05-30-2018, 02:01 AM
I have to wonder about the "Sturmgewehr name as Hitler propaganda" story. It seems rather unlikely that American and British soldiers on the battlefield in 1944-45 would've even heard the term, let alone knew its meaning.
However, I'm not surprised that somebody coined a new name for this class of weapons. Like the contemporary M1 carbine, the MKb42 is not technically a carbine, nor is the MP43 a submachine gun, so "assault rifle" is perhaps as good of a name as any. (Although "assault rifle" is actually a bit of a misnomer, too, since use of such weapons is not limited to assaulting an objective.)
However, I'm not surprised that somebody coined a new name for this class of weapons. Like the contemporary M1 carbine, the MKb42 is not technically a carbine, nor is the MP43 a submachine gun, so "assault rifle" is perhaps as good of a name as any. (Although "assault rifle" is actually a bit of a misnomer, too, since use of such weapons is not limited to assaulting an objective.)