The PPSh-41 ("Pistolet-Pulemyot Shpagina"; ; "Shpagin machine pistol") is a Soviet submachine gun. It was designed by Georgi Shpagin. The PPSh-41 was supposed to be a cheaper, simpler gun to use than the PPD-40. The PPD-40 was in Soviet service at that time. The PPSh-41 officially replaced the PPD-40 in 1941. The PPSh-41 was supposed to be used by conscripted soldiers with very little training. The PPSh-41 got its ammunition from a magazine. It was also a selective fire submachine gun. It was made mostly of stamped steel. It fired the 7.62×25mm pistol round. The PPSh-41 was used a lot during World War II and the Korean War, as it was the most produced SMG throughout the wars. It was still in use in Vietnam with the Viet Cong as late as 1970 as the Chinese Type 50 (a copy). There were even some PPSh-41's captured by US soldiers as late as the Iraq War.