AK-47-and-SKS-assault-rifles-WINTER-VIEP-23

TOP: Inspired by the German Sturmgewehr 44 of World War II but redesigned and simplified in 1947 by Mikhail Kalashnikov, the AK-47 assault rifle was easy to maintain and operate under extreme conditions. A staple of the North Vietnamese Army, it was also the weapon of choice for some U.S. special operations teams. ABOVE: Soviet designer Semyon Simonov’s SKS carbine was outclassed by the AK-47 but made a reliable supplement in NVA units.

TOP: Inspired by the German Sturmgewehr 44 of World War II but redesigned and simplified in 1947 by Mikhail Kalashnikov, the AK-47 assault rifle was easy to maintain and operate under extreme conditions. A staple of the North Vietnamese Army, it was also the weapon of choice for some U.S. special operations teams. ABOVE: Soviet designer Semyon Simonov’s SKS carbine was outclassed by the AK-47 but made a reliable supplement in NVA units. (Jeff Workman/Dreamstime; Martin Brayley/Dreamstime)

Jeff Workman/Dreamstime; Martin Brayley/Dreamstime