Victory Day a Day Later Than Most (SVT-40)

Happy Victory Day to the denizens of the former Soviet Union! While the Western Allies celebrated Victory in Europe (VE) day yesterday May 8th, many former Soviet states celebrate it today on the 9th. This is due to the timing of the official German surrender, which was signed in the evening of May 8th (Central European Time) -- making it past midnight Moscow Time .




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The recognition in the West of Soviet contributions to the fight has gone through somewhat of a shift. In the decades following the war they were largely forgotten, glossed over, or confined to set piece battles like Stalingrad, Kursk, Berlin, etc. While perhaps explainable (although wrong) because we found ourselves at extreme odds with the folks behind the Iron Curtain, it has led to a warped understanding of how the war actually happened and certainly doesn't give the USSR a fair stake in the victory.

Following the dissolution of the USSR it has become increasingly normal to recognize Soviet achievements and sacrifices, particularly the "butcher's bill" paid by the Red Army and Soviet civilians in repelling the German invasion. While that is right and good, some commentators seek to swing the pendulum further and seemingly assert that the Soviet Union won the war with comparatively negligible assistance from the West (see the memes to the right which are rather quite funny, but lacking in context as memes usually are).

​I would suggest that the truth, as it often does, lies somewhere in between the two extremes. This was a world war, and the major Allies all played indispensable roles in the outcome. While engaging in hypothetical "what-if" history is always dangerous, there is little doubt that the outcome would look different if Britain would have fallen in 1940, the US decided to focus primarily on Japan, or the Soviet Union would have collapsed during Operation Barbarossa. The Soviets certainly paid the highest human toll and killed the most Germans, while the Western Allies crossed oceans, fought on fronts all over the globe, and contributed a truly staggering amount of weapons, munitions, food, vehicles, and equipment to the fight. ​

​This particular weapon, a SVT-40 (Tokarev self-loading rifle, model of 1940), was part of the Soviet effort in The Great Patriotic War. While it may have been aimed at Germans at one point, it eventually wound up in the hands of the Finnish military as noted by the boxed SA stamp. 

In the years leading up to WW2 the Soviet military recognized the need to modernize their military and replace the venerable, but rather old, Mosin Nagant rifle. After some development the USSR settled on the SVT-40 design, and began producing them with the goal of phasing out their 91/30s with a new autoloading design. Featuring a 10rd detachable magazine (still primarily fed via stripper clips), 24.6" barrel, vented metal hand guards and a sweet looking muzzle brake, the SVT-40 is an iconic looking weapon. Despite its length I think it is an extremely graceful and well-balanced weapon, and gave the infantryman holding it a great deal of firepower.

Unfortunately the best laid plans are often unexpectedly disrupted, and this happened in 1941 with the German invasion. This forced the Soviets to rely yet again on Mosin Nagant pattern rifles, while SVT-40s found themselves in a secondary role. The Soviets were smart however by keeping the same service cartridge between rifles (unlike the French, Italians, and Japanese) so the use of SVT-40 didn't seriously bog down logistics.

It served ably throughout the conflict, but did have its issues including first shot dispersion (making it unsuitable for sniper usage) and fragility when compared to the bomb-proof Mosin. While 1.6 million SVT rifles (38 and 40 pattern) were ultimately produced, they quickly became obsolete post-war due to the rise of the intermediate cartridge and other developments in firearms technology.

​This particular rifle was made in 1941 at the Izhevsk Arsenal (later known as IZHMASH, and now as the Kalashnikov Concern). While most SVT-40s on the American market come out of former Soviet Arsenals, and therefore went through the normal Soviet refurbishment process, this rifle has escaped that due to its ownership by Finland at the close of the war. The parts are mismatched, the metal and wood show wear consistent with wartime use, but the bore is clean and shiny indicating it was well cared for. The lack of import mark indicates that this likely came into the US before the mid-1960s, and like so many surplus weapons could have been purchased mail order for $50 or so out of the back of a magazine.