Goes back to the dawn of auto rifles.
The German intermediate calibre rifles were originally designated MP, Machine Pistol; considered as a bigger submachine gun.
Ol Adolf and his propagandists thought Assault Rifle sounded better.
Close, but not quite spot on.
The dawn of auto rifles goes back to the WW I era, the most famous example is the BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) and they were considered "light machineguns".
The German intermediate calibre rifles were originally designated MP, Machine Pistol;(
Maschinen Pistole) This was done in order to actually make them. They had to, literally, be concealed from the Nazi govt.
In either late 40 or early 41 (not going to search for the precise date) but after the success of the Blitzkreig, Hitler ordered all further and future research and design of new rifles to be ended. They were winning the war, they didn't need new (or better) rifles, and "Ol Adolph" felt the resources would be better used on other things.
However, the prohibition against new rifles did NOT apply to new SMGs or research into them. They had come up the the concept for the intermediate power rifle cartridge, and were working on gun designs to use it. When the order to stop rifle research came out, they stopped working on "rifles" and "switched" to working on MPs (SMG) which was allowed. By redesignating their rifle designs as submachine guns, they could keep working on them, without (technically) violating Nazi directives.
By late 43 they had made small batches and sent some to the Eastern Front for combat testing, where they were performed well. Larger scale production began, and the gun was officially the MP43 and then the MP44.
According to stories (which vary slightly) the first Hitler learned of this was at a conference with some of his Ostfront commanders (sometime in early 44).
He asked them what they wanted, and what they needed more of, and was told to "give us more of the new rifles!!!"
WHAT NEW RIFLES???!!!!!
When Hitler was told about them, he went into one of his famous fits, enraged that his order (ending new rifle research) had been flouted.
(according to some, he was within a hair's breadth of having the project shut down and everyone shot for treason....)
The next day (or a couple days later) when he had cooled down some, the "new rifle" was demonstrated for Hitler, and after seeing what it was, and did, Hitler completely changed his mind and became enthusiastic about it.
"this is what I want! This is what we need! This will be my
Sturmgewehr!"
And he ordered production accelerated and expanded. The designation was changed from MP (Maschinen Pistole) to Stg (Sturmgewehr). Several thousand Stg44s and Stg45 were made by the end of the war, and there were entire units so equipped, but fortunately for the Allies, not enough to alter the outcome of the war. Like the jet fighter, a superior design (or at least the beginning of one) but too little, too late, to prevent Allied victory.
Sturm is German for "storm". Like the English word "storm" its meaning depends on context. It is storm, as in weather, (thunderstorm, snow storm, etc) and it is storm in the military context, of "storming an objective" to attack with ferocity, as in a military assault.
Assault in "assault rifle" has nothing to do with the criminal assault of one person on another, but since it uses the same word, people who do not understand the context get confused and frequently misunderstand the term.
As for older folks sounding preachy, lecturing and overbearing, well, yes, some do. One of the reasons for that is that older guys know what they know, and know young people do not. Additionally there is often a bit of "you're wasting what little time I have left"....
And, there is also that for many young folks there is a time in their lives (usually later teens, but not exclusively) where they "know everything" and rarely listen to instruction no matter how its delivered.
Note that all militaries know this and operate on the same general principles with their new recruits. They wear them out and beat them down, physically and mentally until they will accept instruction (orders) without question, learning and doing FIRST, and thinking about their own ideas and opinion's after, (if at all).
"Battle rifle" is a retronym, a term applied not at the time the items were widely used, but to distinguish them from the "assault rifle" format that now dominates as service rifles issued by almost every country.
This is entirely correct, the term was created by people in the firearms community as an easy way to identify the group of rifles in military use (past and present) that are NOT assault rifles. It was never an exclusive term, and while the rifles most commonly referred to as battle rifles are semi auto and fire a "full power" cartridge those are not defining criteria.
The only real defining criteria of a battle rifle is that it was a military arm, intended (and generally used) for combat, that does not meet the definition of assault rifle.
A bolt action 1903 Springfield is a battle rifle, so was the Trapdoor Springfield, in its day. The M1 Carbine would also fit under battle rifle, because while it fires an intermediate power round, it is semi auto. The M2 Carbine would be an assault rifle because it is select fire.
The M14, the FAL, the SVT 40 and some others are what we most often think of as battle rifles, but they aren't the only things allowed under that name, by a long shot.
