What the heck is this???

[Klum25th]

I Know its a MP44 or STG44. But whats the thing on top of it?

and on the web site its in German or spanish or something but it says this. Soldado aliado prueba un fusil de asalto STG-44 con sistema de visión nocturna "Vampiro".[/U]

[nirvana]

CLEARLY its night vision  "visión nocturna" is a cognate for night vision.  I have learned something in Spanish this year.

Allied soldier proves a assault rifle STG-44 with system of night vision "Vampire"

[Guppy35]

Reminded me of these photos from a 1946 pictorial history of WW2

Dan/CorkyJr

[john9001]

going to change my handle to "Vampiro"

be afraid , be very afraid

[Tails]

Originally posted by Klum25th
I Know its a MP44 or STG44. But whats the thing on top of it?

and on the web site its in German or spanish or something but it says this. Soldado aliado prueba un fusil de asalto STG-44 con sistema de visión nocturna "Vampiro".[/U]

Looks like an active IR system there. Basicly an early precurser to modern night vision.

It used an IR flood-light to provide a light source to a primitive light amplification tube. (Back then, light amp tubes werent even powerful enough to work in normal room lighting).

Worked pretty well...until the enemy learned to start packing IR sensing gear to find the flood lights.

[Schaden]

Wasn't it called Vampyr? Frigging massive battery you had to lug along with it.

[Pongo]

If you ever read the book "The Master Sniper" that device features prominanlty in the plot.
But the author unfortunaly confused Active IR with Thermal Imaging and his whole story was to do with people wearing alot of clothing and defeating the IR system because they were well insulated.
Really the guy saw that picture and wrote a whole novel arround it without really understanding what it was.

[lasersailor184]

It is an IR spot light and IR recieving scope.  You think it would have been a great Idea, but it wasn't.

It weighed so much and the STG wasn't that great of a gun anyway.

[Pongo]

LOL
its a great idea if you have one and the other guy doenst have any NV capability at all.
Especially in concert with bigger spot lights mounted on vehicles but using the scope on the rifle. The germans developed a 1 meter spot light for mounting on a 251 half track.  All great stuff till the other guy starts using IR scopes and the men maning your spot lights start to feel vulnerable.
This was typical NVG technology untill the early 80s.
And the STG was a fantastic gun compared to its contemporaries.
the spot light has limited range so it would be wasted on a longer raged weapon.

[lasersailor184]

No, the STG was not a fantastic gun.


It was a mediocre gun.  Take a look in any direction towards any country (including germany) and there were better guns.

[Nath_____]

The title of this thread was my response when seeing the new 190 cockpit for the first time.

[GScholz]

Originally posted by lasersailor184
No, the STG was not a fantastic gun.


It was a mediocre gun.  Take a look in any direction towards any country (including germany) and there were better guns.

Like what?

[lasersailor184]

Garand, enfield, K98, MG 42, 1917, Nagant, PPSH, Thompson...


It was a revolutionary concept.  But just like the first wheel being a revoluationary concept, it did not roll too well.

[thrila]

You sure laser?  

It could engage targets at longer ranges with better accuracy than smg's.  It gave a greater rate of fire than all contemporary rifles, being much more useful for urban combat too.

Not sure why you are comparing it to the MG42.

[kraquen]

Soldado aliado prueba un fusil de asalto STG-44 con sistema de visión nocturna "Vampiro".

Allied soldier tests an STG-44 assualt rifle with a night vision system "Vampiro" (vampyre).