Soviet cumulative anti-tank ammunition during the war. Grenades of the former German army and its allies mm rifle grenade launcher and ammunition for it
Often we find shell casings from the Civil and Great Patriotic Wars in the ground. Almost all of them have some kind of their own difference. Today we will consider the marking of cartridge cases, which is located on the cartridge capsule, regardless of the brand and caliber of the weapon.
Consider some types and markings of the Austro-Hungarian types of cartridges of 1905-1916. For this type of cartridge case, the primer is divided into four parts with the help of dashes, the inscriptions are embossed. The left, respectively, and the right cell is the year of production, the upper month, and the designation of the plant in the lower part.
- In Fig. 1. - G. Roth, Vienna.
- Fig 2. - Bello and Celle, the city of Prague.
- Fig 3. - Wöllersdorf plant.
- Fig 4. - Hartenberg factory.
- Figure 5. - the same Hartenberg, but the Kellery Co. plant.
Later Hungarian 1930-40s, have some differences. Fig 6. - Chapelsky arsenal, year of issue from the bottom. Fig 7. - Budapest. Fig 8. - Veszprem military plant.
Germany, imperialist war.
The German marking of the shell casings of the imperialist war has two types with a clear division (Fig. 9) using dashes into four equal parts of the primer and with a conditional one (Fig. 10). The inscription is embossed; in the second version, the letters and numbers of the designation are directed towards the primer.
In the upper part, the marking S 67, in different versions: together, separately, through a dot, without numbers. The lower part is the month of production, on the left is the year, and on the right is the plant. In some cases, the year and plant are reversed, or the location of all divisions is reversed completely.
Fascist Germany.
Sleeves and their markings in Nazi Germany (Mauser type) have many options, because the cartridges were produced in almost all factories of the occupied countries of Western Europe: Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Hungary, Austria, Poland, Italy.
Consider Figure 11-14, this case is made in Denmark. The capsule is divided into four parts: on the top is the letter P with numbers, on the bottom is the week, on the left side is the year, on the right is the letter S and a star (five-pointed or six-pointed). In figures 15-17 we see some more types of cartridges produced in Denmark.
In Figure 18 we see capsules, presumably of Czechoslovak and Polish production. The capsule is divided into four parts: at the top - Z, at the bottom - the month of manufacture, on the left and right - the year. There is an option when “SMS” is written at the top, and the caliber is 7.92 at the bottom.
- In Fig. 19-23 German shells by G. Genshov and Co. in Durly;
- Figure 24. - RVS, Browning, caliber 7.65, Nuremberg;
- Figures 25 and 26 - DVM, Karlsruhe.
More options for Polish-made cartridges.
- Figure 27 - Skarzysko-Kamenna;
- Figure 28 and 29 - "Pochinsk", Warsaw.
The signs on the cartridges of the Mosin rifle are not depressed, but convex. Above is usually the letter of the manufacturer, below are the numbers of the year of manufacture.
- Figure 30 - Lugansk plant;
- Fig 31 - plant from Russia;
- Figure 32 - Tula plant.
Some more capsule options:
- Figure 33 - Tula plant;
- Figure 34 - Russian plant;
- Fig 35 - Moscow;
- Figure 36 - Russian-Belgian;
- Fig 37 - Riga;
- Fig 38 - Leningrad;
- Figure 39, 40, 41, 42 - different plants in Russia.
Everyone is familiar with the lubok image of the Soviet "soldier-liberator". In the view of the Soviet people, the Red Army soldiers of the Great Patriotic War are emaciated people in dirty overcoats who run in a crowd to attack after the tanks, or tired elderly men smoking cigarettes on the parapet of a trench. After all, it was precisely such shots that were mainly captured by military newsreels. In the late 1980s, filmmakers and post-Soviet historians put the "victim of repression" on a cart, handed over a "three-ruler" without cartridges, sending fascists towards the armored hordes - under the supervision of barrage detachments.Now I propose to see what really happened. It can be responsibly stated that our weapons were in no way inferior to foreign ones, while being more suitable for local conditions of use. For example, a three-line rifle had larger gaps and tolerances than foreign ones, but this "flaw" was a forced feature - gun grease, thickening in the cold, did not take the weapon out of combat.
So, review.
N agan- a revolver developed by the Belgian gunsmiths brothers Emil (1830-1902) and Leon (1833-1900) Nagans, which was in service and produced in a number of countries at the end of the 19th - the middle of the 20th century. 
TC(Tulsky, Korovina) - the first Soviet serial self-loading pistol. In 1925, the Dynamo sports society ordered the Tula Arms Plant to develop a compact pistol chambered for 6.35 × 15 mm Browning for sports and civilian needs.
Work on the creation of the pistol took place in the design bureau of the Tula Arms Plant. In the autumn of 1926, the designer-gunsmith S. A. Korovin completed the development of a pistol, which was named the pistol TK (Tula Korovin).
At the end of 1926, TOZ began producing a pistol, the following year the pistol was approved for use, receiving the official name "Pistol Tulsky, Korovin, model 1926".
TK pistols entered service with the NKVD of the USSR, middle and senior officers of the Red Army, civil servants and party workers.
Also, the TC was used as a gift or award weapon (for example, there are known cases of awarding Stakhanovites with it). Between the autumn of 1926 and 1935, several tens of thousands of Korovins were produced. In the period after the Great Patriotic War, TK pistols were kept for some time in savings banks as a backup weapon for employees and collectors. 
Pistol arr. 1933 TT(Tulsky, Tokareva) - the first army self-loading pistol of the USSR, developed in 1930 by the Soviet designer Fedor Vasilyevich Tokarev. The TT pistol was developed for the 1929 competition for a new army pistol, announced to replace the Nagant revolver and several foreign-made revolvers and pistols that were in service with the Red Army by the mid-1920s. The German cartridge 7.63 × 25 mm Mauser was adopted as a regular cartridge, which was purchased in significant quantities for the Mauser S-96 pistols in service. 
Mosin rifle. 7.62-mm (3-line) rifle of the 1891 model (Mosin rifle, three-line) is a repeating rifle adopted by the Russian Imperial Army in 1891.
It was actively used from 1891 until the end of the Great Patriotic War, during this period it was repeatedly modernized.
The name of the three-ruler comes from the caliber of the rifle barrel, which is equal to three Russian lines (an old measure of length equal to one tenth of an inch, or 2.54 mm - respectively, three lines are equal to 7.62 mm).
On the basis of the rifle of the 1891 model and its modifications, a number of samples of sports and hunting weapons, both rifled and smoothbore, were created. 
Simonov automatic rifle. 7.62 mm automatic rifle of the Simonov system of 1936, AVS-36 - Soviet automatic rifle designed by gunsmith Sergei Simonov.
It was originally designed as a self-loading rifle, but in the course of improvements, an automatic fire mode was added for use in an emergency. The first automatic rifle developed in the USSR and put into service. 
With Tokarev self-loading rifle. 7.62-mm self-loading rifles of the Tokarev system of the 1938 and 1940s (SVT-38, SVT-40), as well as the Tokarev automatic rifle of the 1940 model, a modification of the Soviet self-loading rifle developed by F. V. Tokarev.
The SVT-38 was developed as a replacement for the Simonov automatic rifle and was adopted by the Red Army on February 26, 1939. The first SVT arr. 1938 was released on July 16, 1939. On October 1, 1939, gross production began at the Tula, and from 1940 at the Izhevsk Arms Plant. 
Self-loading carbine Simonov. The 7.62 mm Simonov self-loading carbine (also known as SKS-45 abroad) is a Soviet self-loading carbine designed by Sergei Simonov, put into service in 1949.
The first copies began to arrive in active units at the beginning of 1945 - this was the only case of using the 7.62 × 39 mm cartridge in World War II. 
Tokarev submachine gun, or the original name - Tokarev's light carbine - an experimental model of automatic weapons created in 1927 for the modified Nagant revolver cartridge, the first submachine gun developed in the USSR. It was not adopted for service, it was released by a small experimental batch, it was used to a limited extent in the Great Patriotic War. 
P submachine gun Degtyarev. 7.62-mm submachine guns of models 1934, 1934/38 and 1940 of the Degtyarev system are various modifications of the submachine gun developed by the Soviet gunsmith Vasily Degtyarev in the early 1930s. The first submachine gun adopted by the Red Army.
The Degtyarev submachine gun was a fairly typical representative of the first generation of this type of weapon. It was used in the Finnish campaign of 1939-40, as well as at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War. 
Shpagin submachine gun. 7.62-mm submachine gun of the 1941 model of the Shpagin system (PPSh) is a Soviet submachine gun developed in 1940 by designer G.S. Shpagin and adopted by the Red Army on December 21, 1940. PPSh was the main submachine gun of the Soviet armed forces in the Great Patriotic War. 
After the end of the war, in the early 1950s, the PPSh was withdrawn from service with the Soviet Army and gradually replaced by the Kalashnikov assault rifle, it remained in service with the rear and auxiliary units, parts of the internal troops and railway troops for a little longer. In service with paramilitary security units was at least until the mid-1980s.
Also, in the post-war period, PPSh was supplied in significant quantities to countries friendly to the USSR, was in service with the armies of various states for a long time, was used by irregular formations, and throughout the 20th century was used in armed conflicts around the world.
Submachine gun Sudayev. 7.62-mm submachine guns of the 1942 and 1943 models of the Sudayev system (PPS) are variants of the submachine gun developed by the Soviet designer Alexei Sudayev in 1942. Used by Soviet troops during the Great Patriotic War.
Often PPS is considered as the best submachine gun of World War II. 
Gun "Maxim" model 1910. Machine gun "Maxim" model 1910 - easel machine gun, a variant of the British machine gun Maxim, widely used by the Russian and Soviet armies during the First World War and the Second World War. The Maxim machine gun was used to destroy open group targets and enemy fire weapons at a distance of up to 1000 m. 
Anti-aircraft variant
- 7.62-mm quad machine gun "Maxim" on the U-431 anti-aircraft gun
- 7.62-mm coaxial machine gun "Maxim" on the U-432 anti-aircraft gun 
P Ulmet Maxim-Tokarev- Soviet light machine gun designed by F. V. Tokarev, created in 1924 on the basis of the Maxim machine gun. 
DP(Degtyareva Infantry) - a light machine gun developed by V. A. Degtyarev. The first ten serial DP machine guns were manufactured at the Kovrov plant on November 12, 1927, then a batch of 100 machine guns was transferred to military trials, as a result of which the machine gun was adopted by the Red Army on December 21, 1927. DP became one of the first samples of small arms created in the USSR. The machine gun was massively used as the main weapon of fire support for infantry at the platoon-company level until the end of World War II. 
DT(Degtyarev tank) - a tank machine gun developed by V. A. Degtyarev in 1929. Entered service with the Red Army in 1929 under the designation "7.62-mm tank machine gun of the Degtyarev system arr. 1929" (DT-29) 
DS-39(7.62-mm machine gun Degtyarev model 1939). 
SG-43. 7.62 mm Goryunov machine gun (SG-43) - Soviet machine gun. It was developed by the gunsmith P. M. Goryunov with the participation of M. M. Goryunov and V. E. Voronkov at the Kovrov Mechanical Plant. Adopted on May 15, 1943. SG-43 began to enter the troops in the second half of 1943. 
DShK and DShKM- heavy machine guns chambered for 12.7 × 108 mm. The result of the modernization of the heavy machine gun DK (Degtyarev Large-caliber). DShK was adopted by the Red Army in 1938 under the designation "12.7 mm heavy machine gun Degtyarev - Shpagin model 1938"
In 1946, under the designation DShKM(Degtyarev, Shpagin, modernized large-caliber,) machine gun was adopted by the Soviet Army. 
PTRD. Anti-tank single-shot rifle arr. 1941 of the Degtyarev system, put into service on August 29, 1941. It was intended to fight medium and light tanks and armored vehicles at distances up to 500 m. Also, the gun could fire at pillboxes / bunkers and firing points covered with armor at distances up to 800 m and at aircraft at distances up to 500 m. 
PTRS. Anti-tank self-loading rifle mod. 1941 of the Simonov system) is a Soviet self-loading anti-tank rifle, put into service on August 29, 1941. It was intended to fight medium and light tanks and armored vehicles at distances up to 500 m. Also, the gun could fire at pillboxes / bunkers and firing points covered with armor at distances up to 800 m and at aircraft at distances up to 500 m. During the war some of the guns were captured and used by the Germans. The guns were named Panzerbüchse 784 (R) or PzB 784 (R). 
Dyakonov grenade launcher. A rifle grenade launcher of the Dyakonov system, designed to destroy living, mostly closed, targets with fragmentation grenades that are inaccessible to flat-fire weapons.
It was widely used in pre-war conflicts, during the Soviet-Finnish War and at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War. According to the state of the rifle regiment in 1939, each rifle squad was armed with a rifle grenade launcher of the Dyakonov system. In the documents of that time it was called a manual mortar for throwing rifle grenades. 
125 mm ampoule gun model 1941- the only model of the ampoule gun mass-produced in the USSR. It was widely used with varying success by the Red Army at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War, it was often made in semi-handicraft conditions.
The most commonly used projectile was a glass or tin ball filled with a flammable liquid "KS", but the range of ammunition included mines, a smoke bomb, and even makeshift "propaganda shells". With the help of a blank 12-gauge rifle cartridge, the projectile was fired at 250-500 meters, thus being an effective tool against some fortifications and many types of armored vehicles, including tanks. However, difficulties in use and maintenance led to the fact that in 1942 the ampoule gun was withdrawn from service. 
ROKS-3(Knapsack Flamethrower Klyuev-Sergeev) - Soviet infantry backpack flamethrower of the Great Patriotic War. The first model of the ROKS-1 backpack flamethrower was developed in the USSR in the early 1930s. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the rifle regiments of the Red Army had flamethrower teams consisting of two squads, armed with 20 ROKS-2 knapsack flamethrowers. Based on the experience of using these flamethrowers at the beginning of 1942, the designer of the Research Institute of Chemical Engineering M.P. Sergeev and the designer of the military plant No. 846 V.N. Klyuev developed a more advanced backpack flamethrower ROKS-3, which was in service with individual companies and battalions of backpack flamethrowers of the Red Army throughout the war. 
Bottles with a combustible mixture ("Molotov Cocktail").
At the beginning of the war, the State Defense Committee decided to use bottles with a combustible mixture in the fight against tanks. Already on July 7, 1941, the State Defense Committee adopted a special resolution “On anti-tank incendiary grenades (bottles)”, which ordered the People's Commissariat of the Food Industry to organize, from July 10, 1941, the equipment of liter glass bottles with fire mixture according to the recipe of Research Institute 6 of the People's Commissariat of Ammunition. And the head of the Military Chemical Defense Directorate of the Red Army (later - the Main Military Chemical Directorate) was ordered to begin "supplying military units with hand-held incendiary grenades" from July 14th.
Dozens of distilleries and beer factories throughout the USSR turned into military enterprises on the go. Moreover, the "Molotov Cocktail" (named after the then deputy of I.V. Stalin for the State Defense Committee) was prepared directly on the old factory lines, where only yesterday they poured soda, port wines and fizzy "Abrau-Durso". From the first batches of such bottles, they often did not even have time to tear off the "peaceful" alcohol labels. In addition to the liter bottles indicated in the legendary "Molotov" decree, the "cocktail" was also made in beer and wine-cognac containers with a volume of 0.5 and 0.7 liters.
Two types of incendiary bottles were adopted by the Red Army: with self-igniting liquid KS (a mixture of phosphorus and sulfur) and with combustible mixtures No. 1 and No. 3, which are a mixture of aviation gasoline, kerosene, ligroin, thickened with oils or a special hardening powder OP- 2, developed in 1939 under the leadership of A.P. Ionov - in fact, it was the prototype of modern napalm. The abbreviation "KS" is deciphered in different ways: and "Koshkinskaya mixture" - by the name of the inventor N.V. Koshkin, and "Old Cognac", and "Kachugin-Solodovnik" - by the name of other inventors of liquid grenades.
