28. The Nazis’ Failed Attempt to Curve Bullets
The German World War II Sturmgewehr 44 (StG 44) was an innovative weapon and history’s first successful assault rifle. Although markedly heavier than its modern equivalents, it had all the basic features common to all assault rifles up to the present. It was more compact than the battle rifles of its day that fired fully powered cartridges that could, theoretically, hit targets more than a thousand yards away. Instead, the StG 44 used intermediate cartridges, designed for targets within a few hundred meters – the range in which the overwhelming majority of engagements occurred.
It could also put many more bullets downrange, with controllable automatic fire. All in all, the StG 44 was a huge success. Not so an attachment that was developed for use with the innovative assault rifle: a curved barrel intended to allow soldiers to fire an StG 44 around corners or over obstacles without exposing themselves. Known as the Krummlauf, German for “curved barrel”, it was a good concept. As seen below, however, it failed when it was employed in the real world.