The German assault rifle that could have won WWII for the Axis

One of World War II military history's little-known footnotes is how the German military developed the world's first assault rifle for their troops early in the war. It was used with devastating effectiveness by the few troops which had it in Russia, enabling one small unit to fight their way through surrounding Russian troops with overwhelming numerical superiority.

But it came too late to the field to help turn the war because of one man, Adolf Hitler. The all-knowing idiot whose military experience was limited to bolt-action Mauser rifles in World War I vetoed the project early in its development. Only after the developers defied Hitler's order and finished the project did it finally make its way to troops. Too little, too late.

Here's a video from The Military Channel on "Sturmgewehr MP-44 - The story of the MP-43/44, German assault rifle of World War II." The English translation of Sturmgewehr is assault rifle.