The PPD-40 No. 149 KF submachine gun was one of the most unique weapons used only on the Karelian Front. At the moment, only two samples of this gun have been preserved on the territory of Russia.
In the initial period of the war a severe shortage of weapons and ammunition arose on the Northern, and then on the Karelian Front. The stocks were already emptied in the first year of the war, and the supply from the central regions was on a residual basis — the Karelian Front was considered secondary. Marching reinforcements often came without weapons and there was nothing to arm them with. In this regard, production of weapons was unfolded at local industrial facilities in the rear of the Karelian Front. One such locally produced weapon was the Karelo-Finnish submachine gun (“KF”), which was manufactured at the Segezha Pulp and Paper Mill that was moved to a war footing.
The submachine gun was produced in a semi-artisanal way. Necessary equipment and resources were lacking. In 1942, no more than several hundred units in total were produced with great difficulty.
At a structural level, the “KF” is an extremely simplified submachine gun with a wooden stock of the Degtyaryov system, reminiscent of the Finnish “Suomi” submachine gun. Due to the semi-artisanal way of production, both metal and wooden components were extremely roughly made. The released units had slightly different details and design elements. Wooden stocks were produced by the Belomorsk Sawmill.
Poor production capabilities resulted in extremely low quality of the submachine guns. The Department of Small Arms of the Main Artillery Directorate of the Red Army noted the following shortcomings: continuous failure of cartridges in the chamber, jamming of cartridges in the magazine well, loss of the magazine, lack of a single fire mode, flimsy fastening of the casing, etc.
The report was concluded by stating that production of such weapons at the factories of the Karelo-Finnish SSR was not allowed. The exhibit on display was transferred to the Museum of the Republic of Karelia from the reserves of the Central Warehouse of the Osoaviakhim in Petrozavodsk in 1946.
