Knife scout HP-40 sample 1940

The most famous cold weapon of the times of the domestic war of 41-45, manufactured in the Soviet Union, is the scout knife of the HP-40. Well-designed model still causes genuine respect among connoisseurs and connoisseurs of combat blades. Have a real army knife in 1940 sample HP-40 dreams of every collector.

History

The appearance of cold weapons in the Red Army had its own reasons. During the Russian-Finnish war of 39-40 years of the twentieth century, Soviet soldiers did not have any special cold weapons.

The Finnish troops successfully and very effectively used the puukko knives. Against cold arms Soviet Red Army men had nothing to oppose. They did not even have basic economic knives (cut bread, canned food, cut a rope or a belt, etc.). The only bayonet-knife (attached to Mosin's rifle) of a triangular shape was suitable only for one purpose - to prick.

A close battle in the trenches showed the need for a soldier to have a blade to be able to defend his own life and hit the enemy. Knife scout HP-40 (photo below) was adopted by the army in 1940. Another reason was the fact that the army had short samples of automatic weapons. Their design did not imply the attachment of a bayonet.

The blade was not just adopted. In 1940, V.P. Volkov developed methods of combat sambo with the use of cold weapons. Since 1941, exercises with cold weapons have been included in the recommendations (guidance) for training Red Army soldiers for hand-to-hand combat. The most complete and justified melee system with the use of combat knives was developed by N.N. Simkin (published in 1944). The scout knife НР-40 must be entered into the Red Army book, as well as the firearm.

Description

Blade blade with bevel according to clip-point type ("pike"). Approximately half the width of the blade is occupied by descents. Before the S-shaped guard - a well-marked heel.

Sheath and handle were made of wood and covered with black paint (for unmasking at night). The blade itself, or other coatings, was not exposed.

Recommendations for wearing: on the waist belt, at an angle of 30 ⁰ , on the left side, the handle to the right.

The production of weapons was established at the Trud plant in Zlatoust (Zlatoust Instrumental Plant-Combine No. 259 named after VI Lenin-Zik). The maximum number of products was produced in 42-43 years:

• 261 thousand pieces in 1942;
• 388 thousand pieces in 1943, and for the first half of 2007 there were 271 thousand.

The handicraft production and front-line workshops also handled the issue of HP-40. They brought some variety to the standard model: they were decorated, handles were made not only wooden. Replaced by type-setting options, including plexiglas. The master did not always follow the proportions exactly. The result was the mass appearance of cold weapons similar to the HP-40.

Specifications

Specifications of HP-40 (scout knife) are as follows:

• The length of the product is 263 mm;
• The blade has a length of 152 mm;
• The widest part of the blade is 22 mm;
• Steel for the blade grade U7;
• The thickness (maximum) of the butt is 2.6 mm;
• The hilt is wooden;
• Suspension - leather loop;
• Fastening the blade in the handle through, with the rivetting of the shank;
• Wooden scabbard with a metal tip.

Gift models were distinguished by an additional decoration and corresponding inscriptions on the blades.

Features

НР-40 (the authorized model of a combat knife) has its own peculiarities. First of all, it was a weapon - a means to defeat the enemy. This is the main feature of the blade. Garda has an unusual bend, uncharacteristic for knives. The S-shaped crosshair of the guard is made with a "reverse" bend. From the side of the blade, it bends in the direction of the blade.

The knife scout HP-40 is exclusively a combat weapon. "Worker" was considered a grip, inverted straight with a blade pointing up. So you could hit a person in the hypochondrium and abdomen. Reverse - allowed to strike a blow to the neck. At both grasps the weapon lies in the hand in an inverted position, actually under these deadly blows and the guard was made.

Specialists note the design of the scabbard. It is more typical for daggers or long blades. Another detail is typical for such weapons as the scout knife НР-40, - a large heel (a site without sharpening) in front of the guard. It allows you to put your finger on the blade, strengthening its effect.

The wooden handle had a small "abdomen", which allowed to feel the position of the blade to the touch and is very comfortable to fit into the hand.

