Hand grenades. Hand shrapnel grenades. Hand grenade RGD-5. Hand grenade F-1

Mankind is at war all the time. Practically there is no longer any period of peace in the new history. That one area of the planet becomes "hot", then another, and sometimes several at once. And everywhere shoot from barrels of various weapons, rumble bombs, jet and hand grenades fly, causing injuries and death to soldiers of opposing armies, and at the same time to civilians. The more lethal the agent is, the simpler and cheaper it is, the more often it is used. Automata, pistols, carbines and rifles are beyond competition. And the most deadly kind of weapons is artillery. But no less dangerous and "pocket projectiles" - hand grenades. If a bullet, according to the opinion of warriors, is a fool, then there is nothing to say about the fragments.

In our troubled world, everyone should know, if not about how to use the weapon, at least about its damaging factors, at least in order to have a chance to somehow defend them in case of something.

A Brief History of Grenades

Hand grenades appeared long ago, as early as the beginning of the fifteenth century, although they were then called bombs, and their arrangement was rather primitive. In a clay casing made according to the usual "pot" technology, a hazardous substance was placed - powder or combustible liquid. All this composition was supplied with an activating device in the form of a simple wick, and it rushed to the places of the greatest concentration of the enemy. A delicious and useful fruit - a pomegranate - inspired an unknown inventor who perfected this type of weaponry, stuffing it with seeds, damaging elements, and at the same time giving him a name. By the middle of the seventeenth century in all armies of the world there were units of grenadiers. In these troops took the young men of a selective constitution, tall and strong. These requirements were not dictated by aesthetic considerations, although monarchs did not forget about them, just the hand grenades of that time were heavy, and they had to be thrown far away. By the way, the technique of this case was different from the modern one. The bomb was thrown from itself in a direction from below upwards, by movement, a little reminding of action of the player in bowling.

The emergence of a modern prototype

Time passed, technology developed, grenades became safer for the thrower, but they caused more and more damage to the enemy. The impetus for developing them as a kind of compact armament was the Russo-Japanese War, which began in 1905. First, the soldiers of both armies were engaged in inventing, constructing lethal devices from improvised materials (bamboo, cans, etc.), and then the war industry entered the case. During the Battle of Mukden, the Japanese first used hand fragmented grenades with a wooden handle, which had a dual purpose: for convenience of throwing and stabilization. From this moment the world career of "pocket artillery" began.

"Limonka" and its prototype

"The Limonk" was invented by the British Martin Hale. The device of a hand grenade has not undergone fundamental changes for about a century. The innovation consisted in a new kind of hull (or "shirt"), rationally divided into regular geometric segments number 24. Revolutionary design consisted in the possibility of using to deliver ammunition to the target of an ordinary army rifle. Hana's grenade became the prototype of a modern under-barrel projectile.

During the First World War, another idea was used. To secure the thrower, a long cord was attached to the check on the wooden handle, by means of a jerk for which the fuse was initiated. The author was the Norwegian Aazen, but this invention did not develop further.

The main scheme, which is used today, was the principle of prototype Hale early XX century. The "shirt" of a corrugated segmented shape is filled with an explosive. In the center there is a round hole, which comes into contact with a cylindrical fuse when screwing. The detonation delay is carried out at the expense of the known burning rate of the powder column, and there is also such an essential thing as preventing accidental operation. This is how hand-operated fragmentation grenades are built in their majority, regardless of the country of the manufacturer and brand.

Special and fighting

As in a peaceful life, in war, each instrument has its own purpose. In the bag or belt, the fighter wears different hand grenades. Photos of Soviet and German soldiers armed and equipped, newsreels, propaganda posters brought to us the appearance of these deadly devices of the forties, now limousike, then similar to motor pistons.

The following decades added variety to their range: there appeared a light-noise, signal, or manual smoke grenade, as well as stuffed with tear gas. This "humane" weapon refers to non-lethal means designed to capture the enemy or criminals, as well as to provide favorable conditions on the battlefield during retreat or maneuver. Situations can be different. For example, if it is necessary to divert the unit from the danger zone under fire, in clear weather, it is necessary to "fog". Dense gray smoke will provide a grenade RDG-P. Under his veil, soldiers will be able to make a secret retreat (or even a detour) and execute a combat mission with minimal losses or without them at all.

A bright flash, accompanied by a terrible roar, will numb the hiding gangster, and he will lose the ability to resist the representatives of the forces of law and order. The "involuntary tears", just like in the old romance, will roll from the eyes of the instigators of the riots, deprive them of the ability to see well for a while, help the police to carry out difficult work to protect public order.