A bottle with a self-igniting liquid KC, falling on a solid body, broke, the liquid spilled and burned with a bright flame for up to 3 minutes, developing a temperature of up to 1000°C. At the same time, being sticky, it stuck to the armor or covered up viewing slots, glasses, observation devices, blinded the crew with smoke, smoking it out of the tank and burning everything inside the tank. Getting on the body, a drop of burning liquid caused severe, difficult to heal burns.
Combustible mixtures No. 1 and No. 3 burned for up to 60 seconds at temperatures up to 800 ° C and emitting a lot of black smoke. As a cheaper option, bottles of gasoline were used, and as an incendiary, thin glass ampoules-tubes with KS liquid were used, which were attached to the bottle with the help of pharmaceutical rubber bands. Sometimes the ampoules were put inside the bottles before being thrown. 
B body armor PZ-ZIF-20(protective shell, Frunze Plant). It is also CH-38 of the Cuirass type (CH-1, steel breastplate). It can be called the first mass Soviet body armor, although it was called a steel breastplate, which does not change its purpose.
The bulletproof vest provided protection against the German submachine gun, pistols. Also, the bulletproof vest provided protection against fragments of grenades and mines. The body armor was recommended to be worn by assault groups, signalmen (during the laying and repair of cables) and when performing other operations at the discretion of the commander.
Information often comes across that the PZ-ZIF-20 is not a body armor SP-38 (SN-1), which is not true, since the PZ-ZIF-20 was created according to the documentation of 1938, and industrial production was established in 1943. The second point is that in appearance they have 100% similarity. Among the military search detachments, it has the name "Volkhov", "Leningrad", "five-section".
Reconstruction photo: 
Steel bibs CH-42 
Soviet assault engineer-sapper guards brigade in steel bibs SN-42 and with DP-27 machine guns. 1st ShISBr. 1st Belorussian Front, summer 1944.
ROG-43 hand grenade
ROG-43 hand fragmentation grenade (index 57-G-722) of remote action, designed to defeat enemy manpower in offensive and defensive combat. The new grenade was developed in the first half of the Great Patriotic War at the plant. Kalinin and had the factory designation RGK-42. After being put into service in 1943, the grenade received the designation ROG-43.
Hand smoke grenade RDG.
RDG device
Smoke grenades were used to provide curtains of 8 - 10 m in size and were used mainly to "dazzle" the enemy in shelters, to create local curtains in order to mask the crews leaving the armored vehicles, as well as to simulate the burning of armored vehicles. Under favorable conditions, one RDG grenade created an invisible cloud 25-30 m long.
Burning grenades did not sink in water, so they could be used to force water barriers. The grenade could smoke from 1 to 1.5 minutes, forming, depending on the composition of the smoke mixture, thick gray-black or white smoke.
RPG-6 grenade.
RPG-6 exploded instantly at the moment of impact on a rigid barrier, destroyed armor, hit the crew of an armored target, its weapons and equipment, and could also ignite fuel and explode ammunition. Military tests of the RPG-6 grenade took place in September 1943. The captured Ferdinand assault gun was used as a target, which had frontal armor up to 200 mm and side armor up to 85 mm. The tests carried out showed that the RPG-6 grenade, when the head part hit the target, could penetrate armor up to 120 mm.
Hand anti-tank grenade mod. 1943 RPG-43
Hand-held anti-tank grenade model 1941 RPG-41 percussion
RPG-41 was intended to combat armored vehicles and light tanks with armor up to 20 - 25 mm thick, and could also be used to combat bunkers and field-type shelters. The RPG-41 could also be used to destroy medium and heavy tanks when it hit the vehicle's weak points (roof, tracks, undercarriage, etc.)
Chemical grenade model 1917
According to the "Temporary rifle charter of the Red Army. Part 1. Small arms. Rifle and hand grenades ”, published by the head of the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs and the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR in 1927, a hand chemical grenade mod. 1917 from a stock prepared during the First World War.
Grenade VKG-40
In service with the Red Army in the 1920-1930s was the muzzle-loading "Dyakonov grenade launcher", created at the end of the First World War and subsequently modernized. 
The grenade launcher consisted of a mortar, a bipod and a quadrant sight and served to defeat manpower with a fragmentation grenade. The barrel of the mortar had a caliber of 41 mm, three screw grooves, was rigidly fastened in a cup screwed onto the neck, which was put on the rifle barrel, being fixed on the front sight with a cutout.
RG-42 hand grenade
RG-42 model 1942 with a UZRG fuse. After being put into service, the grenade was assigned the index RG-42 (1942 hand grenade). The new UZRG fuse used in the grenade became the same for both the RG-42 and the F-1.
The RG-42 grenade was used both offensively and defensively. In appearance, it resembled an RGD-33 grenade, only without a handle. RG-42 with a fuse UZRG belonged to the type of remote offensive fragmentation grenades. It was intended to defeat enemy manpower.
Rifle anti-tank grenade VPGS-41
VPGS-41 when using
A characteristic distinguishing feature of ramrod grenades was the presence of a "tail" (ramrod) inserted into the bore of the rifle and serving as a stabilizer. The grenade was fired with a blank cartridge.
Soviet hand grenade mod. 1914/30 with protective cover 
Soviet hand grenade mod. 1914/30 refers to anti-personnel fragmentation hand grenades of remote action of the double type. This means that it is designed to destroy enemy personnel with hull fragments during its explosion. Remote action - means that the grenade will explode after a certain period, regardless of other conditions, after the soldier releases it from his hands.
Double type - means that the grenade can be used as an offensive, i.e. grenade fragments have a small mass and fly at a distance less than the possible throw range; or as defensive, i.e. fragments fly at a distance exceeding the throwing range.
The double action of the grenade is achieved by putting on the grenade the so-called "shirt" - a cover made of thick metal, which provides, during the explosion, fragments of a larger mass flying over a greater distance.
Hand grenade RGD-33
An explosive charge is placed inside the case - up to 140 grams of TNT. Between the explosive charge and the case, a steel tape with a square notch is placed to obtain fragments during the explosion, rolled up in three or four layers. 
The grenade was equipped with a defensive cover, which was used only when throwing a grenade from a trench or shelter. In other cases, the protective cover was removed.
And of course, F-1 grenade
Initially, the F-1 grenade used a fuse designed by F.V. Koveshnikov, which was much more reliable and convenient in the use of the French fuse. The deceleration time of the Koveshnikov fuse was 3.5-4.5 sec.
In 1941, the designers E.M. Viceni and A.A. Bednyakov developed and put into service instead of Koveshnikov's fuse, a new, safer and simpler fuse for the F-1 hand grenade.
In 1942, the new fuse became the same for F-1 and RG-42 hand grenades, it was called UZRG - "unified fuse for hand grenades."
* * *
After the above, it cannot be argued that only rusty three-rulers without cartridges were in service.
About chemical weapons during the Second World War, the conversation is separate and special ...
Thanks to Soviet films about the war, most people have a strong opinion that the mass small arms (photo below) of the German infantry during the Second World War is an automatic machine (submachine gun) of the Schmeisser system, which is named after its designer. This myth is still actively supported by domestic cinema. However, in fact, this popular machine gun was never a mass weapon of the Wehrmacht, and Hugo Schmeisser did not create it at all. However, first things first.
How myths are created
Everyone should remember the shots from domestic films dedicated to the attacks of the German infantry on our positions. Brave blond guys walk without bending down, while firing from machine guns “from the hip”. And the most interesting thing is that this fact does not surprise anyone, except for those who were in the war. According to the movies, the "Schmeissers" could conduct aimed fire at the same distance as the rifles of our fighters. In addition, the viewer, when watching these films, had the impression that the entire personnel of the German infantry during the Second World War was armed with machine guns. In fact, everything was different, and the submachine gun is not a mass small arms weapon of the Wehrmacht, and it is impossible to shoot from it “from the hip”, and it is not called “Schmeisser” at all. In addition, to carry out an attack on a trench by a submachine gunners unit, in which there are fighters armed with magazine rifles, is an obvious suicide, since simply no one would have reached the trenches.
Debunking the Myth: The MP-40 Automatic Pistol
This Wehrmacht small arms in WWII is officially called the MP-40 submachine gun (Maschinenpistole). In fact, this is a modification of the MP-36 assault rifle. The designer of this model, contrary to popular belief, was not the gunsmith H. Schmeisser, but the no less famous and talented craftsman Heinrich Volmer. And why is the nickname “Schmeisser” so firmly entrenched behind him? The thing is that Schmeisser owned a patent for the store that is used in this submachine gun. And in order not to violate his copyright, in the first batches of MP-40, the inscription PATENT SCHMEISSER was stamped on the store receiver. When these machine guns came as trophies to the soldiers of the allied armies, they mistakenly thought that the author of this model of small arms, of course, was Schmeisser. This is how the given nickname was fixed for the MP-40.
Initially, the German command armed only command staff with machine guns. So, in the infantry units, only the commanders of battalions, companies and squads should have MP-40s. Later, drivers of armored vehicles, tankers and paratroopers were supplied with automatic pistols. Massively, no one armed the infantry with them either in 1941 or after. According to the archives in 1941, the troops had only 250 thousand MP-40 assault rifles, and this is for 7,234,000 people. As you can see, a submachine gun is not at all a mass weapon of the Second World War. In general, for the entire period - from 1939 to 1945 - only 1.2 million of these machine guns were produced, while over 21 million people were called up in the Wehrmacht.
Why were the infantry not armed with the MP-40?
Despite the fact that experts later recognized that the MP-40 is the best small arms of the Second World War, only a few of them had it in the infantry units of the Wehrmacht. This is explained simply: the aiming range of this machine gun for group targets is only 150 m, and for single targets - 70 m. This despite the fact that Soviet soldiers were armed with Mosin and Tokarev (SVT) rifles, the aiming range of which was 800 m for group targets and 400 m for single targets. If the Germans fought with such weapons, as shown in domestic films, then they would never have been able to reach the enemy trenches, they would simply have been shot, as in a shooting gallery.
Shooting on the move "from the hip"
The MP-40 submachine gun vibrates a lot when firing, and if you use it, as shown in the films, the bullets will always miss the target. Therefore, for effective shooting, it must be pressed tightly against the shoulder, after unfolding the butt. In addition, this machine gun was never fired in long bursts, as it quickly heated up. Most often they were beaten in a short burst of 3-4 rounds or fired single shots. Despite the fact that the tactical and technical characteristics indicate that the rate of fire is 450-500 rounds per minute, in practice this result has never been achieved.
Advantages of the MP-40
It cannot be said that this rifle was bad, on the contrary, it is very, very dangerous, but it must be used in close combat. That is why sabotage units were armed with it in the first place. They were also often used by scouts of our army, and the partisans respected this machine gun. The use of light, rapid-fire small arms in close combat provided tangible advantages. Even now, the MP-40 is very popular with criminals, and the price of such a machine is very high. And they are delivered there by “black archaeologists”, who excavate in places of military glory and very often find and restore weapons from the Second World War.
Mauser 98k
What can you say about this rifle? The most common small arms in Germany are the Mauser rifle. Its aiming range is up to 2000 m when firing. As you can see, this parameter is very close to the Mosin and SVT rifles. This carbine was developed back in 1888. During the war, this design was significantly upgraded, mainly to reduce costs, as well as to rationalize production. In addition, this Wehrmacht small arms were equipped with optical sights, and sniper units were equipped with it. The Mauser rifle at that time was in service with many armies, for example, Belgium, Spain, Turkey, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia and Sweden.
Self-loading rifles
At the end of 1941, the first automatic self-loading rifles of the Walther G-41 and Mauser G-41 systems entered the infantry units of the Wehrmacht for military trials. Their appearance was due to the fact that the Red Army was armed with more than one and a half million such systems: SVT-38, SVT-40 and ABC-36. In order not to be inferior to the Soviet fighters, the German gunsmiths urgently had to develop their own versions of such rifles. As a result of the tests, the G-41 system (Walter system) was recognized and adopted as the best. The rifle is equipped with a trigger-type percussion mechanism. Designed for firing only single shots. Equipped with a magazine with a capacity of ten rounds. This automatic self-loading rifle is designed for aimed fire at a distance of up to 1200 m. However, due to the large weight of this weapon, as well as low reliability and sensitivity to pollution, it was released in a small series. In 1943, the designers, having eliminated these shortcomings, proposed an upgraded version of the G-43 (Walter system), which was produced in the amount of several hundred thousand units. Before its appearance, Wehrmacht soldiers preferred to use captured Soviet (!) SVT-40 rifles.
And now back to the German gunsmith Hugo Schmeisser. He developed two systems, without which the Second World War could not have done.
Small arms - MP-41
This model was developed simultaneously with the MP-40. This machine was significantly different from the Schmeisser familiar to everyone from the movies: it had a handguard trimmed with wood, which protected the fighter from burns, was heavier and longer-barreled. However, this Wehrmacht small arms were not widely used and were not produced for long. In total, about 26 thousand units were produced. It is believed that the German army abandoned this machine in connection with the lawsuit of ERMA, which claimed that its patented design was illegally copied. Small arms MP-41 was used by parts of the Waffen SS. It was also successfully used by Gestapo units and mountain rangers.
MP-43, or StG-44
The next weapon of the Wehrmacht (photo below) was developed by Schmeisser in 1943. At first it was called MP-43, and later - StG-44, which means "assault rifle" (sturmgewehr). This automatic rifle in appearance, and in some technical characteristics, resembles (which appeared later), and differs significantly from the MP-40. Its range of aimed fire was up to 800 m. The StG-44 even provided for the possibility of mounting a 30 mm grenade launcher. For firing from cover, the designer developed a special nozzle, which was worn on the muzzle and changed the trajectory of the bullet by 32 degrees. This weapon entered mass production only in the fall of 1944. During the war years, about 450 thousand of these rifles were produced. So few of the German soldiers managed to use such a machine gun. StG-44s were supplied to the elite units of the Wehrmacht and to Waffen SS units. Subsequently, this weapon of the Wehrmacht was used in
FG-42 automatic rifles
These copies were intended for parachute troops. They combined the fighting qualities of a light machine gun and an automatic rifle. The Rheinmetall company took up the development of weapons already during the war, when, after evaluating the results of airborne operations carried out by the Wehrmacht, it turned out that the MP-38 submachine guns did not fully meet the combat requirements of this type of troops. The first tests of this rifle were carried out in 1942, and at the same time it was put into service. In the process of using the mentioned weapon, shortcomings were also revealed, associated with low strength and stability during automatic firing. In 1944, the upgraded FG-42 rifle (Model 2) was released, and Model 1 was discontinued. The trigger mechanism of this weapon allows automatic or single fire. The rifle is designed for the standard 7.92 mm Mauser cartridge. Magazine capacity is 10 or 20 rounds. In addition, the rifle can be used to fire special rifle grenades. In order to increase stability when firing, a bipod is fixed under the barrel. The FG-42 rifle is designed for firing at a range of 1200 m. Due to the high cost, it was produced in limited quantities: only 12 thousand units of both models.
Luger P08 and Walter P38
Now consider what types of pistols were in service with the German army. "Luger", its second name "Parabellum", had a caliber of 7.65 mm. By the beginning of the war, the units of the German army had more than half a million of these pistols. This small arms of the Wehrmacht was produced until 1942, and then it was replaced by a more reliable "Walter".
This pistol was put into service in 1940. It was intended for firing 9 mm rounds, the magazine capacity is 8 rounds. Sighting range at "Walter" - 50 meters. It was produced until 1945. The total number of P38 pistols produced was approximately 1 million units.
