A
hand grenade is an anti-personnel weapon that explodes a short time after release. The French military term
grenade probably comes from the shape of the
pomegranateThe pomegranate is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing to between five and eight meters tall. The pomegranate is native to Southwest Asia and has been cultivated in the Caucasus since ancient times...
fruit, which is also called
grenade in French.
GrenadiersA grenadier was originally a specialized soldier, first established as a distinct role in the mid to late 17th century, for the throwing of grenades and sometimes assault operations. At this time grenadiers were chosen from the strongest and largest soldiers...
were originally soldiers who specialized in throwing grenades. Today, some grenades are fired from rifles or from purpose-designed
grenade launcherA grenade launcher is a weapon that launches a grenade with more accuracy, higher velocity, and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand....
s.
History
The first grenades appeared in the
Byzantine EmpireThe Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, and ruled by Emperors in direct and de jure succession to the ancient Roman Emperors...
, not long after the reign of
Leo IIILeo III the Isaurian or the Syrian , was Byzantine emperor from 717 until his death in 741...
(717-741). Byzantine soldiers learned that
Greek fireGreek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantines typically used it in naval battles to great effect as it could continue burning even on water. It provided a technological advantage, and was responsible for many key Byzantine military victories, most notably the...
, a Byzantine invention of the previous century, could not only be thrown by
flamethrowerA flamethrower is a mechanical device designed to project a long controllable stream of fire.Some flamethrowers project a stream of ignited flammable liquid; some project a long gas flame. Most military flamethrowers use liquids, but commercial flamethrowers tend to use high-pressure propane and...
s at the enemy, but also in stone and ceramic jars. Later, glass containers were employed. Byzantine hand grenades with Greek fire in the 10th to 12th centuries are on display in the
National Museum at AthensThe Old Parliament building at Stadiou Street in Athens, housed the Greek Parliament between 1875 and 1932. It now houses the country's National Historical Museum .-History:...
. The use of Greek fire, or rather variants thereof, spread to Muslim armies in the
Near EastNear East today is an ambiguous term that covers different countries for archeologists and historians, on one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
, from where it reached
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
by the 10th century.
Some medieval
petardA petard was a small bomb used to blow up gates and walls when breaching fortifications. The term has a French origin and dates back to the sixteenth century...
s were small enough to be employed against enemy troops and be considered as primitive hand grenades.
In China during the
Song DynastyThe Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
(960–1279AD), weapons known as
Zhen Tian LeiZhen Tian Lei is an early type of hand grenade developed in 10th century China. Its shell was made of cast iron and filled with gunpowder. The length of the fuse could be adjusted according to the intended throwing distance....
were created when Chinese soldiers packed
gunpowderGunpowder, also called black powder, is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate. It burns rapidly, producing volumes of hot solids and gases which can be used as a propellant in firearms and as a pyrotechnic composition in fireworks. The term gunpowder also refers broadly to any...
into ceramic or metal containers. In 1044, a military book
Wujing ZongyaoThe Wujing Zongyao was a Chinese military compendium written in 1044 AD, during the Northern Song Dynasty. Its authors were the prominent scholars Zeng Gongliang , Ding Du , and Yang Weide , whose writing influenced many later Chinese military writers. The book covered a wide range of subjects,...
("Compilation of Military Classics") described various gunpowder recipes in which one can find, according to
Joseph NeedhamNoel Joseph Terence Montgomery Needham, CH, FRS, FBA , also known as Li Yuese , was a British academic and sinologist known for his research and writing on the history of Chinese science. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1941; and he was elected a fellow of the British Academy in 1971...
, the prototype of the modern hand grenade.
The first
cast ironCast iron usually refers to grey iron, but also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys, which solidify with a eutectic. The colour of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due to its carbide impurities which...
bombshells and grenades in China did not appear in Europe until 1467. Within a couple centuries of this, the Chinese had discovered the explosive potential of packing hollowed cannonball shells with gunpowder. Written later by
Jiao YuJiao Yu was a Chinese military officer loyal to Zhu Yuanzhang , the founder of the Ming Dynasty . He was entrusted by Emperor Hongwu as a leading artillery officer for the rebel army that overthrew the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, and established the Ming Dynasty...
in the mid 14th century book of the
HuolongjingThe Huolongjing is a 14th century military treatise that was compiled and edited by Jiao Yu and Liu Ji of the early Ming Dynasty in China...
