DShK Model 1938

History of DShK Model 1938

The Soviet DShK Type 1938 heavy machine gun was developed before World War II (1939-1945) to replace the old Maxim 1910 (Soviet designation ("PM M1910")). The new brand has proven itself to be a weapon in the same class as the recognized and respected Browning M2 and is equally popular worldwide. The Type 1938 entered service with the Red Army during World War II and into the Cold War, in a refined, modern form, and sheer production numbers have given the range of the DShK series so great that the weapon is still widely used today (2013). ).

The Soviet military understood the value of having a quality heavy machine gun in their arsenal long before World War I, when the Maxim Model 1910 (Soviet designation "PM M1910") was in use. These guns are complete systems that include a gun with an integral cooling jacket on the barrel, a robust receiver design, a simple spade grip, a wheeled frame, and an armored shield for infantry use.

The 140-pound gun holds a 7.62x54mmR cartridge and controls a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute via a short recoil with an internal toggle lock. This model was produced from 1910 to 1939, during which time it became a stable Russian/Soviet Imperial Army, while also serving in the armed forces of Austria-Hungary, China, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Iran, North Korea and Mongolia, Poland, South Korea , Ottoman Empire (Turkey) and North Vietnam in time.

Production resumed after the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 and continued until the end of the war in 1945.

While the M1910s were stable, they proved extremely limited for Soviet troops looking to simplify their mobility for a future war with one of their many neighbors. So a new design was sought, but with the same robustness as Maxim's design in this area. The origin of the DShK series lies in the early move to combine the work of Vasil Degtyaryov and Georgi Shpagin, a new weapon combining the gas operating and locking mechanism developed by the former and the feeding mechanism developed by the latter. The design evolved into a long (albeit lighter) chambered, large 12.7x107 mm cartridge for Soviet heavy machine guns, operated by a rotary cylinder feed system.

The rotary system rubs a round from the incoming belt magazine and delivers it to the chamber in front of the bolt. The weapon has a rectangular receiver with two shovel-style grips for a firm two-handed grip. Aiming is done with a simple iron assembly mounted on the receiver and barrel. The long barrel is partially encased in a fin, making the weapon a nod to machine gun designs that emerged in the 1920s and early 1930s. The muzzle is capped by a very large stopper, while the cylinders used in the system are mounted under the barrel.

The weapon was released on a rather bulky, steel-framed two-wheeled wagon with trailing arms - the same bulky setup as the previous M1910 brand, which in turn limited the weapon's tactical flexibility. After passing the required state tests before acceptance, the weapon was accepted and officially recognized in the inventory as "Degtyereva-Shpagina Krupnokaliberny 1938" - or simply "DShK-Modell von 1938" or "M1938".

The DShK series of weapons weighs 75 pounds, while the PM M1910 weighs 140 pounds.

The DShK became the standard machine gun of the Red Army during World War II. After the German onslaught against the Soviet Union began in June 1941 (through Operation Barbarossa), the Soviet Army lost many men and equipment in the chaos and fighting that followed. Production of the new weapon (now in the relocated facility) rose to an extremely high level, and the 1938 machine gun was everywhere and appeared as needed in a variety of battlefield roleswhether as a suppression-oriented offensive artillery weapon, or as a On-board machine guns and anti-aircraft installations for defensive fixed emplacements/strategic nodes of infantry tanks. The DShK had a good and healthy record in the ensuing battle and was known as a reliable and deadly long-range weapon comparable to rival Browning designs - its main disadvantage was the heavy wheels that had to be pulled by several men carriage.

While each weapon element weighs around 75 pounds, when combined with the carriage, the entire system can weigh over 300 pounds. In 1940, after front-line experience decided to change, a slightly modified feeding mechanism was introduced, which gave birth to the "Type 1938/40" with an improved receiver.

Another major feed revision - the feed of the "Type 1938/46" (aka "DShKM") and its revision, now based on the belt-fed RP46 machine gun - appeared in the post-WWII world. The Model 1938 appeared on all types of Soviet tanks during World War II as a cupola or turret coaxial defense system, and a special tripod was developed for use as a stand-alone anti-aircraft weapon.

The production range of the DShK Type 1938 series was so extensive that it went into extensive combat service around the world, including in the Korean War (1950-1953) and the Vietnam War (1955-1975). The series is loved by users in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, mainly due to the influence of the Soviet Union in key regions and the fact that the government of the country, which is now independent from Soviet Russian rule since the collapse of the Empire in 1991, can still be seen in recent battles in 1938 2011 pattern, such actions were noted in the Libyan civil war in 2011 and the ongoing Syrian civil war (since 2011). This was also the case with coalition forces traveling through modern-day Afghanistan and Iraq after the 2001 and 2003 invasions.

The DShK system was used on makeshift "engineering" vehicles by rebels and guerrilla fighters for various local battles with government forces, proving the adaptability of the DShK series of machine guns.

DShK is produced under license in Czechoslovakia (previously), China, Iran, Pakistan, Romania and Yugoslavia (previously). Over 70 users worldwide can claim its usefulness and value on the battlefield.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes