MKb 42(H) First Appearance

I wrote about Sturmgewehr intel before, but here's an even earlier appearance:

"Main data:

1. Automatic fire provided by gunpowder gases passing through the gas opening.
2. The barrel locks via the bolt tilting.
3. Uses a special shortened round, similar to the rifle ones.
4. Range: up to 800 meters.
5. Has a selector for automatic and single-shot fire.
6. Equipped with a bayonet for hand to hand combat."

The intelligence brief reads:

"Carbine-machinegun MK-42

The model 1942 7.92 mm carbine-machinegun with a 30-36 round special magazine (uses shortened 7.92 mm rifle bullets) is carried on a strap affixed to the stock and across from the bayonet lug. It's easy to disassemble. Judging by the design, the magazine is also used as a foregrip (there is no sign of an attachable bipod). Externally, the gun is composed of the following parts:

1. Barrel
2. Front sight with safety
3. Gas piston pipe
4. Barrel shroud
5. Rear sight
6. Bolt
7. Magazine
8. Base with pistol grip and trigger guard
9. Stock with an opening for accessories

The striker mechanism of the machinegun-carbine is composed of the following parts:

1. Gas piston
2. Operating slide
3. Bolt base
4. Bolt (there is a safety on the bolt plunger and a handle for pulling it back)

The bolt is composed of the following parts:

1. Bolt case
2. Extractor
3. Firing pin

Judging by the design of the cooling system, it can be expected that the rate of fire and automatic qualities of the machinegun-carbine are not high."

PTRS Penetration

"August 25th, 1941
To the Chair of the State Committee of Defense of the USSR, comrade Stalin I.V.

Engineer Simonov proposed an anti-tank rifle that is both simply designed and powerful. During trials at NIPSVO, the following characteristics were recorded:

• Caliber: 14.5 mm
• Mass: 21.45 kg
• Length: 2220 mm
• Muzzle velocity: 1060 m/s
• Practical rate of fire: 15 RPM

The penetration of this rifle is sufficient to fight enemy light and medium tanks, as demonstrated in the following tables:

Range (meters)	Angle (degrees)	Armour thickness (mm)	Percentage of complete penetrations
Production bullet
350	20	20	80%
Metallo-ceramic bullet
100	0	40	100%
200	0	35	100%
300	0	35	100%
700	0	30	100%
700	20	20	100%
1000	20	20	100%
1200	20	20	50%
Metallo-ceramic bullet with tracer
100	0	50	100%
150	0	50	50%
250	0	40	50%
200	20	35	100%
250	20	35	100%
700	20	30	100%
800	20	30	50%

The German anti-tank rifle is a good mass produced measure against light tanks at ranges of up to 500 meters. Simonov's rifle, on the other hand, has superior power, rate of fire, is simpler to produce, and allows infantry to independently fight tanks at the following ranges:

• 20 mm: 1000-1200 meters
• 30 mm: 700-800 meters
• 40 mm: 200-250 meters
• 50 mm: 100-150 meters

Additionally, Simonov's rifle is self-loading, allowing firing of 5 shots in 4-5 seconds in close range tank attacks. 

I think that is is necessary to take action to put Simonov's 14.5 mm anti-tank rifle into production.

Chief of the Red Army GAU, General-Colonel of Artillery, Yakovlev

Red Army GAU Military Commissar, Brigadier Commissar, Novikov"

Via gistory.