Mikhail Kalishikov in 2009
Mikhail Kalisnikov
November 10, 1919 – Still Living
Father of the infamous AK-47 assault rifle, Michail Kalishnikov wrote poetry as a youth and was expected to become a poet. He wrote six books and continued to write poetry all his life.
Kalashnikov was conscripted into the Red Army in 1938, and became a tank driver-mechanic, achieving the rank of senior sergeant (tank commander) serving on the T-34s of the 24th Tank Regiment, 12th Tank Division stationed in Stryi before the regiment retreated after the failed counterattack at Brody, June 1941. He was wounded in combat during the defence of Bryansk, October 1941, and released for six months recuperation due to illness. While in the hospital, he overheard some soldiers complaining about the Soviet rifles of the time.
He also had bad experiences with the standard infantry weapons at the time, and so he was inspired to start constructing a new rifle for the Soviet military. During this time Kalashnikov began designing a submachine gun.
Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov (born 1919), Russian gun designer, holding the first-ever AK-47 assault rifle, at an official 60th anniversary event, held in 2007 in Moscow, Russia. Kalashnikov designed this rifle in 1947. Its simple design and ease of use led to it becoming one of the most widely used weapons over the next 60 years. Kalashnikov's awards include Hero of Socialist Labour, the Order of Lenin, and the Order of St Andrew, Russia's highest order of chivalry. He is also a Lieutenant General.
This process culminated in 1947, when he designed the AK-47 (standing for Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947). In 1956, the AK-47 assault rifle became the Soviet Army’s standard issue rifle and went on to become Kalashnikov’s most famous invention.
The legacy of Kalashnikov’s rifles as the most popular assault rifles has prompted him to state that:
“When I see Bin Laden with his AK-47, I got nervous. But what can I do, terrorists aren’t fools: they too chose the most reliable guns.”
“I’m proud of my invention, but I’m sad that it is used by terrorists,” he said on a visit to Germany, adding:
“I would prefer to have invented a machine that people could use and that would help farmers with their work — for example a lawnmower.”(2002)
Source: Wikipedia
