When we remember the Red Army soldier of the Great Patriotic War, we invariably imagine a pensive, sad warrior who reached Berlin. Behind him are not only thousands and thousands of kilometers traveled, but also a roll of a raincoat, and in his hands is a faithful PPSh. But was the brainchild of the legendary Shpagin the only automatic weapon in the Red Army?
Of course, PPD and PPS were in service, the last of which many historians and gunsmiths generally consider the best submachine gun of that war. But practically no one knows that there was also a Korovin submachine gun, which in many respects was in no way inferior to its “big brothers”.
We will talk about him and his inventor in the framework of this article.
Backstory
It was a terrible October 1941, when the Red Army was retreating in all directions. The Germans sought to break through the ring of defense and go to Moscow. The main striking means were tank groups, whose vehicles approachedcapital from three directions at once.
Tula was defended by the army of General Boldin, of which, after terrible and fierce battles, not so much remained. In order to somehow help the regular military in the difficult task of defending the city, the Workers' Council adopted a resolution on the formation of a militia regiment of 1,500 people. This is where the difficulties began … If there were practically no problems with clothing and food for volunteers, then the provision of weapons quickly turned into a sore point.
Yes, in a pinch it could be made (Tula arms factory, after all!), but it took too much time. No one was going to provide such luxury to the defenders.
Weapon selection
However, it was very clear that the required weapons were submachine guns. It was only somehow possible to count on their speedy production. Do not make high-precision rifles from pieces of pipes and rolled metal!
In a word, the Tula people were put in the same conditions as the British, who "on their knees" made their "Stans" literally from scraps of water pipes. The engineers were unaware that back in 1930, Sergei Aleksandrovich Korovin had already designed such a weapon. It was not only simpler than the English plumber's dream, but also twice as reliable and accurate as that submachine gun.
A man of difficult fate
Korovin was a rather little-known gunsmith. He took part in almost all test competitions, but they were won exclusively bycompetitors: Degtyarev, Shpagin, Simonov… The color of Soviet weapons culture, who created the best weapons of the USSR. It is still unknown whether the great Fedorov really loved his students so much that he awarded them prizes, or whether Korovin's weapons still had some design flaws.
"His" Korovin was not, that's for sure. He was a student of the Belgian master Browning. Only his pistol of caliber 6, 35 mm once went into the series, which until 1936 was freely sold to all Soviet citizens without any documents. The Korovin submachine gun we are describing has completely fallen into oblivion.
And because the inventor had to be content with only the development of prototypes on an initiative basis. Weapons, which then gathered dust on the windows of the Tula arms store. It was there that the authorities found a submachine gun, which Sergey Alexandrovich once created to participate in the competition where PPD won.
It took only a few days for the initial deployment of production, and already at the end of October the first samples saw the light. Near the village of Rogozhinsky, weapons passed their baptism of fire on October 30, 1941. Once again, the Tula Arms Plant has proven that it is capable of manufacturing excellent weapons in any conditions.
First combat use of PPK
In the early morning, 40 enemy tanks broke through to the factory buildings. They were covered by several detachments of machine gunners. Guderian's tanks decided to pincer the Tula people, approaching them from both flanks. But they failed:brave warriors blew up cars with grenades, pelted them with Molotov cocktails. The German infantrymen had a chance to try out the Korovin submachine gun.
Archival sources indicate that the heated battle lasted more than four hours. The Nazis about five times tried to take the positions of the Tula militias. The tanks were never able to approach them, and the infantry was mowed down by fire from Korovin's weapons. The submachine gun showed itself in that fight from the best side.
Technical features of weapons
Simplicity is the key to the success of this product by Sergei Alexandrovich. The Korovin submachine gun, which managed to fight near Tula, was fundamentally different from the weapon that was submitted for the competition. So, he completely lacked a wooden stock, which required a long and painstaking cut, and there was also no barrel casing. The latter required special stamping, which in those conditions simply did not have time.
All parts of the submachine gun (except for the bolt and receiver) were made by primitive cold stamping. Welding was used to connect them together. The receiver itself was made from … an ordinary pipe (hello, "Stan")! In fact, Korovin was able to create a completely new weapon in a couple of days. During the war, it could be produced by any plant (even a semi-handicraft shop), which had even the most primitive stamping equipment.
The "body" of the weapon had a length of 682 mm. Butt (wire, hinged) added to it moremillimeters 400.
Automatic and USM
As you might guess, the principle of operation of automation was based on a free shutter. The initial speed of the bullet was 480 m / s. The barrel was locked with a bolt of increased mass and a reciprocating locking spring. The weapon did not have a fuse. His role was played by a cutout on the right side of the receiver, where it was possible to bring and fix the loading handle. It was absolutely impossible to shoot from the PPK in this position, the spontaneous loss of the handle from the fixing slot was excluded.
The trigger mechanism of the weapon allowed the shooter to conduct only automatic fire. The "highlight" was the sear, significantly pushed forward. This position ensured high accuracy of the first shot. The trigger had a relatively long and smooth stroke, the force on it did not exceed 2.9 kg. A special ejector was responsible for the extraction of the spent cartridge case and for its removal from the weapon. It was solidly attached to the bottom of the receiver.
The sighting device was open, of the simplest design: there was a flip type rear sight (for 100 and 200 meters), as well as a front sight that could be shifted in a horizontal direction.
Other Features
Due to the large mass of the bolt group (700 grams), as well as the bolt stroke of 143 mm, the PPK fired at a very low rate: only 470 rounds per minute. Unlike PPSh, whose name experienced front-line soldiers deciphered as "Shpagin's cartridge devourer", Korovin's productallowed for economical use of ammunition. Adapted shooters without any problems made even single shots from weapons, which was impossible to achieve from the same PPSh of the military years of release.
In general, if we consider all the submachine guns of the Second World War, then only the American Thompson could normally shoot single cartridges. But it cost hundreds of times more than even the "overly complex PPD", to say nothing of the cheap PPC, which could be made almost from scrap metal.
A recoil pad was attached to the folding wire butt (it could turn). Wooden cheeks were superimposed on the pistol grip of the weapon. Since this weapon in the "military" version did not have a forearm, the fighter held his hand on the magazine, made by cold stamping. Capacity - 35 rounds, staggered ammunition. Like other Soviet weapons of this class, this Russian submachine gun used the standard Soviet cartridge of the time - 7.62x25.
Undeservedly forgotten…
If you consider that it took only two days to deploy production, then the weapon turned out to be simply fantastically reliable! Of course, there were also disadvantages (not a very reliable shutter, lack of a forearm), but for all the positive qualities of the PPC, they can be safely forgiven. So in the ranking "Submachine guns of the Second World War" this weapon confidently took first place.
Unfortunately, Korovin never received due recognition. Sergei Alexandrovich still continued to create new samplesweapons, but traditionally did not win prizes in competitions. For his heroism and professionalism near Tula, he received only the Badge of Honor and the Order of the Red Star. Only just before his death in the USSR did they “notice” his merits. The designer was awarded a modest medal "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War." Actually, this is the only reward for his invention.
Conclusion
Even if we take into account that none of his developments went into series (except for the pistol), it is impossible to deny all those discoveries of his that were subsequently used by other Soviet gunsmiths. The developments of Sergei Alexandrovich allowed them to create new weapons of the USSR with less effort and labor.