Prototypes

It is believed that the development of cold weapons for the Red Army was based on the following models:

• The uniform bayonet of the Finnish army, developed by an officer-artist (at that time also an adjutant of the famous Marshal of Mannerheim) Axel Gallen-Kallele. It was an original model, which has no analogues in the world. It is more correct to call it a knife after all, since it did not have special devices for fixing to the rifle. Dimensions of the knife (company Hackman): a blade thickness of 5 mm; Blade -145 mm; The length of the handle is 105 mm; The length (total) of the knife is 255 mm.
• Scout Finnish knives. They were developed for Boy Scout organizations. The American tradition had a great influence on the shape of the blade: a double-sided guard of the guard, a blade with a bevel ("pike"). They were not in the arsenal of the Finnish army, but were purchased for the soldiers' personal means.

There is no direct evidence that they were the "forefathers" of the model HP-40 (scout knife). The drawing of the product nevertheless confirms that many elements and design of the blade resemble the above-described models.

Tank Blade

The patriotism of Soviet people during the national war gave impetus to the manufacture of the modification of the HP-40. For the personnel of the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps, a group of workers at the Zlatoust Combine made 3356 special samples at their own expense.

The HP-40 black knife was slightly different from the scout knife. They had shortened blades. The shape of the blade is straight, the hilt is wooden, and the scabbard. The small iron guard had a flat shape. Sheath and hilt were covered with black lacquer (hence the name). Knives were famous for the great strength and sharpness of the blade.

HP-40 black tank knife became a terrible weapon in the hands of fighters. Superstitious Germans ascribed blades to mystical power. The corps was called the "Black Knife Division".

The plant also produced a premium version of the product in small batches. They were decorated with chrome trim details on scabbards and hilt. Such blades were given as a gift during the war by Marshal of the Soviet Union GK Zhukov and Supreme Commander-in-Chief IV Stalin.

Shooting option

In the 60s of the twentieth century, the HP-40 - the authorized scout knife - served as the basis for the creation of shooting blades. The armed forces of the USSR received two samples at once.

A short barrel and trigger were built into the handle. It was necessary to shoot from the situation with a "blade to yourself". Bullets were used for the cartridge (noiseless) SP-3, caliber 7.62. The knife has a green plastic handle, a straight blade 160 mm long, a width of 30 mm, a metal guard. Blade with bevel "pike" and saw on the shoe. The HPC-2 model has a spear-shaped blade and a mechanism for shooting for the SP-4 cartridge.

The metal sheath is equipped with a special swivel lever with plastic coating. The lever allows you to use the sheath to compress the detonator cap.

Modern models

In the 1950s, a bayonet was developed for the Korobov experimental automaton, an assault knife was created in Poland, in Yugoslavia - a combat knife M1951, in Czechoslovakia there were several variants of the combat blade V07.

In the Warsaw Treaty countries, cold weapons, created according to the prototype HP-40, were in service with the armies until the 1970s of the twentieth century.

The attractive and well-promoted brand HP-40 (scout knife) served as the basis for the development of many models, among which:

• "Cherry". Key features: plastic symmetrical handle, made of impact-resistant plastic (white, black, green); Small weight - 150 grams (without scabbards); Overall length 270 mm; Blade 158 mm; Leather sheath.

• "Gyurza". Main characteristics: length (total) of the knife 270 mm; Blade 155 mm; Handle from a set leather (there is a model with brass inserts); Sheath in two versions - leather or synthetic fabric with plastic inserts.

• "Penalty." Main characteristics: length (total) of the knife is 258 mm; Blade 140 mm; Sheath leather with a rigid suspension for a narrow belt.

Unusual facts

UDTS ("Ural Volunteer Tank Corps") had a jazz orchestra, which often performed a song about black knives. The author of the song was Ivan Ovchinin. He later died while liberating Hungary. A legendary knife is also mentioned in the essay "The War and Peace of Sergey Butyrin."

F.J. Stifens in his book Fighting Knives 1980 ("Combat Knives") mistakenly calls the HP-40 Armenian combat knife. The abbreviation on the brand ZiK was deciphered as "Zlatoust Industry, Caucasus".