In 1942, the Soviet weapons designer Alexei Ivanovich Sudaev developed a new weapon, which later many experts would call the best submachine gun of the Great Patriotic War. We are talking about 7, 62-mm submachine guns of the Sudaev system of the 1942 and 1943 models, the famous ones - PPS. In total, over half a million Sudayev submachine guns of both modifications were fired during the war years.
At the time of the beginning of the design of the new submachine gun, the famous PPSh-41 was already in service with the Red Army, which proved to be an excellent and effective weapon in battle, as well as technologically advanced in production. At the same time, the PPSh had its own shortcomings, which included a large mass and dimensions, which made it difficult to use weapons in the cramped conditions of narrow trenches, as well as by tank crews, paratroopers and scouts. At the same time, in wartime conditions, the task was to reduce the costs of mass production of such models of small arms.
PPS-42 and PPS-43
Already in 1942, a competition was announced for a more compact, lighter and cheaper submachine gun in production, which, in terms of its characteristics, should not have been inferior to the Shpagin submachine gun. In addition to Shpagin and Sudaev himself, other gunsmiths took part in the competition: Degtyarev, Korovin, Rukavishnikov, but the victory according to the results of competitive tests was won by the model of a submachine gun proposed by Alexei Sudaev. Field tests of the new weapon were successfully completed on June 6-13, 1942, in units of the Leningrad Front, after which serial production of PPS was launched at the Sestroretsk Arms Plant in Leningrad.
It was also important that the production of a new model of a submachine gun was originally established in besieged Leningrad. Delivering any weapon to a city surrounded by an enemy was difficult. That is why it was important to organize the production of small arms inside the blockade ring at the existing production facilities. At the same time, it was important to remember that many workers went to evacuation, went to the front or died, including from the terrible blockade winter of 1941-42. They were replaced by boys and girls who not only had no experience in industry, but were also physically weakened. It was trivially difficult for them to cope with the production of the PPSh submachine gun in service. The new submachine gun of the Sudaev system was finally put into service at the end of 1942 under the designation PPS-42. The designer himself worked on this weapon, while in the besieged city, it is no coincidence that among his awards was the medal "For the Defense of Leningrad". Alexei Ivanovich Sudaev was directly related to the defense of the city on the Neva.
The PPS automation was built on a free-gate circuit. For firing a submachine gun, cartridges 7, 62 × 25 TT were used. The weapon was fired from an open bolt. The trigger mechanism of the Sudaev system submachine gun allowed firing only in automatic mode. The fuse was located in front of the trigger guard; when turned on, it blocked the trigger rod and raised a bar with cutouts that blocked the cocking handle, rigidly connected to the bolt, both in the cocked and deflated positions. In the front firing position, the fuse could be moved by pressing the index finger just before placing it on the trigger. In some modifications of the submachine gun, if it became necessary to block the cocked bolt, the cocking handle could be inserted into an additional transverse groove on the receiver. The cocked bolt in this position could not break off spontaneously even in the event of a weapon falling from a height or a strong impact. The barrel casing and the PPS receiver were a single piece, they were made by stamping.
Submachine gun Sudaev
The rational layout of the submachine gun and the stroke length increased from 83 to 142 mm led to a decrease in the rate of fire to 600-700 rounds per minute. This made it possible to use the trigger mechanism, which allowed only automatic continuous fire, and for firing single shots, for this the shooter had to smoothly press and quickly release the trigger. Firing in short bursts of 2-5 rounds was considered the most effective; when firing in long bursts, dispersion significantly increased. The lethal force of the bullet was preserved at a distance of 800 meters, but the effective range of combat with the use of Sudaev's submachine guns was 100-200 meters. Sights were represented by a front sight and a swing-over sight, which was designed for just two fixed positions - 100 and 200 meters.
The Sudaev submachine gun was equipped with six magazines, which the fighter carried in two bags. They also housed the necessary spare parts: a two-necked oiler and a composite cleaning rod. The PPS-42/43 submachine guns were fed using box magazines with a capacity of 35 rounds 7, 62x25 TT. The magazines were inserted into the receiver (neck), which was equipped with a latch with a safety bracket, it prevented the magazine from being accidentally removed. The exit of cartridges from the store was double-row, this not only increased the reliability of the weapon in combat conditions, but also simplified the process of filling the store with cartridges for the soldier.
