The PPSh-41 (Russian: Пистоле́т-пулемёт Шпа́гина, tr. Pistolét-pulemyót Shpágina, lit. 'Shpagin's machine-pistol') is a Soviet submachine gun designed by Georgy Shpagin as a cheap, reliable, and simplified alternative to the PPD-40. A common Russian nickname for the weapon is "papasha" (папа́ша), meaning "daddy". The Soviet Red Army troops facing Karl Fairburne in Berlin carry the PPSh-41 submachine gun.
The PPSh-41 appears in Sniper Elite, Sniper Elite V2, and Sniper Elite 4: Italia, being added in the Cold Warfare Winter Expansion DLC pack. The Survivor Brigade also uses the Shpagin in Zombie Army Trilogy and Zombie Army 4: Dead War.
The PPSh is a magazine-fed selective-fire submachine gun using an open bolt, blowback action. Made largely of stamped steel, it can be loaded with either a box or drum magazine and fires the 7.62×25mm Tokarev pistol round. The German soldiers used to use captured PPSh-41 submachine guns in Stalingrad, as they appreciated its ruggedness.
It became one of the major infantry weapons of the Soviet Armed Forces during World War II, with about six million PPSh-41s manufactured in this period, making it the most-produced submachine gun of the war. In the form of the Chinese Type 50 (licensed copy), it continued in use with the Viet Cong as late as 1970.
Description[]
PPSh-41 and drum magazine.
Production[]
The impetus for the development of the PPSh came partly from the Winter War against Finland, where the Finnish Army employed the Suomi KP/-31 submachine gun as a highly effective tool for close-quarter fighting in forests and built-up urban areas. Its 71-round drum magazine was later copied and adopted by the Soviets for their PPD-40 and PPSh-41 submachine guns.
The PPD-40 was subsequently rushed into mass production in 1940, but it was expensive to manufacture, both in terms of materials and labor, because it used numerous milled metal parts, particularly its receiver. Shpagin's main idea for cost reduction was to use metal stamping for the production of most parts; that concept was revolutionary in the Soviet Union at the time. Shpagin created a prototype PPSh in September 1940, which also featured a simple gas compensator designed to prevent the muzzle from rising during bursts; this improved shot grouping by about 70% relative to the PPD.
As standard each PPSh-41 came with two factory fitted drum magazines that were matched to the weapon with marked serial numbers. If drum magazines were mixed and used with different serial numbered PPSh-41, a loose fitting could result in poor retention and failure to feed. Drum magazines were superseded by a simpler PPS-42 box-type magazine holding 35 rounds, although an improved drum magazine made from 1 mm thick steel was also introduced in 1944.
Wehrmacht Feldwebel Wilhelm Traub armed with a PPSh-41 scanning the view of Stalingrad in the middle of a ruined town in autumn 1942.
The PPS-43, was later introduced in Soviet service in 1943, which was even more basic in its design than the PPSh, and had a more moderate rate of fire, but it did not replace the PPSh-41 during the war.
More than five million PPSh submachine guns were produced by the end of the war. The Soviets would often equip platoons and sometimes entire companies with the weapon, giving them excellent short-range firepower. Thousands more were dropped behind enemy lines in order to equip Soviet partisans to disrupt German supply lines and communications. The PPSh-41 would be outproduced only by the Israeli Uzi submachine gun in the 1950's, starting in 1954.
Handling[]
The PPSh-41 fires the standard Soviet pistol and submachine gun cartridge, the 7.62×25mm (Tokarev). Weighing approximately 12 pounds (5.45 kg) with a loaded 71-round drum and 9.5 pounds (4.32 kg) with a loaded 35-round box magazine, the PPSh is capable of a rate of about 1000 rounds per minute, a very high rate of fire in comparison to most other military submachine guns of World War II. The PPSh drum magazine holds 71 rounds. In practice, misfeeding is likely to occur with more than about 65.
The PPSh-41 is a heavier firearm than its SMG contemporaries and had less felt recoil and muzzle climb than a lighter firearm using the same cartridge, thus being noted as rather controllable.
It is a durable, low-maintenance weapon made of low-cost, easily obtained components, primarily stamped sheet metal and wood. The final production PPShs have top ejection and an L type rear sight that can be adjusted for ranges of 100 and 200 meters. A crude compensator is built into the barrel jacket, intended to reduce muzzle climb during automatic fire. The compensator was moderately successful in this respect, but it greatly increased the muzzle flash and report of the weapon. The PPSh also has a hinged receiver to facilitate field-stripping and cleaning the weapon.
Overview[]
The PPSh-41's recoil offsets its high fire-rate and large magazine. Due to the PPSh-41's high fire-rate, large magazine and frequent appearance with Russian infantry, players can find many ammo pick-ups for it in-game. Furthermore, fully upgraded it is one of the best guns in the game
Sniper Elite[]
The PPSh-41 is the standard Soviet SMG. The player is usually issued one at the start of each mission. It is less accurate than its German counterpart, the MP40.
The PPSh-41's barrel sticks inside Karls right leg when crawling.
Sniper Elite V2[]
The Russian PPSh-41 is first found in Mission 4: Kaiser-Friedrich Museum in the hands of some Red Army soldiers. Equipped with the round drum magazine, it has a vastly higher rate of fire compared with other available submachine guns. The recoil from this, however, can cause it to be less accurate and more difficult to control. It is fairly common, being found in the hands of many Soviet troops; it is however woefully inaccurate and uses a weaker round compared to its alternatives.
Sniper Elite 4: Italia[]
"The "pistol-pulemyot Shpagina" was designed as a simplified reliable submachine gun for the Soviet forces. It saw extensive usage as one of the main infantry weapons of the Soviet Armed Forces during WWII, with around 6 million units manufactured."
The PPSh-41 is available in the Cold Warfare Winter Expansion DLC pack. It has a 71-round drum magazine, giving it the highest capacity of all the game's submachine guns. This, however, doesn't affect the total ammo pool for the secondary weapon, which results in the player carrying one full magazine and another only partially loaded.
Karl carrying a PPSh-41 in Italy.
Upgrades[]
- Damage: 5 Penetrative Kills
- Accuracy: 5 Grenade-in-Belt Shots
- Range: 100 Kills while Crouched
- Mastery Skin: 100 Head Shots
Skins[]
- Default Skin: Available by default
- Mastery Skin: Complete all upgrades
Zombie Army 4: Dead War[]
"This Soviet Armed Forces weapon was built for urban close combat warfare. This makes it perfectfor the shambling onslaught of the undead."
The PPSh-41 is used by the Survivor Brigade, having low controllability and low damage, it provides a high rate of fire and is easy to reload.it appears as part of the PPSH Submachine Gun Bundle, the gun starts with a 35 round stick magazine, the drum magazine has to be unlocked.
Sniper Elite 5[]
TBA
Further Reading[]
Wikipedia offers an informative page on the PPSh-41 Soviet submachine gun.