NR-40

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Soviet Army NR-40 combat knife.

The NR-40 (from Russian: нож разведчика, nozh razvedchika, meaning 'scout's knife') was a Soviet combat knife introduced in 1940 and used throughout World War II. The NR-40 has a 152 mm blade with a clip point, a large choil, a black wooden handle, and an S-shaped guard. The guard is "inverted" (unlike most S-shaped guards, it curves towards the edge) because standard Soviet Army grips called for holding the knife with the edge towards yourself (most useful if you are, for example, trying to take sneak up on a sentry from behind).

1 History
2 Combat use
3 See also
4 References

[edit] History

In the beginning of 20th century, Finnish puukko knives started becoming popular with criminals in major cities of the Russian Empire. Local knife-makers then began modifying the Finnish woodsman's tool to make it more useful for fighting; for example, making the blade longer, changing from a flat back to a clip point, and adding a large guard. The resulting weapon, still called a "Finnish knife" (финский нож) in Russian, looked rather different from a typical puukko. "Finnish knives" were ubiquitous in the criminal underworld of Russia and Soviet Union throughout the first half of the 20th century. Because of the criminal association, the "Finnish knife" was banned in the Soviet Union in the 1930s, much like the switchblade would later be banned in the West.

The Winter War revealed a number of deficiencies in Soviet weaponry; among other issues, the Soviet infantry lacked a good combat knife. As a result, in 1940, the Soviet Army adopted the NR-40 – essentially, a mass-produced version of the Russian gangster's "Finnish knife".

[edit] Combat use

The NR-40 was popular with the Soviet troops. It was a sturdy tool that could be used to open cans, cut wood, etc. At some points during the war, due to a lack of rifles, Soviet soldiers stormed German trenches armed only with their knives. Such tactics astounded the Germans, who decided that the Soviets must have a special "Schwarzmesser" (black knife) division of trained knife fighters.