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If you have ever used the infamous joke about the gun to kill enemies around the corner, then know that it existed. The Krummlauf was an accessory for the German Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle developed during World War II. As you can see in the photos (or in the video at the end of the post) this "curved reamer", allowed to shoot an enemy on the corner from a safe place. In order not to shoot blindly, it also included a periscope viewfinder.

Two variants of the Krummlauf were made: the "I" used by the infantry, and also the "P", which was used inside the tanks to be able to shoot at blind angles in the face of harassment by enemy infantry troops. Likewise, there were versions with folds at angles of 30º, 45º, 60º and 90º.

It was logically an experimental weapon and was not manufactured on a large scale. The version with the greatest expansion was the "I" with a 30º bend. This accessory had a very short service life - only 300 shots for the 30º version and 160 shots for the 45º version-. In addition to its short service life, it had other limitations. For example, bullets tended to fragment as soon as they crossed the curve, which is why, instead of firing a bullet, it ended up firing a burst of fragments. To minimize the risk of explosion by gas accumulation, it included two side openings that acted as escape valves

It was useless at long range, but it was lethal at close range. It is said that with the Krummlauf "I", of 30º, it was possible to reach a group from a distance of 100 meters.