In our humble opinion, this dramatic episode became the turning point for self-taught designer to take the challenge to create a weapon for Russian soldiers to stand the enemy with.
A documentary endlessly rolling on wide screen TV set tells about this episode over and over again, in Kalashnikov's especially sad voice:
"it was growing dusky then the aid station truck I was transported to a hospital on (with Red Cross signs painted in large patterns on boards) came to a stop on outskirts of a seemingly deserted village.
Medical officer ordered three men capable of walking - myself, a lieutenant with burnt hands and truck driver Kolya - to get armed with all available weaponry - a rifle and a pistol, and go to check the village. Then we cautiously entered the main street, a sudden burst of machine gun fire along the street met us. We quickly retrieved and ran back to our comrades, the only thought bouncing in my head was "we must warn the comrades", then sounds of gun fight reached us from where out truck was hidden.
The lieutenant, fighting the spasmed throat, bitterly commented on the barking sounds: "Nazis! Their Schmeissers are riddling the guys !!" Disguising ourselves in bushes, as quickly as possible we arrived to the place - only to find our defenseless comrades virtually massacred.
Nazis didn't even bother to approach Russian soldiers close enough - they chopped them to pieces with their mp-38s (submachine guns, often incorrectly referred to as "Schmeissers") sitting comfortably on their motorcycles."