The compactness of the PPS was ensured through the use of a folding metal butt, which has a fairly simple design. In the stowed position, he simply fit on the receiver. The transfer from the traveling position to the combat position took very little time. The presence of a pistol grip on the weapon made it possible to securely hold all PPS models during firing. With a loaded magazine, the PPS weighed a little more than 3.6 kg, while the PPSh-41 with an equipped box magazine - 4, 15 kg.
Comparison of shops PPSh (left) and PPS (right).
In 1943, the submachine gun was improved. The bolt weight was reduced from 570 to 550 grams, the barrel length was reduced from 272 to 251 mm, and the length of the folding stock from 245 to 230 mm. In addition, Sudaev has improved the cocking handle, fuse box, and shoulder rest latch. The receiver and barrel casing were combined into a single piece on this particular model, which received the designation PPS-43.
Simultaneously with high service, operational and combat qualities, the PPS was distinguished by outstanding production and economic characteristics. The design of this submachine gun allowed the release of 50 percent of units and parts on press-stamping equipment by cold stamping using spot and arc electric welding. Compared to the PPSh-41, the new weapon was more economical in production, it took about three times less time to produce it and half the amount of metal. So, for the manufacture of one submachine gun PPS-43, 2, 7 man-hours and 6, 2 kg of metal were spent, and 7, 3 man-hours and 13, 5 kg of metal were spent on the production of PPSh-41, respectively.
Today we can confidently say that the PPSh and PPS submachine guns made an invaluable contribution to the victory in the Great Patriotic War. This was the kind of small arms that could be produced in large quantities with the involvement of non-core enterprises of the Soviet industry for their production, to a greater extent it concerned Sudaev's submachine gun, which was easier to manufacture. Reducing labor costs, greater manufacturability and simplification of production in wartime conditions, when adolescents and women stood up for machine tools at Soviet enterprises and factories (that is, unskilled labor was involved in production) were of great importance.
The son of a regiment with PPS-43 on the street of Budapest, photo: waralbum.ru
As noted by the historian Andrei Ulanov, weapons such as the Sudaev submachine gun were ideal for less trained fighters, were unpretentious in maintenance and use. Figuratively speaking, the PPS sprinkled with earth could be picked up, shaken off, distorted the bolt and used again in battle. At the final stage of the war, the weapon proved itself to be excellent in battles in an urban environment, where the battle distance was short. The Red Army, saturated by this time with a large number of automatic weapons, primarily submachine guns, could conduct effective assault operations in cities. The PPS and PPSh submachine guns also proved effective in battles against the Japanese Kwantung Army in August 1945.
Due to the mass production of submachine guns, the Red Army hoped to increase the percentage of automatic weapons in the troops. At the same time, as Andrei Ulanov notes, the production of submachine guns during the Great Patriotic War was also beneficial from a technological point of view. It turned out to be the easiest way to increase the production of such weapons in military conditions. First, the PPSh went into mass production, and from the end of 1942 an even more technologically advanced PPSh was added to it. By the end of the war, their share in the troops was brought to 50 percent, which undoubtedly played a positive role. Submachine guns for the Red Army during the war were the ideal weapon. They were technologically advanced, easy to manufacture, and could be produced in large volumes. So the PPSh submachine guns in the Soviet Union were produced about 6 million pieces. In this regard, the PPS remained a more "niche" model, which especially attracted the crews of armored vehicles, scouts and paratroopers.
Motorcyclists of the Soviet 1st Czechoslovak Corps in the Carpathians. Soldiers are armed with submachine guns of the Sudaev system, photo: waralbum.ru
At the same time, the PPP was distinguished by simplicity of design, lightness, compactness, and reliability in operation. In the armament of the tank, airborne, reconnaissance units, engineer units and partisans, the most in need of such weapons, the Sudaev submachine gun occupied a dominant place. With these small arms, Soviet units drove the enemy back from the suburbs of Leningrad and reached Berlin. The production of PPS continued after the war, in total, about two million copies of this submachine gun were produced. Until the mid-1950s, the PPS remained the standard weapon of the crews of Soviet armored vehicles and special forces - the marines and the airborne forces, in service with the rear, auxiliary units, internal and railway troops, it was even longer. At the same time, after the war, PPPs were massively supplied to friendly countries of Eastern Europe, Africa, as well as to China and North Korea; in the last two countries, their mass production was established with adaptation to local industrial realities.
