In the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution, there is a Soviet-made PPS-43 submachine gun used by the "lone hero" Liu Guangzi in the Snow Mali battle.

Holding this gun, Liu Guangzi captured 63 prisoners alone in this battle, setting a record for the Chinese People's Volunteers to capture the most enemies in a single capture.

　　So, what kind of gun is this?

Why can we help the "lone hero" to complete this special battle at a critical moment?

Today, let us approach this meritorious weapon.

Soviet-made PPS-43 submachine gun

Volunteers’ "power multiplier" to frighten the enemy

Famous guns that came out of the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War

　　The gun used by Liu Guangzi is called the PPS-43 7.62mm submachine gun. It is an improved version of the PPS-42 submachine gun designed by Soviet Sudarev engineers. It was installed as a Soviet submachine gun in 1943.

　　From 1943 until the discontinuation of production after World War II, about 1 million guns were produced.

　　The PPS-43 submachine gun was born in the Battle of Leningrad.

　　At that time, Leningrad was surrounded by Nazi German forces, and the Soviet defenders urgently needed a submachine gun that could be used immediately.

Sudarev, who was in the Leningrad arsenal at that time, quickly designed the PPS submachine gun. The focus of the design was to use materials and equipment that can be found in the factory as much as possible.

　　This is an all-metal submachine gun, only the trigger handle is inlaid with wood, instead of a fixed butt but a folding buttstock made of a metal frame; the barrel is the same as the PPSh-41 submachine gun, it is a Mosin-Nagan The barrel of the rifle is divided into two; the Tokarev pistol is launched with 35 rounds of magazines, and there are some heat dissipation holes on the barrel. The front section is inclined at an angle to the back and down, which can prevent jumping and stopping when shooting. effect.

　　The gun can be single shot or burst shot, using a mechanical sight, the range is set to 100 meters and 200 meters.

The PPS submachine gun was produced and immediately put on the battlefield, playing an important role in the Battle of Leningrad.

After World War II, many countries have imitated PPS submachine guns, and China's imitation products are Type 54 submachine guns.

　　As the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea progressed, the Volunteer Army's weapons and ammunition consumption was increasing, and there was an urgent need to replenish it.

At that time, our country imported a large amount of weapons and equipment from the Soviet Union, including the PPS-43 submachine gun that was used extensively in World War II.

The PPS-43 submachine gun has experienced the test of war and has a large bullet capacity, making it easy to take advantage of firepower in battle.

　　On the battlefield to resist US aggression and aid Korea, the domestically produced 50-type submachine gun and the PPS-43 submachine gun constitute the main body of the submachine gun used by the volunteers.

Volunteer soldiers fully release their power

　　During the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet army formed a set of mature tactics based on the PPS-43 submachine gun, which is to actively "embrace" the enemy, that is, to engage in close combat with the German army in the form of submachine gun squads and achieve fruitful results.

　　On the Korean battlefield, the close combat advantage of the PPS-43 submachine gun makes it a useful weapon for the volunteer reconnaissance forces.

When patrolling and ambushing opponents, the melee firepower situation directly affects the success or failure of the battle.

Compared with the U.S. military’s M1 semi-automatic rifles and M2/M3 carbines, the PPS-43 submachine gun has a high-density firepower projection capability and stronger stability to make up for the lack of shooting accuracy, and to compete for the part of the volunteers whose equipment is at a disadvantage. Confrontation advantage.

　　In 1952, the US military launched the "Golden Offensive."

From October 14th to November 25th, the battle of Shangganling started.

The volunteers fought fiercely for 43 days and nights, smashing the enemy's attacks.

　　In this battle, the Volunteers took full advantage of the narrow terrain of Shangganling to defend tenaciously through tunnel operations and successfully brought the battle into a favorable situation of rapid offensive and defensive conversion, critical fire coverage, and short-range infantry combat.

　　The PPS-43 submachine gun has a light body and a high rate of fire. As soon as the upward attacking U.S. military was hit, the action was delayed and crowded with the rear troops.

Volunteer soldiers use submachine guns, grenades, blasting tubes, etc., to continuously enhance the killing effect.

　　In battle, volunteer soldiers using PPS-43 submachine guns will automatically assemble when they encounter their comrades.

At a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute, the PPS-43 submachine gun can always kill the enemy.