Weapons of World War II: MG-34, MG-42 and MG-45
In the early 30s, the German military decided to create a machine gun that could be used both as an easel and as a manual one. They were supposed to fire at enemy aircraft and arm tanks. The MG-34, designed by Rheinmetall and put into service in 1934, became such a machine gun. By the beginning of hostilities, the Wehrmacht had about 80 thousand units of this weapon. The machine gun allows you to fire both single shots and continuous. To do this, he had a trigger with two notches. When you click on the top, shooting was carried out with single shots, and when you click on the bottom - in bursts. It was intended for Mauser rifle cartridges 7.92x57 mm, with light or heavy bullets. And in the 40s, armor-piercing, armor-piercing tracer, armor-piercing incendiary and other types of cartridges were developed and used. This suggests the conclusion that the impetus for changes in weapons systems and tactics for their use was the Second World War.
The small arms that were used in this company were replenished with a new type of machine gun - MG-42. It was developed and put into service in 1942. The designers have greatly simplified and reduced the cost of the production of these weapons. So, in its production, spot welding and stamping were widely used, and the number of parts was reduced to 200. The trigger mechanism of the machine gun in question allowed only automatic firing - 1200-1300 rounds per minute. Such significant changes adversely affected the stability of the unit during firing. Therefore, to ensure accuracy, it was recommended to fire in short bursts. Ammunition for the new machine gun remained the same as for the MG-34. The range of aimed fire was two kilometers. Work on improving this design continued until the end of 1943, which led to the creation of a new modification, known as the MG-45.
This machine gun weighed only 6.5 kg, and the rate of fire was 2400 rounds per minute. By the way, not a single infantry machine gun of that time could boast of such a rate of fire. However, this modification appeared too late and was not in service with the Wehrmacht.
PzB-39 and Panzerschrek
PzB-39 was developed in 1938. This weapon of the Second World War was used with relative success at the initial stage to combat tankettes, tanks and armored vehicles with bulletproof armor. Against heavily armored B-1s, British Matildas and Churchills, Soviet T-34s and KVs), this gun was either ineffective or completely useless. As a result, it was soon replaced by anti-tank grenade launchers and reactive anti-tank guns "Pantsershrek", "Ofenror", as well as the famous "Faustpatrons". The PzB-39 used a 7.92 mm cartridge. The firing range was 100 meters, the penetration ability made it possible to "flash" 35-mm armor.
"Panzerschreck". This German light anti-tank weapon is a modified copy of the American Bazooka rocket-propelled gun. German designers provided him with a shield that protected the shooter from hot gases escaping from the grenade nozzle. Anti-tank companies of motorized rifle regiments of tank divisions were supplied as a matter of priority with these weapons. Rocket guns were exceptionally powerful weapons. "Panzershreki" were weapons for group use and had a service crew consisting of three people. Since they were very complex, their use required special training in calculations. In total, in 1943-1944, 314 thousand units of such guns and more than two million rocket-propelled grenades were produced for them.
Grenade launchers: "Faustpatron" and "Panzerfaust"
The early years of the Second World War showed that anti-tank guns could not cope with the tasks set, so the German military demanded anti-tank weapons with which to equip an infantryman, acting on the principle of "shot and thrown." The development of a disposable hand grenade launcher was started by HASAG in 1942 (chief designer Langweiler). And in 1943 mass production was launched. The first 500 Faustpatrons entered the troops in August of the same year. All models of this anti-tank grenade launcher had a similar design: they consisted of a barrel (smooth-bore seamless pipe) and an over-caliber grenade. An impact mechanism and an aiming device were welded to the outer surface of the barrel.
"Panzerfaust" is one of the most powerful modifications of the "Faustpatron", which was developed at the end of the war. Its firing range was 150 m, and its armor penetration was 280-320 mm. The Panzerfaust was a reusable weapon. The barrel of the grenade launcher is equipped with a pistol grip, in which there is a firing mechanism, the propellant charge was placed in the barrel. In addition, the designers were able to increase the speed of the grenade. In total, over eight million grenade launchers of all modifications were manufactured during the war years. This type of weapon inflicted significant losses on Soviet tanks. So, in the battles on the outskirts of Berlin, they knocked out about 30 percent of armored vehicles, and during street fighting in the capital of Germany - 70%.
Conclusion
The Second World War had a significant impact on small arms, including the world, its development and tactics of use. Based on its results, we can conclude that, despite the creation of the most modern weapons, the role of rifle units is not decreasing. The accumulated experience of using weapons in those years is still relevant today. In fact, it became the basis for the development and improvement of small arms.
By the end of the 30s, almost all participants in the coming world war had formed common directions in the development of small arms. The range and accuracy of the defeat was reduced, which was offset by a greater density of fire. As a consequence of this - the beginning of the mass rearmament of units with automatic small arms - submachine guns, machine guns, assault rifles.
The accuracy of fire began to fade into the background, while the soldiers advancing in a chain began to be taught shooting from the move. With the advent of airborne troops, it became necessary to create special lightweight weapons.
Maneuvering war also affected machine guns: they became much lighter and more mobile. New varieties of small arms appeared (which was dictated primarily by the need to fight tanks) - rifle grenades, anti-tank rifles and RPGs with cumulative grenades.
Small arms of the USSR of the Second World War
The rifle division of the Red Army on the eve of the Great Patriotic War was a very formidable force - about 14.5 thousand people. The main type of small arms were rifles and carbines - 10420 pieces. The share of submachine guns was insignificant - 1204. There were 166, 392 and 33 units of easel, light and anti-aircraft machine guns, respectively.
The division had its own artillery of 144 guns and 66 mortars. The firepower was supplemented by 16 tanks, 13 armored vehicles and a solid fleet of auxiliary automotive and tractor equipment.
Rifles and carbines
The main small arms of the infantry units of the USSR in the first period of the war was certainly the famous three-ruler - 7.62 mm rifle S.I. qualities, in particular, with an aiming range of 2 km. 
The three-ruler is an ideal weapon for newly drafted soldiers, and the simplicity of the design created huge opportunities for its mass production. But like any weapon, the three-ruler had flaws. A permanently attached bayonet in combination with a long barrel (1670 mm) created inconvenience when moving, especially in wooded areas. Serious complaints were caused by the shutter handle when reloading.
On its basis, a sniper rifle and a series of carbines of the 1938 and 1944 models were created. Fate measured the three-ruler for a long century (the last three-ruler was released in 1965), participation in many wars and an astronomical "circulation" of 37 million copies.
Sniper with Mosin rifle (with optical sight PE model 1931)
Sighting range SVT-40 - up to 1 km. SVT-40 won back with honor on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. It was also appreciated by our opponents. A historical fact: having captured rich trophies at the beginning of the war, among which there were quite a few SVT-40s, the German army ... adopted it, and the Finns created their own rifle, the TaRaKo, based on the SVT-40.
The creative development of the ideas implemented in the SVT-40 was the AVT-40 automatic rifle. It differed from its predecessor in the ability to conduct automatic fire at a rate of up to 25 rounds per minute. The disadvantage of AVT-40 is low accuracy of fire, strong unmasking flame and a loud sound at the time of the shot. In the future, as the mass receipt of automatic weapons in the troops, it was removed from service.
Submachine guns
The Great Patriotic War was the time of the final transition from rifles to automatic weapons. The Red Army began to fight armed with a small amount of PPD-40 - a submachine gun designed by the outstanding Soviet designer Vasily Alekseevich Degtyarev. At that time, PPD-40 was in no way inferior to its domestic and foreign counterparts. 
Designed for a pistol cartridge cal. 7.62 x 25 mm, PPD-40 had an impressive ammunition load of 71 rounds, placed in a drum-type magazine. Weighing about 4 kg, it provided firing at a speed of 800 rounds per minute with an effective range of up to 200 meters. However, a few months after the start of the war, he was replaced by the legendary PPSh-40 cal. 7.62 x 25 mm.
The creator of the PPSh-40, designer Georgy Semenovich Shpagin, was faced with the task of developing an extremely easy-to-use, reliable, technologically advanced, cheap-to-manufacture mass weapon. 
From its predecessor - PPD-40, PPSh inherited a drum magazine for 71 rounds. A little later, a simpler and more reliable sector carob magazine for 35 rounds was developed for him. The mass of equipped machine guns (both options) was 5.3 and 4.15 kg, respectively. The rate of fire of the PPSh-40 reached 900 rounds per minute with an aiming range of up to 300 meters and with the ability to conduct single fire.
To master the PPSh-40, several lessons were enough. It was easily disassembled into 5 parts, made using the stamping-welded technology, thanks to which, during the war years, the Soviet defense industry produced about 5.5 million machine guns.
In the summer of 1942, the young designer Alexei Sudaev presented his brainchild - a 7.62 mm submachine gun. It was strikingly different from its "older brothers" PPD and PPSh-40 in its rational layout, higher manufacturability and ease of manufacturing parts by arc welding. 
PPS-42 was 3.5 kg lighter and required three times less time to manufacture. However, despite the quite obvious advantages, he never became a mass weapon, leaving the palm of the PPSh-40.
By the beginning of the war, the DP-27 light machine gun (Degtyarev infantry, cal 7.62mm) had been in service with the Red Army for almost 15 years, having the status of the main light machine gun of infantry units. Its automation was driven by the energy of powder gases. The gas regulator reliably protected the mechanism from pollution and high temperatures.
The DP-27 could only conduct automatic fire, but even a beginner needed a few days to master shooting in short bursts of 3-5 shots. The ammunition load of 47 rounds was placed in a disk magazine with a bullet to the center in one row. The store itself was attached to the top of the receiver. The weight of the unloaded machine gun was 8.5 kg. Equipped store increased it by almost 3 kg.
It was a powerful weapon with an effective range of 1.5 km and a combat rate of fire up to 150 rounds per minute. In the combat position, the machine gun relied on the bipod. A flame arrester was screwed onto the end of the barrel, significantly reducing its unmasking effect. DP-27 was serviced by a gunner and his assistant. In total, about 800 thousand machine guns were fired.
Small arms of the Wehrmacht of World War II
The main strategy of the German army is offensive or blitzkrieg (blitzkrieg - lightning war). The decisive role in it was assigned to large tank formations, carrying out deep penetrations of the enemy defenses in cooperation with artillery and aviation.
Tank units bypassed powerful fortified areas, destroying control centers and rear communications, without which the enemy would quickly lose combat capability. The defeat was completed by the motorized units of the ground forces.
Small arms of the infantry division of the Wehrmacht
The staff of the German infantry division of the 1940 model assumed the presence of 12609 rifles and carbines, 312 submachine guns (machine guns), light and heavy machine guns - respectively 425 and 110 pieces, 90 anti-tank rifles and 3600 pistols.Small arms of the Wehrmacht as a whole met the high requirements of wartime. It was reliable, trouble-free, simple, easy to manufacture and maintain, which contributed to its mass production.
Rifles, carbines, machine guns
Mauser 98K
The Mauser 98K is an improved version of the Mauser 98 rifle, developed at the end of the 19th century by the brothers Paul and Wilhelm Mauser, the founders of the world-famous arms company. Equipping the German army with it began in 1935. 
Mauser 98K
The weapon was equipped with a clip with five 7.92 mm cartridges. A trained soldier could accurately fire 15 times within a minute at a distance of up to 1.5 km. Mauser 98K was very compact. Its main characteristics: weight, length, barrel length - 4.1 kg x 1250 x 740 mm. The indisputable merits of the rifle are evidenced by numerous conflicts with its participation, longevity and a truly sky-high "circulation" - more than 15 million units.
Automatic MP-40 "Schmeisser"
Perhaps the most famous small arms of the Wehrmacht during World War II was the famous MP-40 submachine gun, a modification of its predecessor, the MP-36, created by Heinrich Volmer. However, by the will of fate, he is better known under the name "Schmeisser", received thanks to the stamp on the store - "PATENT SCHMEISSER". The stigma simply meant that, in addition to G. Volmer, Hugo Schmeisser also participated in the creation of the MP-40, but only as the creator of the store. 
Automatic MP-40 "Schmeisser"
Initially, the MP-40 was intended to arm the commanders of infantry units, but later it was handed over to tankers, armored vehicle drivers, paratroopers and special forces soldiers.
However, the MP-40 was absolutely not suitable for infantry units, since it was an exclusively melee weapon. In a fierce battle in the open, having a weapon with a range of 70 to 150 meters meant for a German soldier to be practically unarmed in front of his opponent, armed with Mosin and Tokarev rifles with a range of 400 to 800 meters.
Assault rifle StG-44
Assault rifle StG-44 (sturmgewehr) cal. 7.92mm is another legend of the Third Reich. This is certainly an outstanding creation of Hugo Schmeisser - the prototype of many post-war assault rifles and machine guns, including the famous AK-47. 
StG-44 could conduct single and automatic fire. Her weight with a full magazine was 5.22 kg. In the sighting range - 800 meters - "Sturmgever" was in no way inferior to its main competitors. Three versions of the store were provided - for 15, 20 and 30 shots with a rate of up to 500 rounds per minute. The option of using a rifle with an underbarrel grenade launcher and an infrared sight was considered.
It was not without its shortcomings. The assault rifle was heavier than the Mauser-98K by a whole kilogram. Her wooden butt could not withstand sometimes hand-to-hand combat and simply broke. The flames escaping from the barrel gave away the location of the shooter, and the long magazine and sighting devices forced him to raise his head high in the prone position.
The 7.92mm MG-42 is quite rightly called one of the best machine guns of World War II. It was developed at Grossfuss by engineers Werner Gruner and Kurt Horn. Those who experienced its firepower were very frank. Our soldiers called it "lawn mower", and the allies - "Hitler's circular saw."
Depending on the type of shutter, the machine gun accurately fired at a speed of up to 1500 rpm at a distance of up to 1 km. Ammunition was carried out using a machine-gun belt for 50 - 250 rounds. The uniqueness of the MG-42 was complemented by a relatively small number of parts - 200 and the high manufacturability of their production by stamping and spot welding.
The barrel, red-hot from firing, was replaced by a spare one in a few seconds using a special clamp. In total, about 450 thousand machine guns were fired. The unique technical developments embodied in the MG-42 were borrowed by gunsmiths in many countries of the world when creating their machine guns.
BRIEF PREFACE TO THE MEMO ON EXPLOSIVE OBJECTS IN THE FIELDS OF RUSSIA
There are many special instructions for sapper business. Each of them describes in detail all the necessary actions of the performers in the production of mining - demining, tools and equipment are presented. The purpose of these notes is only to warn search engines against incorrect actions in the production of search work. She does not pretend to comprehensive coverage of the features of sapper business.
Ammunition encountered in the search area poses a significant threat to the life of the searcher. A disrespectful attitude towards any type of ammunition often leads to a ridiculous death of a person. The tragedy of the situation is aggravated by the fact that for the most part children and ... experienced professional searchers are undermined. The last change, apparently, is the sense of danger, but the same bravado of a professional works negatively.
The main rule of the search engine should be caution, raised to a power and expressed in words: "IF YOU DO NOT KNOW - DO NOT TOUCH, AND YOU KNOW - DO NOT TOUCH THE MORE. DO NOT TAKE AMMUNITION IN YOUR HANDS AND DO NOT RISK YOUR LIFE AND THE LIFE OF YOUR COMRADES!" No matter how interesting and exciting the search is, but if you are not a specialist and there is no experienced specialist nearby who can expertly determine the type of ammunition and defuse it, then it is difficult to offer a better course of action than marking the object with a stick (sign) and calling a sapper. That is why the presence of several sappers is mandatory in the search expedition. Only in exceptional cases is it permissible to use a "cat" to check the ammunition for non-removability in order to call a sapper anyway and not forget the location of the ammunition. In no case should an inexperienced person neutralize ammunition on their own, as well as make ordinary, frequent such exceptional cases of using the "cat". Everyone should take care of their own life. Naturally, the found ammunition should be supervised until the sapper arrives.
