RPG-6 (Ruchnaya Protivotankovaya Granata)

History

When the German army (and its allies) turned their attention to the Soviet Union in June 1941 and began "Operation Barbarossa", the Soviets were incapable of dealing with the forces of the "Blitzkrieg". In addition, their anti-tank measures were seriously insufficient against the incoming Axis armored barrage, so some anti-tank grenade measures were hastily implemented as well as some anti-tank rifles.

The first notable type was the "RPG-40" ("Ruchnaya Protivotankovaya Granata 1940 Model"), whose recognizable "stick" grenade shape somewhat mimicked the German 1924 model series. Thanks to the powerful TNT warhead, the RPG-40 proved adequate against early German armored personnel carrier production, but these weapons also proved cumbersome and unwieldy at 2.5 pounds, equivalent to a short-range throw.

Size also limits how much an operator can effectively carry.

The Soviet strategy to use the RPG-40 had to evolve with the arrival of the Panzer IV and the heavier Panzer V models "Panther" and "Tiger I". This prompted the design, development and introduction of another type of anti-tank grenade, which became the "RPG-43" series in 1943. The weapon is fitted with an impact fuze detonated shaped charge warhead capable of resisting 3 inches of armor. The design, which takes the form of a grenade and weighs over 2 pounds, has proven to be effective, if not bulky.

Regardless, this type fulfilled the need and proved its worth in the heat of battle, remaining the standard infantry-grade anti-tank weapon throughout the war.

In addition to its weight (limited throw distance, like the RPG-40 before it), the RPG-43 relies on its shock fuze to detonate, which requires considerable force to trigger. The shells also needed to be approximately 90 degrees close to the surface of the armor to be truly effective.

As improvements could be made, they became "RPG-6s", which soon joined the lineup in 1943.

The RPG-6 continued the shape of the general grenade, including the handle and the warhead, all covered with sheet metal. Pins and levers provide safety and manual operation. Compared to previous RPG iterations, the warhead has gained an entirely new shape for improved penetration values. Stability in flight - when the grenade is thrown - is achieved with four cloth tails. The RPG-6 was widely used in combat during the war, not only because of its armor-piercing value, but also as an anti-personnel weapon because of its stellar fragmentation effect when it exploded.

That's what it's worth, so much so that many are still in use in the early days of the Cold War and exported to Soviet-backed allies and countries. It was widely used in the Middle East during the Arab-Israeli War in 1948, the Six-Day War in 1967, and Yom Kippur in 1973.

Operators include Albania, Algeria, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Egypt, Syria, Hungary, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen.

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