"To the Chief of the Main Tank Directorate of the Red Army, Lieutenant General of the Tank Forces comrade Vershinin
In response to your letter dated March 26th, I reply the following:
The People's Commissariat of Armaments had never supplied DShK tank machine guns with magazines. The DShK tank machine gun was always fed the same way as the infantry machine gun, with a belt.
In 1939-40 a small batch of experimental 30 round magazines was produced for naval dual DShK machine guns. The latter did not allow for the guns to work normally, so presently all naval machine guns are produced with the same belt feed as the infantry DShK.
No 42 round magazine ever existed even as a prototype.
Considering the experience in developing a 30 round magazine that did not give much benefit, the NKV considers it senseless to repeat the same work for a 42 round magazine where the difficulty of the complications would be even greater due to increased capacity.
V. Novikov."
A handwritten note was added below:
A letter to the AU VMF was written to find out of the 42 round magazine had an effect on the automatic system of the DShK. 11.5.43
"To the Chief of the Artillery Directorate of the People's Commissariat of the Navy
May 11th, 1943
The GBTU Tank Directorate will soon produce a T-60-3 tank with an AA weapon composed of two DShKT machine guns fed with 41 round magazines.
According to information by the GAU AK, the Navy presently has a triple DShK mount with an analogous feed.
I ask you to quickly inform the GBTU on the effect of magazine feed on the reliability of the DShK automatic mechanism in their use by the AU VMF.
Representative of the Deputy Chief of the GBTU TU, Engineer Colonel Alymov
Representative of the Chief of the 4th Department of the GBTU TU, Engineer Lieutenant Colonel Nenarokov"
