rogatye avtomaty

[Inna Caron]

Could mean one of two things. Either (most likely) Grossman refers to
Schmeissers, which is what Elena's Dad described as well, or to MG-42.
Both were common German assault weapons, and both are featured in the
Soviet movies about the WWII.

The Schmaisser differed from the Russian PPSh because 1) it had a pistol
grip, and 2) the magazine was not round, like the PPSh's drum, but a
vertical clip (as Elena's Dad said, "rozhok"). Because of those two
parts German submachine guns looked distinctly different from Soviet
ones, and also could easily be perceived as "horned."

If, by chance, the Germans were carrying MG-42s, those were heavier
machine guns with non-removable bipods. Those, too, could be perceived
as horns, although in that case, I think, "forked" sounds pretty
accurate!

Inna Caron
OSU

-----Original Message-----
From: Slavic & East European Languages and Literature list
[mailto:SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU] On Behalf Of Robert Chandler
Sent: Saturday, May 20, 2006 2:23 AM
To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: [SEELANGS] Translation problem in Vasily Grossman's story 'In
Kislovodsk'

Dear all,

It is 1942.  The hero of this story is a prestigious doctor, the senior
doctor in a top Kislovodsk sanatorium.  The town has just been occupied
by
the Germans.

Лица немецких солдат, их боевые рогатые автоматы, шлемы со свастикой
казались омерзительными, невыносимыми....
Litsa nemetskikh soldat, ikh boevye rogatye avtomaty... kazalis'
omerzitel'nymi, nevynosimymi

Can anyone help me with 'rogatye'?  I translated it as 'forked'; my
editor
has just asked, 'what does this mean here?' - and I can only say that I
have
no idea.

Best Wishes,

Robert

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