WW2 Guns Still Being Used Today

World War II weapons still in use today they may be old outdated and Gathering dust but World War II weapons are still lethal bits of military Tech that should not be taken lightly even now among the arsenals of modern armies and police forces these tried and tested instruments of death can still be found doing their job like it was 1945 all over again the stg44 today the stand Ard issue firearms for Nations around the world are classified as assault rifles which are lightweight have fully automatic capabilities can be operated by a single soldier and most importantly fires an intermediate cartridge which is a shortened rifle round there have been many many different assault rifles designed over the decades but all Trace their Origins to the stmg 44 the stmg 44 which literally translates to storm rifle but is usually transl ated as assault rifle began development in 1942 by the German military which was looking for a way to give more Firepower to individual soldiers while the stg44 wasn't the first attempt at an assault rifle concept it was the first to go into widespread production designed by Hugo schisa the stg44 fired a 7.92 x 33 mm Curts cartridge a shortened version of the 7.92 x 57 mm Mouser which was the standard rifle round for the German military those the round was smaller and had a shorter range studies showed that most engagements happened between 200 and 600 M making the long range capabilities of the standard round unnecessary for the majority of the fighting the smaller round allowed the soldier to carry more ammunition a necessity given the 5 to 600 round per minute fire rate of the STG it would be fed by a 30 round detachable box magazine which is now a standard feature on most modern assault rifles overall about 425,000 STG 44s were produced between 1943 and 1945 and were first issued to German forces in 1944 in spite of its innovative design and capabilities the war had already turned against Germany and the introduction of the STG was too little too late to stem the tide of Allied advances after the war captured STG 44s were studied by many nations around the world leading to the creation of the legendary AK-47 and its successors possibly the most successful firearm in history and broadly the adoption of assault rifles as the main firearm issued to Modern soldiers even though it inspired virtually all modern standard issue weapons there are some that still use the STG even today while no modern armies use the stg44 many Rebel and Insurgent groups managed to get a hold of this earliest design of assault rifle in 2012 Syrian rebels stumbled upon a cash of 5,000 STG 44s which were still in usable condition and these were pressed into service in the Civil War in that country in 2014 Ukrainian soldiers were seen equipped with STG 44s during the conflict in the contested donbass region though there's little evidence that these classic pieces of military hardware are being used in the current conflict in Ukraine the M2 HMG if it isn't broken don't fix it when it comes to the M2 Browning heavy machine gun this Axiom has been taken to Heart during the first world war American General John persing saw the need for a new heavier machine gun that could combat ever increasingly powerful Vehicles such as aircraft and tanks taking up the challenge John Browning scaled up his already successful m1917 30 caliber machine gun chambering the new weapon in 50 caliber creating what would eventually become the Browning M2 machine gun the M2 or M as it's affectionately known is a massive weapon weighing in at 84 lb though the a variant weighs in it only 60 lounds still far too heavy for use by infantry in spite of this the M2 would be readily adopted by the US military in 1933 during the second world war the M2 was used by the US military as a general-purpose machine gun effective against infantry light vehicles and aircraft in addition to being used at fixed imp placements such as bunkers it would be mounted on virtually any vehicle that the US fielded including Jeeps tanks and trucks ships would have a bank of dual and quad m2s for anti-aircraft purposes and and would be used on both Fighters and bombers as offensive and defensive Weaponry for mobile anti-aircraft capabilities 4 m2s would be incorporated into the M45 quad mount a turret that could be fitted onto a vehicle the immense Firepower that could be Unleashed from this weapon system earned it the name the meat Chopper the M2 was also a highly accurate weapon with a range of well over a mile during the Vietnam War Legendary Marine Corp sniper Carlos Hathcock scored a number of confirmed kills with an m 2 and a telescopic site he was aided in his efforts by the relatively low rate of fire around 450 to 500 rounds per minute which allowed a skillful user to fire one round at a time the mod Deuce is also extremely reliable and can serve for years in 2015 a 94-year-old M2 was brought in for