HISTORY:
** Following the USSR's victory in World War II, the Soviet armed forces adopted a succession of new or improved machine guns. These rugged, innovative weapons drew upon the latest advances in firearms technology. While several fired the ‘intermediate’ 7.62x39mm cartridge used in the new AK-47 assault rifle, others utilized the traditional 7.62x54mmR round dating from the 1890s. These firearms equipped not just the Soviet armed forces and their allies in the burgeoning Cold War, but also regimes and insurgent groups across the globe, from Korea to Algeria.
A new generation of Soviet machine guns appeared in the 1960s, notably the RPK at squad level and the PK general purpose machine gun in the support role. Both were modernized in the ensuing decades, with the 5.45mm round adopted for the RPK-74, reflecting the move to smaller-calibre ammunition for the AK-47 assault rifle. Practically every theater of conflict around the world, from the jungles of Vietnam to the African savannah, saw these weapons used extensively in combat, sometimes on both sides. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Cold War-era machine guns were fielded in Yugoslavia, Chechnya, Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere. While new designs such as the 12.7mm Kord and the PKP entered the fray, venerable types such as the DShKM remained in service.
In this illustrated survey, renowned small arms specialist Leroy Thompson investigates the origins, development, combat use, and legacy of these machine guns, from the dawn of the Cold War to the 2020s, casting light on their battlefield effectiveness and widespread tactical influence. **
** Quoted from the back cover of the book.
THE BOOK:
Osprey Publications has released Russian Machine Guns Since 1945 as Number 89 in their Weapon series. It is a soft cover book with 80 pages and is the standard Osprey Publishing size of 7 1/4 x 9 3/4 inches. Included with the text are black and white and color photographs, full color illustrations, cutaway illustrations, detailed captions and more. It has a 2025 copyright, a publication date of December 18, 2025, and the ISBN is 978-1-4728-6759-9.
THE CONTENTS:
Introduction
Development
- Small arms adaptation and innovation
Use
- A universal battlefield presence
Impact
- Global Influence
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
THE TEXT:
Author Leroy Thompson provides a professionally written text detailing various Russian machine guns from 1945 to the present day and their use by various militaries around the world. The author discusses many different models of Russian machine guns such as the RPK light machine gun, DShKM heavy machine gun, RP-46 light machine gun, KPV heavy machine gun, RPL-20 light machine gun, PKM general-purpose machine gun, NSV heavy machine gun and several others. Information provided is on subjects such as who designed and manufactured the weapons, the materials the weapons were made from, the weight of the weapons, the caliber and the types of ammunition used, if they were magazine or belt fed, rates of fire, effective ranges, if they used regular or fluted barrels, dates of use, flaws found upon use and changes that were required and the improvements that were made to them, if they used bipods, tripods or were vehicle mounted, their intended roles in combat, countries that used them other than Russia, the various types of military troops they were issued to and conflicts that they were used in and how they were used in combat by the different militaries. Also provided is information on things such as flash suppressors, ammunition magazines, optics, bipods, tripods and other such specific details including operation for some of the different weapons. Leroy Thompson provides an excellent description of all the technical specifications of the weapons and their accessories in an easy-to-read format which detail-oriented readers will benefit from. I personally feel that the author has covered all areas and aspects of the specific weapons and left no area of the weapons undiscussed in detail. As I read through the text, I didn't notice any spelling or grammatical errors. Grammar and spelling might not be an important factor to everyone however it is something that I take notice of and pass on my findings. Anyone wanting to add an excellent reference and history book on Russian machine guns to their personal library will be pleased with this very informative and interesting book.
