View source for RPG-43

{{Infobox weapon
|name=RPG-43
| image= Kim Shin-jo weapons RPG43 (1).JPG
| image_size = 200
|caption=
|origin=[[Soviet Union]]
|type=[[Anti-tank warfare|Anti-tank]] [[grenade]]
<!-- Type selection -->
|is_ranged=yes
|is_explosive=yes
<!-- Service history -->
|service= April 1943–1960 (Soviet Union)<ref name=autogenerated1>Оружие Победы / колл. авт., отв. ред. В. Н. Новиков. 2-е изд., пер. и доп. М., "Машиностроение", 1987. стр.427 {{In lang|ru}}.</ref>{{sfn|McGuire|1960|page=38}}
|used_by=[[Soviet Union]] and [[Warsaw pact]] countries
|wars={{Plainlist|
* [[World War II]]
* [[Korean War]]
* [[Yom Kippur War]]
*[[Vietnam War]]
*[[Lebanese Civil War]]
*[[Georgian Civil War]]
}}
<!-- Production history -->
|designer= N. P. Belyakov<ref name=autogenerated1/>
|design_date= 1942–1943<ref name=autogenerated1/>
|manufacturer=
|unit_cost=
|production_date=
|number=
|variants=
<!-- General specifications -->
|spec_label=
|weight={{convert|1.2|kg|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Hogg|1987|page=438}}
|length={{convert|279|mm|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Hogg|1987|page=438}}
|part_length=
|width=
|height=
|diameter={{convert|102|mm|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Hogg|1987|page=438}}
|crew=
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->
|cartridge=
|caliber=
|action=
|rate=
|velocity=
|range=
|max_range=
|feed=
|sights=
<!-- Explosive specifications -->
|filling=[[TNT]]{{sfn|Hogg|1987|page=438}}
|filling_weight={{convert|612|g|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Hogg|1987|page=438}}
|detonation=Instantaneous impact{{sfn|Hogg|1987|page=438}}
|yield=
}}
[[File:РПГ--43.svg|80px|thumb]]

The '''RPG-43''' ('''ruchnaya protivotankovaya granata obraztca 1943 goda''', meaning '''hand-held anti-tank grenade''') was a [[high-explosive anti-tank]] (HEAT) [[shaped charge]] hand [[grenade]] used by the [[Soviet Union]] during [[World War II]]. It entered service in 1943, replacing the [[RPG-40]]; the RPG-40 used a simpler [[High explosive#High|high explosive]] (HE) warhead. The RPG-43 had a penetration of around {{convert|75|mm|in}} of [[rolled homogeneous armour]] at a 90° angle. Later in the war, it was improved and became the [[RPG-6]].<ref name=autogenerated1/>

==History==
Prior to World War II, the [[Red Army]] anti-tank weapons included the [[PTRD-41]] and [[PTRS-41]] [[anti-tank rifle]]s and the RPG-40 hand grenade, which were marginally effective against early German tanks, quickly becoming obsolete when the Germans started fielding heavier tanks to counter the Red Army [[T-34]] and [[KV tank]]s.{{sfn|Marine Corps Intelligence Activity|1995|pages=II-1−II-2}} The Soviets also relied on [[45 mm anti-tank gun M1937 (53-K)|45 mm anti-tank gun]]s, which started to become obsolete mid-1942.{{sfn|Marine Corps Intelligence Activity|1995|pages=II-1−II-3}} 

In response, the Soviets developed the RPG-43 which had enough penetrating power to threaten German [[Panzer III]]s, [[Panzer IV]]s, and [[StuG]]s, forcing the Germans to increase armor thickness in their designs and install [[spaced armour]] side plates to provide protection against these new grenades.{{sfn|Tucker-Jones|2020|page=29}} It could also destroy a [[Panther tank]] if thrown against the thinly armoured turret roof or engine compartment.{{sfn|Rottman|2013|page=63}} While the RPG-43 was succeeded by the RPG-6, both grenades remained in use during WWII against armoured vehicles and fortified positions, such as [[bunker]]s.{{sfn|Hogg|1987|pages=438−439}}