In areas of former hostilities, the ground is stuffed with unexploded shells, mines, bombs, grenades, etc. Their safety is different, especially for ammunition that has passed through the bore and air bombs dropped from aircraft. They are in a combat position, risky for transportation and subsequent elimination due to deformation at the moment of impact on the ground. Such ammunition is blown up on the spot.
When a mine detector detects a metal object that gives a high-intensity signal in the headphones, it is necessary to determine the center of its occurrence and mark it with a pole. Then, with a probe, it is necessary to try to make several injections of the soil at an angle so that the tip of the probe slides obliquely along the contour of the object. After determining the depth of its occurrence, dimensions, contours, you can begin to remove the soil over the object with a thin layer, as well as around the circumference with a knife or shovel. After that, in fact, you can identify the find. If this is ammunition of any type, then you need to immediately call a sapper.
In practice, there are frequent cases of self-destruction by search engines of discovered explosive objects by fire, namely by lighting a large fire over ammunition.
It also happens like this: first a powerful fire is bred, and then the ammunition is thrown into it! There is nothing more dangerous than such, so to speak, "methods", although many search engines sometimes even boast of their composure, undermining the "goodies" of wartime. Above, we have already touched on a trait so common among search engines, which, alas, leads precisely to accidents, and God forbid that neither one nor the other be among us.
All the more completely reckless is the smelting of explosives from shells, mines and bombs. The "motivation" here is simple: one comes across well-preserved ammunition in funnel mud (by the way, the safety of ammunition in the silt and clay of funnels is almost perfect; after washing off the dirt, they can be used for their intended purpose) in factory color and with readable markings; therefore, harmless, since time had been kind to him. This is where the guys are wrong, but the mistake is often paid for at the highest price - life. Here, both the sapper and the search engine are united in their fate: BOTH ARE MISTAKEN ONLY ONE TIME - THE LAST!
The most dangerous are ammunition that has already been fired from the corresponding weapon or prepared for action. Here are their signs:
a) when fired from a gun, grooves of the barrel rifling remain on the protruding metal belt around the circumference of the projectile, therefore, the projectile is in the cocked combat position;
b) when fired from a mortar, the capsule of the expelling charge at the base of the mine is pierced, and if the mine did not explode, then random reasons influenced here;
c) any dropped bomb is deformed as a result of hitting the ground and is therefore extremely dangerous;
d) with a detonator inserted, any (cocked or not) wartime grenade can explode even with the visible presence of a safety ring;
e) do not try to pull a single anti-tank mine; in an exceptional case, use the "cat" and stay in cover no closer than 50 m;
e) anti-personnel mines are also dangerous if they contain an inserted fuse;
Small arms ammunition (cartridges)
Cartridges for small arms
Cartridges are probably the most common find. They come across in clips and in zinc, in pouches, and simply in bulk. Cartridges, in most cases, do not pose an immediate danger to life, although they contain a propellant - gunpowder. Why? The reason is simple, despite the fact that various experiments are being carried out in the troops and in laboratories on the long-term preservation of ammunition and their combat readiness, rules have been developed for storage and expiration date, but it must be remembered that almost 60 years have passed since the war, ammunition was stored in distant from ideal conditions, besides, nature tends to heal the wounds inflicted on it by people. Water, time, frost and the sun, together with an acidic or alkaline environment, did a lot with human labor: the shells rotted, the gunpowder decomposed, and most importantly, it got damp. Therefore, the usual safety rules apply to cartridges: do not disassemble and do not give to children, and do not heat.
Cartridge device
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Bullet (1) - striking element of the cartridge. For the sake of it, everything else is created. It consists of an iron shell covered with tombac, copper or cupronickel. Inside the lead core, this is if the bullet is ordinary. There are also special bullets - then there is a mechanism inside, we will consider them in more detail below. But unfortunately, most of the cartridges are spent not for killing, but at best, so that the enemy does not raise his head. And some of the cartridges are simply lost ... |
In the USSR, bimetallic sleeves, as well as brass ones, were mainly used.
In Germany: first of all it is brass. In places where there were heavy battles, there are machine-gun cells filled with shell casings. I saw it myself - 60 cm, and brass, by the way, is a valuable non-ferrous metal.
In the USSR, VT gunpowder was used in 7.62 mm rifle cartridges. It has the shape of a cylinder with one channel. Sometimes there is gunpowder of the first issues - in the form of squares.
In Germany, in a 7.92 mm cartridge - gunpowder with the designation
N.Z. Gew. Bl. P.I. (2.2.0.45) - squares with a side of 2mm.
Cartridge designation
Let's look at an example:
Russian rifle cartridge (for the "three-ruler") 7.62x54R, where 7.62 is the cartridge caliber mm. What is a caliber? This is the distance between the fields of rifling in the barrel - that is, the minimum diameter of the bore.
Well 54 is the length of the sleeve in mm. But the letter "R" is the first letter of the German word RAND, which means rim, the same hat behind the Russian cartridge case. But German cartridge cases do not have such a hat, its function is performed by a special groove, therefore there is no letter in its designation. The German cartridge for the Mauser rifle is designated as 7.92x57
There is also another notation system, it is adopted in England and the USA.
For example, 38 and 45 calibers are nothing more than hundredths of an inch. (1inch - 25.4mm). That is, you should read .38 and .45 inches and translating into Russian 9 and 11.45 mm, respectively.
The cartridge is quite rare. Found cartridges are stored poorly due to poor tightness.
7.62 mm pistol cartridge mod. 1930 (7.62x25 TT).
Cartridge length 34.85 mm, case length 24.7 mm. Bottle-shaped sleeve, without rim, with a groove for the ejector. An ogive-shaped bullet, sheathed with a lead core. Sleeve brass or steel sleeves clad with tompac, brass, lacquered or even uncoated. The shell of the bullet is steel, clad with tompac or brass, there are bullets with an uncoated shell. The bullet in the sleeve is fastened by punching and crimping the muzzle. Very often there are cartridge cases and cartridges without stamps on the bottom, the rest indicate the manufacturer and year of issue.
In addition to the lead shell bullet "P", there were bullets "P-41" and "PT". Bullet "P-41" - armor-piercing incendiary, with a steel core and an incendiary composition in the head, the top of the bullet is painted black with a red belt. Bullet "PT" - tracer, the top is painted green.
Often found in searches. The found cartridges are stored poorly due to poor tightness, in addition, military-issue cartridges were delivered immediately to the front and were not intended for long-term storage.
9 mm pistol cartridge 08 (9х19 Para.)
Lead bullet core. During the war, cartridges were produced in which scarce materials (copper, lead) were replaced by surrogates. There are bullets with a steel core. At the end of the war, cartridges were produced in a steel sleeve (stamp St.). On the bottom of the cartridge cases there is a stamp S *, a marking indicating the factory batch and year of manufacture of the cartridges. The ammo is pretty rare. The found cartridges are poorly preserved - the thin steel shell of the bullet almost completely rots, the tightness of the cartridges is broken.
Cartridges of caliber 7.62 mm 7.62X54R (USSR)
Cartridges of this type are widely used, they are one of the most frequent finds. The cartridge was also used in the ground army, for all types of rifles and machine guns, as well as in aviation, for the ShKAS machine gun. It was produced both in the USSR and in other countries, in particular in Finland and the USA.
Bottle-shaped sleeve with rim. Until the mid-30s, cartridges were produced with a brass sleeve, and later with a bimetallic sleeve clad with tompac or copper. In the case, the bullet is fastened by rolling, sometimes by punching. On the bottom of the sleeve there is a designation: the year of manufacture and the factory code. For cartridges for ShKAS, there is also the letter "Sh", these cartridges still have a reinforced primer fastening - around it is an annular groove left over from the ring punching. The presence of this groove, as well as the letter "Sh", is a sign that the bullet in the cartridge is special.
The sleeve, as a rule, is poorly preserved, therefore its contents - gunpowder, as a rule, are wetted. But the capsule, oddly enough, is sometimes preserved. Of course, it will not work from a drummer, but from heating, it may very well be, therefore, even cartridge cases should not be thrown into the fire.
But the biggest "interest" is the bullets.
Ordinary bullets.
Bullet model 1891 (blunt). Well, she still needs to be found, because. very, very rare. Has cupronickel shell. The core is lead. It doesn't pose any danger.
Bullet sample 1908 (light). There is no marking. It consists of a steel shell covered with tombac, cupronickel or copper. Lead core. It has a conical recess in the bottom. Due to the pointed nose, ballistics were improved. At the sight of a rifle arr. 1891 there were even 2 scales for a light and heavy bullet, because. the 1908 model bullet flew further. Safe.
Bullet sample 1930. (heavy) Bullet nose yellow. Heavier and longer than the 1908 bullet, has a tapered tail. It should be noted that in this case, the yellow marking in no way refers this bullet to a chemical one. It doesn't pose any danger. Safe.
Special bullets
As you can see from the composition, this is an ordinary magnesium bomb, and the steel shell gives very good fragments. Conclusion - it’s better not to put it in the fire
poke, unless of course you don’t want to pull out small pieces of metal from various parts of the body with tweezers ...
B-30 and B-32 outwardly virtually indistinguishable. nose color is usually not preserved. Their difference from ordinary bullets is their large length and one characteristic feature: if you take a knife and pick at the bottom of the bullet, then the armor-piercing incendiary will have a solid core, while other bullets will have lead. I note that the B-32 was produced throughout the war, and the B-30 was only 2 years old, so virtually all armor-piercing bullets are B-32.
Tracer bullet T-30 and T-46. Green nose. Produced since 1932 and 1938 respectively. Contains lead core and tracer. The composition of the tracer White fire: Barium nitrate 67% Magnesium 23% Shellac 10%
The difference from conventional bullets: in appearance - this is the back of a cylindrical shape and the presence of a tracer - it can be seen.
As follows from the composition, the incendiary substance for B-32 and T-30 (46) is almost the same, but in B-32 the composition is closed by a shell and, as a rule, remains, and in T-30 (46) it usually rots. Because of this feature, they do not pose a great danger, and even in their normal state they simply burn out in a fire ... This applies only to Russian tracers.
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Armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet (BZT) The nose is purple, with a red band. Contains a shortened armor-piercing core and a tracer. |
Well, now about the most dangerous representative of the 7.62X54R family
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Sighting and incendiary bullet. (Breaking). The nose is red. It contains in its composition an inertial fuse and an explosive charge. |
How to distinguish an explosive bullet from others? First of all, this is the longest bullet among the Russians, its length is 4 cm. And if it does not have 3 grooves, and there is lead from the bottom, do not hesitate, this is a sighting and incendiary bullet. In no case should this bullet be disassembled or shaken, listening to the drummer hanging inside - problems may arise. This applies to both fired bullets and bullets in a cartridge.
Well, of course, do not heat up, because. for example, an armor-piercing incendiary bullet in a fire will work or not work, because. she has a different principle of operation from compression when she hits the armor, and there is a normal fuse in the explosive one.
The bullets described here are not the only 7.62X54R bullets. There were several more modifications, but they did not have significant differences from those described, they were not in service for long, and the probability of finding them is close to zero.
Cartridges caliber 7.92 mm
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The most common German cartridge. The main application: the Mauser 98K rifle, hence the name Mauser, the MG34, MG42 machine gun and other machine guns, was also used in aviation. Cartridges similar to the "Mauser" were produced in Czechoslovakia and Poland. |
Increased armor penetration bullet (SmK H). Red primer (sometimes the paint fades, and the color can be almost orange), the bullet is all black. Contains a tungsten carbide core. In the sleeve there is a special (powerful) gunpowder, which is unusual for the Germans in a round shape. Doesn't pose a danger.
Now about the bullets representing a real danger.
The bullets listed below, except for the armor-piercing incendiary phosphorus bullet, are explosive and therefore officially shooting at people is prohibited. Therefore, the main type of occurrence: the wreckage of Luftwaffe aircraft. But sometimes they come across on the ground.
In response to the creation of a sighting bullet by Stalin's designers, or maybe for their own fascist reasons, Hitler's designers created a similar one, and then went into a rage and came up with an incendiary bullet on a different principle. White phosphorus! Here's what came to their mind. Whoever did not study chemistry at school, let me remind you once again: white phosphorus is a yellowish wax-like substance that instantly ignites upon contact with air.
Fortunately for the living, and therefore for the search engines, such cartridges with phosphorus are a rare find, and all this is said so that you are not too surprised when the cartridges stacked in a heap ignite with a beautiful, spraying droplet flame, and such cases happen. It is impossible to distinguish them from the rest, outwardly they look like an Ss bullet, maybe only a little more authentic.
Therefore, the general rule for handling German cartridges. Found: there is no green or red ring - throw it far away and better into the water. Well, now actually about them.
In general, the Czechs are an interesting nation. Throughout the war, they supplied the Germans with weapons, then they left the war in time and took part in the division of the German inheritance.
The Poles issued incendiary bullets based on phosphorus. The marking of these bullets is a yellow ring around the primer, sometimes also a yellow nose (not to be confused with our weighted bullets).
Cartridges caliber 12.7 mm
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It was used in the ground army, for the DShK machine gun, and in aviation - the UB machine gun. Cartridge sleeve - brass, bottle-shaped, undercut at the back for the ejector. Gunpowder, as a rule, is stored well. When heated, cartridges explode with great force, so putting them in a fire is unacceptable, they can do a lot of trouble. There are no ordinary bullets in 12.7 mm cartridges, only special ones, this must be remembered. Armor-piercing bullet B-30. Black nose. It consists of a steel shell covered with tombac, a lead jacket and a hardened steel core. In general, this is an enlarged B-30 bullet in 7.62 caliber. Just like this bullet does not pose a danger. |
Armor-piercing incendiary tracer BZT-44. The nose is purple under it is a red ring.
The bullet consists of a shell, a short, armor-piercing core, a lead jacket and a tracer. It looks like a BZT caliber 7.62, only it does not have 3 belts, and the tracer is inserted into a special steel cup. The tracer of an unfired bullet is better preserved than that of 7,62. has a large size, and a steel cup can give good fragments. That's all the differences.
The bullets listed above, if they can cause damage to a person, then only because of his own stupidity. But there are 2 more types of 12.7 mm bullets that can cause damage to a person simply by careless handling, hitting with a shovel, for example.
Phosphorus armor-piercing incendiary bullet BZF-46. Yellow nose, under it - a black ring. It consists of a shell and an armor-piercing core. There is no incendiary between the armor-piercing core and the shell; it is located in a special cup behind the core. And in a glass - white phosphorus. For those who had a triple in chemistry, let me remind you that phosphorus is a white, waxy substance that ignites spontaneously on contact with air. Unlike German phosphorus cartridges, where phosphorus is separated from the air only by a thin shell, which, as a rule, rots, the cup is preserved better. Therefore, the cartridge itself will ignite, the probability is small, but with a strong blow or disassembly, the phosphorus will immediately ignite, forming many severe burns. it is very difficult to put out. Well, remember Vietnam, where the Americans used white phosphorus as a universal "fat burner" for the Vietnamese.
How to distinguish a phosphorus bullet from other 12.7mm bullets when the markings are not visible? First: when the shell rots, there is a copper cap under it on the nose of the bullet. If for some reason it is not there, then there is always an annular chamfer on the nose, which is usually clearly visible. Secondly, as I said, there were no ordinary bullets in the 12.7 mm caliber, so if you scratch the bottom of the bullet with a knife and there is lead, then the bullet is most likely phosphorus.
Instant bullet MDZ-3. It is essentially a small projectile containing a fuse and stuffed with a folk explosive - hexogen.
