{{Infobox weapon, is_explosive=yes, name=ET wz. 40 , image=Granat Filipinka.jpg , caption=Filipinka in the

Museum of the Warsaw Rising The Warsaw Rising Museum ( pl, Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego), in the Wola district of Warsaw, Poland, is dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. The institution of the museum was established in 1983, but no construction work took place for m ...

, origin=Poland , design_date=1942 , service=1942-1947 , type= Offensive fragmentation , filling=ca. 250g of

cheddite Cheddite is a class of explosive materials invented in 1897 by E. A. G. Street of the firm of Berges, Corbin et Cie and originally manufactured in the town of Chedde in Haute-Savoie, France in the early twentieth century. Closely related to Sp ...

or ammonal , detonation=Contact fuse , number=240,000 , weight= , fill_weight = 250 , length=95 , diameter=53 , variants=various shell types } Filipinka (also ''Wańka'', ''Perełka'') was a commonly used unofficial name for the ET wz. 40 homemade

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 ...

produced for the

Armia Krajowa The Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, abbreviated AK; ) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) esta ...

during World War II in occupied Poland. It was designed by a former worker of the

Rembertów Rembertów () is a district of the city of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Between 1939 and 1957 Rembertów was a separate town, after which it was incorporated as part of the borough of Praga-Południe. Between 1994 and 2002 it formed a separate ...

Polish Army munition works,

Edward Tymoszak Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...

(hence the ''ET'' abbreviation). It was partially based on his pre-war design of an ET wz. 38

anti-tank Anti-tank warfare originated from the need to develop technology and tactics to destroy tanks during World War I. Since the Triple Entente deployed the first tanks in 1916, the German Empire developed the first anti-tank weapons. The first deve ...

grenade. The ''Filipinka'' was an

offensive Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

impact grenade, cylindrical in shape. A screw for the fuse was located in the upper part of the shell. Coating of the first series (roughly 4,000 produced) was made of

Bakelite Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, better known as Bakelite ( ), is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from a condensation reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. The first plastic made from synthetic components, it was developed ...

, which shattered without producing fragments like a metal-bodied grenade. Later the shell was replaced with a metal impress. The filling was composed mostly of home-made explosives, either

or ammonal. At times explosives from German air bombs and artillery shells, as well as British plastic explosive delivered through

air bridge ''Air Bridge'' is a 1951 thriller novel by the British writer Hammond Innes. It is set during the Berlin Airlift, and features a former RAF pilot now on the run from the police after becoming involved in shady activities after the war. Like all of ...

s was used. The grenade was equipped with a contact fuze which functioned on impact with the target. The coating was painted with various colours to allow for easier usage in resistance service and easier hiding. After 1941 all grenades were marked with an inscription in Russian (''Desantnaya Udarnaya Granata 41'' - Paratroopers' Impact Grenade Mark 41) in order to conceal the real origin of the weapon and ensure the safety of the production facilities. Throughout the war approximately 240,000 grenades of this type were produced. Many of them were used in various battles of the Operation Tempest, including the Warsaw Uprising.

External links

Armed Forces Museum's Movie about Polish hand grenades between 1930 and 1945
Hand grenades of Poland World War II infantry weapons of Poland Fragmentation grenades

See also

External links