In the post-war period, the Soviets continued using the RPG-43 and RPG-6 as late as 1960, being replaced by the [[RKG-3]] which offered greater penetration against armour.{{sfn|McGuire|1960|page=38}} They also supplied the grenade for several [[Warsaw Pact]] allies, including [[People's Republic of Albania|Albania]], [[East Germany]], [[Hungarian People's Republic|Hungary]], and [[Polish People's Republic|Poland]].{{sfn|Department of the Army|1960|pages=29,95,117,139}}

Communist forces in the [[Korean War]] made use of several stick grenades including the RG-43;{{sfn|Bunker|2010|pages=292−293}} During the [[Vietnam War]] the [[North Vietnam]]ese used grenades supplied by the Soviets;{{sfn|Embassy of Vietnam|1971|page=20}} The grenade was also used by Egyptian troops during the [[Yom Kippur War]];{{sfn|Hogg|1987|page=438}}{{sfn|Bregman|1990|page=123}} and [[paramilitary]] forces such as the [[As-Sa'iqa]] during the [[Lebanese Civil War]];{{sfn|Windrow|2012|page=369}} In the 1990s, during the [[Georgian Civil War]] several paramilitary groups purchased ex-Soviet surplus grenades from Russian officers.<ref name='SAS 1998 4' />

==Description==
The RPG-43 is a stick grenade with a {{convert|102|mm}} shaped charge warhead filled with {{convert|612|g}} of TNT. When thrown a conical metal sleeve would open, revealing two strips of cloth to stabilise flight and ensure the head of the grenade would strike its target.{{sfn|Hogg|1987|pages=438−439}} It has an effective [[Fragmentation (weaponry)|fragmentation]] radius of {{convert|20|m|ft}},{{sfn|Hogg|1987|page=438}} and can penetrate {{convert|75|mm}} of armour at a 90° angle.{{sfn|Tucker-Jones|2020|page=29}} 

According to US military manuals, the RPG-43 can be thrown at a distance of approximately {{convert|15-20|yd|m}}.{{sfn|Department of the Army|1952|page=49}}

The RPG-43 is heavy, making it awkward to use effectively.{{sfn|McNab|2022|page=6}} While it needed to be thrown at very close range, it produced no sound, smoke, or light when used, unlike other anti-tank weapons.{{sfn|Tucker-Jones|2020|page=29}} Despite its shortcomings, Chinese troops considered the RPG-43 as the best anti-tank weapon at their disposal during the Korean War.{{sfn|Department of the Army|1952|page=49}}

==Users==
<!--READ FIRST: This section is for cited entries only. Please do not add entries into this list without a citation from a reliable source. All entries without a citation will be removed. Thank you.-->
* {{flaglist|Albania|1946}}{{sfn|Department of the Army|1960|page=29}}
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Ba'ath Party.svg}} [[As-Sa'iqa]] − Used during the Lebanese Civil War{{sfn|Windrow|2012|page=369}}
* {{CHN}}{{sfn|McNab|2022|page=6}}
* {{GDR}}<ref>Artillerie des Einzelkämpfers // "Armeerundschau", № 6, 1968. s.66-67</ref>{{sfn|Department of the Army|1960|page=95}}
* {{EGY}} − Used during the Yom Kippur War{{sfn|Bregman|1990|page=123}}
* {{flag|Georgia|1990}} − Used by Georgian military and militia units during 1990s period.<ref name='SAS 1998 4'>{{cite book |last=Demetriou |first=Spyros |date=November 2002<!--1998?--> |url=http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/B-Occasional-papers/SAS-OP06-Georgia.pdf |chapter=Politics from the Barrel of a Gun: Small Arms Proliferation and Conflict in the Republic of Georgia (1989–2001) |title=Small Arms Survey |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |number=6 |pages=40 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110112185639/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/B-Occasional-papers/SAS-OP06-Georgia.pdf |archive-date=January 12, 2011}}</ref>
* {{HUN}}{{sfn|Department of the Army|1960|page=117}}
* {{PRK}}<ref>RPG-43 Antitank Hand Grenade. North Korea Country Handbook MCIA-2630-NK-016-97. U.S. Department of Defense, May 1997. page A-102</ref>
* {{flag|Poland|1928}}{{sfn|Department of the Army|1960|page=139}}
* {{flag|Soviet Union}}<ref name=autogenerated1/>
* {{VIE}}{{sfn|Embassy of Vietnam|1971|page=20}}

