The Gewehr-Granatpatrone 40 or GGP/40 for short was a

shaped charge A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to form an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Different types of shaped charges are used for various purposes such as cutting and forming metal, ini ...

rifle grenade A rifle grenade is a grenade that uses a rifle-based launcher to permit a longer effective range than would be possible if the grenade were thrown by hand. The practice of projecting grenades with rifle-mounted launchers was first widely used dur ...

used by German forces during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. It was originally developed for

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

Fallschirmjäger The ''Fallschirmjäger'' () were the paratrooper branch of the German Luftwaffe before and during World War II. They were the first German paratroopers to be committed in large-scale airborne operations. Throughout World War II, the commander ...

units to provide them with a light and portable anti-tank weapon.

History

The GGP/40 was developed by WASAG in 1940 at the request of the Luftwaffe. It was not operational in time for the

French Campaign The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second World ...

but it is thought to have been operational in 1941 and first used by Fallschirmjäger units during the

Battle of Crete The Battle of Crete (german: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, el, Μάχη της Κρήτης), codenamed Operation Mercury (german: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island ...

. However, it soon became apparent that its aerodynamics, accuracy, range and armor penetration were all poor. In 1942 a requirement for a better projectile with to of armor penetration was drawn up but experience on the Eastern Front soon showed that even that level of performance would be insufficient so development was abandoned. The army by that time had also developed better rifle grenades.

Design

Schiessbecher_&_rifle_grenade_(Gewehr_Panzergranaten)

The GGP/40 was not fired from the same Gewehrgranatengerät or Schiessbecher ("shooting cup") used by the army, instead using its own spigot type launcher. Unlike the rifle grenades used by the army the GGP/40 did not fit inside the Schiessbecher but instead, it had a rubber gasket at the base and fit around the Schiessbecher and was held in place by a clip. The GGP/40 was propelled by a rifle cartridge that fired a hollow wooden bullet instead of a blank cartridge. Another key difference between the GGP/40 and the army grenades was that it was fin-stabilized instead of spin-stabilized and did not have a rifled driving band. The major components of the GGP/40 were; rubber base gasket, six tail fins, hollow cylindrical base, graze fuze, bell-shaped warhead,

RDX RDX (abbreviation of "Research Department eXplosive") or hexogen, among other names, is an organic compound with the formula (O2N2CH2)3. It is a white solid without smell or taste, widely used as an explosive. Chemically, it is classified as a ...

filling, internal steel cone, and convex nose cap. The GGP/40 more closely resembled a mortar round than the army's rifle grenades. The GGP/40 upon hitting the target ignited the graze fuze which in turn ignited the RDX filling which collapsed the internal steel cone to create a superplastic high-velocity jet to punch through enemy armor. In general, a longer and wider internal cone equates to increased armor penetration. Since shaped charge weapons rely on chemical energy to penetrate enemy armor the low velocity of the grenade did not adversely affect penetration.

References

{{WWIIGermanInfWeapons Grenades of Germany Rifle grenades World War II weapons of Germany Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1941