("Fire Drake Manual"), this manuscript recorded an earlier Song-era cast iron cannon known as the "flying-cloud thunderclap eruptor" (fei yun pi-li pao). The manuscript stated that (Needham's modified
Wade-GilesWade–Giles , sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization system for the Mandarin language used in Beijing. It developed from a system produced by Thomas Wade during the mid-19th century, and was given completed form with Herbert Giles' Chinese–English dictionary of 1892.Wade–Giles' was the main...
spelling):
The shells (phao) are made of cast iron, as large as a bowl and shaped like a ball. Inside they contain half a pound of ‘divine fire’ (shén huǒ, gunpowder). They are sent flying towards the enemy camp from an eruptor (mu phao); and when they get there a sound like a thunder-clap is heard, and flashes of light appear. If ten of these shells are fired successfully into the enemy camp, the whole place will be set ablaze...
This text of the
Huolongjing was also important for the understanding of the Chinese hand grenade in the 14th century, as it provided much more detailed descriptions and even printed illustrations of the grenade bombs used.
In 1643, it is possible that "Grenados" were thrown amongst the Welsh at Holt Bridge during the English Civil War. The word "grenade" originated in the
Glorious RevolutionThe Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of King James II of England in 1688 by a union of Parliamentarians with an invading army led by the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau who, as a result, ascended the English throne as William III of England...
(1688), where cricket ball-sized iron spheres packed with gunpowder and fitted with slow-burning wicks were first used against the
JacobitesJacobitism was the political movement dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
in the battles of
KilliecrankieThe Battle of Killiecrankie was fought between Highland Scottish clans supporting King James VII of Scotland and government troops supporting King William of Orange on 27 July 1689, during the Glorious Revolution...
and
Glen ShielThe Battle of Glen Shiel was a battle in Glen Shiel, in the West Highlands of Scotland on 10 June 1719, between British government troops and an alliance of Jacobites and Spaniards, resulting in a victory for the government forces. It was the last close engagement of British and foreign troops on...
. These grenades were not very effective (probably because a direct hit would be necessary for the grenade to have effect) and, as a result, saw little use.
However,
trench warfareTrench warfare was a form of warfare in which both combatants occupied static fortified fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops were largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and were substantially sheltered from artillery. It has become a byword for stalemate in...
favored the grenade. In a letter to his sister, Colonel Hugh Robert Hibbert, described an improvised grenade employed during the Crimea War (1854-1856):
- We have a new invention to annoy our friends in their pits. It consists in filling empty soda water bottles full of powder, old twisted nails and any other sharp or cutting thing we can find at the time, sticking a bit of tow in for a fuse then lighting it and throwing it quickly into our neighbours pit where it bursts, to their great annoyance. You may imagine their rage at seeing a soda water bottle come tumbling into a hole full of men with a little fuse burning away as proud as a real shell exploding and burying itself into soft parts of the flesh.
In the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
, both sides used hand grenades equipped with a plunger that detonated the device upon impact. The North relied on experimental
Ketchum GrenadeThe Ketchum Hand Grenade was a grenade used in the American Civil War. It was patented on August 20, 1861 by William F. Ketchum, and was partially adopted in the Union Army...
s, with a tail to ensure the nose would strike the target and start the fuse. The Confederacy used spherical hand grenades that weighed about six pounds, sometimes with a paper fuse. They also used Rains and Adams grenades, which were similar to the Ketchum in appearance and mechanism.
One of the first widely used percussion hand grenades was designed about 1903 by a colonel of Serbian army, Miloš Vasić. In 1912, Colonel Vasić further redesigned his hand grenade into "Vasić" M.12 model. They were adopted by Serbian army in 1912, just in time to be used in 1st and 2nd Balkan War (1912-1913) and extensively used by Serbian infantry in World War I. That grenade was popular under name of "Vasićka" (by its designers name), or "Kragujevka" (by its place of manufacture, the military-technical works in Kragujevac, Serbia). The Vasić design was further developed into series of new hand grenades which lasted until far after the end of World War II.