It is easy to distinguish it from others, all bullets have a sharp nose, and this one has a cut, closed membrane, if it is not there, there is just a hole.
Heating, and even more so disassembling it, is strictly prohibited. RDX explodes with great force, in addition, from time to time it can explode without a fuse, from mechanical impact.
It should be remembered that the fired bullets of 12.7 mm caliber, as a rule, did not collapse when they hit the ground, and the MDZ did not always work, so there is a possibility of finding bullets that passed through the bore.
Cartridge caliber 14.5 mm (14.5x114).
The cartridge was used for firing anti-tank rifles of the Degtyarev PTRD system (single-shot) and the Simonov PTRS system (five-shot with automatic reloading). The cartridge is in service to this day.
Cartridge length 156 mm, sleeve length 114 mm, gunpowder - cylinder with 7 channels. Wartime cartridge case made of brass. The shell of the bullet is steel, clad with tombac. The main bullets are B-32 and BS-41, similar in design to the B-32 bullet of 7.62 mm caliber (B-32 with a steel core, and BS-41 with a cermet core). In the case, the bullet is fastened by compressing the muzzle of the case into a groove or protrusion on the bullet. On the bottom of the cartridge cases there is a marking indicating the plant and the year of issue of the cartridges. The cartridge is quite rare. Sometimes found in armor-piercing positions.
Cartridges for signal pistols (flare guns)
Both the Red and the former German armies widely used signal pistols (flare guns) of 26 mm caliber. They were used for signaling, launching flares, and by the Germans for combat purposes. The main ammunition was signal cartridges of night or day action. When searching for work come across often. Night-action cartridges have an expelling charge of black powder and a signal star that lights up at a height of 60-70 m with a flame of red, green, yellow or white. Daytime cartridges instead of a star have a checker of colored smoke. The main difference between domestic and German cartridges for a rocket launcher is the material of the sleeve. Domestic cartridges have a cardboard (folder) sleeve with a metal cap, and German cartridges have a sleeve made entirely of thin aluminum, which is marked with multi-colored paint. In addition to the signal ones, there are German parachute lighting cartridges. They have a long sleeve, the marking on the sleeve "Fallschirmleuchtpatrone". Inside the main sleeve there is a second, inner sleeve, an illuminating star and a silk parachute. The cartridges for the rocket launcher do not pose a great danger. Expelling charges and stars are usually wet, but if they hit the fire, the star may shoot off or ignite. For the manufacture of colored smoke bombs in daytime cartridges, dyes were used that are difficult to wash off the skin of the hands.
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The real danger is posed by German pistol grenades, designed for self-defense of the signalman. They are very rare. They are a short aluminum sleeve into which a grenade is inserted with a cylindrical body, a glyptic head and a tail assembly hidden in the sleeve. The total length of the cartridge is about 130 mm. The grenade has a small charge of powerful explosive and explodes with great force. Fuse - instantaneous, with a fuse that separates when fired (or removing a grenade from a sleeve). A grenade can explode when it is removed from its shell, struck or heated. When finding such a grenade, attention should be paid to the presence of a cartridge case and the absence of axial movement of the grenade in it. Grenades with a firmly held cartridge case can be carefully moved to a safe place in case of emergency. If the sleeve is missing or the grenade is not firmly held in it, then it is impossible to touch such a grenade, but it is necessary to mark its location with a noticeable sign. |
Hand grenade arr. 1914/30
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Hand grenade arr. 1914/30. Modernized in 1930, the "bomb" grenade of the period of the First World War and the Civil War. During search work, it is occasionally found in the battlefields of the initial period of the Great Patriotic War. It is a cylindrical body of small diameter, turning into a handle. Could be used with a fragmentation shirt. The body and handle are made of tin. The handle has a lever fixed by a ring put on the handle. In the body of the grenade there is a percussion mechanism and a socket for the fuse. The "ear" of the striker protrudes from the body, for which he is cocked before the throw. Also on the body there is a safety valve. The fuse is L-shaped, inserted before the throw. Grenades with an inserted fuse can pose a danger. When trying to remove the fuse, the grenade may explode. If a grenade with an inserted fuse is found, in case of emergency, move it to a safe place, fixing the firing pin with wire and preventing strikes on the grenade. |
Hand grenade RGD-33
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Dyakonov systems, arr. 1933 Most often found during search operations. When using a defensive cover (shirt) - a grenade is defensive, without a shirt. - offensive. The grenade was made by stamping from sheet steel. Any workshop with low-power press equipment could produce these grenades, and therefore the RGD-33 was produced by a variety of factories, workshops, etc. These specimens may have deviations in shape and size. |
The performance characteristics of the RGD-33 grenade:
They were equipped with pressed TNT, during the war years they were often equipped with various surrogates (ammatol).
A grenade without a fuse poses no practical danger. With a fuse inserted into the grenade - it is dangerous when shaking, moving the grenade, heating. Attempts to knock out the fuse from a grenade are unacceptable - the fuse is equipped with explosive mercury, which is sensitive to shock and friction, besides, the fuse usually turns sour in the ignition tube tightly.
When a grenade is found, hold it only by the body, avoiding the load on the handle. You can determine the presence of a fuse by carefully sliding the cover of the ignition tube. Grenades with an inserted fuse are cocked (the fuse is not inserted into an uncocked grenade) and require careful handling. A characteristic sign of a grenade being cocked is a certain distance between the body of the grenade and the outer tube of the handle. For grenades with an inserted fuse, you must not try to unscrew or pull back the handle, move the fuse slider, you must not break off the handle, you must not hit the grenade and the handle, you must not drop or throw the grenade.
Quite often, fuses from RGD-33 come across, colloquially called "pencil" because of their external similarity. The fuse is equipped with a sensitive and powerful explosive and poses a serious danger when struck, heated, carried in pockets. When hit in a fire, it explodes violently with the formation of many small fragments.
Hand fan f-1
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Developed on the basis of the French F-1 grenade. It is widely known and is in service to this day. It is colloquially called "lemon". When conducting search work, it is somewhat less common than RGD-33. The grenade is defensive, with a large radius of scattering of lethal fragments. The body of the grenade is cast iron, of a characteristic shape - its surface is divided by transverse and longitudinal grooves into large "slices" to improve crushing. The body of the grenade was made by casting. They were produced by a large number of factories and workshops that had foundry equipment. There are many types of cases, slightly different from each other in shape. In addition to the Red Army, a similar grenade was in service with some foreign armies, for example, in France, Poland, the USA and some others. Foreign grenades are somewhat different in shape and device fuses. |
The performance characteristics of the F-1 grenade:
F-1 grenades were equipped with powdered, pressed, or flaked TNT, military-made grenades were used, equipped with various surrogates and even black powder. In the initial period of the war, F-1 grenades were used with fuses of the Koveshnikov system, and in 1942, UZRG fuses began to be used. The fuse of Koveshnikov was made of brass on lathes. It has a spring-loaded cap, fixed with a pin with a ring. A lever of a characteristic shape was soldered to the cap. The fuse is triggered when the cap is pushed up by a spring. In this case, the cap releases the ball holding the drummer in the cocked state. The drummer is released and pierces the retarder capsule. The UZRG fuse is much simpler, cheaper and more technologically advanced than the Koveshnikov fuse, it is made by stamping. In a somewhat modernized state, the UZRG fuse has survived to this day and is well known. The drummer in it, after removing the safety pin, is held by the safety lever. When the lever is released, the drummer pricks the retarder capsule.
F-1 grenades are often found both with a fuse and with a plastic stopper inserted instead of a fuse. Cork grenades are not a practical danger, but they can explode when heated. When an F-1 grenade with a fuse is found, attention should be paid to the presence and condition of the safety pin. You should not try to unscrew the fuse, as a yellow or greenish coating, sensitive to friction, appears on the dried grenades on the detonator cap. In addition, the fuses, especially the UZRG, firmly stick with rust in the threaded neck of the grenade. And in case of emergency, when extracting from the excavation, you should hold the grenade with the fuse of Koveshnikov by pressing the cap of the fuse from above with your finger, and with the fuse of the UZRG - by pressing the lever to the body. When transporting the found grenades to a safe place, it is necessary to fix the safety lever (if any) to the body of the grenade with wire, cord.
In addition to regular F-1 grenades, on the battlefields near Leningrad there are so-called "blockade grenades" with a body without a notch, made from 50-mm mines without a shank. Fuses - Koveshnikov and UZRG, are inserted through a transitional plastic ring. In terms of combat properties and handling, they are similar to the standard F-1.
RG-42 hand grenade
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Offensive, remote action. It was developed to replace the RGD-33 and put into service in 1942. It is very simple in design and technologically advanced. Any workshop with low-power stamping equipment could master its production. Used on all fronts of the Second World War. |
RPG-40 anti-tank hand grenade
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It was intended to fight tanks and armored personnel carriers with armor up to 20 mm. They were also used to fight other targets: cars, pillboxes, etc. It works instantly when it hits an obstacle. The grenade is simple in design. Manufactured from sheet steel. The body of the grenade resembles a large tin can with a central channel for the detonator. The detonator is inserted into the grenade channel in the same way as the RGD-33 and is fixed with the same cover. The RPG-40 detonator externally ignited the RGD-33, but has a slightly longer length and differs from the RGD-33 igniter in the absence of a slowdown when fired. The detonator in the stowed position is stored separately and is inserted into the grenade just before it is thrown. Impact and safety mechanisms are located in the handle. The percussion mechanism is always on the combat platoon. |
The safety mechanism is a folding bar with a wire needle, which fixes the percussion mechanism in the stowed position. The folding bar is fixed on the handle with a safety pin with a braid tongue. Before throwing a grenade, the safety pin is pulled out by the braid and the folding bar on the handle is held by hand. When throwing a grenade, the folding bar separates, removes the needle and releases the percussion mechanism. When a grenade hits an obstacle in the handle, an inertial load moves, which releases the drummer. The grenade explodes regardless of where it hits the obstacle. To trigger a grenade without a safety needle, simply drop the grenade to the ground. Failures in action occurred due to contamination, freezing and deformation of the percussion mechanism located in the handle. It is forbidden to touch a thrown, but not triggered grenade - the impact mechanism can even work from moving the grenade.
Weight RPG-40-1200 g.
Equipped with cast TNT.
When conducting search work, it is found much less frequently than RGD-33. They were used on all fronts, especially in the initial period of the war. Quite often, separate cases without handles come across. When you find an RPG-40 with a handle, you should first of all pay attention to the presence of a folding bar with a safety needle. After that, carefully open the cover of the ignition socket and make sure that there is no detonator. A grenade without a detonator poses no practical danger. If a grenade with an inserted detonator, and even more so an abandoned and unexploded grenade with a missing folding bar and safety needle, is dangerous when shaken, hit, and even when it is moved from the place of discovery. Such a grenade should not be removed from the place of discovery, and the location of the grenade should be marked with a noticeable sign.
RPG-41 anti-tank hand grenade
With the advent of tanks with armor thicker than 20 mm at the front in 1941, the RPG-40 grenade ceased to satisfy the troops and the RPG-41 grenade was developed. The grenade differed from the RPG-40 in an increased mass of explosive and a large body diameter. The remaining parts of the grenade are similar to the RPG-40. The handling of the RPG-41 grenade is similar to the handling of the RPG-40.
In addition to the officially adopted RPG-41, a grenade was developed on the Leningrad Front, also under the RPG-41 index, colloquially called the "Voroshilovsky kilogram" ("VK"). It was an enlarged RGD-33, from which a handle, a fuse valve, its tube extended by 50 mm, the lower part of the body (flange) and the fuse itself were used. The grenade was developed and used in the initial period of the war and was made only at that time. The mass of explosive in a grenade is 1 kg. The grenade is rare, was not officially adopted for service. These grenades are found in the area of \u200b\u200bNevsky Piglet, Pulkovo, Mga, Lyuban, Luga. With the "Voroshilovsky kilogram" one should do the same as with the RGD-33 with the fuse inserted.
RPG-43 anti-tank hand grenade
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It appeared on the fronts from the middle of 1943. It was intended to combat armored targets - it penetrates armor up to 75 mm, thanks to the cumulative high-explosive action. It explodes instantly when it hits an obstacle with the bottom. For the correct flight of a grenade (bottom forward), there is a flight stabilizer made of two cloth tapes and a cap. The grenade is simple in design. Manufactured from sheet steel. Externally, the grenade is a cylindrical body, turning into a cone, below its truncated part there is a wooden handle with a lever fixed with a safety pin. Grenades entered the troops assembled, with a screwed handle. The fuse was inserted into the grenade before the battle. When thrown, the lever was separated, freeing the conical cap, which pulled out two fabric stabilizer tapes from the body. On the flight, a pin fell out, fixing the drummer. When the bottom of the grenade hit an obstacle, the drummer with the fuse screwed onto its fitting moved forward and pricked on the sting. The grenade exploded and pierced an obstacle with a cumulative jet. RPG-43 failures could occur due to the loss of a sting and counterspring from the body, an underscrewed handle, an incorrect impact on an obstacle (sideways). Accidents were due to a fuse inserted into the body that was not screwed onto the fitting, a grenade falling with the safety pin pulled out. Grenade weight 1200 g. |
If an RPG-43 is found during search operations, pay attention to the presence of a safety pin in the form of a ring and a cotter pin,
locking lever. Trying to unscrew the handle to extract the fuse is unacceptable. By the appearance of the grenade, it is impossible to determine whether a fuse is inserted into it. Therefore, it should be treated like a grenade with a fuse. RPG-43 with a fuse is dangerous. Particular care should be taken with grenades in which the handle has rotted off and the stabilizer cap has fallen off. Such grenades should be left at the place of discovery, marked with a clearly visible sign. Avoid blows along the body.
Grenades of the former German army and its allies
German hand grenade M 24
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Stielhandgranate 24 (hand grenade mod. 24) - high-explosive fragmentation remote offensive grenade. It is colloquially called a "beater". Used by the Germans on all fronts. When conducting search work, it occurs quite often and everywhere. |
M-24s were equipped with cast, flaked, granulated TNT, picric acid, ammatol and other surrogate explosives. Grenades equipped with picric acid usually have a wide gray stripe on the lower part of the body.
The M24s encountered during the search are, as a rule, thoroughly rusted, with rotten handles. It is impossible to determine visually without disassembly whether there is a detonator capsule in the grenade. Attempts to unscrew the grenade and remove the detonator may end in an explosion. The main danger of the M 24 grenade with an inserted detonator is when disassembled or when it enters a fire. Care should also be taken with grenades equipped with picric acid - in the presence of moisture, it can form friction-sensitive compounds with metals.
In addition to high-explosive fragmentation grenades, the German army was armed with smoke grenades (Stielhandgranate 24 Nb.), which outwardly differed from the M 24 by smoke outlets in the lower part of the hull located along the perimeter of the collar, a white stripe and the letters "Nb." on the hull.
German hand grenade M 39
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Die Eihandgranate (egg-shaped hand grenade) - high-explosive fragmentation remote offensive grenade. Used by the Germans on all fronts. Colloquially called "egg". During search operations, it is even more common than the M 24. The grenade is an ovoid body of two halves, stamped from sheet iron. Inside the case - a bursting charge. A grating igniter with a moderator is screwed into the body. The charge is detonated by a detonator cap No. 8. The fuse of a grenade consists of a safety cap with a lanyard attached to a grating igniter. The safety cap is usually colored blue. The igniter is pressed into an aluminum sleeve, on which a square wrench or lamb was pressed on one side for screwing by hand, and on the other side a tube with a pyrotechnic retarding composition is screwed in. A detonator cap No. 8 is put on the retarder tube. When a loaded grenade was thrown, the safety cap was screwed up, the lanyard was pulled out with a sharp movement and the grenade was thrown at the target. |
Tactical and technical characteristics:
M 39 grenades were equipped with powdered and flaked TNT, ammatol and various surrogate explosives.
