High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The NR-40 (from Russian: , 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 sneak up on a sentry from behind).