pzgr40
Well-Known Member
Cutaway model of a WW2 Russian RPG-40 anti tank hand grenade. RPG-40 stands for ‘Ruchnaya Protivotankovaya Granata Obraztsa 1940’, which translates as ‘hand anti tank grenade model 1940’. Due to the great explosive force of this grenade it was also suitable for use against bunkers, machinegun nests and field fortifications. The RPG-40 was taken into service in 1940, a year prior to the German invasion of the Sowjet Union, and priority was given to mass production of this grenade under the supervision of the engineer S. Novikov. The RPG-40 was effective against lightly armoured tanks like the Pz.Kw.I and the Pz.Kw.II and was able to penetrate or breach 20 to 25 mm of steel, but was ineffective against the later models German tanks that had thicker armour. However, Russian tests on a captured German Tiger I showed that the detonation of an RPG-40 was able to break the track of the Tiger and immobilize it.
As the RPG-40 was found to be obsolete quite soon it was replaced by the RPG-43 and the RPG-6 which both use a shaped charge and therefore were much more effective.
Although the RPG-40 was found to be obsolete it was kept in use with the warshaw pact countries infantry up to the 1960’s as a heavy infantry grenade, and was still found in service with irregular forces worldwide up to the 1980’s.
A striking detail is that the entire grenade is made of pressed, rolled and seamed sheet steel. This allows that any factory producing food cans is able to produce this grenade, taking pressure off important war production resources.
The warhead (1) of the grenade consists of a can filled with an explosive charge. In the centerline of the warhead a rolled steel pipe is placed which is threaded on the lower exterior. Over this thread the handgrip (2) containing the -all ways- fuze mechanism is screwed. A duplex detonator (3) is placed in the rolled steel pipe, locked up by a rotating slider (4) on top of the warhead.
The handgrip (2) consists of a rolled and seamed pipe with a threaded flange (5) in top that is connected to the handgrip with three rivets. In the threaded flange an inner pipe (6) is placed that also consists of a rolled and seamed pipe. Inside this inner pipe a bottle shaped brass slider piece (7) is placed, housing the firing pin (9), the firing pin spring (8) and a radial pin which locks up the firing pin spring. The radial pin has a long chain link (11) connected to the side which protrudes from the underside of the handgrip. Through this chain link a long steel arming wire (12) is placed, fixating the brass slider piece (7) in it’s backward position. The arming wire (11) is connected to the lower side of the spoon. The firing pin (9) is fixated by two steel balls (10). In the lower side of the handgrip a cone shaped closing cap (14) is placed, fixated by means of a bayonet lock. Between the conical side of the closing cap and the lower side of the slider piece an inertia weight (15) with two conical ends is placed. This inertia weight consists of a pipe with two pressed conical closing caps, and is filled with punch waste.
Functioning:
Before throwing the grenade, the safety pin is removed, releasing the spoon. Upon throwing the spoon falls away from the handgrip and pulls out the long arming wire backwards from the chain link, releasing the brass slider to freely move forward. Upon straight impact the brass slider moves forward, pushed by the inertia weight, causing the two steel balls that fixate the firing pin to fall away in a slot in the inner steel pipe, releasing the firing pin to be launched into the firing cap of the detonator by the firing pin spring. This will immediately detonate the grenade. If the grenade hits a target on it’s side, inertia will launch the inertia weight downward, causing the chamfered sides of the inertia weight to push the brass slider forward, releasing the firing pin and detonate the grenade.
RPG-40 data:
Complete weight : 1,2 kg
Weight explosive charge : 0,76 Kg, consisting of a cilinder of Pure TNT around the detonator, the rest of the charge consists of Amatol 40/60
Complete length : 200 mm
Length warhead : 87 mm
Diameter warhead : 92 mm
Diameter handgrip : 31 mm
Regards, DJH
As the RPG-40 was found to be obsolete quite soon it was replaced by the RPG-43 and the RPG-6 which both use a shaped charge and therefore were much more effective.
Although the RPG-40 was found to be obsolete it was kept in use with the warshaw pact countries infantry up to the 1960’s as a heavy infantry grenade, and was still found in service with irregular forces worldwide up to the 1980’s.
A striking detail is that the entire grenade is made of pressed, rolled and seamed sheet steel. This allows that any factory producing food cans is able to produce this grenade, taking pressure off important war production resources.
The warhead (1) of the grenade consists of a can filled with an explosive charge. In the centerline of the warhead a rolled steel pipe is placed which is threaded on the lower exterior. Over this thread the handgrip (2) containing the -all ways- fuze mechanism is screwed. A duplex detonator (3) is placed in the rolled steel pipe, locked up by a rotating slider (4) on top of the warhead.
The handgrip (2) consists of a rolled and seamed pipe with a threaded flange (5) in top that is connected to the handgrip with three rivets. In the threaded flange an inner pipe (6) is placed that also consists of a rolled and seamed pipe. Inside this inner pipe a bottle shaped brass slider piece (7) is placed, housing the firing pin (9), the firing pin spring (8) and a radial pin which locks up the firing pin spring. The radial pin has a long chain link (11) connected to the side which protrudes from the underside of the handgrip. Through this chain link a long steel arming wire (12) is placed, fixating the brass slider piece (7) in it’s backward position. The arming wire (11) is connected to the lower side of the spoon. The firing pin (9) is fixated by two steel balls (10). In the lower side of the handgrip a cone shaped closing cap (14) is placed, fixated by means of a bayonet lock. Between the conical side of the closing cap and the lower side of the slider piece an inertia weight (15) with two conical ends is placed. This inertia weight consists of a pipe with two pressed conical closing caps, and is filled with punch waste.
Functioning:
Before throwing the grenade, the safety pin is removed, releasing the spoon. Upon throwing the spoon falls away from the handgrip and pulls out the long arming wire backwards from the chain link, releasing the brass slider to freely move forward. Upon straight impact the brass slider moves forward, pushed by the inertia weight, causing the two steel balls that fixate the firing pin to fall away in a slot in the inner steel pipe, releasing the firing pin to be launched into the firing cap of the detonator by the firing pin spring. This will immediately detonate the grenade. If the grenade hits a target on it’s side, inertia will launch the inertia weight downward, causing the chamfered sides of the inertia weight to push the brass slider forward, releasing the firing pin and detonate the grenade.
RPG-40 data:
Complete weight : 1,2 kg
Weight explosive charge : 0,76 Kg, consisting of a cilinder of Pure TNT around the detonator, the rest of the charge consists of Amatol 40/60
Complete length : 200 mm
Length warhead : 87 mm
Diameter warhead : 92 mm
Diameter handgrip : 31 mm
Regards, DJH
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