PPD-40

The PPD (Pistolet-Pulemyot Degtyaryova, Russian: Пистолет-пулемёт Дегтярёва) is a submachine gun originally designed in 1934 by Vasily Degtyaryov. It was a near direct copy of the German Bergmann MP28, and utilized a large ammunition drum, a copy of the Finnish M31 Suomi drum magazine, as well as a more conventional box-type magazine. It first went into military service in 1935 as the PPD-34. In 1938 and 1940, modifications were designated PPD-34/38 and PPD-40 respectively, and introduced minor changes. Nevertheless, the PPD-40 was too complicated and expensive to mass-produce, and although it was used in action in the initial stages of World War II, it was, by the end of 1941, quickly phased out and replaced by the superior and cheaper PPSh-41.