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AK-47 Turns 60

By NewsDude ,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 7, 2007 7:39 AM CDT

(Newser) – In 1941, while hospitalized for wounds received fighting the Nazis, Russian soldier Mikhail Kalashnikov designed a rifle that combined the best of the American M1 and the German StG44.  The "Avtomat Kalashnikov," first produced in 1947, became known as the AK-47.   It is prized by warriors of many stripes for its reliability in all combat conditions.

While widely associated with the Red Army and Soviet sponsored third world insurgencies, AK-47s taken from Viet Cong were frequently used by Americans in Vietnam.  The gun's inventor, now 87, is still promoting the the weapon as an export .  "The Kalashnikov rifle is a symbol of the creative genius of our people," said, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A woman smiles as she holds a Kalashnikov (AKM 47) submachine...
A woman smiles as she holds a Kalashnikov (AKM 47) submachine...   (Getty Images)
Khartum. February 1993. Women volunteers in the PDF (Peoples Defence Forces) are given military training. (PAR164804)
Khartum. February 1993. Women volunteers in the PDF (Peoples Defence Forces) are given military training. (PAR164804)   (Magnum Photos)
CZECHOSLOVAKIA. Prague. Invasion of Warsaw Pact troops. 1968. (PAR290666)
CZECHOSLOVAKIA. Prague. Invasion of Warsaw Pact troops. 1968. (PAR290666)   (Magnum Photos)
ALGERIA,Great Kabylie, village of MAKOUBA,right is a militia of COMITE DE VIGILANCE. On the left is a Ninja (gendarme) with a Kalashnikov, on the right a member of the COMITE DE VIGILANCE (PAR58101)
ALGERIA,Great Kabylie, village of MAKOUBA,right is a militia of COMITE DE VIGILANCE. On the left is a Ninja (gendarme) with a Kalashnikov, on the right a member of the COMITE DE VIGILANCE (PAR58101)   (Magnum Photos)
Mikhail Kalashnikov, 88, stands at his AK-47 Nr.1, a prototype of the famous AK-47 rifle, during a ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of the worldwide assault rifle's creation in the Russia's Armed Forces Central Museum in Moscow, Friday, July 6, 2007.  The red flag in the background is...
Mikhail Kalashnikov, 88, stands at his AK-47 Nr.1, a prototype of the famous AK-47 rifle, during a ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of the worldwide assault rifle's creation in the Russia's Armed...   (Associated Press)
Mikhail Kalashnikov, 87, the designer of the worldwide assault rifle that bears his name, attends a ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of the famous AK-47 rifle's creation outside the Russia's Armed Forces Central Museum in Moscow on Friday, July 6, 2007. Sturdy, simple and cheap, firing 600 bullets a...
Mikhail Kalashnikov, 87, the designer of the worldwide assault rifle that bears his name, attends a ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of the famous AK-47 rifle's creation outside the Russia's Armed...   (Associated Press)
Graphic gives information on the Kalashnikov rifle; two sizes; 2c x 3 inches; 96.3 mm x 76.2 mm; 2c x 4 1/4 inches; 96.3 mm x 108 mm
Graphic gives information on the Kalashnikov rifle; two sizes; 2c x 3 inches; 96.3 mm x 76.2 mm; 2c x 4 1/4 inches; 96.3 mm x 108 mm   (Associated Press)
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