The man credited with designing one of the 20th century’s most iconic firearms has passed away at the age of 94.
Kalashnikov is widely acknowledged for designing the AK-47 rifle, but I can’t miss the obvious similarities to Schmeisser’s StG-44. Given that Schmeisser worked with the Red Army after the war, it’s hard to dismiss the possibility that the Soviets simply didn’t want to give a German credit for the design.
That said, we may never know.
I find it to be a charmless piece of stamped sheet metal with numerous design flaws, but the AK-47 was cheap to produce and easy to use. Its legacy is uncontestable, if not grim. Michael Chivers wrote an excellent history of it a couple of years back, and the book is a good read.