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@americana.pipedream Yugoslavia used StG-44s in limited numbers all the way through the 1970s, often in the hands of their elite paratroopers. After World War II, Yugoslavia inherited large stocks of German StG-44 assault rifles and kept them in service long after the Third Reich collapsed. The weapon, often called the world’s first true assault rifle, saw use with reserve forces, paratroopers, territorial defense units, and later appeared in the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. Its distinctive curved magazine and intermediate cartridge influenced countless postwar firearms. In a twist of history, a rifle designed for Hitler’s army outlived the country that created it. Yugoslavia’s continued use of the StG-44 shows how wartime weapons often remain active for decades after the fighting ends. Some surviving examples are still found in museums and private collections today.
