The M1 Carbine - Perhaps the world's first assault rifle
The M1 Carbine - Perhaps the world's first assault rifle
Assault rifles are the modern firearm of choice by today's standards; nearly every military in the world uses them, from the U.S. with the M16, to the Russians with the Ak-47, and Europe with the SA80, Steyr Aug, FAMAS, and many more firearms. From the 5.56mm fals and HK41's to the Tavors, assault rifles are just the weapon of choice on the modern battlefield. Light, moderately accurate, having a long range, piercing basic body armor and with just enough punch to be considered applicable for most situations, they are the perfect compromise of power, maneuverability, and weight for most situations, making them the best all around practical rifle. While the origins of the weapon are complex, many point towards the Stg-44 or Ak-47 as the first true assault rifles, weapons that were not quite submachine guns, but not quite full sized rifles either. Their large magazine capacity, high rate of fire, light weight and maneuverability allowed them to fullfill the submachine gun role, but their more powerful rounds allowed them to get out to longer ranges, pierce armor and have more stopping power, and in turn allowed them to remain competitive with rifles at the time. However, the M1 carbine did the exact same thing, in larger numbers, and before both weapons.
While perhaps the first assault rifle can be traced all the way back to the Cei-Rigotti, a semiautomatic rifle chambered in the 6.5mm carcano, itself is debatable whether or not it was an assault rifle given that it's power levels were average for the time, and it was never produced in large numbers (and much of the information about the weapon is contradictory as a result given that few surviving examples exist), the M1 carbine was perhaps more accurately the first mass produced assault rifle, if going by modern definitions. While hard to define exactly given the common usage of the term "assault rifle" which over the years has come to mean many things, the most commonly accepted definition of an assault rifle is a select fire weapon, that is semiautomatic or fully automatic, with a detachable magazine, a high magazine capacity, and firing an intermediate cartridge. While the term intermediate truly is the grey zone where the rifle falls as, how do we objectively define what's "intermediate", and is it relative to the timeframe or not how much power a round had would be intermediate? Nonetheless, the Stg-44, often cited as the first "assault rifle", being common place by 1944, came too late in the war and in too small of numbers to have much notable impact. Nonetheless nearly 500,000 rifles were made, giving it fairly widespread adoption, albeit virtually at the end of the war, which came in April 1945 for Germany.
The STG-44 was approximately 8.5 to 10 pounds, had a 20-30 round magazine, was capable of fully automatic or select fire, and most importantly fired a shortened Mauser cartridge, known as the "7.92 kurz" or essentially the 7.92 Mauser short, which was a much larger rifle round literally cut down to fit in to a smaller gun, and have less recoil. Firing an 8 gram cartridge at 680 m/s, it produced around 1800-1900 joules of energy or roughly 1300 foot-pounds, giving it far less energy than the more powerful 3,500 joules of the .30-06 and 7.92mm mauser, but still enough to have the punch to take a man down quickly, unlike most pistol rounds at the time. Further, it penetrated light armor, such as a combat helmet or flak vest, and got out to ranges of 300-400 yards. While still shorter than the .30-06, mauser, or 7.7mm british rounds at the time, it was generally sufficient for combat as the long ranges could be closed quickly with few casualties since few soldiers could realistically hit out past 400 yards, and in general most combat engagements occurred less than 300 yards making it practically irrelevant. These features made it quite effective, especially on the battlefield at the time where most soldiers were using bolt action rifles, and qualified the weapon as an assault rifle.
But what about the M1 carbine? Certainly, it had a smaller, weaker bullet, at 7.15 grams traveling at 600 m/s, producing only 1,300 joules of energy, but it still met all the other qualifications, having a 300-400 yard range (but practically would have been used at shorter ranges than this, like the Stg-44), a 20-30 round magazine, was capable of semiautomatic and fully automatic fire, and was generally able to fullfill the same role as a submachine gun with a longer range. In comparison however, it was produced in larger volumes, with roughly 6.5 million being produced by the end of the war, more than the m1 garand at 6.25 million units. A more common weapon, it was designed for general purpose used, commonly used by cooks, logistics troops, truck drivers and other non-front line units that weren't designed for, but could potentially see combat. What's more was the weapon was only 5.6 pounds, and was much lighter with less recoil than the Stg-44, as well as being somewhat more reliable. And it was produced since 1941, several years before the Stg-44 would come to power. Now, perhaps the only defining feature that might not make it an assault rifle is the bullet itself which, was far weaker than the stg-44, or had approximately 35% less energy.