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There were grenades with a ring for hanging on a belt, located on the side opposite to the fuse (at the top). For the M 39 grenade, there was a device for shooting them from a signal pistol (flare gun). The device is a tube made of pressed cardboard; an aluminum sleeve with a primer and expelling charge is screwed on one side, and an adapter for screwing a grenade on the other side. |
incendiary bottles
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In the initial period of the war, when there was a great shortage of funds to fight tanks, incendiary bottles were widely used - ordinary bottles filled with liquid fuel. In addition to the Red Army, incendiary bottles were used by the Finns. When hit on the armor of the tank, the bottles broke, the fuel spread and ignited. Incendiary bottles were very easy to manufacture and were produced by many factories, workshops and even in the army. Despite their widespread use, they are very rare during search work - because of their fragility, they tried not to carry them with them and use them as quickly as possible. They were filled with flammable liquids based on petroleum products, sulfur, phosphorus. Mixtures No. 1, No. 3 and KS were developed and widely used. The CS mixture ignited spontaneously in air. Bottles with mixtures #1 and #3 required a separate igniter in the form of ampoules of white powder or liquid, in the form of silver rods with a "match" head. There were special mechanical igniters with a blank cartridge. |
The bottle with the mixture of KS was an ordinary bottle with a liquid of yellow-green or dark brown color, on top of which a small layer of water or kerosene was poured to protect from air. The bottle is sealed with a rubber stopper and the stopper is wrapped with wire and insulating tape. Mixtures No. 1 and No. 3 is a yellowish viscous liquid. It is poured into ordinary bottles with a capacity of 0.5-0.75 liters, sealed with a cork stopper. To ignite the mixture, an igniter ampoule (or a special igniter) is inserted or attached outside the bottle.
Of the incendiary bottles, bottles with a mixture of COP are the most dangerous. If such a bottle is damaged, the mixture will spontaneously ignite in air. A rupture may occur with a scattering of burning liquid droplets. It's pretty hard to put it out.
The CS liquid is extinguished with sand, earth, water. If the liquid is not sufficiently covered with earth, and also after the water has dried, it may spontaneously ignite again. Drops of KS that get on the skin cause severe, poorly healing burns. In addition, the mixture of KS is poisonous. If it is suspected that the found bottle contains a mixture of KS, in case of emergency, very carefully, so as not to break the bottle or break the tightness of the cork, remove the bottle from the excavation. Move the extracted bottle to a safe place and bury it in the ground. This is best done with rubber gloves. It is necessary to ensure that there are no flammable materials or ammunition near the place of burial of the bottle.
Bottles containing mixes #1 and #3 can be hazardous if bottles and igniters break at the same time. Mixtures #1 and #3 may cause skin irritation.
In addition to incendiary bottles, there were AJ ampoules - glass or tin balls for throwing from ampoules or for dropping from aircraft. They are very rare. They were filled with a mixture of KS. Tin ampoules usually have a rotten shell and the mixture has long since leaked out. Such ampoules do not pose a danger. Handling of glass ampoules is similar to handling bottles of KS mixture.
Rifle grenades
Grenades, thrown with the help of the main weapons of the fighters, were widespread during the First World War. Then these grenades were improved, the tactics of their use were worked out. By the beginning of World War II, the leadership of the Red Army considered rifle grenades to be ineffective and their production was greatly reduced. In the German army, rifle grenades were quite widespread, they were used throughout the Second World War, there was a large range of ammunition.
Domestic ammunition
Dyakonov rifle grenade launcher and ammunition
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It was developed in the early 30s. It was a rifled mortar of 40 mm caliber, worn on the barrel of a rifle, a bipod for mounting a rifle and a quadrant sight. Before the war, it was recognized as insufficiently effective and the production of Dyakonov grenade launchers was discontinued. Used fragmentation and anti-tank grenades. A fragmentation grenade was fired using a conventional live cartridge. In the center of the grenade there was a tube-channel for the free passage of a bullet, in the back of the grenade there was a remote tube, an explosive detonator cap and an additional charge. On the body of the grenade, a notch is usually applied with "squares". Equipped with powdered tol, ammatol or other surrogates. |
The radius of fragmentation is up to 300 m. During search operations, it is very rare in the battlefields of the initial period of the war. The grenade is dangerous when heated and when trying to turn the distance ring.
The HSV-40 anti-tank grenade is practically never found during search operations. It was fired from a grenade launcher using a special blank cartridge. It has a shaped charge and bottom inertial fuse. If there is a suspicion that the grenade has been fired, then it is very dangerous to move it from its place. It should be left at the place of the find, marking it with a clearly visible sign.
VPGS-41
There are no additional devices for shooting (mortars). required. Used in the early days of the war. Rarely seen in search operations.
It is a cylindrical body with stiffeners. There is a ballistic cap in front of the body, a fuse and a ramrod are screwed in at the back. A stabilizer shank is put on the ramrod. It had a shaped charge and a simple inertial fuse. In the stowed position, the fuse is fixed with a pin (like a hand grenade), the stabilizer is in the forward position (near the fuse), the detonator cap is usually absent. By appearance it is impossible to determine whether a detonator cap is inserted. To fire a grenade, a detonator cap was inserted, the grenade was inserted into the rifle barrel with a ramrod, the rifle was loaded with a blank cartridge, the safety pin was removed and a shot was fired. When fired, the stabilizer shank moved down the ramrod and was fixed on it in the rear position. The grenade was discontinued due to insufficient accuracy and range and a high number of accidents. A fired grenade, a grenade without a safety pin, is dangerous. From the excavation it is impossible to extract it by the tail (ramrod).
30mm rifle grenade launcher and ammunition
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For throwing almost all German rifle grenades, a 30-mm mortar grenade launcher was used, worn on the muzzle of the 98K carbine. The mortar had 8 rifling to stabilize grenades in flight. Rifle grenades also have 8 protrusions (ready-made rifling). There were the following types of rifle grenades: universal high-explosive fragmentation, propaganda, small and large armor-piercing, armor-piercing arr. 1943 In common parlance, German 30 mm rifle grenades are called "cucumbers". Throwing grenades was carried out using a blank cartridge. Universal 30 mm high-explosive rifle grenade G. Sprgr. It is a cylindrical projectile, about 140 mm long, with ready-made rifling on the leading belt of the bottom fuse. The total weight of the grenade is 260-280 g, the weight of the explosive (phlegmatized heating element) is 32 g. |
The "cigarette" of the head fuse protrudes from the front of the grenade. The body of the grenade is made of steel, the head fuse of early releases is made of aluminum alloy, later releases are made of steel with a plastic "cigarette". The bottom fuse of the early releases is made of aluminum alloy, the later releases are made of plastic. The grenade can be used both as a rifle and as a hand grenade. Equipped with two fuses - head, instant action, and bottom, remote action. When using a grenade as a hand grenade, the bottom of the grenade is unscrewed and the lanyard is pulled out.
The remote retarder is ignited by a grating igniter and the grenade explodes after 4-4.5 seconds. When firing a grenade from a rifle grenade launcher, the head fuse of the AZ 5075 type is the main one. The bottom fuse works as a self-liquidator. The fuse AZ 5075 - instant action, non-safety type, was used for 30-mm rifle-hand fragmentation grenades and over-caliber cumulative mines for 37-mm anti-tank guns. It has small dimensions and a strongly protruding drummer ("cigarette"). When fired, it is cocked - the inertial fuse is lowered, the elastic steel tape unwinds and releases the drummer, which is held in flight by a counter-safety spring. When hitting an obstacle, the striker pricks the "detonator cap" and the ammunition explodes.
The fuse, which is cocked, has a very high sensitivity even to pressure on the "cigarette" of the fuse.
It occurs quite often during search operations. The main danger of this ammunition is that by its appearance it is impossible to determine whether it has been fired (with a cocked fuse) or not. A grenade with a cocked fuse is very sensitive to the impact on the firing pin fuses. If a grenade is found, in case of emergency, you can carefully remove it from the excavation, making sure not to hit or press the head fuse striker and carefully transfer it to a safe place. The grenade should not be shaken or thrown to the ground.
Small and large armor-piercing rifle grenades G. Pzgr. and gr. G.Pzgr.
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Designed for firing from a rifle grenade launcher at armored targets. When conducting search work, they are less common than a universal 30-mm high-explosive fragmentation grenade. They have an instantaneous bottom fuse and a shaped charge. A small armor-piercing grenade is a cylindrical projectile, about 160 mm long. There is a ballistic fairing on the front. The case of the shaped charge in a steel shell, the case of the fuse of the early samples of aluminum alloy, later - of black or brown plastic. A large armor-piercing grenade differs from a small one in a large diameter and in a different form of a cumulative projectile. Has a length of 185 mm. Fuses - bottom instant action. They have high sensitivity. Outwardly, it is impossible to distinguish between a fired grenade with a fuse removed from the fuse and an unfired grenade with a fuse on the fuse. Therefore, when finding such a grenade, it should be treated as if it had a fuse removed from the fuse. In case of emergency, you can carefully, avoiding bumps and shocks, remove the grenade from the excavation and move it to a safe place, holding it with its head up. |
Armor-piercing rifle grenade mod. 1943 - in terms of purpose and principle of operation, it is of the same type as a large armor-piercing grenade, differing from it in the shape of the case and the design of the fuse. The length of the grenade is about 195 mm. The body is made of steel. Handling found grenades is similar to handling other armor-piercing grenades to a rifle grenade launcher.
Artillery (mortar) mines
Domestic ammunition
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The most common artillery ammunition found in the battlefields of the Great Patriotic War were artillery mines. Mortar ammunition is even more common than rifle ammunition. Mortar mines were equipped with high-sensitivity instantaneous fuses, which are cocked at the moment of firing. Mines with cocked fuses are dangerous. A characteristic sign of a mine that has passed through the bore and has a cocked fuse is the trace of the striker on the primer of the expelling cartridge located in the tail of the mine. Such mines should not be moved from the place of discovery, marking their location with a clearly visible sign. The most common are 50-mm fragmentation mines for the domestic company mortar (samples 38, 40 and 41). Four-blade mines with a solid body were used, later replaced by six-blade mines with a solid and split body (screw-on shank). Mines are painted in green (protective) color. For domestic 50-mm mines, fuses M-1, M-50, MP were used. |
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M-50 fuse - instantaneous, non-safety type, intended for 50-mm fragmentation mines, sometimes also used for 45-mm high-explosive fragmentation shells. It was inserted into the charging point of the mine through an adapter ring made of black plastic. The presence of a plastic ring is explained by the fact that the M-50 fuse was originally designed for 37-mm mortar mines, which have a smaller fuse point. The fuse has an extremely simple device and high manufacturability. When cocked, a red stripe appears on the drummer. For an uncocked fuse, the front part of the striker is flush with the body, for a cocked fuse, the striker protrudes somewhat forward. A cocked fuse is extremely sensitive. If there is a suspicion that the M-50 mine is fired, you cannot touch it - the fuse can work from the slightest push. Fuse MP - instantaneous non-safety type. It has a body made of black plastic. On the case there is a marking - MP, year of issue, batch and manufacturer's designation. The safety mechanism is located inside the case and it is impossible to detect by the appearance of the fuse whether it is cocked. A fuze that has a rusted safety spring can be cocked by a side impact, so do not hit or shake the mine. |
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Quite often there are fragmentation mines for the domestic 82-mm battalion mortar (models 36, 37, 41, 43g.). Six- and ten-point mines with a screw shank were used. Painted in green (protective) color. In addition to fragmentation, smoke mines were used, which are marked with a black stripe on the hull under the centering thickening. M-1, MP-82, M-2 fuses were used.
Fuse M-1 - instant action, non-safety type. In addition to 82 mm mines, it was also used for four-pronged 50 mm mines. It has a protective cap under which there is a protruding aluminum cylinder ("cigarette") - an instantaneous drummer. The safety cap was allowed to be screwed only before lowering the mine into the mortar barrel. When the fuse is cocked, a red stripe appears on the "cigarette". Mines found during the search without a safety cap (with a naked "cigarette") are dangerous - the drummer is very sensitive even to light pressure.
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Fuse MP-82 - instantaneous non-safety type. Mines with this fuse are the most common. The fuse has a body made of black plastic. Marking on the body - MP-82, year of manufacture, batch and manufacturer's designation. The device is similar to the MP fuse for 50-mm mines, differing in a more durable diaphragm. The handling of mines with the MP-82 fuse is similar to the handling of mines with the MP fuse. Outwardly, the M-2 and M-3 fuses are very similar to the MP fuse, but they had a different safety mechanism device. The M-3 fuse differed from the M-2 with a steel case instead of a plastic one and was intended for firing at rocky ground. Handling them is similar to handling the MP fuse. Occasionally mines come across for a 120-mm regimental mortar (model 38, 41 and 43g.). The ammunition of the domestic mortar included high-explosive fragmentation, smoke and thermite incendiary mines. Smoke mines were marked in black, and thermite mines were marked in the form of a red ring. The mines were equipped with fuses GVMZ, M-4, M-1. |
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Fuse GVMZ - with two settings for instantaneous and delayed action, non-safety type. The fuse is simple in design and production. It has a pneumatic percussion mechanism - ignition of the igniter capsule is carried out by air, which heats up when it is quickly compressed under the piston-striker. Installation on a delayed action was carried out using an installation crane, similar to RG-type fuses. The fuse is equipped with a safety cap, which is removed only before firing. Mines with a fuse without a cap are very dangerous to handle, since the fuse can work when the mine falls from the hands with the head part down on the trampled snow, ice or earth. When fired, the fuse does not cock. |
It is extremely rare to find domestic mines for a 37-mm mortar-blade, 107-mm mountain-pack mortar, 160-mm mortar. According to the principle of operation, these mines are similar to those described above and are equipped with the same fuses.
Ammunition of the former German Army
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Somewhat less frequently than domestic 50-mm mines, there are 50-mm fragmentation mines for the German mortar mod. 36g. They consist of a body to which a shank with 8 stabilizer feathers is screwed. The mine is painted red. Fuse Wgr Z38 (with aluminum body), Wgr ZT (plastic body). Fuze (tube) Wgr Z38 (Werfgranatzunder 38) - double percussion, non-safety type, intended for fragmentation mines of medium caliber. It has small dimensions and a complex device. When fired, it is cocked - the inertial fuse is lowered and when the mine moves to the descending part of the trajectory, the safety balls roll into the cavity of the striker, freeing the access of the striker's sting to the igniter primer. To eliminate the influence of air resistance, the drummer is covered with a thin brass membrane. When falling on the ground, the drummer pierces the igniter cap, the beam of fire from which is transmitted to the detonator. If the mine falls on rocky ground and the head drummer cannot prick the primer, then the inertial drummer fires. The fuse is made with high quality. Aluminum alloy body. In addition to Wgr. Z38 used fuses of a similar purpose Wgr. ZT with black plastic housing. Fired mines with a cocked fuse can be dangerous. The main reason for the failure of fuses Wgr. Z38 - Incorrect installation of the igniter primer. Unexploited mines, in case of emergency, can be moved from the excavation site to a safe place by carefully transferring them with their heads up. |
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Somewhat less common are fragmentation mines for the German 81.4 mm (8cm) mortar mod. 34g. They consist of a screw-on shank body with 10 stabilizer feathers. The mine is painted in red or dark green protective color (depending on the material of the hull). In addition, there are bouncing mines mod. 38 and 39 colloquially called "frog" When falling on the ground, an expelling charge was triggered from the tube, which tore off the mine body from the detachable head and threw the mine body with an explosive charge up. The explosion occurred at a height of 2 to 10 m, due to which the fragmentation effect of the mine increased. A distinctive feature of these mines is the marking 38 or 39 in black paint on the body, painted in dark green protective or red, and a detachable head, fastened with three pins to the body. Simple fragmentation mines made from the bodies of bouncing mines have a similar look. Such mines are marked 38umg. or 39umg. black paint on the body. In addition to fragmentation and bouncing mines, smoke mines were used. Such mines are marked with white letters Nb on the hull. German 81.4 mm mines were equipped with Wgr Z38 tubes. The detonator is located in the ignition glass. The handling of spent mines is similar to the handling of spent 50mm mines. Very rarely come across mines for a 12 cm mortar mod. 42g., which was a copy of the Soviet 120-mm mortar. The ammunition included high-explosive fragmentation mines, which had a dark green protective color. Ten pin stabilizer. It is extremely rare to find mines for a 105-mm chemical mortar. |
Ground artillery ammunition
Domestic ammunition
37-mm shells (shots) for anti-aircraft guns. Rarely seen. They have a cylindrical brass sleeve with a rim and a groove for the ejector.