==See also==
* [[Panzerwurfmine]]
* [[List of Russian weaponry]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
*{{cite book |last1=Bregman |first1=Ahron |title=Israel's Wars: A History Since 1947 |date=1990 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-44608-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vFaBAgAAQBAJ |language=en}}
*{{cite book |author1-last=Bunker |author1-first=Robert J. |editor1-last=Tucker |editor1-first=Spencer C |editor2-last=Pierpaoli Jr |editor2-first=Paul G |editor3-last=Kim |editor3-first=Jinwung |editor4-last=Li |editor4-first=Xiaobing |editor5-last=Matray |editor5-first=James I. |title=The Encyclopedia of the Korean War: A Political, Social, and Military History [3 volumes] |date=2010 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-1-85109-850-7 |chapter=Grenades |pages=292−293 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QzHYEAAAQBAJ |language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Department of the Army |first1=United States |title=Handbook on the Chinese Communist Army, September 1952 |date=1952 |publisher=U.S. Department of the Army |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OHZHAQAAIAAJ |access-date=17 September 2024 |language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Department of the Army |first1=United States |title=Handbook on the Satellite Armies |date=1960 |publisher=Headquarters, Department of the Army |location=Washington, DC |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Eoc-FktJHr0C&dq=%22rpg-43%22&pg=PA139 |access-date=15 September 2024 |language=en}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Embassy of Vietnam |first1=United States |title=The Soviet Role in North Viet-Nam's Offensive |journal=Vietnam Bulletin |date=20 April 1971 |volume=VII |issue=7 |pages=17−23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l29uAAAAMAAJ |access-date=15 September 2024 |publisher=Embassy of Viet-Nam. |language=en}}
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Hogg |editor1-first=Ian V |editor1-link=Ian V. Hogg |title=Jane's Infantry Weapons, 1987-88 |date=1987 |publisher=Jane's Information Group |isbn=978-0-7106-0843-7 |edition=13th |language=en}}
*{{cite journal |last1=McGuire |first1=James D. |editor1-last=Zierdt Jr. |editor1-first=Lt. Col. William H. |title=Sino-Soviet Bloc Antitank Weapons |journal=Armor |date=May–June 1960 |volume=LXIX |issue=3 |pages=34−40 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q3VfLfMAts4C |access-date=17 September 2024 |publisher=United States Armor Association |language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Marine Corps Intelligence Activity |first1=United States |title=Soviet/Russian Armor and Artillery Design Practices: 1945-1995 |date=1995 |publisher=Marine Corps Intelligence Activity |location=Quantico, VA |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XeM72t6oOZIC |access-date=16 September 2024 |language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=McNab |first1=Chris |title=US Soldier vs Chinese Soldier: Korea 1951–53 |date=2022 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-4728-4533-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xS8LEAAAQBAJ |language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Rottman |first1=Gordon L. |title=World War II Infantry Anti-Tank Tactics |date=2013 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-4728-0541-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VbKdCwAAQBAJ |language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Tucker-Jones |first1=Anthony |title=Hitler's Panzers: The Complete History 1933–1945 |date=2020 |publisher=Pen and Sword Military |isbn=978-1-5267-4161-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i17BEAAAQBAJ |language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Windrow |first1=Martin |title=Osprey Men-At-Arms: A Celebration |date=2012 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-78096-267-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LlWbCwAAQBAJ |language=en}}

==External links==
* [http://www.inert-ord.net/russ02i/rpg43/ RPG-43 on Inert-Ord.net]

{{Soviet infantry weapons of World War II}}

[[Category:Hand grenades of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Anti-tank grenades]]
[[Category:World War II infantry weapons of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1943]]