RGD-33 grenade
The Soviet RGD-33 (Ручная Граната Дьяконова образца 33 года >Ruchnaya Granata Djakonova obraztsa 33 goda, "Hand Grenade, Dyakonov design, pattern year [19]33") is an anti-personnel fragmentation stick grenade developed in 1933.
| RGD-33 grenade | |
|---|---|
RGD-33 grenade in a museum. | |
| Type | Hand grenade |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Soviet Union Khmer Rouge |
| Wars | Winter War / Continuation War, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1933 |
| Produced | 1933–1942? |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 500 g (18 oz), 750 g (26 oz) with fragmentation sleeve |
| Length | 190 mm (7.5 in) |
| Diameter | 45 mm (1.8 in), 54 mm (2.1 in) with fragmentation sleeve |
| Filling | TNT |
| Filling weight | 85 g (3.0 oz) |
Detonation mechanism | Time-fuse, 4–5 seconds |
The grenade was composed of three separate pieces that were stored in different crates until use: the warhead and sleeve, spring-loaded handle, and fuze tube. They were assembled and issued only before combat. The warhead and handle were screwed together and carried in a grenade pouch and the fuzes were wrapped in waxed paper and carried separately in the pouch's internal pocket. There was a hole in the outer handle to the right of the thumb catch that lined up with bars of paint on the inner handle, making a colored dot - a white dot meant safe and a red dot meant the handle assembly was cocked. It would not be armed unless the fuze tube had been inserted, which would be done only before throwing.