Military forces worldwide take assault rifles for granted, as they are the pillar of infantry forces. However, during World War 2, only bolt-action rifles, light machine guns, and submachine guns existed.

No intermediate cartridge or rifle could fill the gap between the powerful rifle cartridge and the smaller pistol round used by submachine guns.

It was Hugo Schmeisser, the developer of the MP 18, who came up with a new type of weapon that combined the high rate of fire of a light machine gun, the power of a bolt action rifle, and the maneuverability of a submachine gun in one single package: the STG44.

Baptized by Hitler as the Sturmgewehr or Assault Rifle 44, the STG44 quickly earned its place in military history as the rifle for close-quarters combat and long-range engagements in a new age of warfare.
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