WWII Grenades

I havne't seen this topic before.

In everyones opinion what was the overall most effective handgrenade of WWII ???

 

The U.S. pineapple grenade. Easy to throw ( like a baseball ), accurate amount of time on the ignition of the fuse to the explosive detonating, and very lethal. Of course, this is just my opinion. Anyone else?

Bill

P.S. When I get back from vacation next week, I'll get a couple of shots of those German ( dewatt ) grenades I have.

 

From what little I know, I agree. I understand that they had more of a charge than the german, the pineapple made for more shrapnel, and, like you said, were much easier to throw than the stick. I remember hearing vets said a German grenade could go off relatively close to a GI, and not much would really happen. The germans did have and "egg" grenade, but I know relatively little about it's effectiveness or how common it was. I also once read that a german grenade could not be used very effectively as an offensive weapon, but unfortunately, I don't remember why at the moment.

I know very little about british or soviet grenades. I think the Japanese grenade was a bit like ours in that it was pineappled, but is was also cylindrical, kind of like a coke can. I'm willing to bet they were much more difficult to throw, and if they were anything like other japanese munitions, quite outdated.

 

...and, to expand on that Doc, the Japanese grenade, in order to activate it, the user had to "slap" it against a hard surface to set the igniter, after pulling the pin, before throwing it against a target.

Bill

 

References to the Japanese grenade by Bill brought a thought to my head. In SPR is it true about the 60mm mortar rounds? Where you pull the pin and bang it and you can use it like a grenade?

Greg

 

The German 'stick' grenade was 'offensive' ( ie designed for maximum blast effect ) whereas the US 'pineapple' and British No 36 Mills Bomb were 'defensive' ( ie designed for maximum fragmentation effect ).

The idea with 'offensive' grenades being that the effect of blast ( shock, disorientation etc ) would incapacitate the enemy giving the thrower time to advance.

The Germans did try to make the weapon more flexible by fitting a fragmentation sleeve to the 'stick' grenade, however.

Veterans seem to concur that the 'stick' grenade was easier to throw over a distance from cover - to get a good 'throw' with a Mills Bomb, for instance, one needed to be standing....

( As an afterthought I've always thought the effects of grenades to be a little exagerrated in retrospect, especially in movies where they always seem to explode like a 500kg bomb, throwing bodies all over the place ).

 

Thanks Guys! I'm glad this thread has caught so much attention.

Those Jap grenades must have been dangerous.

I didn't know that the german grenade had a smaller charge. It does make sense that it would be easeir to throw without putting ones self at risk.

But, I think I will stick with the good ole pinaple.

What had a bigger charge, mills or american pineapple?

 

Brace yourselves for some interesting figures about grenade fillings : -

US Fragmentation Grenade, MIIA1
Weight of filling : 0.75oz smokeless powder

British Grenade, hand, No. 36M
Weight of filling : 2.5oz Baratol

German Steilhandgranate 39
Weight of filling : 7oz TNT

German Eihandgranate 39
Weight of filling : 6oz TNT.

A lot of 'bang' in those offensive grenades...

( Source for this, by the way, is Ian V Hogg, ' Infantry Weapons of WWII ' )

 

The thread got me a thinkin and I found a site that has some GREAT pictures of grenades - even the glass ones the japanese had -

http://www.inert-ord.net/

 

Great site Doc!

I had no idea there were so many variations.

 

Hello,
I am "ej" from Inert-ORd.net
Reading this I though you might like somthing to help visualize WWII grenade sizes.
Here is a special post, for this forum only.
Enjoy,
ej

http://inert-ord.net/tmp/WWIIcomp.jpg

left to right
Generic Soda Can
British Mills Bomb - No.36
U.S. Mk.II
Russian F1
German M39
Japanese Type 97
Japanese Type 99
Italian OTO Mod.35
And the German Mod.24 "Potatoe Masher"

 

welcome EJ !

Noticed a small glich in your Luftwaffe ammo section and replied in your guest book entry. I have a ton of info on the 3cm Air craft round since I am co-web-master of the Sturmgruppen 1944 site being rebuilt at this time.

Question, do you have other examples besides the HE Minen Geschoss round for viewing ?

~E

 

Wow!! Thanks alot, EJ!!!

 

Hello,

I am very happy to help, but my web site keeps me busy with correspondence, etc..
As much as I would like, I cannot monitor this forum for replies, etc..
If you wish to contact me please do so directly via email. Linking through ww2forums just takes too much of what limited time I have.

Regards,
Ed

 

ok but am not sure who you are speaking to ? myself or Doc ? As you can see by my guest book entry I am quite involved in the realm of Luftwaffe research......some 38 years and have many contacts.

~E

 

if you get time to read this, ej - a warm welcome indeed from a fellow inert-ordnance-collector !

 

For hand thrown anti-tank grenades the PanzerWürfmine has it hands down. The US M9A1 rifle grenade was the best AT rifle grenade against tanks. It equalled the bazooka in performance.