The RPG-40 was an anti-tank
hand grenade
A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade ...
developed by the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
in 1940.
Description
Upon contact, of explosives contained within it were detonated and produced a blast effect. This enabled about of armour to be penetrated and caused secondary damage, such as
spall
Spall are fragments of a material that are broken off a larger solid body. It can be produced by a variety of mechanisms, including as a result of projectile impact, corrosion, weathering, cavitation, or excessive rolling pressure (as in a ball ...
ing, on contact with thicker armour.
This made the grenade very effective against earlier
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
tanks, but ineffective against later models, such as the
Panzer IV
The ''Panzerkampfwagen'' IV (Pz.Kpfw. IV), commonly known as the ''Panzer'' IV, was a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161.
The Panz ...
and the
Panzer V, leading to the
RPG-43 replacing it in 1943.
Users
*
See also
*
List of Russian weaponry
*
No. 73 Grenade
References
External links
Soviet Grenades at LoneSentry.com
Hand grenades of the Soviet Union
Anti-tank grenades
World War II infantry weapons of the Soviet Union
Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1940
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