The most infamous usage of the "Vasić" hand grenade was in the
assassination of Archduke Franz FerdinandThe assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on 28 June 1914 in Bosnia-Herzegovina - then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire - brought the tensions between Austria-Hungary and Serbia to a head. This triggered a chain of international events that embroiled Russia and the major European...
in Sarajevo in 1914, when one of the involved threw one at the Archduke's car. The grenade bounced off and exploded under the following vehicle, wounding about 20 people. Franz Ferdinand and his wife were shot to death later that day. Austro-Hungarian authorities confiscated a couple of "Vasić" grenades from assassins, and used them to support their accusations to Serbia for the alleged participation in assassination plot, the act that led to the outbreak of WWI.
In
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, both sides only had small pre-war grenades. For example, in Italy, the Besozzi grenade had a five-second fuse with a match-tip that was ignited by striking on a ring on the soldier's hand. As an interim measure, the troops often improvised their own, such as the
Jam Tin GrenadeThe Double Cylinder, No 8 and No 9 hand grenades, also known as the "Jam Tin", were early designs used by the British Army in World War I.The Double Cylinder was one of the many grenades designed for British use in the early part of the First World War in response to the failings of the No 1...
. These were replaced when manufactured versions such as the
Mills bombMills bomb is the popular name for a series of prominent British hand grenades.-Overview:William Mills - a golf club designer from Sunderland - patented, developed and manufactured the 'Mills bomb' at the Mills Munition Factory in Birmingham, England, in 1915. The Mills bomb was adopted by the...
, the first modern fragmentation grenade, became available to British front-line troops. The Mills bomb was developed at the Mills Munitions Factory in
BirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. Birmingham is the second-most populous British city, with a population of 1,006,500 ....
, England and was described as the first "safe grenade". Approximately 75,000,000 grenades were made during World War I. They were explosive-filled steel canisters with a triggering pin and a distinctive deeply notched surface. This segmentation was thought to aid
fragmentationFragmentation is the process by which the casing of an artillery shell, bomb, grenade, etc. is shattered by the detonating high explosive filling. The correct technical terminology for these casing pieces is fragments , although shards or splinters can be used for non-preformed fragments...
and increase the grenade's deadliness. Later research showed that the segmentation did not improve fragmentation. Improved-fragmentation designs would later be made with the notches on the inside, but at the time, this would have been too expensive to produce. The external segmentation of the original Mills bomb was retained, since it did provide a positive grip surface. This basic "pin-and-pineapple" design is still used in some modern grenades. On the other hand, the U.S.
M67The M67 grenade is a fragmentation hand grenade used by the United States Military and Canadian Forces, where it is referred to as the C13. The M67 is a replacement for the M61 grenade used during Vietnam and the older Mk 2 "pineapple" grenade used since World War II.-Description:The M67 can be...
fragmentation grenade has a smooth exterior, which is more suitable for being rolled or for throwing in a flat arc.
To propel grenades farther, the
rifle grenadeA rifle grenade is a grenade that uses a rifle based launcher to permit a longer effective range than would be possible if the grenade was thrown by hand...
was devised. This made use of a modified rifle with a blank cartridge to propel the grenade. These rifles may be permanently fixed in wooden support frames and would not be used for firing bullets. Use was also made of
catapultA catapult is any one of a number of non-handheld mechanical devices used to throw or hurl a projectile a great distance without the aid of explosive substances—particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. Although the catapult has been used since ancient times, it is proven...
s, both manufactured and improvised, although these were eventually replaced in the trenches by small
mortarsA mortar is a muzzle-loading indirect fire weapon that fires shells at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It typically has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber.- Function :...
.
Parallel to the Mills bomb and its similar counterparts, the Germans issued the "stick hand grenade" (
Stielhandgranate) which featured an explosive charge encased in a metal can and mounted on a wooden shaft for throwing. This simple design continued to evolve throughout the First and Second World Wars, with the
Model 24 grenadeThe Model 24 Stielhandgranate was the standard hand grenade of the German Army from the end of World War I until the end of World War II. The very distinctive appearance led to its being called a "stick grenade", or a "potato masher" in British Army slang, and is today one of the most easily...
(popularly known as the "potato masher") becoming one of the most easily recognized of all small arms, and synonymous with the German soldier.
The
Molotov cocktailThe Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, or Molotov bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...
is an improvised grenade prepared from a glass bottle filled with
alcoholIn chemistry, an alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group. An important group of acohols is formed by the simple acyclic alcohols, the general formula for which is C
nH
2n+1OH...