refurbishment and was still in operable condition after almost a century of regular use because of its long service life the M2 is the longest serving firearm still in use by the US milit AR with no indication that this is going to change anytime soon Lee Enfield and variant arguably the most successful firearm used during the second world war that's still in service is the Lee Enfield family of bolt action rifles this British made weapon in one form or another has been in service since the 19th century and is still a popular choice for militaries around the world the first Lee Enfield was an update of the earlier Lee Metford bolt action rifle and entered service in 1895 during the first World War British and Commonwealth troops were primarily equipped with the Mark III smle or short magazine Lee Enfield it was revolutionary for its day featuring a 10 round detachable magazine of 33 caliber cartridges double that of most other bolt action rifles of that era this large magazine capacity and efficient ergonomics which allowed the soldier to work the bolt while maintaining a consistent site picture led to the development of the mad minute in which a trained soldier could fire up to 30 aimed rounds per minute many Germans facing concentrated fire from groups of British Riflemen thought they were under attack by machine guns after the war the smle was redesigned and during the 1930s the Mark III successor designated rifle number four was created it still fired the 303 cartridges from a 10 round magazine but was simpler and easier to manufacture the rifle number four featured a heavier Barrel a reconfigured sight and was issued with a spike bayonet as opposed to the bladed pattern 1907 bayonet used on the mark iiii during the inter War years the British military changed the naming Convention of its rifles and the Mark III was redesignated to the rifle number one Mark III the rifle number four would go on to be the standard infantry rifle of Britain and the Commonwealth Nations throughout the conflict other subvariants such as the rifle number five and specialist versions for sniping and training would be produced when the war was over the rifle number four and the number one Mark III and other variants would continue to be used by the British Military and Commonwealth Nations throughout the 1950s and Beyond though popular worldwide many of the Nations that still use it are former British colonies or Commonwealth Nations such as Canada South Africa Australia and Bangladesh though these are mostly used by reservists ceremonial units or as a training weapon in India and Pakistan SML are still used by local IA in rural areas to protect against crossborder terrorism in Afghanistan many fighters there prefer the smle to the ubiquitous AK-47 due to its greater range and accuracy and if acquiring an actual lean field is too difficult gunsmiths in the kyber pass between Afghanistan and Pakistan have made countless copies of this venerable piece of military hardware we were just able to do something awesome after a bunch of you joined on patreon we finally had some more resources to go back and animate things we always wanted to create we found an entire bonus part of a Vietnam War script that never got animated and we were able to put it together you can watch that on our patreon now with no ads unrestricted and uncensored Link in the pin comment down below the mg42 perhaps the most feared Small Arms weapon used by the Germans in World War II was the mg42 designed as a cheaper and easier to manufacture replacement for the mg34 machine gun it was introduced into the German military in 1942 and gained popularity by its users as a devastating piece of Hardware the most distinguishing feature of the mg42 was its rate of fire capable of unleashing between 12200 and 1,500 rounds per minute the firing was so rapid that it was very difficult to distinguish individual rounds being fired giving a sustained burst the sound of a zipper opening as a result allies who found themselves on the wrong side of one of these weapons dubbed it Hitler's zipper or Hitler's Buzz saw though this was intimidating it was as much a liability as a benefit because of the extreme rate of fire the barrel would quickly overheat forcing Crews to change out the barrels frequently sometimes after only firing between 200 to 250 rounds of this six men assigned to an mg42 crew the spotter was given the responsibility for carrying extra barrels which could be swapped out quickly from a latch on the right side of the gun the mg42 Saw Service in every theater the German military fought in and became a Hallmark of the verm being used by mobile troops in the field or in fixed imp placements such as along the Atlantic Wall in addition to the Germans the mg42 Saw Service in the militaries of many nations including Italy Romania zier Portugal Spain Norway and many others the unique design features inspired many more modern machine guns