45-mm projectiles (shots) for anti-tank and tank guns. Very common. Cylindrical brass sleeve with rim.
Shells - high-explosive fragmentation and armor-piercing incendiary tracer. A high-explosive fragmentation projectile is a steel cylinder with a fuse screwed into the head. The copper leading belt is located approximately in the middle of the projectile. Equipped with cast TNT. Fuzes of the KTM type (team of pipe makers, membrane) - head impact fuses with two settings for instantaneous and inertial action, semi-safety type. When released from the factory, the fuse is set to inertial action (with a screwed mounting cap), to set the fuse to instantaneous action, the mounting cap was screwed before firing. A fired projectile (with traces of rifling on the leading belt) can be dangerous when moving the projectile from the place of discovery.
Armor-piercing incendiary tracer projectile is a heavy bullet-shaped projectile of small size. There is a ballistic cap on the head part, which usually rots and the projectile is usually found with a kind of "chopped off" head part. The leading belt is located at the rear of the projectile. Equipped with high explosive. A fuse is screwed into the bottom of the projectile with a tracer screwed on the back in a conical aluminum case. Fuzes MD-5 were used - bottom fuses of inertial action with slowdown, non-safety type. The fuse is simple in design and has a high sensitivity to impact. It is screwed into the bottom of the projectile, sealed with a lead gasket and non-drying mastic based on minium iron. It has a fixed striker (needle) and a movable striker with an igniter primer, which is held until fired by a fuse from a split brass tube. When fired, the fuse is lowered, the drummer is released and the igniter cap becomes available for the striker, while the drummer is not held by anything and just hangs inside, so the cocked fuse is especially dangerous and explodes even when shaken. The fuse is made of sufficient quality, the internal parts are made of non-ferrous metals, nickel-plated and do not corrode after half a century of being in the ground. Before the start of the war and in its initial period, a huge number of shells equipped with MD-5 were manufactured. During the war, due to the danger of handling, this fuse was discontinued, but not removed from service.
45 mm armor-piercing incendiary tracer projectiles pose the greatest danger, especially if there are traces of rifling on the leading belt. The unexploded ordnance fuse is exceptionally sensitive to any movement and can explode even if the ammunition is tilted. The shells have thick walls and are made of alloyed hardened steel, so they explode with great force and fragments. When a shot projectile is found, it is not even worth getting it out of the excavation, but its location should be marked with a clearly visible sign.
57-mm shells (shots) for anti-tank guns. Rarely seen. In terms of design, fuse brands and handling, they are similar to 45-mm shots. After the MD-5 fuse was discontinued, the MD-7 fuse was used instead for armor-piercing projectiles. It differs from the MD-5 in the presence of a counter-safety spring, a foil counter-safety circle on the primer-igniter and an inertial circle for adjusting the deceleration when hitting an obstacle. All armor-piercing shells should be treated with extreme caution.
Ammunition of the former German Army
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20-mm projectiles (shots) for tank and anti-aircraft guns. They are quite rare. In common parlance they are called "Oerlikon". The shells for tank and anti-aircraft guns were the same, only the shells differed. The sleeve of a tank gun is brass or steel, conical, has a groove for ejectors and a characteristic wide annular protrusion in front of the groove. There is no annular protrusion on the shells for anti-aircraft guns of the Oerlikon system. 37-mm shells (shots) for anti-tank, tank and anti-aircraft guns. The most common. They have a slightly conical brass or steel sleeve with a rim. Shells - armor-piercing tracer 3.7 cm Pzgr. They were used to fire the 3.7 cm Pak anti-tank gun and are colloquially referred to as "Pak" shells. They are even more common than domestic 45 mm armor-piercing shells. They have a pointed head, a leading belt in the back. Equipped with high explosives. The fuse Bd is screwed into the bottom. Z. (5103 *) d (Bodenzunder (5103) fiir 3,7 Panzergranaten) - inertial action with deceleration, non-safety type, used for 37 and 50 mm armor-piercing tracer shells for anti-aircraft, tank and anti-tank guns. The fuse is combined with a tracer. It has an extremely simple device - the percussion mechanism consists of a fixed sting and a striker with an igniter capsule. When fired, the fuse does not cock. The drummer is fixed with a thin pin, which is torn by the drummer when it hits a solid barrier. Gas-dynamic deceleration - carried out Occasionally there is a sub-caliber armor-piercing tracer of a characteristic coil shape with a sharp aluminum tip. Inside is a tungsten carbide core. Such a projectile does not contain an explosive and does not pose a danger. |
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In addition to armor-piercing, fragmentation tracer shells were used with an AZ39 fuse - a head, percussion, non-safety type. The fuse is designed for 37 and 50 mm fragmentation shells for tank and anti-tank guns. It has a centrifugal cocking - when the projectile rotates, the centrifugal stoppers release the fuse, and the fuse releases the striker under the action of centrifugal force. Cocking occurs a few meters from the muzzle. The projectiles are loaded with high explosives. The found shells are dangerous.
47 mm and 50 mm shells (shots). They are very rare. In terms of design and handling, they are similar to 37-mm shells.
Artillery shells and shots of medium and large calibers.
Domestic ammunition
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There were shells for the following purposes: high-explosive fragmentation, high-explosive, shrapnel, armor-piercing, concrete-piercing, special (agitation, smoke, incendiary, chemical, etc.). The most widespread are shells for domestic 76-mm guns. Meet quite often. Of the 76-mm shells, high-explosive fragmentation is the most common. Often there are 76-mm armor-piercing tracer and shrapnel. In the ammunition load of 76-mm guns, there were also special shells - incendiary, lighting, smoke, propaganda, but such shells are practically never found. The high-explosive fragmentation projectile has a thick-walled body made of steel cast iron. The anterior part is ogival, the posterior part is a truncated cone. Rarely come across old-style shells - a cylindrical body with a screwed hemispherical head. High-explosive fragmentation shells were usually loaded with cast or screwed TNT, various surrogate explosives. Fuse type KG and KTM of various modifications. These fuses have almost the same device. Cocked when fired. Impact mechanism of instantaneous and inertial action. An adjusting cap is screwed on the front - when the cap is on, the fuse is set to inertial action, when removed - to instantaneous. The main difference between the KG fuse and the KTM fuse is the device of the instantaneous striker - for the KG it is a protruding rod closed with an installation cap, and for the KTM it is a plastic or wooden striker of large diameter, covered with a foil membrane and an installation cap. A fired projectile with KTM and KT fuses is dangerous regardless of whether the mounting cap is on or off. |
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The armor-piercing tracer projectile is similar in design to the 45-mm armor-piercing tracer, differing from it mainly in its large size and the presence of a screw bottom. Equipped with pressed TNT or tetryl. The MD-6 or MD-8 fuse, which differs from the MD-5 and MD-7, only in the landing thread. The handling of found shells is similar to the handling of 45 mm armor-piercing tracer. A shrapnel projectile is a cylindrical glass, inside of which there is an expelling charge, a membrane, lead shrapnel bullets and |
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22-sec. double action tube - designed for 76 mm bullet shrapnel. It has two distance rings, and the lower ring has a scale with divisions from 10 to 130 (on some tubes up to 140 and 159) and two risks with the designations "K" (card action) and "Ud" (percussion Remote tube TZ(UG) - designed for 76-mm rod shrapnel for divisional and regimental ground artillery guns and anti-aircraft guns. It has three distance rings, two of which are fastened with a bracket, on the lower ring there is a scale with 165 conditional divisions, marked every 5 divisions, and two risks with the designations "K" (card action) and "Ud" (shock action). A rigid brass cap is screwed onto the tube to protect it from moisture. T-6 double-action tube - designed for shrapnel, lighting, incendiary and propaganda shells for howitzers and medium-caliber guns of ground artillery. It differs from the TZ(UG) tube by the presence of an impact mechanism similar in design to the impact mechanism of the KT-1 fuse (in its inertial part) and some other details. It has three distance rings, two of which are fastened with a bracket, a scale with 139 divisions is applied on the lower ring, corresponding to the divisions of the sight of the 76-mm regimental gun mod. 1927 and two risks with the designations "K" and "Ud". A rigid brass cap is screwed onto the tube to protect it from moisture. |
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Unexploded fired shrapnel shells are usually found with a destroyed spacer tube and damp expelling powder. Such shells, in case of emergency, can be removed from the excavation and moved to a safe place. They pose a danger when they hit the fire. In this case, drying and operation of an expelling charge and a shot of shrapnel bullets can occur. Also, high-explosive fragmentation shells for anti-aircraft artillery, equipped with a T-5 remote fuse, are very similar to simple shrapnel, and such shells are much more dangerous than ordinary shrapnel. 85-mm shells (shots) for anti-aircraft and divisional guns. Rarely seen. According to the device, high-explosive fragmentation and armor-piercing shells are similar to 76-mm shells. For anti-aircraft guns, there was a remote fragmentation grenade - a fragmentation projectile with a T-5 remote fuse, which is a combination of a TZ (UG) tube and a safety-type detonating device. Such an unexploded fired projectile looks like a shrapnel projectile, but it poses a much greater danger - it is equipped with an explosive, and the fuse has an inertial percussion mechanism. The shot projectile, in case of emergency, can be carefully removed from the excavation and carefully, without bumps and shaking, transferred to a safe place. Large caliber shells are rare. Usually these are fired unexploded high-explosive fragmentation and high-explosive projectiles that have already passed through the bore. Such shells were supplied with fuses of the RG type (RG-6, RGM and RGM-2), fragmentation shells and anti-aircraft artillery shrapnel - with remote tubes T-3 (UG) and T-5. Armor-piercing and concrete-piercing were equipped with bottom fuses of the KTD type. Fuzes of the RG type (Rdultovsky, head) are head fuses of double impact action with three settings for instantaneous, inertial and delayed action, safety type. RGM fuses are designed for 107-152 mm and larger caliber fragmentation, high-explosive and high-explosive fragmentation shells for cannons, howitzers and howitzer-guns, for naval and coastal guns. It represents an improved design of the RG-6 fuse and is distinguished by increased safety during firing and sensitivity to impact when set to instantaneous action. To install the fuse on a delayed action, an installation valve is designed that has two positions O (open) and 3 (closed). The crane is turned with a special key. The factory setting of the fuse is for inertial action (the cap is on, the valve is open). The fuse is set to instant action by removing the setting cap, and to slow action by turning the valve to position 3 - in this case, the action will be slow both when the setting cap is removed and when the setting cap is put on. RGM-2 fuses are designed for 107-280 mm fragmentation, high-explosive and high-explosive fragmentation projectiles, mainly for howitzers and mortars; can also be used in guns. It represents an improved design of the RGM fuse and differs from it in some details of the safety mechanism. Its advantages over the RGM are in increased safety and cocking ™ and in simplified production. RG-6 fuses are designed for 122 and 152 mm fragmentation, high-explosive and high-explosive fragmentation projectiles for howitzers. It differs from the RGM fuse in the device of the instantaneous striker, the absence of a membrane in the outer dimension and some details of the safety mechanism. The main disadvantages in comparison with the RGM fuse are the reduced sensitivity of the instantaneous striker and the possibility of premature bursts of projectiles behind the muzzle when firing. Projectiles with RG-type fuses that have not passed through the bore do not pose a particular danger and, in case of emergency, can be carefully transported to a safe place. Unexploded projectiles that have passed through the bore have a cocked fuse and can be dangerous due to the large mass of explosive and the formation of a large number of large fragments with a significant radius of damage. Such shells must be left at the place of discovery and marked with signs visible from afar. |
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Ammunition of the former German Army
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German shells are similar in design and purpose to domestic ones. They were supplied with tubes K1AZ23, AZ23, llgr 223 nA, AZ23 umgm 2V. The detonator is installed in the ignition cup. Tube K1AZ23 (Kleiner Aufschlagzunder 23) - double impact with two settings for instantaneous and delayed action, non-safety type, designed for 75 mm high-explosive fragmentation projectiles. The setting device on the outside has a slot for a setting key or a screwdriver and risks: one with the designation "O" (Ohne Verzogetung - without slowing down) and two diametrically opposed with the designation "MV (Mil Verzogenmg - with slowing down). The fuse has a centrifugal cocking - when the projectile rotates safety rams overcome the resistance of the safety spring and |
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Tube AZ23 - double impact with two settings for instantaneous and delayed action, non-safety type, designed for 75-149 mm high-explosive fragmentation projectiles for guns and howitzers. The impact and setting mechanism is similar to the mechanisms of the K1AZ23 tube and differs only in the size of some parts and the presence of five centrifugal dies instead of four. Outwardly, it differs in large dimensions and a different shape. They were made of aluminum alloy or plastic with steel fittings. |
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Tube AZ23 umgm 2V (Aufschlagzunder 23 umgearbeitet mil 2 Verzogerung) - double percussion with three settings: for instant action and for two decelerations, non-safety type. Designed for 149 and 211 mm high-explosive fragmentation shells for howitzers and mortars. The impact mechanism differs from the standard AZ23 impact mechanism by the presence of an inertial sleeve to eliminate the rotation of the inertial rams in the bore. The setting device has a setting sleeve on the outside, fixed in the body with a head nut. The tube is installed by turning the mounting sleeve with a wrench until one of the marks on its surface ("+", "0/V", "0/2" and "0/8") aligns with the risk on the nut. These marks correspond to the settings for travel mount, instant action, and slowdowns of 0.2 and 0.8 seconds. Tube llgr Z23 nA (leichter Inranteriegranatzunder 23 neuer Art) - double percussion with two settings for instantaneous and delayed action, non-safety type, designed for 75-mm high-explosive fragmentation shells for infantry guns. The firing and setting mechanism is similar to the mechanisms of the AZ23 tube and is distinguished by the presence of an inertial ring that serves to actuate the projectile when it hits an obstacle sideways. |
The handling of unfired and unexploded German shells is similar to the handling of domestic ammunition.
Missiles (PC)
Rockets were actively used by both Wehrmacht units and the Soviet Army.
The fundamental difference between rocket projectiles and other types of weapons is in the method of movement - jet. Therefore, the composition of rockets includes a jet engine.
A whole PC is a very rare find, and the number of PC types in service is in the tens, so only the most basic ones will be considered in the article.
the USSR
The Red Army was armed with two main types of PC: RS-82 aka M-8 and PC-132 aka M-13.
M-8
It is a classic rocket: in front of the warhead. It contains 375-581 tons of explosives. For early release PCs, the warhead had notches to improve fragmentation, later these notches were abandoned. Behind the warhead is a jet engine, fuel: 7 cylindrical, single-channel checkers on the first modifications, and 5 checkers, but larger, on later ones. Cartridges with black powder are installed in front and behind the combustion chamber to improve ignition. Ignition occurs with the help of a special device, through a nozzle. M-8s were launched from the BM-8-48 installation. You can release 48 PCs at one time.