But spetssredstva - only a small part of all hand grenades. Basically, the weapon is a combat weapon, but it is intended to inflict maximum damage on the soldiers of the enemy army. It should be remembered that a crippled warrior for the economy of the enemy country is less desirable than the killed one. It must be treated, supplied with artificial limbs, fed and caring for the disabled person's family. For this reason, modern manual fragmentation grenades have a relatively small charge.

With a grenade against the tank

Anti-tank means all the postwar decades continuously improved. The main problem has always been the need to approach the armored car for the throw distance. Crews of advancing armored vehicles actively resisted such attempts, using all possible means of suppressing the enemy's manpower. Behind the fled infantry support, which also did not contribute to the success of throwers charges. Used a variety of means - from bottles with a combustible mixture to a fairly clever magnetic and sticky devices. A hand-held anti-tank grenade has a large weight. During the Winter War, the Finnish headquarters even compiled a special memo according to which at least four kilograms of TNT, not counting the hull, are needed to destroy a tank weighing 30 tons (for example, T-28). Of the pomegranates, ligaments were made, heavy and dangerous. It is not an easy task to throw such a load and not fall under the fire of the course machine gun. The ability to somewhat reduce the weight charge appeared later, due to the special design of the combat unit. The cumulative manual anti-tank grenade, when struck against armor, emits a narrowly directed flow of hot gas burning metal. There was, however, another problem. Now the soldier was required to throw his shell so as not only to hit the target, it was necessary to take care of the touch angle. Eventually, after the appearance of rocket-propelled grenades, practically all armies of the world abandoned hand-held anti-tank grenades.

For attack and defense

Go with a grenade on the tank - the lot of brave people. Another thing is the fight against infantry. Throwing hand grenades became an indispensable exercise in the course of a young soldier. In the USSR, even schoolchildren were taught this in primary military training. Depending on the weight of the model (500 or 700 g), the length of the throw is 25 m (for girls) and 35 m (for boys). An adult strong fighter can send a charge for fifty meters, sometimes a little further. The question arises as to what should be the diameter (or radius) of the scattering of the fragments, so that the thrower does not suffer from them? But there is one more aspect - the need to hide from the damaging elements. When conducting a defensive battle, the soldier has the opportunity to hide in the trench, crouching. During the attack, the rapidly changing dispositions are not as favorable for the use of such effective weapons as a hand fragmentation grenade. You can easily get into their own. Therefore, for different battle conditions, two main types of weapons are created: offensive and defensive. Hand grenades of Russia and the USSR were produced precisely on such a gradation.

Soviet offensive grenades

During the Great Patriotic War, during the offensive (and sometimes in the conditions of defense) our soldiers used fragmented RGN and RG-42. The name of the grenade of the RGN even indicates its main purpose (manual grenade offensive). RG-42 was distinguished mainly by the geometric shape (cylinder) and the presence inside the body of a rolled steel strip with a notch, which during the explosion formed a large number of fragments. The fuses of hand grenades in our country have been traditionally unified to simplify the application and production.

RG-42 had an oblong shirt with hemispherical endings and also had special inserts, divided into small segments. Both samples hit a living force within a radius of 25 meters. Further modification of the RG-42 led to a simplified design.

During the war, grenades were produced with fuses, which could activate the main charge not only through a certain time interval, but also at impact. This feature of the design increased the danger of the use of military equipment, so in further developments from the principle of impact detonation Soviet designers refused.

RGD-5

In 1954, the Soviet Army was armed with a hand grenade RGD-5. Characterize it can be the same epithets as almost all samples of domestic defense technologies. It is simple, reliable and technologically advanced. Combat experience has shown that the creation of an excessive number of damaging elements is inexpedient, and enough of those fragments that are formed when the outer shell, made of thin steel, is destroyed.

Hand grenade RGD and its tactical and technical data is close to its predecessor RGN, but more safe, because it does not explode when struck. It is so simple that, in addition to its weight (0.31 kg) and the radius of fragmentation (25-35 m), there is nothing more to say about it. Still it is possible to specify only time of explosion delay (approximately 4 seconds), but it depends on characteristics of the unified fuse.

F-1

F-1 and RGD-5 are the two most common Russian hand grenades. They differ in their purpose, and therefore, in their technical characteristics. Hand grenade F-1 - defensive, it is also known about it that it is used to destroy the enemy's manpower. Two of these points dictate twice the weight. According to the passport data, the fragments are scattered by 200 meters, but this does not mean that all life will be destroyed within this circle. The probability of defeat is inversely proportional to the distance from the epicenter, this law extends to hand grenades. Russia, or rather, the armed forces of the country, requires different types of weapons to protect national interests, and today there are much more effective means of destroying the infantry. However, it is too early to forget about the time-tested types of grenades.

