In 1941, while hospitalized for wounds received fighting the Nazis, Russian soldier Mikhail Kalashnikov designed a rifle that combined the best of the American M1 and the German StG44. The "Avtomat Kalashnikov," first produced in 1947, became known as the AK-47. It is prized by warriors of many stripes for its reliability in all combat conditions.
While widely associated with the Red Army and Soviet sponsored third world insurgencies, AK-47s taken from Viet Cong were frequently used by Americans in Vietnam. The gun's inventor, now 87, is still promoting the the weapon as an export . "The Kalashnikov rifle is a symbol of the creative genius of our people," said, Russian President Vladimir Putin.