RGD-33

RGD-33 is a fragmentation offensive defensive grenade ^[4] .

The average weight of a grenade without a defensive shirt is 495 grams. The total length of the grenade with a handle was 191 mm (without a platoon).

The technical parameters of the grenade may vary depending on the manufacturer.

An explosive charge weighing 140 g ( trotyl , sometimes surrogates were used: ammonal , trinitrophenol ) is contained inside a cylindrical warhead with a diameter of 52 mm, to which a metal handle with a spring and an impactor is screwed. An impeller washer is located between the warhead and the handle, which prevents the handle from being unscrewed. Inside the warhead between the outer metal shell and the charge are several turns of steel tape with notches, from which many fragments are formed.

The body of the warhead of the RGD-33 has a socket in the center, into which a fuse is inserted and is closed by a special shutter. The design of the damper is movable in the first samples, or rotary in later ones.

The fuse of a grenade contains explosive mercury .

The grenade was delivered to the troops in an unassembled form - separately in the handle boxes with the trigger mechanisms mounted in them, separately warheads with an explosive charge and separately fuses. Upon receipt of the grenade, the serviceman screwed the handle to the body (after which the locking washer-impeller prevented the self-unscrewing of the handle), and put it in a grenade bag. The fuse was stored separately.

On May 4, 1945, an improved version of the defensive cover for the RGD-33 grenade (with four L-shaped slots and protrusions) was offered, providing the ability to create a bunch of two, three or four RGD-33. A patent ^[5] was issued for the invention, however, there is no information on the manufacture and use of N. I. Kondratyev’s covers.

Preparing grenades for use:

• cock the spring in the handle - holding the grenade by the warhead with your left hand, pull the outer tube of the handle with your right hand towards you and turn it to the right, cocking the hammer, and then release it;
• place the grenade on the safety platoon (on the fuse) in order to prevent the drummer from being accidentally shaken — turn the safety pin on the handle so that it covers the red marker on the handle;
• put a fuse in it - open the hole closed by a shutter on the back of the warhead, lower the fuse there and close it again.

Using grenades:

• put the grenade on the cocking unit , releasing the fuse on the handle before the throw - turn the safety pin so that the red marker on the handle reopens;
• to choose a target for a throw and throw a grenade at it - due to a swing, the outer part of the handle with a striker jumped off a combat platoon and punctured the fuse capsule, starting the process of burning it;
• in case of refusal to throw, put the grenade on the safety cock again - turn the check in a safe position by closing the red marker;
• in case of refusal to use - after transferring the grenade to the safety platoon, open the flap to remove the igniter, then close the hole on the back of the warhead again with the flap, then remove the grenade from the platoon - turn the safety pin so that the red marker opens, turn the outer tube of the handle to the left and release - the outer part of the handle under the influence of the shock spring will return to the uninclosed position.

The burning time of the fuse was 3.5 ... 4 seconds ^[4] .

The throwing range is from 30 to 40 meters ^[4] .

With the shirt removed, the grenade was offensive; during the explosion, up to 2000 fragments weighing 0.1 ... 0.3 g with a radius of damage of 25 m were formed, and then they quickly lost speed and destructive power. The handle and individual large fragments of a grenade could be dangerous at a considerable distance.

A cylindrical cover (shirt) was put on the grenade, having diagonal cross-shaped notches for fragmentation during fragmentation, weighing 250 or 125 grams (lightweight). At the same time, the grenade became defensive (up to 2400 fragments were formed during the explosion) ^[1] , the radius of destruction was up to 30 meters.

RGD-33 throwing with a defensive cover on was carried out only from a trench or because of shelter ^[4] .

The small arms case of 1938 provided for the use of a bunch of three to five RGD-33 grenades (the grenades should be tied with twine, wire or telephone wire so that the central handle was turned in one direction and the others in the opposite direction). The resulting bunch of grenades (weighing 1800 ... 3000 g), with a charge of 600 ... 1000 g of explosive, should be used to destroy fortified targets (firing points, dugouts, etc.), and as an anti-tank weapon ^[6] .

The grenade was difficult to use and manufacture. RGD-33 was replaced by a simpler and more convenient RG-42 .

Despite the relatively low adaptability of the RGD-33, their release continued during the initial period of the Great Patriotic War (at the Fizpribor No. 2 plant in Kirov and at the No. 479 ammunition depot evacuated from Moscow to Altai Territory ).

In total, during the production in 1933-1941 . over 50 million grenades RGD-33 were produced in the USSR ^[7] .

Soviet partisans from the 1st Gomel partisan brigade in the spring of 1942 developed a method for using the RGD-33 grenade as a fuse for anti-train mines. The first such mine was installed on May 1, 1942 on the Potapovka - Gali railway line Gomel - Zhlobin (in the Buda-Koshelevsky district of the Gomel region of the BSSR ) ^[8] .

• The training and simulation grenade RGD-33 was used for training military personnel, in terms of mass and dimensions it corresponded to the combat RGD-33, but instead of the explosive charge it was equipped with an explosive package of the standard sample ^[9] .
• training grenade - the RGD-33 mass-size mock-up was used in the DOSAAF system for training grenade throwing until the 1980s, in 1984-1985. It was proposed to replace the RGD-33 training grenades with the RKG-3 anti-tank grenade prototypes ^[10]
• ROG-43 is a simplified version of the RGD-33 grenade with an improved striking mechanism, developed at the plant named after Sverdlovsk evacuated to them. Kalinin under the name RGK-42 and adopted for service in 1943 ^[11]

•   The USSR - before the start of World War II, it was the most massive hand grenade in service with the Red Army ^[12] . The main reserves of RGD-33 grenades were spent in the initial period of the Great Patriotic War ^[1] , but some remained in service with the troops in the Far East, and subsequently they were used in the summer of 1945 during the war with Japan ^[13] .
•   Germany - trophy hand grenades were used under the name Handgranate 337 (r) .

RGD-33 is mentioned in literary and artistic works, is found in films, television series and computer games ^[14] .

• Hand Grenade List

• M. Vasilenko. The military service of the Red Army. - 5th ed., Rev. - M .: OGIZ , 1935.
• I. Khorikov. Pocket artillery // Military Bulletin : Zh. - No. 12, 1938. - S. 63-66.
• N. Stepanov. The study of hand grenades // Military Bulletin : Zh. - No. 2, 1939. - S. 89-91.
• V. Pruntsov. Learn to own a hand grenade. - M .: Military Publishing , 1939 .-- 48 p.
• Pocket Artillery // Technique - Youth : Journal. - No. 6, 1940. - S. 38-39. - ISSN 0320-331X .
• Soviet Hand Grenades // Intelligence Bulletin. June 1946. Military Intelligence Service, War Department. Washington, D. C. pages 43-56.
• Vakulovsky A.N., Martynov M.F. Hand grenades as an object of forensic research // Collection of works on forensic science. - M .: 1958. - No. 4.

• Veremeev Yu. G. Soviet hand grenade RGD-33 / site "Army Anatomy".
• Manual fragmentation grenade RGD-33 .
• RGD-33 - hand grenade .
• Finnish Junkyard .
• Weapons of Victory: RGD-33 and F-1 on YouTube .