The Energa anti-tank rifle grenade is a rifle-launched

anti-tank grenade An anti-tank grenade is a specialized hand-thrown grenade used to defeat armored targets. Although their inherently short range limits the usefulness of grenades, troops can lie in ambush or maneuver under cover to exploit the limited outward visi ...

that is propelled by a

ballistite Ballistite is a smokeless propellant made from two high explosives, nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine. It was developed and patented by Alfred Nobel in the late 19th century. Military adoption Alfred Nobel patented https://www.nobelprize.org/alfr ...

-filled blank cartridge. The name ''Energa'' comes from the firm in

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German language, German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constit ...

that designed it, the ''Anstalt für die ENtwicklung von ERfindungen und Gewerblichen Anwendungen'', based in

Vaduz Vaduz ( or , High Alemannic pronunciation: [])Hans Stricker, Toni Banzer, Herbert Hilbe: ''Liechtensteiner Namenbuch. Die Orts- und Flurnamen des Fürstentums Liechtenstein.'' Band 2: ''Die Namen der Gemeinden Triesenberg, Vaduz, Schaan.'' Hrsg. ...

. First produced in the 1950s, by

Mecar Mecar is a Belgian weapon and ammunition manufacturing company headquartered in Petit-Roeulx-lez-Nivelles, Hainaut Province. Mecar is responsible for creating weapons ranging from grenades to lightweight anti-tank Anti-tank warfare originate ...

in Belgium, it was in front-line use by European armies until replaced by disposable tube-launched anti-tank rockets such as the

M72 LAW The M72 LAW (light anti-tank weapon, also referred to as the light anti-armor weapon or LAW as well as LAWS: light anti-armor weapons system) is a portable one-shot unguided anti-tank weapon. The solid rocket propulsion unit was developed in t ...

. Although no longer in production, stocks of the grenade still exist and the Energa grenade remains in service with

Third World The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the " First ...

countries. Armscor of South Africa manufactured the R1M1, an improved version of the Energa grenade. The original Energa grenade could penetrate 200 mm (7.8 inches) of armor or 500 mm (19.6 inches) of concrete at an angle of impact of 90 degrees. At an angle of impact of 45 degrees, the figures dropped to 100 mm (3.9 inches) and 250 mm (9.8 inches), respectively. The Super Energa used a rocket booster to extend the grenade's range to 550 meters. The Super Energa could penetrate up to 275 mm (10.8 inches) of armor and 600 mm (23.6 inches) of concrete.

U.S. service

Early in the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

, U.S. forces found their

World War II 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

-era anti-tank rifle grenades were ineffective against the frontal armor of T-34 tanks. This led the U.S. to produce their own version of the Energa, the M28 rifle grenade, from 1950 until 1960. Originally the M28 was fired from

's proprietary T119 (M1 Garand) and T120 (M1 Carbine) launchers. The T119 was soon replaced by the improved M7A3 launcher (M1 Garand) from September 1952 onwards. The M28 was eventually replaced in US military service by the

M31 HEAT rifle grenade The M31 HEAT is a fin-stabilized anti-tank rifle grenade designed in the late 1950s to replace the Belgian ENERGA rifle grenade which was adopted by the US Army and US Marines as an emergency stop-gap measure during the Korean War. Like the EN ...

and later by the M72 LAW rocket. The M29 TP (Training Practice) round remained in service until it was replaced in 1961 by the improved M31 TP.

UK service

In British service, the Energa was known as the ''Anti-Tank Grenade, No. 94 (ENERGA)''. It was designed to be fired from the Projector (No. 4 Rifle) Mark 5 (c.1952), an attachment for the Lee–Enfield No.4 Rifle. The later

L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle The L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle, officially "Rifle, 7.62mm, L1A1", also known just as the SLR (Self-Loading Rifle), by the Canadian Army designation C1A1 (C1) or in the US as the "inch pattern" FAL,Especially on the American surplus market. is a Br ...

could also fire the Energa, but it was not commonly done. It was made obsolete by the adoption of the 84mm L14A1 Medium Anti-tank Weapon (MAW) and the 66mm M72 Light Anti-tank Weapon (LAW). The Energa was introduced to infantry units of the

British Army of the Rhine There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located ...

from 1952 when it replaced the PIAT. It was issued one per person within the infantry platoon and attached to the waist belt and fired from Projector Mark 5 attached to the Lee–Enfield No. 4 Rifle and later fired from a similar projector attached to the muzzle of the L1A1 Self-loading Rifle.

South African service

The South African 75mm R1M1 version was used during the South African involvement in Angola during the 1970s and 1980s. It was launched from standard R1 ( FN-FAL) rifles.

Bangladeshi service

Bangladeshi

mukti bahini The Mukti Bahini ( bn, মুক্তিবাহিনী, translates as 'freedom fighters', or liberation army), also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was the guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military, paramilitary ...

members used ENERGA grenades in a large number.

Netherlands service

Netherlands produced three versions of Energa, the NR4 was a live grenade, the NR5 was an inert practice grenade, and the NR18 was a practice grenade with white chalk in a plastic nosecone that shattered on impact and left a strike mark on the target.

Belgian service

Energa saw service with the ABL. It could be fired from both the FN-FAL and also from the FN Model 1949 (SAFN). The Belgians also produced an inert training grenade. AT GR PRAC 75 mm.

Performance of variants

References

{{reflist

External links

Energa photos and information
Anti-tank grenades Infantry weapons of the Cold War Rifle grenades Grenades of Belgium Mecar