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 genera ...
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 national ...
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
**Ger ...
tanks, but ineffective against later models, such as the
Panzer IV 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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