Here are three Soviet films, made for the indoctrination of Red Army troops, including the use of the standard issue Kalashnikov rifle AK-47, small arms, the Kalashnikov machine gun, the RPG-7 grenade launcher, and various hand grenades.

Narration: This is our division. We’ve been doing marksmanship training for many days now. It is difficult. But as Suvorov said, “What is difficult in training will become easy in a battle.” (01.00)

The Kalashnikov assault rifle is the powerful and reliable service rifle of the Soviet military. Thanks to its design features, it outclasses the best small arms from any other country, including the US. The Kalashnikov works smoothly in any conditions: in the pouring rain, in cold temperatures, in dust. (03.12) Operational characteristics of the rifle: maximum range is 3,000 m; lethal up to 1,500 m; the aiming range is 1,000m; the maximum effective range is 400m; a bullet pierces through a brick wall of up to 15 cm; the rate of fire is up to 600 shots a minute; the effective rate of burst fire is up to 100 shots a minute; the effective rate of fire at single-shot fire is up to 40 shots a minute. (03.58) Main parts of the rifle: the barrel with a receiver, a sight, and a stock. (04.20) Receiver cover, breechblock carrier with a breech plug, a breechblock, a recoil spring, a forearm with gas tube assembly, a trigger and firing mechanism, a foregrip, a magazine, a bayonet knife. (04.46)

What could be done to prevent stoppages? A soldier must know the firing techniques. Here are a few of them: firing from a prone position (06.05), from a kneeling position (07.15), from a standing position (07.35). I remember it from school. ‘You’re closing the wrong eye! Don’t breathe when you’re pulling the trigger! You’re a bad soldier, give the schoolkids a chance!’ (09.37) A soldier from our subdivision, Grisha Vekshin, proved to be a good machine gunner. The Kalashnikov hand-held machine gun is the most powerful squad automatic weapon. (12.26) Most of its parts are shared with the modernized variant of the AK-47 rifle. Grisha mastered the weapon perfectly. There are three stages of fire: getting into the position, firing, and ceasing fire. This is the instruction for firing from a prone position. (14.46) Firing the Kalashnikov hand-held machine gun on the move is easy thanks to the simplicity, mobility, and the light weight of the weapon. The firing spot should conceal the soldier from the enemy and be suitable for applying firing techniques. (16.01) Keep an eye on the field, inspect the objects from right to left, first the closer objects than the further ones. It is important to search for targets and shoot quickly. First shoot the most dangerous and important target, then the one that is the closest to you and is the most vulnerable. A moving target should be shot considering the prediction interval (18.06) Night firing. Sight quickly and lock the target. (18.49) The next film shows the RPG-7, a portable, reusable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank, rocket-propelled grenade launcher. The film describes the weapon including accessories (22:00) and shows how it should be used in the field. At 22:47, animation shows how the weapon travels in flight at 300 meters per second, and can pierce armor plating. The weapon also carries a self-destruct charge, that will detonate within 4-6 seconds of being fired (if it does not hit a target). At 27:00 a discussion of the RPG-7’s optical sight, “close your left eye and lean your right eye against the eyecup. using the rangefinder, check the distance to the target. For this you need to know the height of the target and see it completely..” At 29:00, a live fire exercise is shown with the RPG-7 fired against moving tanks.

The next film shows fragmentation hand grenades. Grenades can be of different types, depending on the fragment distribution range. (30.28) Here is the structure of RGD-5, RG-42, and F-1. Throwing a grenade: from a standing position, from a kneeling position, from a prone position. The rifle is in the position that would provide the ability to grab it and fire immediately. (33.40) A hollow charge grenade RKG-3 is used to fight tanks and other armored targets. Its weight is 1,070 gr, its throwing range is 15-20 m. (34.22) How to throw a grenade. (35.15). When one is targeting a moving tank, it is necessary to aim a few meters in front of it. (26.15) Not running away, not being afraid means surviving, it means winning against a tank. (36.46) Once the grenade is thrown, the soldier must hide. It is not easy to handle small arms, but as Suvorov said, “What is difficult in training will become easy in a battle.”

This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com