TheDegtyaryov machine gun (Russian:Пулемёт Дегтярёва Пехотный (ПДП),romanized: Pulemyot Degtyaryova Pekhotny (PDP),lit. 'Degtyarev Infantry Machinegun' orDP-27/DP-28 is alight machine gun firing the7.62×54mmR cartridge that was primarily used by theSoviet Union, with service trials starting in 1927, followed by general deployment in 1928.[8][9]
Besides being the standard Soviet infantrylight machine gun (LMG) duringWorld War II, with various modifications it was used in aircraft as a flexible defensive weapon, and it was equipped on almost allSoviet tanks in WWII as either a flexible bow machine gun or aco-axial machine gun controlled by the gunner. It was improved in 1943 producing the DPM, but it was replaced in 1946 with the RP-46 which improved on the basic DP design by converting it to use belt feed. The DP machine gun was supplemented in the 1950s by the more modernRPD machine gun and entirely replaced in Soviet service by the general purposePK machine gun in the 1960s.[10]
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Despite its limitations, the DP had a reputation as a relatively effective light support weapon. It was nicknamed the "Record player" (proigryvatel') byRed Army troops because of its rotating disc-shaped pan magazine.[5]
The first uses of the DP-27 in war were with the Republican forces in theSpanish Civil War. On 25 October 1936, the SS Kursk docked at Cartegena, delivering 150 Degtaryov machine guns along with 9,000 Tsarist-eraWinchester Model 1895 rifles. The Cabo Palos delivered 3 DT tank machine guns on 7 May 1937. On 7 February 1938 the SS Bonafacio arrived in Bassens and included numerous weapons in its cargo delivery, including DP & DT machine guns.[11][12][13]
Many were captured by theFinnish army in theWinter War and theContinuation War and partially replaced theLahti-Saloranta M/26. The DP received the nicknameEmma in Finnish service after a popularwaltz, again due to the magazine's resemblance to a record player. In the summer of 1944, the Finnish army had about 3400 Finnish-made Lahti-Salorantas and 9,000 captured Soviet-made Degtyarevs on the front. Captured examples were operated by theVolkssturm, the late-war German militia, and in German service the Degtyarev received the designationLeichtes Maschinengewehr 120(r).[14]
TheChinese Nationalists received 5,600 DPs from the USSR and used them in theSecond Sino-Japanese War and theChinese Civil War. TheNorth Korean andChinese Communists used the DP in theKorean War and copied the DPM as the Type 53.[14]
Examples of all variants of the DP machine gun were given or sold to theViet Minh in theFirst Indochina War[15] by theUSSR andChinese Communists. Similarly, in theVietnam War to theNVA andVietcong.[16][17]
DPMs have also been recovered fromTaliban fighters during theWar in Afghanistan[18] while DPs or DPMs have been spotted in 2014 in theNorthern Mali conflict.[19] During the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, a few of the backline Ukrainian forces were issued surplus DPMs.[20][21]
The Degtyaryov light machine gun (DP) operates using agas-operated mechanism and magazine-fed ammunition. The gas engine features a long-stroke piston and a gas regulator located under the barrel.
Thebarrel itself is quick-detachable, partially covered by a protective shroud, and equipped with a conical removable flash hider (early models lacked both a flash hider and threading for it). The barrel was prone to overheating during intensive fire: due to its thin walls, it would heat up quickly (especially in later models where ribbed radiators were omitted for simplicity), and thus short bursts were necessary to prevent disabling the gun (combat rate of fire was up to 80 rounds per minute). Replacing the barrel during combat was difficult—it required a special wrench to remove the lock and protect the hands from burns.
The bolt was locked using two locking lugs that spread sideways when thefiring pin moved forward. Once the bolt reached the forward position, the bolt carrier continued moving, and the widened middle section of the firing pin, connected to it, pushed the rear ends of the locking lugs outward into the grooves of the receiver, securely locking the bolt. After firing, the bolt carrier moved backward under the action of the gas piston. During this, the firing pin was retracted, and special bevels on the carrier brought the locking lugs inward, disengaging them from the receiver and unlocking the bolt. Therecoil-operating spring was located under the barrel and could lose elasticity when overheated during intense fire, which was one of the relatively few but significant disadvantages of the DP. Additionally, the locking lugs required precise fitting to achieve symmetrical locking (though this was not a major practical drawback).
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The weapon was fed by flat pan magazines—“platters”—in which cartridges were arranged in a circle with bullets facing the center. This design ensured reliable feeding of rimmed cartridges but had notable drawbacks: large size and weight of the empty magazine, difficulty in transport and reloading, and susceptibility to damage during combat due to deformation. Initial magazines held 49 rounds, later replaced by 47-round ones with improved reliability. The machine gun was issued with three magazines and a metal box for their transport.
Although the DP magazine externally resembled the magazine of theLewis gun, its operating principle was entirely different; for example, in the Lewis gun, the disk rotated using energy from the bolt via a complex lever system, while in the DP, it was powered by a pre-tensioned spring inside the magazine.
The trigger mechanism allowed only fully automatic fire from an open bolt. It was housed in the trigger frame, attached to the receiver with a cross-pin. There was no conventional safety; instead, it had an automaticsafety lever that disengaged when gripping theneck of the stock. During intense fire, the need to constantly press the safety lever tired the shooter, and the rifle-type stock did not aid in maintaining a firm grip during burst fire. The tank version, the DT, had a more successful trigger frame design, featuring a standard safety and a pistol grip. The upgraded version, the DPM, adopted a similar trigger frame. Interestingly, Finnish-modified DPs during overhaul were fitted with a manual safety in addition to the original automatic one.
