BACKGROUND: The development and production of German army ordnance was under the supervision of the HwaA, Heereswaffenamt, (Army Ordnance Office), which was a subsection of the OKH, Oberkommando des Heeres, (High Command of the Army), and was responsible for testing, evaluation and eventual issue of all ordnance. The HwaA would issue all ordnance to a units Quartiermeister, (Supply HQ unit/Quartermaster), which contained the units Administration, Medical, Veterinarian, and Transport officers and its main responsibility was the control of all supplies to the forward troops including all vehicle fuel, and lubricant requirements as well as animal feed and rations and ammunition and accessories. The development of a German automatic assault rifle can be traced back to World War I when the requirements for a light weight, quick firing, close combat, weapon which could be utilized by a single man was needed in the close quarter, static warfare of the trenches. The primary weapons of the time, the slow firing, repeater rifle and the relatively immobile, machine gun were found insufficient and the Spandau Rifle Testing Commission began research on developing a sub-machine gun in late 1915. In 1917 the Germans introduced their first sub-machine gun, designated the MP18/I, which was to be the forerunner of all the MP’s to follow. In August 1938 the Deutsche Heer, (German Army), adopted the newly developed MP38. Further developments and improvements and the need for a cheaper, mass produced weapon resulted in the introduction of the MP40 in April 1940. With the invasion of Russia in June 1941 German troops confronted Soviet Infantry units equipped with fully automatic weapons which resulted in requests from the field for fully automatic German weapons. Development of such weapons was already underway and the Merz Works in Frankfurt delivered the first fifty fully automatic assault rifles, designated, MKb42 Maschinenkarabiner 42, (Automatic Carbine 42), on July 1ST 1942 of which thirty-five were issued to front line personnel for immediate field testing. Further development brought about the MP43, Maschinenpistole 43, (Machine Pistol 43), with the first deliveries to the front line troops beginning in February 1943. In April 1944 the MP43 designation was modified to MP44 and in December 1944 the weapon received its final designation as StG 44, Sturmgewehr 44, (Assault Weapon 44). Individuals equipped with the MP43-44/StG44 were issued a pair of specially designed ammo pouches which each held three, slightly curved, thirty round capacity, stick, ammunition magazines. The ammo pouches for the MP43-44/StG44 were similar in design to the MP 38/40 ammo pouches, with a few small differences. The right side MP43-44/StG 44 ammo pouch had an additional small pocket for a quick loading tool while the left side ammo pouch had an additional larger pocket designed to carry a firing pin, an extractor with an extractor pin, a coil spring and an additional quick loading tool. Originally the MP43-44/StG44 ammo pouches included leather reinforced bottom panels but they were soon abolished due to leather shortages. With the late introduction of the MP43-44/StG44 it was not uncommon for the ammo pouches to be manufactured from scraps of previously used materials. With a rate of fire of roughly five hundred rounds per minute the StG44 was a formidable weapon. The MP43-44/StG44 were all ground breaking weapons and although mechanically different the StG44 had a definite influence on Mikhail Kalashnikov in the later development of the infamous Russian AK47 assault rifle in 1947.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Later war production, left hand side, woven, olive drab canvas construction, MP43-44/StG44 ammo pouch with brown leather, black and tan simulated leather, (Preßtoff), steel, and olive drab canvas web fittings and machine stitched seams. Worn and used. Rare pouch.