including the Austrian mg7 4 the Swiss mg 7103 and the American M60 while not directly in service any longer its successor the German mg3 is still being used by many nations around the world and is for all practical purposes an mg42 that's chambered in NATO standard 7.62x 51 mm instead of 7.92 x 57 mm Mouser and a few other deviations the Madson light machine gun patented all the way back in 1901 the Madson lmg made its combat debut in the 1905 Russo Japanese war during World War I 1250 units were purchased by the Russian crown for use in the nent Imperial Russian Air Service the German Army experimented on 500 of them chambered in a 7.92 MM configuration until they were replaced with Maxim 08 15s adopted more widely in the second world war the Madson was the standard like machine gun of the Danish and Norwegian armies they were later utilized by the Germans after their conquest of Denmark and Norway one of the madson's biggest customers was Brazil who bought Bates in 1932 1935 and 1949 in the 1950s they were all upgraded to the 7.62x 51 mm NATO configuration which had been released in 1950 this final evolution of the Madson lmg had a better range of 1200 yd or about 1,097 M but still had the same cyclical rate of 400 to 500 rounds per minute as the foundational M1 19024 model in 1996 the Brazilian Armed Forces transferred their Madson to the underfunded Brazilian military police whose pre-existing k5s M16s and fnfal were falling apart usually operated by a two to three man crew with a bipod they were instead supported by a sling across one shoulder by one person a favorite of the Rio de Janeiro police force even today these weapons are so powerful that even a sustained burst of them is said to have a morale sapping effect on the drug gangs of the fava Shanty towns the M1911 at the turn of the 20th century after experiences in the Philippines the American Military was in need of a firearm to replace the 38 caliber revolvers it issued to its troops recommending that the new pistol be chambered in 45 at the very least and preferably semi-automatic in 1907 firearm designer John Brown in went to work and what came off the drawing board is perhaps the most legendary pistol to enter service in the American Military the Colt M1911 chambered in 45 ACP became the standard issue pistol when the US entered World War I and soon became popular as a powerful and effective handgun that was an asset in the trenches after the war the 1911 was redesigned with an updated trigger and a few other slight modifications the new version was designated the M1911 A1 one the A1 standing for alteration one and was officially adopted in 1924 and remained the standard issue sidearm for the US military during World War II the 1911 has seen service with all branches of the US military as well as dozens of Nations around the world it was used in both World Wars the Korean War Vietnam where it was popular among tunnel rats and virtually every other conflict that saw American troops deployed in the latter half of the 20th century even after it was officially replaced in the 1980s by the M9 Beretta many troops still carried in 1911 and the weapon is seen service during the Persian Gulf War as well as operation Iraqi freedom and the conflict in Afghanistan even today many nations still use the 1911 some using updated versions such as the type 86 pistol which is an m1911a1 made in Thailand under license and some just using vintage 1911 such as the Philippines Bangladesh Greece and many others the US military also still uses 1911s in a limited capacity with some special operations groups and is a popular choice among many civilian law enforcement agencies the design of the 1911 is also a popular choice among civilians and there are a plethora of companies that produce their own version of this venerable pistol for civilian firearm enthusiasts many of whom are veterans who have fonded memories of John Browning's creation the M3 grease gun in 1940 official at the United States Army Ordinance Department oversaw one of the greatest military modernization drives of the 20th century earmarked for replacement was the legendary Thompson submachine gun which had an eyew watering $45 per unit around $660 in today's money was considered far too expensive substituting it would be a weapon that although more basic looking was equally as deadly and much cheaper to manufacture in January 1943 a Manufacturing contract for 300,000 M3 grease guns was approved in comparison to the Thompson the grease gun cost just $22.94 cents per unit to keep cost Down the Gun could only fire fully automatic it earned its grease gun nickname due to its resemblance to a mechanics lubricant insertion tool but it was also known as the plumbers nightmare or the cake decorator a submachine gun with a blistering rate of fire of 450 rounds per minute using the 45 ACP rounds the same as the Thompson the M3 was comprised of only 73 Parts Only the bolt and