　　In the hands of brave and tenacious volunteer soldiers, the PPS-43 submachine gun has become a "power multiplier" to scare the enemy.

Single shot creates a miracle on the battlefield

　　In April 1951, after the 561th Regiment of the 187th Division of the 63rd Corps of the Volunteers broke through the Linjin River, they completed the siege of the enemy troop "Gloucester Battalion" in the Snowy Mali area with lightning speed. fighting.

　　Xuemali, located 4 kilometers south of the Linjin River, has 235 and 314 highlands as a barrier to the north, and 414 and 675 highlands in the south. The mountains are low in the north and high in the south. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is a strong point of the enemy's defense in the south of the Yangtze River. .

Defending the enemy is the "Gloucester Battalion" with the 7th Company of the 45th Regiment of the British Artillery, the 8th Company of the Khasas Cavalry, and the Heavy Tank Company. There are 42 battalions and associated artillery pieces. There are also two 105 howitzer battalions in the depth to support it. fighting.

　　At dawn on the 24th, the battle to encircle and annihilate Snow Mali began.

The 2nd and 3rd battalions of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Volunteer Army's 187th Division, which was in charge of the main attack, launched a sudden attack and captured the 314 highlands in the northeast of Snow Mali.

At the same time, the 1st Battalion of the 560th Volunteer Army launched an attack from behind the side of Snow Mali, while the 1st Battalion of the 561th Regiment slammed into the sand curtain and suddenly appeared behind the enemy of Snow Mali, cutting off the snow like a sharp knife. Mali’s "Gloucester Camp" retreat was achieved by defeating an enemy camp, capturing 130 enemies, and killing more than 50 enemies.

　　The snowy Mali area has a radius of hundreds of miles and the terrain is complex.

When Liu Guangzi, a soldier of the Volunteer Company of the 2nd Company, who was the leader of the combat team, rushed to a small high ground with two recruits, he suddenly found an artillery company from the "Gloucester Battalion" under the mountain beam, preparing to escape.

Liu Guangzi asked two soldiers with inexperienced combatants to lie behind the big rock and shoot for cover, while holding a PPS-43 submachine gun, he rushed down the mountain.

　　He quietly approached a few enemies and suddenly shouted loudly, and dozens of enemies stood up immediately behind a big rock.

Several guns were held against his chest at the same time, and a pistol was aimed at his forehead.

Taking advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness, Liu Guangzi decisively activated the grenade's insurance. The enemy in front of him was frightened. Just as the grenade was about to explode, Liu Guangzi retracted back, threw the grenade at the enemy group, and rolled down the hillside.

This kind of "anti-tank grenade" with explosives tied to grenade is so powerful that it blows up a bunch of enemies at once.

With the thick gunpowder from the explosion, he shouted while strafing: "The 1st battalion goes to the left, the 2nd battalion goes to the right, charge me!"

　　When Liu Guangzi yelled "Hand in hand but not kill" in the English he learned before the war, the enemy officers and soldiers who were beaten up were at a loss and all raised their hands to surrender.

In 1801, during the colonial war expedition to Egypt, the regiment was rewarded by the British King for breaking through the siege and turning defeat into victory.

Since then, the regiment’s soldiers’ caps have been decorated with a "Royal Army" cap badge on the front and back.

After a lapse of 150 years, they swept the Korean battlefield.

　　When the captives stood in a crowded line, they suddenly reacted: it turns out that the opponent is alone!

Then someone tried to pick up a gun to fight back, saying that it was too late and that time, Liu Guangzi knocked down several people with a single bullet, and the rest did not dare to resist.

He single-handedly escorted this long line to the mountain. He didn't expect that just after walking for a while, some people wanted to escape. He threw a grenade and it blew up a piece.

In this way, these prisoners were completely shocked by him.

　　Today, many people are still exploring, where did Liu Guangzi's courage come from?

The answers obtained include the following two points: First, the excellent and stable shooting performance of the PPS-43 submachine gun, and Liu Guangzi's handy use of other weapons and equipment; second, and the most important point, is his kind of completion The mission entrusted by the motherland and the people is the spirit of patriotism and internationalism that is brave and tenacious, and even sacrifices their lives. This is also the "qi" that the enemy lacks on the battlefield to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea. It is the bravery and tenaciousness of volunteer soldiers and the defeat of the enemy The spiritual code and powerful weapons.

(Ren Fei and Wang Zhengyu)