(
ethanolEthanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug, best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages and in modern thermometers. Ethanol is one of the oldest recreational drugs...
) or
gasolineGasoline or petrol is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture, primarily used as fuel in internal combustion engines...
(petrol) ignited by a burning strip of cloth when the thrown bottle bursts against its target. The Molotov cocktail received its name during the Soviet invasion of Finland in 1939
Winter WarThe Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939, three months after the German invasion of Poland and the start of World War II, and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
, but had been in use earlier in the decade when used by Franco's troops during the Spanish Civil War. The name originated from Finnish troops during the Winter War. It was named after former Soviet foreign minister
Vyacheslav MolotovVyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov was a Soviet politician and diplomat, a leading figure in the Soviet government from the 1920s, when he rose to power as a protégé of Joseph Stalin, to 1957, when he was dismissed from Presidium of the Central Committee by Nikita Khrushchev...
whom they deemed responsible for the war, and a humorous reference to the Soviet bombs known as "
Molotov bread basketThe Molotov bread basket , officially RRAB-3, was a Soviet-made droppable bomb dispenser that combined a large high-explosive charge with a cluster of incendiary bombs. It was used against the cities of Finland during the Winter War of 1939–1940...
s" in Finland.
Design
Most grenades explode, projecting
shrapnelFragmentation is the process by which the casing of an artillery shell, bomb, grenade, etc. is shattered by the detonating high explosive filling. The correct technical terminology for these casing pieces is fragments , although shards or splinters can be used for non-preformed fragments...
, i.e., pieces of the casing,
serratedSerration may refer to:* A notch on a serrated blade* Serrate , a term used to describe a toothed leaf margin or other plant part* Serrate radar detector, used in World War II by the Allies to track German planes equipped with Lichtenstein radars...
wire, or an
incendiaryIncendiary weapons, Incendiary devices or incendiary bombs are bombs designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using materials such as napalm, thermite, chlorine trifluoride, or white phosphorus.According to the...
material. Some, such as smoke grenades, merely burn, releasing smoke for masking, marking, or signaling. Grenades are filled with explosive or chemical filler and have a hole into which a
fuseIn an explosive, pyrotechnic device or military munition, a fuse is the part of the device that initiates function. In common usage, the word fuse is used indiscriminately...
is inserted. In modern hand grenades, the fuse is lit by an internal device rather than an external flame.
Characteristics
Hand grenades have five characteristics:
- Their employment range is short.
- Their effective kill radius is small, roughly 5 meters.
- Their effective casualty radius is large. Approximately 15 meters.
- Their delay element permits safe throwing;
- Their hard shell enables grenades to ricochet
A ricochet is a rebound, bounce or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. The possibility of ricochet is one of the reasons for the common firearm's safety rule "Be sure of your target—and of what is beyond it."...
off hard surfaces, like walls, before detonating.
Hand grenades have:
- A body containing filler.
- A filler, the chemical or explosive for fragmentation.
- A fuse causing the grenade to explode by ignition or detonation.
Using grenades
A classic hand grenade has a safety handle or lever (known colloquially as the spoon, due to its size and shape) and a removable safety pin that prevents the handle from being released. Some grenade types also have a safety clip to further prevent the handle from coming off in transit.
To use a grenade the soldier grips it firmly with the throwing hand, ensuring that the safety lever is firmly held in place with the thumb. This is called the "death grip", because letting the lever go could (and probably will) cause the grenade to detonate, killing the thrower. Left-handed soldiers are advised to invert the grenade, ensuring that the thumb is still the digit holding the safety lever in place. The pull ring of the safety pin is then grasped with the index or middle finger of the non-throwing hand and the safety pin is removed using a pulling and twisting motion. The grenade is then thrown towards the target, an over-arm throw is recommended but may not be suitable for an actual combat situation. Soldiers are trained to throw grenades in standing, prone-to-standing, kneeling, prone-to-kneeling, and alternate prone positions and in under- or side-arm throws. If the grenade is thrown from a standing position the thrower must then immediately seek cover or lie prone if no cover is nearby.
Once the grenade is thrown the safety lever is released and the striker throws the safety lever away from the grenade body as it rotates to detonate the primer. The primer explodes and ignites the fuse (sometimes called the delay element), the fuse burns down and activates the detonator which explodes the main charge.
