Approximately 1,500 sights for the tank gadget had reportedly been made by Zeiss by the end of January 1945.
German plans were to equip every infantryman armed with the StG44 with the 30-degree variant of the Krummlauf.
I found some interesting U.S.
The release of the gas through the auxiliary barrel ports relieved much of the apparent strain on the mechanism.
It was anticipated that this weapon would be difficult to control, and test firing verified these estimates.
As the bullet hits the curve in the barrel there is a violent reaction in the opposite direction.
Approximately 150 rounds were fired in testing the weapon.
Firing tests into sawdust produced more fragments than intact bullets.
Tank Mount:The mount is a hemispherical steel ball, assembled in a cup joint.
The ball is pierced eccentrically to receive the barrel extension and pierced to receive a periscope sight.
The weapon can be quickly detached from the barrel extension within the vehicle.
looks like some 90-degree barrel extensions were modified for experimental infantry use in the last months of the war.
The modification consisted of omitting the threading at the rear end of the barrel extension.
The curved barrel is then pinned to a modified grenade launcher clamp coupling.
With the short length, large diameter, and short bearing of the 230-grain U.S.
Caliber .45 bullet, various degrees of bent barrels might prove to be successful, and with reasonable control.
With the 7.9mm Kurzpatronen bullet, it is believed that the 30-degree bend is practical.
The 90-degree bend is apparently impractical.Colonel H.A.
Quinn
American Anschluss
It seems that U.S.
Ordnance took Colonel Quinns recommendation to heart.
After the war, some curved barrels were created for the .45 caliberM3A1 (Grease Gun) submachine gun.
Later, some commercial experiments were also conducted with curved barrels for theM1 Carbine(.30 Carbine).
Apparently, the test results were not satisfactory.
The curved barrel is an interesting idea, and U.S.
Ordnance pursued it long enough to realize that the notion was more gimmickry than solid firearms science.
Can a firearm be made to shoot around a corner?
In the final equation, the Krummlauf and related projects werent practical.
But, they certainly were interesting!
