First wartime use of SKS (other than in the Korean or Vietnam war) in the Cold War?

fat tony

fat tony

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As the title says, what was the first wartime use of the SKS in Cold War times other than the Korean War or the Vietnam War?

To narrow things down a bit, let us exclude any of the post Soviet wars, including the wars of the Former Yugoslavia.

This should be a bit of a headscratcher. I don't know the correct answer,but someone out there probably does. The answer does not seem to be on the internets (in English language, anyways). Regards, Tony
 
I'd say uprising in East Germany - 1953 and then Hungary, 1956


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gewehr76 said:
There was no SKSs used in Korean war. Was cutting edge technology at that time. Soviets would be crazy to provide it to country with undetermined future.
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Except there was.

Colonel David Hackworth (US Army) noted coming up against them in his book, and Jim Wilson noted it in his book "Retreat, Hell" about the 2nd Battalion 5th Marines that endured heavy fighting in Korea from 1950 on, staying until 55.

Soviet advisors were in Korea. It would be possible that they were packing SKS carbines.
 
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Well may be possible for them to pack ak47s too?
fenceline said:
Except there was.

Colonel David Hackworth (US Army) noted coming up against them in his book, and Jim Wilson noted it in his book "Retreat, Hell" about the 2nd Battalion 5th Marines that endured heavy fighting in Korea from 1950 on, staying until 55.

Soviet advisors were in Korea. It would be possible that they were packing SKS carbines.
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I have heard rumours that SKS rifles were used in Berlin, but unless I can get a proper citation, I think this will remain a big 'maybe' for the time being. So far I have only seen pictures of SKS rifles in the hands of Warsaw Pact soldiers dating from about 1955 only.

To be honest, the only datable reference I could find was from an old Soviet era comedy film dating from 1955 which shows a picture of one of the actors with an SKS rifle.
 
I can not recall the title or author but I have read an account from a Marine Raider? who described encountering and capturing some SKS's in Korea. Doesn't seem like they were common though.

Time for some google fu...

fenceline said:
Except there was.

Colonel David Hackworth (US Army) noted coming up against them in his book, and Jim Wilson noted it in his book "Retreat, Hell" about the 2nd Battalion 5th Marines that endured heavy fighting in Korea from 1950 on, staying until 55.

Soviet advisors were in Korea. It would be possible that they were packing SKS carbines.
Click to expand...
 
fat tony said:
I have heard rumours that SKS rifles were used in Berlin, but unless I can get a proper citation, I think this will remain a big 'maybe' for the time being. So far I have only seen pictures of SKS rifles in the hands of Warsaw Pact soldiers dating from about 1955 only.

To be honest, the only datable reference I could find was from an old Soviet era comedy film dating from 1955 which shows a picture of one of the actors with an SKS rifle.
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It's not a rumor, it's official information. I could refer you to "Kalashnikov: The Arms and the Man" by Edward Clinton Ezell, where there's a chapter about intermediate 7.62 cartridge. SKS prototype was battle tested in 1945 at 1st Belorussian Front and at that time front was participating Berlin operation. So SKSs might had been used in Berlin operation. Interesting that those SKS prototypes were chambered in 7.62x41, early version of M43 cartridge and final version of SKS was designed for 7.62x39 - final version of M43 cartridge.

However it's not Cold War yet. And OP asked about Cold War. So I assume first time in CW they were used in Korean War as per evidences of US troops. Russian always liked to test they new weapon in wars indirectly (and they still do it nowadays) and they always did it along with discarding useless surplus weapon. Korean Was saw their MiG-15 and other "cutting edge technology" goodies. Of course Soviet Union officially had nothing to do with it, at the time of conflict they did not admit even advisers, they were all "journalists and correspondents"...
 
