alashnikov’s design was the final form for which the German-built Sturmgewehr 44 was the battlefield prototype. Experience showed the Germans that the average submachine gun was too muscular for reliable accuracy within a thousand feet, which made it sketchy in close combat situations. The existing standard 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge was thus shortened, resulting in the StG 44. That weapon, produced in sufficient numbers to see widespread action during World War II, is generally regarded as the first true assault rifle.
Elements of the StG 44 are plainly evident in Kalashnikov’s original AK-47.
