World War II ushered in a slew of modern infantry weapons, many of them trumping the firearms of
previous wars in both power and ease of use. So, which new firearm was the best? In this video,
we cover what we believe were the three best infantry weapons of the Second World War.
Nicknamed “Papasha,” or “Daddy,” the PPSh-41 submachine gun was a
very popular firearm used by the Soviets in World War II.
Inspiration for the PPSh-41 came from the Winter War of 1940, when Russia invaded Finland.
The Finnish fought using a similar submachine gun, the Suomi KP/-31. It
was so effective that the Russians copied it and began mass-producing it within a year. In
the spring of 1942, Moscow factories were churning out over 3,000 PPSh-41 every day.
They were able to produce so many because the weapon was easy to manufacture and
didn't require any skilled labor, so they could spare their skilled laborers
for more advanced projects and recruit any average Joe to make Daddies. Additionally,
it could be made using cheap and widely available materials, such as sheet metal and wood.
The Daddy was also popular because it was easy to use. Its mechanisms were simple,
and very little training was required to operate the weapon correctly.
Its simple design also meant it didn't easily jam and could be used for years
without needing to be taken apart and cleaned. Simply designed, cheaply made,
and easy to use, Daddy was the perfect weapon for soldiers fighting in a long war.
The hallmark of this gun was its ability to fire 900 rounds per minute, one of the highest
rates of fire in the war. Unfortunately, its magazine could only hold 35 rounds.
Even with that bottleneck, though, it was still one of the best infantry weapons
of the war due to its durability with relatively low maintenance.
By the end of the war, over 6 million PPSh-41s had been made,
making it the most-produced SMG of the whole conflict.
Sometimes entire Soviet infantry companies were equipped with the Daddy. The Soviets loved the
Daddy so much that they went on to supply the SMG to North Korea and China during the Korean War.
The Luger is one of the most iconic weapons of the Second World War. Invented in 1899,
however, it saw regular use decades before the war even started. It was first adopted
by the Swiss Army in 1900 and then the German Army eight years later. The Luger was used by
several of the fighting nations in World War I, with more than one million being used in combat.
The official description of the gun is "a toggle-locked, recoil-operated, semi-automatic
pistol,” which may not mean much to some. In short, it meant the Luger had a short recoil
which made it easier to use. Which, in turn, meant it was a reliable, durable, and accurate firearm.
It was so beloved that it became the standard service pistol for a number of nations,
including Brazil, the Netherlands, Bolivia, Portugal, and Bulgaria.
After widespread use in the First World War, more citizens from countries that used the
Luger during the war, including the United States, wanted to get their hands on one.
During the interwar period, the manufacturer of the Luger, DWM,
exported the pistol all over the world. By the Second World War, the Luger was
globally renowned. But it became most associated with the German Army at the
beginning of the war as DWM stopped exporting once the war broke out. The PO8 became a
prize coveted by Allied soldiers. PO8s were largely viewed as trophies during the war.
However, the game of capturing Lugers was a dangerous one. The German Army caught
on to this trend and began using Lugers as bait. They would leave them on the ground,
seemingly discarded, to lure unsuspecting Allies to their deaths. When they approached the bait,
they would set off booby traps or detonate landmines.
Rumors circulated amongst the Allies that American soldiers who were unfamiliar
with the pistol's safety mechanisms accidentally discharged them frequently.
Another popular but more terrifying rumor was that Germans who found Americans in possession
of Lugers would be captured and then executed. We don’t know how rooted in truth these rumors were,
but it just goes to show that the Luger was a big deal in the Second World War.
The M1 Garand was a semi-automatic rifle adopted by the U.S. military in 1936.
During World War II, nearly five and a half million Garands were made,
and they were so popular that they were used by every single branch of the United States military.
The Axis forces used bolt-action rifles, Germany with the Karabiner 98k and Japan with the Arisaka.
The Garand was superior to these rifles because it had a high rate of fire, at 40 to 50 rounds
per minute, and a maximum effective range of over 500 yards (or 460 meters). It also featured an en
bloc loading mechanism, which meant the clip, along with cartridges, could be inserted into
the rifles as one. Additionally, the Garand was designed to cycle rounds using its own gases.
So while the enemy’s bolt-action rifles had a limited rate of fire and magazines which only fit
five or six rounds, the Americans had a magazine of eight rounds with a much higher rate of fire.
General George S. Patton said the Garand was "the greatest battle implement ever devised."
The M1 Garand had a massive impact on the war. As the Garands were so much
more powerful and had a superior rate of fire than other rifles, the Axis took note
and began to ramp up their production of fully and semi-automatic firearms to try and compete,
but they were never able to reach the new standard the Garand created.
A common story among Americans during the war was that enemy
soldiers were rushing them when they heard the distinct pinging sound the
Garand would make when it ran out of ammunition, and the clip was expelled.
The story became so common that a study was conducted during the war to prove the story
false. The conclusion was that the rifle's pinging sound was too quiet to be heard
over the roar of battle unless the listener was standing right next to someone with a
Garand. And if an enemy soldier is already that close, you’ve got other problems.
Luckily, were that story true, the Garand could be fitted with a 10-inch bayonet.
But, all things considered, there was really no World War II rifle that could match the M1 Garand.
What do you think? Do you agree that the PPSh, the Luger, and the Garand were the three best infantry
weapons of World War II? What would you swap out, and why? Please let us know in the comments below.