THE PHOTOGRAPHS:
A total of 8 black and white photographs and 66 color photographs are included in this volume. The majority of the photographs focus just the various weapons and accessories themselves as opposed to photographs that feature the weapons in a broad generalized military photograph that lack focus on the specific weapon and associated equipment, which in my opinion it makes it much easier to study the various weapons and their details. The majority of the photographs are clear and easily viewable; however, a few of the black and white period photographs appear to be too dark which can be typical for the periods of history when they were taken and the quality of the photographs is of no fault of the author and they do not take anything away from the book. Most of the photographs have been taken in recent history or they are photographs of the author himself with some of the various machine guns and so as a result the photographs are nice and clear and provide excellent clear views of the weapons being discussed. As well as showing weapons of Russian manufacture, there are also photographs of copies of the Russian weapons manufactured in countries such as China, Yugoslavia and Egypt. The weapons are shown in use by the Russian military as well as Russian allies and there are also photographs of captured Russian machine guns in the hands of others, such as the Mujahideen, being used against their former owners. Other photographs of interest show things such as field repairs that have been made to older, well-used, weapons. Author Leroy Thompson stuck to the title of the book and chose subject specific photographs and did not include photographs that strayed from the main subject of the book. The majority, if not all of the photographs, will prove to be a wealth of information to anyone interested in Russian machine guns from 1945 to the present day and their use by various militaries around the world due to the details that they contain.
THE ILLUSTRATIONS:
There are 5 color illustrations with detailed captions included by illustrators Adam Hook and Alan Gilliland. Adam Hook completed the battlescenes and Alan Gilliland completed the cutaway illustrations. The illustrations are very well done, nicely detailed and are of:
Plate A
Urban counterinsurgency, Hungary, 1956 (see attached scan)
– A one-page color action illustration depicting Soviet troops with a Russian BTR-40 armored personnel carrier engaging the enemy in street fighting during the Hungarian Revolution.
Plate B
Afghan ambush, c.1985
- A two-page color action illustration depicting Soviet troops engaging an Afghan Mujahideen that is in a high ground position and is firing on the Soviets with a captured Russian 12.7x108mm DShKM HMG. The Soviets have just been inserted by a Russian Mi-8 helicopter and are returning firing with an RPK-74 LMG and a PKM GPMG.
Plate C
Airbase incursion, Syria, c.2016
- A one-page color action illustration depicting a detachment of Russian military police manning a checkpoint at an airbase in Syria with an ISIS insurgent armed with a Russian Pecheneg GPMG preparing to engage the Russians from behind a stone wall. The Soviets are manning TIGR infantry mobility vehicles armed with a remote-control firing Kord HMG and a Kord 6P49.
Cutaway Illustrations
Plate A
The RPK Revealed
- A two-page color cutaway view showing the internal workings of the 7.62mm RPK light machine gun Also provided is a key which details 22 specific items that are pointed out on the weapon.
Plate B
The PKM Revealed
- A two-page color cutaway view showing the internal workings of the 7.62mm PKM machine gun. Also provided is a key which details 19 specific items that are pointed out on the weapon.
THE CAPTIONS:
The captions are well written and explain the accompanying photographs and illustrations in great detail eliminating any doubt as to what is shown. The captions go into very specific detail as to the specific weapons shown and their caliber, the country and conflict that they are being used in and the military unit that is using the weapons, if the weapons are of Russian manufacture or it they are another country’s copy of it such as from China and Yugoslavia, weapon markings, associated equipment installed such as muzzle brakes and optics and other such specific items of interest, dates and locations and other such pertinent information. As I read through the captions, I didn’t notice any spelling or grammatical errors. Leroy Thompson’s captions will be helpful to the reader due to the detailed content they contain.
CONCLUSION:
As with the other Osprey Publishing titles I was impressed with this book. This is a very nice reference book that contains a well written informative text, many subject specific photographs and illustrations, well detailed captions and more, all detailing Russian Machine Guns Since 1945. As with the other Osprey Publishing titles, I have no hesitation recommending this book to others as it will be a welcome addition to one’s personal reference library.
Osprey Publishing also offers Russian Machine Guns Since 1945 as:
Ebook (Epub & Mobi) ISBN: 978-1-4728-6758-2
and
Ebook (PDF) ISBN: 978-1-4728-6761-2
Osprey Publishing’s, Russian Machine Guns Since 1945, is also available as a Kindle version through Amazon.
PRICE:
UK £15.99 / US $23.00 / CAN $31.00
This book was provided to me by Osprey Publishing. Please mention that you saw the book reviewed here on the KitMaker Network when making your purchase. Thank you.