On the first modifications of the PC, there were 4 guide pins, but later they abandoned 2. By the way, it was this modification (with 4 pins) that the Germans copied in 1943 and used them against the Soviet troops.
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M-13. (Katyusha) Perhaps the effectiveness of "Katyusha" was overestimated. In the area of the village of Myasnoy Bor, there are sections of German defense literally plowed up by PCs, in theory there should not have been anything alive there, but ours could not break through the German defenses. |
Aviation RS-82/132 were completed with remote tubes AGDT-a, TM-49, TM-24a. When firing at ground targets - head contact fuses GVMZ and AM.
Germany.
In service with the Wehrmacht at different times consisted of several types of PC. In 1941, a 158.5 mm chemical projectile was adopted, later a 280 mm high-explosive and a 320 mm incendiary mine were developed, although in 1942 they were withdrawn from service. In 1942, a 210 mm high-explosive mine was adopted. The latter was rarely used in the European part of the USSR and will not be considered.
Initially, the mine was created as a means of conducting chemical warfare. The use of the chemical part entailed the adoption of an unusual layout. Just in case, if there is no chemical warfare, a fragmentation mine was also created.
The main difference between NbWrf-41 and the domestic PC was a different stabilization method. If the M-8/13 was stabilized in flight with the help of a stabilizer, then the NbWrf -41 was stabilized by rotation like a projectile. This was achieved by the fact that the gases that set the PC in motion were released at an angle to the axis from a special turbine in the middle of the projectile. The fuel was 7 pieces of diglycoleum gunpowder.
Well, the unusual layout was that the warhead, containing 2 kg of explosives, was located behind the rocket part, this achieved a better dispersion of poisonous substances. Because of this, the shells had a slight high-explosive effect. According to the recollections of veterans, it was possible to hide in any trench from the volley of these PCs, which cannot be said about our Katyusha: it already hit, it hit.
You need to remember this thing. The warhead is in the back, and the fuse is also in the back. Fuze - Bd.Z.Dov. Unfortunately, there is not much data on him, but it is known that he still had a fuse, but it is better not to check this.
These PCs were launched from an installation consisting of 6 tubular guides mounted on a carriage. Hence the name - 6-barreled mortar.
280\32O reactive mines.
The body of the warhead was stamped from thin steel. If the mine was high-explosive, then its caliber was 280 mm, the warhead contained 50 kg of explosives. If incendiary, then its caliber was 320mm and the mine carried 50 kg of oil.
The engine was installed the same as in the "NbWrf -41", only it was located in the classic place - at the back. Because the caliber of the warhead was larger than the caliber of the rocket part, then the mine looked like a huge amphora with a long neck.
A Wgr 50 or 427 fuse stood on a 320-mm incendiary mine. The drummer was held in it only by a pin, which was removed before launch.
A WgrZ 50 fuse was mounted on a 280-mm high-explosive mine; it contained the simplest centrifugal fuse.
Mines were launched from wooden caps, installed in a row on a special stand.
Despite the fact that the mines had a good high-explosive and incendiary effect, due to the fact that they had an engine unified with the NbWrf -41, the mines had a short (range (about 2 km). This made them vulnerable to ground fire , which was the reason for removing it in 1942 from service ...
And so for reference: bizarre roses remaining from rocket chambers during an explosion. PC, probably came across to everyone.
Our PCs had a thread inside the chamber, while the “Germans” had it outside, in addition, the “Germans” sometimes have a front bottom. These features can help in determining: "who and whom on this earth"
anti-personnel mines
domestic mines
Mine simplified fuse (MUV) - tension (with a P-shaped pin) or pressure (with a T-shaped pin) action. It was used in anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, improvised explosive devices, booby traps. Easy to set up and manufacture. It consists of a body (metal or plastic), a drummer, a mainspring and a P or T-shaped checks. In the combat position, the check is inserted into the lower hole of the drummer. The spring is in a compressed state. When pulling out the checks, the drummer is released and, under the action of a spring, pierces the primer-igniter fuse, which causes the explosion of the detonator cap. The body of the fuse was made of painted, galvanized or tombac-clad steel, from seamless tubes with a diameter of 12 mm and stamped from a sheet, from rifle cartridges, from black or brown bakelite. To detonate the explosive charge, an MD-2 fuse is screwed into the MUV - a detonator cap No. 8 combined with an igniter cap. The fuse is inserted into the mine socket, a tension wire is tied to the MUV pin. When touching the wire, the check is pulled out of the fuse and a mine explodes. Actuation force 0.5-1 kg. The radius of the destructive action of POMZ-2 is 25 m, the radius of expansion of lethal fragments is up to 200 m. It could be installed with one or two branches of stretch marks.
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During search operations, the mine is easily detected by a metal detector. The setting pegs and tension wire usually rot, leaving the body of the mine with the drill block and fuse. These mines are dangerous. Often the striker rod is damaged by corrosion and is very weakly held in the cocked position. The mainspring in the MUV is tinned and is quite well preserved. With careless movement or a light blow, the drummer can break off and prick the igniter. When POMZ-2 is found with the I fuse inserted, do not try to remove the fuse or the drilling block. Such a mine, in case of emergency, can be carefully, holding the hull, transferred to a safe place. Quite often there are POMZ-2 without a fuse, piled up in heaps. These mines remained after the demining of the area by sappers and do not pose a danger. |
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PMD-6 (PMD-7, PMD-7ts) |
OZM UVK
Universal blowout chamber. It was used in combination with some domestic or captured artillery ammunition. Occurs very rarely. It was used as part of controlled minefields. It is a steel cylindrical chamber with a diameter of 132 mm and a height of 75 mm inside which there is an expelling charge, an electric igniter, a moderator and a detonator. A conventional artillery mine or projectile is screwed to the chamber. In the ground, the mine is installed with the camera down. When an electric current is applied to the contacts of the electric igniter, an expelling charge is triggered, ejecting artillery ammunition upwards. After the moderator burns out, at a height of about 1-5 m, the ammunition explodes. The radius of fragmentation depends on the artillery ammunition used in the mine. It is very rare in search operations. It is dangerous when hitting UVC, heating. If found, in case of emergency, you can dig a mine and carefully move it to a safe place. You can't pull on the wire.
Mines of the former German army
Mina is a massive smooth cylinder with a diameter of 102 mm, a height of 128 mm, painted in gray-green color. On the top cover of the mine there is a central neck for attaching a fuse and four screws. Three small screws cover the sockets for blasting caps, the fourth screw (larger) closes the neck for filling the mine with explosive. The mine is made with high quality and sealed from moisture. The mine consists of an outer glass and the mine itself. Inside there is an explosive charge (500 g of TNT), along the walls of the mine there are ready-made fragments - 340 steel balls (shrapnel) with a diameter of 9 mm. Inside the explosive checker there are three channels for placing detonator caps No. 8. The mine itself is inserted into the outer glass, from which it is fired using an expelling charge. A tube runs through the center of the mine, which serves to fasten all parts of the mine and transfer fire from the fuse to the expelling charge. When the fuse is triggered, it, through the moderator, transmits a fire impulse to the expelling charge. The expelling charge shoots the mine up their outer cup and ignites the retarders. After the moderator burns out, the fire is transferred to detonator caps and at a height of about 2-5 m a mine explodes with scattering of balls. Due to the operation of the mine at a certain height, it has a large radius of destruction - 80 m. The mine could be set to a push and pull action, depending on the fuse used. There were modifications of the "spring-mines" with the ability to be set to be non-removable. Such mines, in addition to the upper one, also had a lower socket for an additional fuse.
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Fuze SMiZ-35 - push action, used for anti-personnel mines S-mine). The fuze body is usually made of aluminum alloy. The fuse has a high quality workmanship, sealed from moisture. It has three characteristic antennae on its head. Worked by pressing on these antennae. Actuation force 4-6 kg. Before the mine is installed, the rod is held by a safety pin in the form of a small screw of complex shape, which is fixed on the fuse with a nut. It was used as a single fuse, or could be installed on a "tee" in conjunction with two tension fuses. |
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Fuze ZuZZ-35 - double (tension and cutting) action. |
German mine fuses are made with high quality from non-ferrous metals. They are not very susceptible to corrosion and therefore the fuses work flawlessly even after half a century has passed since installation. Fortunately, the S-mine has propellant retarders, which by now are most likely damp and the probability of a regular mine operation is low, but there are exceptions to every rule and you should not tempt fate by trying to disassemble the mine. When detecting German mines with inserted fuses, special care must be taken. If the fuse is screwed into the mine and does not have a safety pin, insert a nail or piece of wire with a diameter of 2.5 mm into the hole for the safety pin and fix it. After that, you need to check if the mine has an additional lower fuse for non-removability. If there is no additional fuse, in case of emergency, you can remove the mine from the ground and carefully, without shocks and blows, move it to a safe place. If there is an additional fuse, do not remove the mine from the ground, but mark its location with a clearly visible sign.
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stockmine |
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SD-2 |
anti-tank mines
domestic mines
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TMD-B (TMD-44) Pressure strips are nailed to the top of the box and there is a door (or plug) for inserting a fuse into the mine. Mina is equipped with ammatol, ammonite or dynamon. Curb mine weight 7.5-8 kg, charge weight 4.7-5.5 kg. The briquettes are fixed in the mine with the help of wooden bars. The briquettes are detonated with the help of an intermediate detonator of 200 g of explosive cartridges and an MV-5 fuse. |
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Fuse MV-5 - pressure action, explodes when you press the cap. Used in push mines. The drummer is held in a combat position by a ball. When you press the cap, the ball falls into the recess of the cap and releases the drummer, which pricks the fuse. The triggering force of the fuse is 10-20 kg. The fuse is inserted into the mine socket, the door closes. When a tank caterpillar hits a mine, the top cover breaks and the pressure bars press on the fuse cap. At the same time, the mine explodes. To trigger a mine, a force of 100 kg is required. |
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TM-41 |
When searching for a mine, it is very rare. Do not attempt to unscrew the plug and remove the fuse. The found mine must be carefully transferred to a safe place without hitting the top cover and without turning the mine upside down.
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TM-35 |
During search operations, a mine is more common than all other domestic anti-tank mines, but not because of mass use, but due to the good preservation of the metal case. When a mine is found, do not open the shutter and see if a fuse is inserted into the mine. Such a mine should be handled as if it had a fuse. Do not attempt to remove the fuse or open the mine case. In case of emergency, the found mine should be carefully transferred to a safe place without hitting the hull.
Mines of the former German army
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Designed to break the tracks and damage the undercarriage of the tank. The mine has a round body with a diameter of 320 mm and a height of 90 mm. The body is made of aluminum alloy and sheet steel. There was a version of the mine made entirely of sheet steel with stamped stiffeners on the top cover. The upper part of the case is a pressure cover. In the center of the cover there is a threaded hole into which a brass fuse is screwed. On the side of the mine has a carrying handle. For installation on non-removability, the mine has threaded sockets for fuses of the ZZ-42, ZZ-35 type on the side and bottom. The mine is equipped with melted TNT. The curb weight of the mine is 10 kg, the weight of the charge is 5.2 kg. Undermining the main charge is carried out using the fuse TMiZ-35. When a tank caterpillar hits a mine, the pressure cover transfers pressure to the fuse, the drummer cuts off the shear pin and the mine explodes. To trigger a mine, a force of over 100 kg is required. The TMiZ-35 fuse has two fuses - a screw and a side pin. The safety screw is located on top of the fuse. It has a red dot on it. The screw can occupy two positions: safe (Sicher), marked with a white line and combat platoon (Sharf), marked with a red line. |
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During search operations, a mine is more common than other anti-tank mines. It is dangerous when it is armed: the red dot on the safety screw is in the Sharf position. You should not try to move the safety screw to a safe position - the mine may explode. When a mine is detected, it does not matter whether it is on the fuse or on the cocking, without moving the mine from |
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After 1942, the TMi-35 mine (steel-cased) could be used with a simplified fuse similar to the TMi-42 and TMi-43 mine fuses. In such mines, the central threaded hole for the fuse is closed with a screw plug. Do not attempt to unscrew the plug and remove the fuse. The fuse does not have a fuse, the actuation force is about 240 kg, but a mine can explode if a running or fast walking person steps on it. Handling of found mines - check for non-removable fuses and, in case of emergency, carefully, without hitting the pressure cover, move the mine to a safe place. |
TMi-42 and TMi-35
The TMi-42 differs from the TMi-35 (in steel case) by the smaller size of the pressure cap. The main fuse is inserted into the central hole in the pressure cap and closed with a screw plug. The mine has a bottom and side socket for additional fuses when set to non-removable. Mine weight 10 kg, charge weight 5 kg. The TMi-43 differs from the TMi-42 in the design and shape of the pressure cap. The pressure cover is corrugated and is screwed onto the central neck of the mine after the fuse is installed.
Found in battlefields after 1942. The handling of mines is similar to the handling of TMi-35 - make sure that the mine is not set to non-removable and, in case of emergency, move it to a safe place, avoiding hitting the pressure cover. Do not attempt to unscrew the fuse plug or pressure cap.
When searching for a mine, it is very rare. In found mines, the wooden case usually rots. There are checkers of explosives and a checker with an inserted fuse or just with a protruding detonator. Do not try to remove the fuse or detonator from the checker. In case of emergency, carefully, without touching the fuse, transfer such a checker to a safe place.
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Anti-vehicle mine. Used by the Germans after 1943 to damage the undercarriage of tanks or vehicles. Could be used as an anti-personnel mine. The mine is a rectangular box made of sheet steel measuring 80x10x8 cm. The upper part of the case is a pressure cover. From the end of the mine has a carrying handle. Combat shear pins are passed through the holes in the side walls - wires, the ends of which are twisted on the top cover of the mine. The top cover of the mine can be opened to place an explosive charge and two ZZ-42 fuses into it. The curb weight of the mine is 8.5 kg, the weight of the charge is 5 kg. When hitting a mine, the shear pins are cut off and the explosive charge, descending, pulls the combat pins out of fuses 22-42, causing the mine to explode. To trigger a mine, a force of 150 kg is required. |
When conducting search operations, a mine is very rare. In those found, special attention should be paid to the integrity of the shear pins (wires). If the shear wires are not twisted on the mine cover or are severely damaged by corrosion, the mine must not be touched, its location should be marked with a conspicuous sign. If the checks are in good condition, twisted on the cover of the mine, in case of emergency, you can carefully, avoiding shocks and blows, remove the mine from the ground and turn it upside down and transfer it to a safe place. Attempts to disassemble the mine are not allowed.
In addition to regular anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, improvised mines and field mines made by the troops were quite widely used. The simplest mine or land mine was a subversive bomb or a standard charge with a standard fuse attached. The handling of such mines is similar to the handling of standard mines with a similar fuse.
Domestic field mines were used with MUV or VPF fuses. A field mine fuse (VPF) is used in the construction of improvised mines, booby traps, etc. It consists of a body with a clamp for attaching the fuse to various objects, a striker, a mainspring, a collet to hold the striker in the cocked position (using a swivel with the head of the striker ), a safety cotter pin (after installing a landmine, the cotter pin is pulled out of the shelter with a cord), a fuse with an igniter cap and a detonator. Triggered by pulling the collet up or tilting it in any direction. The force required to pull the collet up 4-6.5 kg, to tilt in any direction 1-1.5 kg.
Quite rarely, time-delayed mines with clock, chemical or electric fuses were used. They were usually used to undermine any buildings or structures, bridges, roads. Usually they have a significant explosive charge (from 3-5 kg to 500-1000 kg) and several different fuses for reliability. During search operations, such mines are practically never found, but if there is a suspicion of the presence of such a mine, then search operations should be stopped and sappers should be called.