Volkssturmgewehr
name of several rifle designs developed by Nazi Germany
The Volkssturmgewehr (lit. 'People's Storm Rifle') is the name of several rifle designs developed by Nazi Germany during the final months of World War II (February 1945-May 1945). They share the common characteristic of being greatly simplified as to adapt with the severe lack of resources and industrial capacity in Germany during the final stages of the war. The Volkspistole was a partner program, almost identical, but for pistols instead.
The weapon's name can be translated directly either as "People's assault rifle" or "Volkssturm rifle." Volkssturm, the German late war militia home defense force, means "People's Assault"; Sturmgewehr translates as "assault rifle".
Primitiv-Waffen-Programm
As a last-ditch measure in the nearly lost war, on 18 October 1944 the Deutscher Volkssturm was mobilized – a German national militia. To arm them under conditions of depleted manpower and limited available production capacities the Primitiv-Waffen-Programm ("primitive weapons program") was initiated. It called for weapons that were as easy as possible to produce. Walther designed the Volkssturmgewehr VG 1 rifle, Spreewerk Berlin the VG 2, Rheinmetall the VG 3, Mauser the VG 4 and Steyr the VG 5 (a.k.a. VK 98). Best known is the Volkssturmgewehr by Gustloff which was a gas-delayed blowback semi-automatic rifle.
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