Designed in 1934 originally, the PPD became the Soviet army's submachine gun, albeit surrounded by controversy, as it was taken out of production and then reinstated again with minor changes. Eventually, by 1940, the PPD40 was created as a simpler version to produce of the gun, but this didn't make it easy enough to mass produce.
Most were still in service when the Germans invaded, and they were kept in service even while PPSh 41s and PPS43s were being issued. Some were made by Soviet artisans for the partisans under German occupation
STATS:
File info