However, by modern standards it's equal to an M4 carbine with a shorter barrel, or an Ak-74, both of which are still considered assault rifles. It had the same ranges, function and purpose as a general purpose rifle, that could maintain steady continuous fire and that could be used both like a submachine gun in close quarters, but was competent enough at long ranges to be a rifle. While considered by many to be too weak to compete with the stopping power of most pistols at the time, it nonetheless did fullfill the role and is roughly the equivalent of them modern 5.56mm, which many perceive as having too low of stopping power as well. It was powerful enough to remain competitive against full sized rifles but had enough maneuverability and firepower to compete with submachine guns, which is essentially the goal of any assault rifle. In some ways it did it better than the stg-44, having lighter weight ammunition and the weapon itself being half the weight, albeit it being slightly weaker.
When examined objectively, while the .30 carbine was never considered as such, it more or less meets the criteria of being an assault rifle. Even the intermediate cartridge was just a shortened .30-06 with less gunpowder, literally identical to the mauser cartridge's concept design, and used for the same purpose, and with the same reasoning. The primary difference was that the M1 was produced in vastly higher quantities and used more commonly during the war, becoming as ubiquitous as the Thompson or M1 garand. In fact, it was the most produced small arm of the war, rivaling any other weapon produced in the war in terms of sheer numbers, even outdoing the 1911 or m1919 .30 caliber machine guns. It even out numbered and eventually largely replaced the submachine guns on the battlefield, being used in higher quantities than either the M3 grease gun or the M1 Thompson. While perhaps never designed as an assault rifle, by modern criteria it seems to fit the standard. So, as for the title of the first mass produced and widely used assault rifle in existance, it could very well go towards the M1 Carbine.
Assault rifles are the modern firearm of choice by today's standards; nearly every military in the world uses them, from the U.S. with the M16, to the Russians with the Ak-47, and Europe with the SA80, Steyr Aug, FAMAS, and many more firearms. From the 5.56mm fals and HK41's to the Tavors, assault rifles are just the weapon of choice on the modern battlefield. Light, moderately accurate, having a long range, piercing basic body armor and with just enough punch to be considered applicable for most situations, they are the perfect compromise of power, maneuverability, and weight for most situations, making them the best all around practical rifle. While the origins of the weapon are complex, many point towards the Stg-44 or Ak-47 as the first true assault rifles, weapons that were not quite submachine guns, but not quite full sized rifles either. Their large magazine capacity, high rate of fire, light weight and maneuverability allowed them to fullfill the submachine gun role, but their more powerful rounds allowed them to get out to longer ranges, pierce armor and have more stopping power, and in turn allowed them to remain competitive with rifles at the time. However, the M1 carbine did the exact same thing, in larger numbers, and before both weapons.
While perhaps the first assault rifle can be traced all the way back to the Cei-Rigotti, a semiautomatic rifle chambered in the 6.5mm carcano, itself is debatable whether or not it was an assault rifle given that it's power levels were average for the time, and it was never produced in large numbers (and much of the information about the weapon is contradictory as a result given that few surviving examples exist), the M1 carbine was perhaps more accurately the first mass produced assault rifle, if going by modern definitions. While hard to define exactly given the common usage of the term "assault rifle" which over the years has come to mean many things, the most commonly accepted definition of an assault rifle is a select fire weapon, that is semiautomatic or fully automatic, with a detachable magazine, a high magazine capacity, and firing an intermediate cartridge. While the term intermediate truly is the grey zone where the rifle falls as, how do we objectively define what's "intermediate", and is it relative to the timeframe or not how much power a round had would be intermediate? Nonetheless, the Stg-44, often cited as the first "assault rifle", being common place by 1944, came too late in the war and in too small of numbers to have much notable impact. Nonetheless nearly 500,000 rifles were made, giving it fairly widespread adoption, albeit virtually at the end of the war, which came in April 1945 for Germany.
