Auf Deutsch, "Sturm-Gewehr" means, literally, "Storm Rifle", or "assault rifle". "Gewehr" is German for "rifle". There was never a company called Sturm Gewehr! The StG 44 (aka MP 44) used the 7.92X33 Kurtz cartridge, a shortened version of the full-rifle size 7.92X57JS cartridge (AKA 8mm Mauser)!

The StG 44, so named by Herr Schikelgruber (aka that sunnabitch A. Hitler) himself, was the first intermediate-caliber "assault rifle" issued to troops. The AK 47 was next, (1947) using the 7.62X39mm round, which was A CASE OF PARALLEL DEVELOPMENT, having been developed by the Soviets around thesame time as the Germans came up with the 7.92X33mm.

Contrary to popular opinion in this country, the Soviet 7.62X39mm isNOT a Russian copy of the German development. The Russianswere working on assault rifles betweenWWI and WWII, Simonov (designer of the SKS) having developed oneof his own that used the 6.5X50mm Arisaka round - it was the shortest, lightest cartridge he could find at the time. They developed the 7.62X39mmround because the 7.62X25mm Tokarev pistol round, used by millions of Soviet assault troops in the PPSh-series of submachine guns, was not powerful enough for battelfield use. (Worse than our .30 Carbine round!!)

After they designed the 7.62X39mm sometime in 1943, it was first used in Simonov'sSKS after WWII ended. But the SKS is not a true assault rifle-the StG44 and AK 47 are!