The 7,9 Infanterie Kurz Patrone

Paralell with the development of the german assault rifle, finally resulting in the sturmgewehr, the need for an intermediate cartridge arose. The 9mm luger had short range, the 8x57 mauser had to much recoil but long range. Poltewekre Magdeburg developed the 7,92x33 kurz. It was a shortened 8x57 utilizing alighter bullet giving it intermediate range but less recoil and weight. It lessened the weight of the loaded weapon, increased the amount of munition to be carried by a single soldier and transport was better utilized. It also meant machinery and equipment for the 8x57 could be used for the 7,92x33. Production began in a limited scal in 1941 at Magdeburg. Initially it was namedd "Pistolen patrone 43" to disguise it from Der Fuhrer as ammunition for the new MP44 "Submachine gun". Picture left shows 15round packages of 7,92x33 made by Poltewerke Magdeburg. Note the nam Pistolenpatrone 43 m.e. m.e stands For "mit eisenkern" (With iron core)

The 7,9x33 kurz had the following data:

Bullet lenght:          25,8mm

Bullet weight:         8,19gr / 126,37 grains

Bullet diameter:    8,20mm / .323"

Case lenght:           33mm

Powder weight:     1,5gr/23,15 grain

Cartridge lenght:   47,6mm

It was very kind of the Poltwerke to provide future collectors/ arms entuasist with reloading data. The similarity with the 7,62 x 39 cartridge for the ak-47 is striking.

Until 1942 it was mainly the Poltewerke producing the new cartridge. During the war there are 9 known and confirmed manufacturers of the Kurz patrone:

ak              Munitionsfabrik Sellier & Bellot                          eej            Marckischer walzwerk

aux            Poltewerke Magdeburg                                       fva            Draht und metallwarenfabrik sachsen

auy            Poltewerke Gruneberg                                         hla            Metallwarenfabrik Treuenbritzen

de               Unknown producer                                               kam          Hasag Eisen und metallwerke (poland)

dou            Waffenfabrik Brunn AG                                       oxo            Teuto metallwerke Osnabruck 

The metallwarenfabrik Treuenbritzen was occupied by the red army in 1945. In 1949 the factory was dismantled and remnant buildings blown up. Polte was partly transported away to ussr, the remaining was merget into "armaturenwerke Karl Marx".

Picture left showing a late war 15 round package made in 1945. Marked 'fva' indicating it was prodfuced by the Draht und metallwarenfabrik Sachsen.

Post war

The red army captured vast amounts of STg44 and ammunitions as they advanced west. These rifles were soon put to use in the eastern block, DDR and by yugoslavian paratroopers. The production of the 7,92 kurz continued. Picture left shows a package of east german KZ-43 produced in 1958. The picture (photo: Bundesarchiv) below shows the 6th anniversity for the founding of DDR 07.10.1955. The volkspolizei are all carrying ww2 sturmgewehr. It was later replaced by the AK47 around 1962. Ammunition from the war was repackaged and exported together with the stg44 to third world countries supporting communism. 

Picture to the left (below the DDR munition shows a package relabeled by the zcechs. Original marked 'hla' and produced for the germans by metallwarenfabrik Treuenbritzen. It was repacked after the war as the zcechs used the sturmgewehr up to 1955 when they were exported to africa, most likely Somalia.

Both Spain and Argentina produced the 7,92 kurz after the war. Somee ww2 kurz was repackaged and sold to the US shortly after the war. Even the Fal factory used 7,92 Kurz in early development of the Fn Fal rifle

The weapon still appears in conflicts today. In the Vietnam war the sturmgewehr was not uncommon to encounter in North Vietnamise hands.  It was used in Afrika, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and probably also in the Ukraine war. The USSR gave the Hafez al assad of Syria appx 5000 Stg44 in the 1960'ies. They ended up in a a storage in Aleppo as the supply of ammunition dried up. This storage was raided by the Al Tawhid brigade in 2012 who found thousands of mint condition STg44 and put them back into use. (unconfirmed story)

After 60yrs of conflicts involving this weapon the surplus of ammunition ran out. Today the 7,92x33 kurz is produced by PRVI Partizan in Serbia. This ammunition is on occations availeable for the civilian marked. Another mean to get hold of 7,92 kurz is reloading. 

Thus used in many conflicts up to this day, the heritage of the 7,92 kurz lives on in other ammunitions.