The AK-47. How much does it owe to German Design? A LOT!

[Raptor1]

The comparison is pretty famous. AFAIK the AK-47 is not a clone of the StG 44, there are substantial differences between them, but its final design was indeed heavily influenced by it.

However...

Originally Posted by Feuer Frei!

Concept
The idea of combining the features of a submachinegun and a bolt-action rifle was German. It came about from the realisation that modern mobile combat tended to present targets at ranges nearer than 300m, for which the standard rifle and its round were over-powered. This hybrid concept naturally lent itself to the incorporation of the now-ubiquitous fire selector switch. This feature was first introduced by Hugo Schmeisser, in 1924, as an upgrade to the MP18. / The idea to copy a clever, innovative design that decimated their soldiers was Russian.

Not true. The concept of what is now the assault rifle was developed even before World War I, and as far as I know the Germans did not have such designs until much later. The first weapon introduced into service that fit is the Russian Fedorov Avtomat in 1915, a weapon which had a relatively low power rifle cartridge (6.5x50mm Arisaka, though Fedorov's original design included a specially designed cartridge) and included such features as a detachable magazine and selective fire.