Barrel requiring costly Machining while all other components came from pressed or stamp sheet metal out in the field the grease gun received a mixed response from the soldiers some praised it for its reliability but others despised it for its flimsy cocking lever and error prone 30 round box magazine this would frequently Jam if there was a minuscule amount of dirt inside a problem solved by the inclusion of a special loading tool and plastic protective covers dropping or knocking the gun could Shear off the Firearms retracting wire stock and render it virtually useless after the war the gree gun Saw Service in the Korean and Vietnam Wars as well as multiple Cold War flareups in Latin America and Southeast Asia it was last used by the US Army in the 1991 Gulf War after which it was discontinued nowadays This World War II Relic continues to be a good option for those with budget constraints the Filipino Navy and Marine Corps currently use M3 grease guns upgraded with suppressors and Red Dot sights because they couldn't afford pricier submachine guns like the uzi or the floro 9 mm SMG the M101 Howitzer the M101 Howitzer it took its inspiration from German howitzers captured during World War I and was issued to American troops in 1940 over 20 years after the drawing up of the first blueprints in 1919 its long de velopmental cycle meant that before its manufacturer in 1939 The Carriage it was mounted on had to be redesigned to fit modern standards as the original had only been designed to be pulled by horses rather than Vehicles a common site in the European and Pacific Theaters of war the Hefty M101 weighing 2258 kg was towed by a separate motorized M2 Carriage it launched 105 mm High explosiv semi-fixed ammunition at a maximum range of 11,270 M quickly garnering a reputation as a Punchy and accurate infantry support Weapon by the end of the conflict a total of 8,536 units had been assembled with post-war production continuing until 1953 fitted with a long- lasting barrel and carriage the M101 service life extended well into the post-war decades during which it was deployed in the Korean and Vietnam Wars as well as a number of regional conflicts the M101 was eventually phased out by other militaries largely remaining in storage until the Russia Ukraine war in September 2022 it was reported that Lithuania had donated an undisclosed amount of the guns to Ukrainian forces in their struggle against Russia despite being designed over a 100 years ago the M101 is still useful because it uses the same 105 mm ammunition that most modern light artillery systems utilize it's also being operated in combination with real-time updates provided by drones to improve its precision and its range is been increased by 40% because it's able to fire m927 rocket assisted projectiles the d44 gun introduced to the Soviet Red Army just after the end of World War II the d44 divisional anti-tank field gun was intended to replace the older zis-3 field gun that had been in service since 1941 based on the main Armament of the t3485 tank it had an 85 mm barrel and entered full scale production in 1946 most effectively operated by eight men the d44 was a dangerous adversary that could fire off 20 rounds per minute it had a maximum range of between 15.6 km or 9.7 Mi and could fire a variety of high explosive and armor piercing rounds at an effective range of 1 km the hvap round was capable of penetrating between 100 and 180 mm of armor among other types of ammunition available the d44 can also fire the BK 2m heat FS round which can penetrate up to 300 mm of armor between 1945 to 1954 the Soviet Union manufactured 10,800 d44 it's been in many conflicts including the Korean War the Vietnam War the Arab war against Israel and it's been exported to countries such as Egypt Iran Iraq North Korea Poland Romania and Syria in May of 2022 a video emerged showing ex Soviet D4 for is in operation on the front lines of the Russia Ukraine war while some are being used as Standalone artillery pieces others have been mounted on the top of old 1970s mtlb armored tractors as makeshift turrets by Innovative Ukrainian Engineers to produce basic mobile tank destroyers as this list has Illustrated forget modern Weaponry for hardened old Warriors the fossils of World War II are still capable of ruling the battlefield [Music]

Channel: Simple History

Views: 465,543

Keywords: simple history, animated history, educational, education, animation, World War Two, weapons, military tech, T-34-85 tank, Armour Piercing, Soviet Union, Korean War, Vietnam War, Russia-Ukraine War, M3 Grease Gun, fully automatic, submachine gun, .45 ACP, Cold War, Gulf War, M4 Sherman Tank, 75mm gun, Continental R975, M101 Howitzer, infantry support, MG-42, German military, Hitler’s Zipper, American M-60, M1911, Colt M1911, .50 caliber, M2 HMG, StG-44, AK-47

Id: zx0L5fCh0AU

Length: 21min 20sec (1280 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 04 2024