'The
Weapon All Fighters Love': The Famous AK-47 Celebrates Its 70th Birthday
©
Sputnik/ Iliya Pitalev
On
July 6, 1947, the AK-47 went into production for the first time. The brainchild
of self-taught inventor and Red Army Lieutenant General Mikhail Kalashnikov,
it was one of the world's first operational assault rifles – and as of 2017, it
remains the world's most popular, accounting for around a fifth of the firearms
in circulation globally.
The
AK-47's origins date back to the October 1941 Battle of Bryansk, a
20-day skirmish between Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht forces and the Soviet
Union's Red Army.
The
little known conflict was part of Operation Barbarossa, Germany's attempt
to conquer the western Soviet Union — and it ended in a
resounding defeat for the Red Army.
Thousands
of Soviet soldiers were wounded in the fighting —
among them Mikhail Kalashnikov, then Senior Sergeant in the 24th Tank
Regiment of the 12th Tank Division.
Despite
his injuries, Kalashnikov valiantly made it to the nearest hospital
on foot. While recuperating, he heard his ward comrades complaining
about the poor quality of the small arms they were issued with —
and was plagued at night by vivid nightmares of the Bryansk
battle. Quickly, he became determined to create an effective submachine
gun that would drive the invading Germans from his beloved homeland.
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#OTD
6th July 1947: The Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle goes into production in the
USSR http://www.historypod.net/07/06/6th-july-1947-the-kalashnikov-ak-47-assault-rifle-goes-into-production-in-the-ussr/ …
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After
making a full recovery, Kalashnikov was assigned to the Red Army's design
directorate, where he spent the rest of World War Two trying
to develop his dream weapon. However, it was not until after the war
that his groundbreaking innovation was finally minted.
The
AK-47 —
Avtomatni Kalashnikova model-1947 — was the culmination
of an evolutionary
process, and represents the crowning achievement of Kalashnikov's
career. For his work, he was twice named "Hero of Socialist
Labor" — the Soviet Union's highest distinction — among a
deluge of other honors.
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Kalashnikov mount displayed at the Russian
Defense Ministry's Innovation Day 2015 exhibition, on the premises of the
congress and exhibition center of the Russian armed forces in Kubinka, Moscow
Region.
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Quickly
appreciating its stunning capabilities, the Red Army adopted the rifle
as its standard infantry weapon in 1949, and it became standard issue
for all Warsaw
Pact nations too.
The
genius of the AK-47 lies in its simplicity. Eschewing bells and
whistles, once loaded with 7.62mm rounds, users can switch
between automatic and semi-automatic, and shoot stably and effectively.
Cheap
to manufacture, extremely durable and the epitome of reliability, its
appeal quickly spread beyond the former Eastern Bloc. American troops
fighting in the Vietnam War, equipped with jamming-prone M16s, were
blown away by the AK-47, often nabbing the rifle for themselves
from captured or killed Vietnamese troops.
Moreover,
revolutionaries from Cuba to Angola to Vietnam, struggling
to liberate their homelands from the yoke of imperialism,
clamored for the weapon — and the Soviet Union was happy
to oblige.
Over
its 70-year lifespan, the AK-47 can claim to have powered some of the
most dramatic revolutions of the 20th century. The
rifle features prominently on the flag of Mozambique and
the nation's emblem — recognition the country gained independence
from Portugal in large part via the weapon.
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Legendary Russian gun-maker Lieutenant General
and Hero of Socialist Labor Mikhail Kalashnikov displayed the first-ever AK-47
assault rifle developed by him.
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As of 2017, militaries in 106 countries
around the globe from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe are now equipped
with AK-47s.
The weapon features prominently in the 2005
film Lord of War. In it, protagonist Yuri Orlov, played by Nicolas Cage,
sums up its appeal succinctly.
"The AK-47 or Kalashnikov [is] the
world's most popular assault rifle — a weapon all fighters love. An
elegantly simple nine pound amalgamation of forged steel and molded
plastic, it doesn't break, jam or overheat. It will shoot whether it's covered
in mud or filled with sand."
Such
comments are echoed by David Dyson,
independent firearms expert.
"The fact it has endured for such a long time and is still the most common weapon of its type in the world tells you all you need to know about its design — it's lasted the test of time. It's a very reliable weapon, highly resistant to abuse. While many things can jam rifles, the AK-47 will carry on firing. There are many reasons why other weapons aren't quite as common as the Kalashnikov," Mr. Dyson told Sputnik.
Lord
of War isn't the only movie starring the rifle — and the AK-47's
cultural reach extends far beyond film.
References
to AK-47s — both positive and negative — are rife in popular
music, particularly rap. Debate abounds about the first group
to mention the rifle, although it may well have been NWA's landmark 1988
cut Straight Outta Compton.
Kalashnikov,
who passed away in December 2013, aged 94, remained extremely proud of his
creation to the last. While expressing sorrow about is proliferation
into the wrong hands, he made clear he felt no guilt.
"If someone asks me how I sleep at night knowing, I
respond that I have no problem sleeping. My conscience is clean. I constructed
arms to defend my country,"
he said.
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