Description
Germany's Krummlauf was designed to let soldiers fire around corners without exposing themselves to enemy fire during World War II. Built for the revolutionary StG 44 assault rifle, it promised to change urban warfare in the final years of World War II. This story explores how one of Germany's most ingenious weapons became one of the greatest engineering failures of the war.
As brutal street fighting consumed cities like Stalingrad, Warsaw, Budapest, and Berlin, German engineers searched for a way to overcome the deadly advantage of defenders hidden behind walls and around corners. The result was the Krummlauf—a remarkable curved barrel attachment that appeared capable of solving one of infantry combat's oldest problems during World War II.