SKS in Korean war is not possible, just the same way as ak47 not possible of being used in ww2. For army to use a weapons platform as new as SKS at the time of Korean war. Said army they would need stock piles of ammunition which this platform would use. This was just not possible during that time as it was just adopted by USSR. More over it was so secret that even in USSR itself soldiers were forced to pick up even spent cases after firing new M43 cartridge. Secrecy or not, may be just not to waste brass for nothing.
Korean war was fought with ww2 weapons that after it, USSR had millions and they supplied PPSH and Mosin everywhere they could as well as ammo for these weapons.
What ever yankey colonel says about sks is not true as he won't be able to tell a difference from spike bayo on SKS or on M44 when 10000 Chinese rushing him and he has to look over his sholder as he's running away.
 
gewehr76 said:
SKS in Korean war is not possible, just the same way as ak47 not possible of being used in ww2. For army to use a weapons platform as new as SKS at the time of Korean war. Said army they would need stock piles of ammunition which this platform would use. This was just not possible during that time as it was just adopted by USSR. More over it was so secret that even in USSR itself soldiers were forced to pick up even spent cases after firing new M43 cartridge. Secrecy or not, may be just not to waste brass for nothing.
Korean war was fought with ww2 weapons that after it, USSR had millions and they supplied PPSH and Mosin everywhere they could as well as ammo for these weapons.
What ever yankey colonel says about sks is not true as he won't be able to tell a difference from spike bayo on SKS or on M44 when 10000 Chinese rushing him and he has to look over his sholder as he's running away.
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And where do you base your knowledge from? Stuff you read online??? In books???

I would think a Colonel would be in a position to view a wide array of captured weapons from the safety of his command, and be privy to a wide array of intelligence briefings on the tactics and weapons used by his enemy. First hand. Not from an armchair several decades later.
 
I could be wrong but I believe when most soldiers that are training at the range police the area after they are done to clean up. By the time of the Korean conflict the sks or the m43 cartridge were not new or secret it was general issue in the red army. I do recall reading in several different books about the field trials the Russians had the sks in during ww2. I have no doubt in my mind that the sks was used in the Korean War because by that time it was an out dated weapon because of the ak47. I'm also sure that the Russians used the sks as a rear echelon weapon with the introduction of the ak47. It is entirely plausible that the ak47 were used in Korea at the time if soviet advisors were there but in very limited numbers and probably only issued to the advisors. The extensive use of the ppsh and the mosin Nagant would have been mostly economics. The Russians would have had huge stockpiles of these weapons sitting that were replaced by the sks and the ak47 so it would only make sense that if you were going to arm your neighbour you would give him the cast offs that you didn't really want and were not issuing to your frontline troops. The one thing I do agree with is that the ak47 probably wasn't used during ww2. Sorry for my little rant and its a bit off from what the op had asked but I thought heck this is the Internet and I can throw my opinion in.
 
Surplus1 said:
The one thing I do agree with is that the ak47 probably wasn't used during ww2. Sorry for my little rant and its a bit off from what the op had asked but I thought heck this is the Internet and I can throw my opinion in.
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Well the ak47 was adopted after 1947. Since the war ended in 45, saying the ak47 wasn't used in ww2 is a pretty safe bet.
 
Probably not for the Chinese Civil War.
Korea for sure.
Putting down demonstrators in Eastern Europe, sure.
Greek Civil War, don't think so.
'48 War in Middle East, not yet.
Indochina and Algeria for sure.
Berlin Blockade?
Trieste '45-46?

Trying to think what we could have missed between '45-50.
 
Korean war started in 1950. This leaves Russians 1 year of full production of new sks rifles that not yet common even in its own army. At that time 3 small arms were developed for Red army use RPD, AK47 and SKS. All 3 use same cartridge. You see any of these weapons in Korean war? Why one and not the other? How come no RPD? I tell you why, because its too new for export.
China and all other communist countries received aid in only obsolete weapons. Why T34/85 tanks were sent instead of JS4? Because these were surplus and in plentiful supply. Same with small arms.
Korean war was fought on the ground with WW2 leftovers and in the air with most advanced stuff that was just a show off between superpowers .
 
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