The Degtyaryov light machine gun ranks third among the most popular weapons used by the Soviet army during the Great Patriotic War after the PPSh-41 and Mosin’s rifle. Vasily Alekseyevich Degtyaryov made the first drawings for this gun as early as in 1923. He created it based on his own automatic carbine, which he had designed back in 1915.
On December 21, 1927, after passing the required tests, the light machine gun was recommended to the Red Army. According to the test results, Degtyaryov’s gun proved superior to the Tokarev gun and the Dreyze machine gun. The new weapon was produced in Kovrov where Vasily Degtyaryov lived and worked for many years.
With a total length of 126 cm and a weight of 8.4 kg, the machine gun was equipped with a 47-round pan magazine. The sight was designed for firing at distances up to 1,500 meters. Most likely, the gun was first used in combat during the conflict on the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1929. By that time, a significant number of such machine guns had been supplied to the army.
The efficiency of the gun was demonstrated during the Spanish Civil War, and the battles of Lake Khasan and Khalkhin Gol. However, by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the Degtyaryov machine gun was already inferior to newer and more advanced models according to several characteristics.
Vasily Degtyaryov’s gun became the first machine gun mass produced in the Soviet Union and helped the designer join the ranks of the most famous and respected gunsmiths of the country. The gun was widely used as the main fire support for infantry until the end of World War II.
As the gun was used so actively, a number of shortcomings were also identified, including a small magazine capacity and an inconvenient location of the return spring under the barrel: the spring often heated up and became deformed as a result of frequent firing. The barrel of the gun was also difficult to replace. During the war, the design of the gun was improved to eliminate the shortcomings. In particular, its working life was increased by moving the return spring to the rear of the receiver.
The Degtyaryov machine gun of the 1944 model, unlike its predecessor, had a pistol grip and a blade fuse instead of an automatic safety fuse. In 1945, this machine gun began to be supplied to the troops and was used in battles at the end of the Great Patriotic War.
On December 21, 1927, after passing the required tests, the light machine gun was recommended to the Red Army. According to the test results, Degtyaryov’s gun proved superior to the Tokarev gun and the Dreyze machine gun. The new weapon was produced in Kovrov where Vasily Degtyaryov lived and worked for many years.
With a total length of 126 cm and a weight of 8.4 kg, the machine gun was equipped with a 47-round pan magazine. The sight was designed for firing at distances up to 1,500 meters. Most likely, the gun was first used in combat during the conflict on the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1929. By that time, a significant number of such machine guns had been supplied to the army.
The efficiency of the gun was demonstrated during the Spanish Civil War, and the battles of Lake Khasan and Khalkhin Gol. However, by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the Degtyaryov machine gun was already inferior to newer and more advanced models according to several characteristics.
Vasily Degtyaryov’s gun became the first machine gun mass produced in the Soviet Union and helped the designer join the ranks of the most famous and respected gunsmiths of the country. The gun was widely used as the main fire support for infantry until the end of World War II.
As the gun was used so actively, a number of shortcomings were also identified, including a small magazine capacity and an inconvenient location of the return spring under the barrel: the spring often heated up and became deformed as a result of frequent firing. The barrel of the gun was also difficult to replace. During the war, the design of the gun was improved to eliminate the shortcomings. In particular, its working life was increased by moving the return spring to the rear of the receiver.
The Degtyaryov machine gun of the 1944 model, unlike its predecessor, had a pistol grip and a blade fuse instead of an automatic safety fuse. In 1945, this machine gun began to be supplied to the troops and was used in battles at the end of the Great Patriotic War.