The DP was fired using a detachable bipod (bipod), which was sometimes lost in the heat of battle due to insecure attachment or became loose, significantly reducing stability and ease of use. The DPM later adopted a fixed bipod. Spent casings were ejected downward.
The machine gun's accessories include:[22]
All accessories were packed in a box-bag or a canvas pouch.
At the end of 1941, the SG-DP (Special Sound Suppressor for the “DP” LMG), likely developed with I.G. Mitin's involvement, was created. It used low-charge rounds with light bullets, reaching a muzzle velocity of 330 m/s. The suppressor enabled silent automatic fire up to 300 m (with a lethal range of up to 500 m). It was adopted by theRed Army on May 27, 1942. In June 1942, Plant No. 2 of the NKVD inKovrov planned to produce 500 units.[23] The suppressor weighed 1.3 kg, and the overall length of the machine gun with it was 1332 mm.[24]
After testing in July 1942, the SG-DP was revised at Kovrov's OKB-2 by designers A.M. Marantsev and I.V. Dolgushev. The improved suppressor had a reduced inner diameter from 16 to 14.5 mm. It weighed 1.15 kg, had an 85 mm muzzle attachment, and an overall length of 291 mm.[24]
In late 1942, the suppressor was tested at theNIPSVO as the SG-42 (Special Suppressor Model 1942). It was presumably used at the front and mass-produced, although production volume is unknown. Postwar tests in February–March 1948 found the suppressors unreliable, and they were decommissioned.[25][26]
Between 1948–1950, the suppressor was further developed into the KB-P-535 at OKB-2. It weighed 0.96 kg with obturators, measured 301 mm in length, 68 mm in height, and 34 mm in width. The DP with this suppressor measured 1310 mm.[26]
In March–April 1950, the KB-P-535 suppressors were tested with theRP-46 machine gun but again failed to meet requirements.[26][27]
Due to the legs of the machine gun sinking into snow or loose soil, various devices were developed, such as the snowshoe.
The snowshoe for the DP consists of metal plates hinged together with a stretched canvas fabric. Two of the plates, with eyelets and straps, are used to attach the bipod legs, while a canvas strap with buckle secures it to the trigger guard.
The snowshoe supports the DP during firing from deep snow, swampy, or sandy ground in summer.[28]
Magazines and ammunition could also conveniently be placed on the snowshoe.
The Degtyaryov machine gun was accepted for Red Army service in 1927 with the official designation 7,62-мм ручной пулемет обр. 1927 г (7.62mm Hand-Held Machine Gun Model 1927). It was called the ДП-27 (DP-27), although some western sources refer to it as the DP-28.[5]
Afghanistan: DPM[35] and RP-46 variants[36]
Albania: RP-46 variant.[37]
Algeria: RP-46 variant.[37]
Angola: RP-46 variant.[37]
Benin: RP-46 variant.[37]
Bulgaria: RP-46 variant.[38]
Central African Republic: RP-46 variant.[37]
Republic of China: Received 5,600 from the Soviet Union as aid from 1938.[39][40]
People's Republic of China: DPM and RP-46 locally built as Type 53 and Type 58[41]
Comoros: RP-46 and Type 58 variants.[37]
Congo-Brazzaville: RP-46 variant.[37]
Cuba: DP, DT, DTM,[42] DPM and RP-46 variants.[37]
Czechoslovakia:DP, DPM and RP-46 variants.[43]
Egypt[2]
Equatorial Guinea: RP-46 variant.[37]
Ethiopia: RP-46 variant.[37]
Finland: Used captured examples during World War II.[44]
East Germany: DT and DTM variants.[45]
Germany: Captured models were issued to theVolkssturm.[46]
Hungary:DP, DPM and DTM variants.[47] Locally produced as M-27.[1]
Indonesia[48]
Iraq:Iraqi insurgents used RP-46 variant.[18]
Kingdom of Italy: TheItalian Army in Russia used captured examples as they were more reliable than theBreda 30.[49]
Laos: RP-46 variant.[37]
Libya: RP-46 variant.[37]
Nigeria: RP-46 variant.[37]
North Korea: DPM, Type 53 and RP-46 variants.[50][51]
PAIGC[52]
Palestine Liberation Organization[53]
Poland: Used byPolish Army in USSR during World War II[54] and then during the Cold War era (DPM and RP-46 variants).[55]
Romania: DP and DPM used after the war.[56]
Seychelles: RP-46 variant.[37]
Somalia: RP-46 variant.[37]
Soviet Union[57]
Spanish Republic[58]
Sri Lanka: Type 58 variant[59]
Sudan: RP-46 variant.[37]
Syria: RP-46 variant.[6]Syrian opposition: RegularDP27.[60] Used by the Martyrs Of Islam rebel faction.[61]
Tanzania: RP-46 variant.[37]
Togo: RP-46 variant.[37]
Ukraine[62][63]
Vietnam: DPM, Type 53, RP-46 and Type 58 variants[64]
Yemen[2]
Yugoslavia[65]
Zambia: RP-46 variant.[66]