When using an antipersonnel grenade, the objective is to have the grenade explode so that the target is within its effective radius. For the M67 fragmentation grenade used by several
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization ); ), also called "the Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949...
nations, the effective kill zone has a five meter radius, while the casualty-inducing radius is approximately fifteen meters. Fragments can fly as far as 230 meters.
"
Cooking offCooking off refers to ammunition exploding prematurely due to heat in the surrounding environment. It can also refer to a technique used when throwing grenades to achieve a controlled, predictable explosion.-Artillery:...
" is a term referring to intentionally holding onto an armed grenade after the pin has been pulled and the handle released; allowing the fuse to burn partially to decrease the time to detonation after throwing. This technique is used to reduce the ability of the enemy to take cover or throw the grenade back. It is also used to allow the grenade to burst in the air over defensive positions. This technique is inherently dangerous, since fuses may vary from grenade to grenade. Because of this the U.S. Marines (MCWP 3-35) describe cooking-off as the "least preferred technique", recommending a "hard throw, skip/bounce technique" to prevent an enemy returning a grenade.
A call is usually given upon deploying a grenade, to warn friendly forces. Some yells, such as "frag out" or "
fire in the hole"Fire in the hole" is a warning used in the United States, indicating that an explosive detonation in a confined space is imminent. It originated with miners, who needed to warn their fellows that a charge had been set....
" are used when a grenade has been thrown in by an enemy; in any instance the purpose is to warn fellow soldiers to take cover.
In the U.S. Military, when a grenade is dropped into an enclosed space like a tunnel, room, or trench, the person dropping the grenade should yell "fire in the hole" to warn that an explosion is about to occur. Standard U.S. military procedure includes calling "frag out" to indicate that a fragmentation grenade has been deployed.
Grenades are often used in the field to construct
booby trapA booby trap is a trap designed to kill or severely injure a human. As the word trap implies, they often have some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. However, in other cases the device is placed on busy roads or is triggered when the victim performs some type of everyday action...
s, using some action of the intended target (such as opening a door, or starting a car) to trigger the grenade. These grenade-based booby traps are simple to construct in the field using readily available materials. The most basic technique involves wedging a grenade in a tight spot so the safety lever does not leave the grenade when the pin is pulled. A string is then tied from the head assembly to another stationary object. When a soldier steps on the string, the grenade is pulled out of the narrow passageway, the safety lever is released, and the grenade detonates.
Abandoned booby traps and discarded grenades contribute to the problem of
unexploded ordnanceUnexploded ordnance are explosive weapons that did not explode when they were employed and still pose a risk of detonation, potentially many decades after they were used or discarded...
. The use of trip wire-triggered grenades (along with
land mineA land mine is a target triggered explosive weapon. Their non-explosive predecessors have been used on the battlefield since ancient times. Landmines were designed to be used to deter, channel, delay and kill an enemy. They have been used in various formats, for centuries and have featured in all...
s in general) is banned under the
Ottawa TreatyThe Ottawa Treaty or the Mine Ban Treaty, formally the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, bans completely all anti-personnel landmines . , there were 156 States Parties to the treaty. Two states have...
and may be treated as a war crime wherever it is ratified.
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
, the
People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
,
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
have not signed the treaty despite international pressure, citing self-defense needs.
Grenades have also been made to release
smokeThis article is about the substance. For other uses, see Smoke .Smoke is the collection of airborne solid and liquid particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass...
, tear gas and other gases, as well as illumination.
Special forcesSpecial forces and special operations forces are generic terms for elite highly-trained military teams/units that conduct specialized operations such as reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, direct action and counter-terrorism actions.In the United States, the term special operations forces is...
often use stun grenades to disorient people during entry into a room.
Some grenade designs were made to be thrown longer distances. The
German "potato-masher" grenadeThe Model 24 Stielhandgranate was the standard hand grenade of the German Army from the end of World War I until the end of World War II. The very distinctive appearance led to its being called a "stick grenade", or a "potato masher" in British Army slang, and is today one of the most easily...
had a long wooden handle that extended its range by fifty percent. The "potato-masher" was fired by a friction igniter in the head, which was activated by a pull string threaded through the hollow handle. Immediately before throwing the grenade, the soldier pulled a small porcelain ball attached to a string attached to the friction igniter. This started the time fuse which fired the detonator after a delay. The "potato-masher" is often incorrectly thought to have had an impact fuse. It did not, but the superficially similar British stick grenade design of 1908 did.
