NR-40


[Image:Knife nr40 ussr.jpg|thumb|300px|Soviet Army NR-40 combat knife.]
The NR-40 was a Soviet combat knife introduced in 1940 and used throughout World War II.

History

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.

"Black knife" division

NR-40 was mostly produced at the ZiK factory in Zlatoust, Urals.
Once the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps was formed in 1943, all its soldiers and officers were supplied with a special issue of NR-40.
The formation was later named by Germans as «Schwarzmesser Panzer-Division». The unofficial divisional anthem mentioned the nickname as well.

Design

The NR-40 has a blade with a clip point, a large ricasso, a black wooden handle, and an S-shaped guard.
The guard is "inverted" because standard Soviet Army grips called for holding the knife with the edge upwards.

Modern variants

NR-40 is no longer used by the army, but modern remakes and almost exact replicas of NR-40 are produced in Zlatoust to this day. A knife of exactly the same proportions would be legally a weapon, thus prohibiting free sale. To circumvent that, producers either use a thinner blade or remove the guard.

Users

Former

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