PPD-40

The PPD (Pistolet-Pulemyot Degtyaryova, Russian: Пистолет-пулемёт Дегтярёва, Degtyaryov machine pistol) is a submachine gun originally designed in 1934 by Vasily Degtyaryov. The PPD had a conventional wooden stock, fired from an open bolt, and was capable of selective fire. Not to be confused with PPSh-41.

History

Developed in the Soviet Union by arms designer Vasily Degtyaryov, it was a near direct copy of the German Bergmann MP 28. The PPD was designed to chamber the new Soviet 7.62×25mm Tokarev pistol cartridge, which was based on the similar 7.63×25mm Mauser cartridge used in the Mauser C96 pistol. The PPD utilized a large ammunition drum.

The PPD officially went into military service with the Red Army in 1935 as the PPD-34, although it was not produced in large quantities. Production issues were not solved until 1937; in 1934 only 44 were produced, in 1935 only 23; production picked up in 1937 with 1,291 produced, followed by 1,115 produced in 1938 and 1,700 produced in 1939. It saw use with the NKVD internal forces as well as border guards. A little-known fact is that the PPD was decommissioned entirely in 1939 and factory orders cancelled following a directive of the People's Commissariat of Defence Industry; the decision was quickly reversed though after the personal intervention of Degtyaryov with Stalin, with whom he had a good personal relationship. During the 1939 Soviet-Finnish war, an acute lack of individual automatic weapons even led to the reintroduction of the stockpiled Fedorov Avtomats into service.