The STG-44 was approximately 8.5 to 10 pounds, had a 20-30 round magazine, was capable of fully automatic or select fire, and most importantly fired a shortened Mauser cartridge, known as the "7.92 kurz" or essentially the 7.92 Mauser short, which was a much larger rifle round literally cut down to fit in to a smaller gun, and have less recoil. Firing an 8 gram cartridge at 680 m/s, it produced around 1800-1900 joules of energy or roughly 1300 foot-pounds, giving it far less energy than the more powerful 3,500 joules of the .30-06 and 7.92mm mauser, but still enough to have the punch to take a man down quickly, unlike most pistol rounds at the time. Further, it penetrated light armor, such as a combat helmet or flak vest, and got out to ranges of 300-400 yards. While still shorter than the .30-06, mauser, or 7.7mm british rounds at the time, it was generally sufficient for combat as the long ranges could be closed quickly with few casualties since few soldiers could realistically hit out past 400 yards, and in general most combat engagements occurred less than 300 yards making it practically irrelevant. These features made it quite effective, especially on the battlefield at the time where most soldiers were using bolt action rifles, and qualified the weapon as an assault rifle.
But what about the M1 carbine? Certainly, it had a smaller, weaker bullet, at 7.15 grams traveling at 600 m/s, producing only 1,300 joules of energy, but it still met all the other qualifications, having a 300-400 yard range (but practically would have been used at shorter ranges than this, like the Stg-44), a 20-30 round magazine, was capable of semiautomatic and fully automatic fire, and was generally able to fullfill the same role as a submachine gun with a longer range. In comparison however, it was produced in larger volumes, with roughly 6.5 million being produced by the end of the war, more than the m1 garand at 6.25 million units. A more common weapon, it was designed for general purpose used, commonly used by cooks, logistics troops, truck drivers and other non-front line units that weren't designed for, but could potentially see combat. What's more was the weapon was only 5.6 pounds, and was much lighter with less recoil than the Stg-44, as well as being somewhat more reliable. And it was produced since 1941, several years before the Stg-44 would come to power. Now, perhaps the only defining feature that might not make it an assault rifle is the bullet itself which, was far weaker than the stg-44, or had approximately 35% less energy.
However, by modern standards it's equal to an M4 carbine with a shorter barrel, or an Ak-74, both of which are still considered assault rifles. It had the same ranges, function and purpose as a general purpose rifle, that could maintain steady continuous fire and that could be used both like a submachine gun in close quarters, but was competent enough at long ranges to be a rifle. While considered by many to be too weak to compete with the stopping power of most pistols at the time, it nonetheless did fullfill the role and is roughly the equivalent of them modern 5.56mm, which many perceive as having too low of stopping power as well. It was powerful enough to remain competitive against full sized rifles but had enough maneuverability and firepower to compete with submachine guns, which is essentially the goal of any assault rifle. In some ways it did it better than the stg-44, having lighter weight ammunition and the weapon itself being half the weight, albeit it being slightly weaker.
When examined objectively, while the .30 carbine was never considered as such, it more or less meets the criteria of being an assault rifle. Even the intermediate cartridge was just a shortened .30-06 with less gunpowder, literally identical to the mauser cartridge's concept design, and used for the same purpose, and with the same reasoning. The primary difference was that the M1 was produced in vastly higher quantities and used more commonly during the war, becoming as ubiquitous as the Thompson or M1 garand. In fact, it was the most produced small arm of the war, rivaling any other weapon produced in the war in terms of sheer numbers, even outdoing the 1911 or m1919 .30 caliber machine guns. It even out numbered and eventually largely replaced the submachine guns on the battlefield, being used in higher quantities than either the M3 grease gun or the M1 Thompson. While perhaps never designed as an assault rifle, by modern criteria it seems to fit the standard. So, as for the title of the first mass produced and widely used assault rifle in existance, it could very well go towards the M1 Carbine.
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