Common Points

Hand grenade F1, like RGD-5, does not differ in its design from the conventional scheme. The body is filled with an explosive substance - TNT. Its mass differs in two types. It would seem that heavy fragments scatter further, more TNT is required. In fact, this is not entirely true, it is important for the "shirt" to keep the explosives inside itself during the explosive reaction. Therefore, the hand grenade F1 contains a smaller mass of explosives, having a heavier body. A more complete combustion of TNT gives the necessary acceleration to the flying fragments. Despite the high strength of cast iron, one can not expect that all explosives will react, as well as the destruction of the shirt strictly along the intended incision, which reduces the damaging ability of the charge. RGD-5 hand grenade with almost three times less mass contains as much as 110 grams of TNT. The common feature of the two designs is the applied UZRGM fuse. The letter "Y" means "unified". The device is simple, which explains the high reliability of operation.

How the fuse is arranged

To bring the F-1 and RGD-5 grenades into combat position, a unified modernized UZRGM fuse usually includes a shock mechanism. Inside it is a primer, which serves to detonate the main charge. In the transport position, the hole intended for the fuse is closed with a plastic stopper, which protects the grenade from getting into the mud or sand. The shock mechanism itself is made in the form of a tube equipped with bushings, washers (they perform a guiding function), a spring, a drummer, a trigger lever and a safety pin. By its principle of operation, the fuse is similar to a conventional cartridge, only of a smaller power. He, as it were, shoots a shell of hot gunpowder gas inside the body after the needle of the percussion pierce the primer-igniter. To provide sufficient kinetic energy, a compressed steel spring serves that can be straightened out when a safety pin is removed and the bracket is released.

After triggering the primer-igniter in the tube begins to burn powder column. It lasts about four seconds, then comes the turn of another capsule, called a detonator. As its name implies, it is he who detonates the main charge.

It should be remembered that in the fuse construction a special powder with a high content of saltpetre is used. It can burn at the same speed (1 cm / s) that on land that is under water.

Stretch marks and traps

A treacherous opponent, when retreating or conducting defensive battles, can use hand grenades to mine the terrain. Victims of such tactical methods can become both military servicemen of the enemy army and civilians, therefore, being in the front line, you should be extra careful. The most common method of mining is the so-called stretching, which is a grenade (most often RGD-5), fixed with the help of improvised tools on a tree, bush or other detail of the landscape, and wire, one end screwed to the check-ring, and the other - to anyone Other fixed object. The antennae of the checks are unbent, while the safety clip is in the free state. This primitive way experienced fighter recognizes immediately.

The trap is arranged somewhat differently. The grenade (RGD-5 or F-1), put into combat position (with a pulled out check), fits into the groove made in the ground. The bracket during the mining process is held in such a way that it can be pressed with any object of interest to the enemy. Therefore, inspecting the newly occupied area, you can not touch abandoned weapons, equipment or boxes, in which, presumably, there is food or medicine. It is best to tie a rope to suspicious things, through which and move them from a safe place.

Hopefully, when you activate the grenade, there is a time for which you can catch yourself, it's not worth it. There are additional inserts, which are screwed in place of the usual moderator, they trigger an instant explosion when triggered.

Particular danger of stretching and traps are for children and adolescents.

Myths and Reality

Cinematography, as is known, is the most important art, but its characteristic drawback is the excessive picture of the action.

For example, the partisan imperceptibly activates the percussion mechanism for the fascists, pulling out the check and releasing the safety clamp. This situation is impossible in real life. The device of a hand grenade does not mean stealth. There were attempts to make a silent detonator, but because of the high risk of using such ammunition they were refused. The fuse of the hand grenade at the moment of triggering produces a rather loud clap, after which the countdown of the seconds remaining before the explosion begins.

The same applies to the beautiful habit of some movie heroes pull out a check with their teeth. It's not just difficult, it's impossible, even if the wire is straightened beforehand. The check sits firmly, therefore it is possible to pull out it only having put considerable effort.

It is also understandable and the director's desire to make a grenade from a grenade explosion is a kind of Hiroshima. In fact, it sounds, of course, loudly, but in the open area is not so deafening. Pillars of black smoke reaching the sky, too, usually not observed, unless, of course, the explosion did not catch fire in the fuel depot.

Hand grenade - a device that is unpredictable in its lethal action. There were cases when people survived that were very close to her explosion, and others killed for tens of meters from him an accidental fragment at the time of flight. Too much depends on the case ...