month at the age of 94, insisted that he created the ak47 assault rifle and dozens of other firearms as a means to protect his country, and rejected responsibility for killings perpetrated by militants and terrorists using his weapons. In plain language, this simple man straightforwardly tells of the adversity he surmounted as a youth to achieve the pinnacle of success as an adult. Much of the design work on the haenel model was by hugo schmeisser, who later worked on the ak47 as forced labor. Interestingly, kalashnikov is also a poet who published six books. As evidence, the author claims that kalashnikov and schmeisser worked together in izhevsk in 194652, and that the ak is visually similar to the stg 44. Statue of ak47 inventor accidentally features wrong rifle. The other books i have read myself and they all agree on the major points of. The name of mikhail timofeyevich kalashnikov has become well known the world over because of the avtomat kalashnikova, the eponymous assault rifle which he designed and perfected. Kalashnikov, the arms designer credited by the soviet union with creating the ak47, the first in a series of rifles and machine guns that would indelibly associate his name.
Mikhail kalashnikov was served as a poster boy to heap all the credit for invention upon, so as to draw attention away from the. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. And so mikhail kalashnikov invented what was to become the worlds most prolific killing machine. Hugo schmeisser did, except of course his original customer was hitlers. Schmeisser died in 1953 and never spoke about his time in russia. Gruner mg 42, a pioneer in the area of the sheet metal embossing technology, worked into the 1950s. Its the same ulterior motive that animated my new book how the future.