blank cell	Sturmgewehr 44 Rifle
	CALIBER	7.92mm Kurz
	DAMAGE	2d6
	RATE OF FIRE	1/20 per round
	MAGAZINE CAPACITY	30 rounds
	ACTION	selective-fire
	LOADING	magazine
	BASE RANGE	100 yards
	MALFUNCTION	98-96-75
	YEAR	1943(as MP-43)

Realizing that the full-size 7.92mm Mauser round was more powerful than necessary for the ranges at which modern soldiers fought, the German military designed the 7.92mm Kurz round to produce a universal weapon that would replace all rifles, submachine guns, and light machine guns. The first prototypes of this weapon were created in 1942, and after combat experience required some modifications, was put into production in 1943 as the Maschinenpistole 43. In 1944, the weapon was redesignated the MP44, though no significant changes were made to the design. Soon after, the weapon recieved the title of Sturmgewehr (Assault Rifle), arguably making the StG 44 the first assault rifle to be put into significant production.

The StG 44 was never as successful a design as the German military believed it would be, but remained a solid, reliable rifle well-suited to the kind of house-to-house fighting the Germans faced in the last days of the war. Less successful was a variant of the StG 44 rifle fitted with telescopic sight and issued as a sniper weapon.