Variants
Fragmentation
The fragmentation grenade (commonly known as a "frag") is an
anti-personnel weaponAn anti-personnel weapon is one primarily used to injure or kill people. Because these do not discriminate between soldiers and civilians, there are international political movements to ban these various weapons...
that is designed to disperse
shrapnelFragmentation is the process by which the casing of an artillery shell, bomb, grenade, etc. is shattered by the detonating high explosive filling. The correct technical terminology for these casing pieces is fragments , although shards or splinters can be used for non-preformed fragments...
upon exploding. The body is made of hard plastic or steel. Flechettes, notched wire, ball bearings or the case itself provide the fragments. When the word "grenade" is used without specification, and context does not suggest otherwise, it is generally assumed to refer to a fragmentation grenade.
These grenades were sometimes classed as defensive grenades because the effective casualty radius of some matched or exceeded the distance they could be thrown, thus necessitating them being thrown from behind cover. The
Mills bombMills bomb is the popular name for a series of prominent British hand grenades.-Overview:William Mills - a golf club designer from Sunderland - patented, developed and manufactured the 'Mills bomb' at the Mills Munition Factory in Birmingham, England, in 1915. The Mills bomb was adopted by the...
or F1 grenade are examples of defensive grenades where the 30–45 m casualty radius matched or exceeded the 30 m that a grenade could reasonably be thrown.
Modern fragmentation grenades such as the United States
M67 grenadeThe M67 grenade is a fragmentation hand grenade used by the United States Military and Canadian Forces, where it is referred to as the C13. The M67 is a replacement for the M61 grenade used during Vietnam and the older Mk 2 "pineapple" grenade used since World War II.-Description:The M67 can be...
have a wounding radius of 15 m (half that of older style grenades which may still be encountered) and can be thrown about 40 m. Fragments may travel more than 200 m.
Concussion
The concussion grenade is an anti-personnel device that is designed to damage its target with explosive power alone. Compared to fragmentation grenades, the explosive filler is usually of a greater weight and volume. The case is far thinner and is designed to fragment as little as possible. The
overpressureThe term Overpressure is applied to a pressure difference, relative to a "normal" or "ambient" pressure, in two different circumstances:* In geology: the pressure regime in a stratigraphic unit that exhibits higher-than-hydrostatic pressure in its pore structure. This phenomenon is the primary...
produced by this grenade when used in enclosed areas is greater than that produced by the fragmentation grenade. Therefore, it is especially effective in enclosed areas.
These grenades are usually classed as offensive weapons because the effective casualty radius is smaller than the distance it can be thrown. The concussion effect is more lethal than fragmentation, but it's power drops more rapidly with range as well.
The US
MK3A2The MK3A2 offensive hand grenade is a concussion grenade designed to produce casualties during close combat while minimizing danger to friendly personnel. The grenade is also used for concussion effects in enclosed areas, for blasting, or for demolition tasks...
concussion grenade is filled with
TNTTrinitrotoluene , or more specifically, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, is a chemical compound with the formula C
6H
23CH
3. This yellow-coloured solid is a reagent in chemistry but is best known as a useful explosive material with convenient handling properties...
and has a body made of tarred cardboard.
The term 'concussion' is often erroneously applied to stun grenades. This is not descriptive of the effects caused by the grenade. The term 'concussion' is used because the grenade relies on its explosive power to create casualties.
Percussion
A percussion grenade detonates upon impact with the target. Classic examples of percussion grenades are the
British Gammon bombThe Gammon bomb officially known as the No. 82 grenade was a British hand grenade used during World War II.-Overview:Designed by Capt. R.S. Gammon MC of the 1st Parachute Regiment, the Gammon bomb was developed as a replacement for the temperamental and highly dangerous "sticky bomb" grenade...
and
No. 69 grenadeThe British No. 69 was an offensive grenade developed and used during World War II. It was adopted into service due to the need for a grenade with smaller destructive radius than the No. 36M "Mills bomb". This allowed the thrower to use a grenade even when there was little in the way of defensive...
. Timed fuse grenades are generally preferred to hand-thrown percussion grenades because their fuzing mechanisms are safer and more robust than those used in percussion grenades. Some percussion grenades have a conventional pyrotechnic fuse fitted as a backup detonation device.
Smoke
Smoke grenades are used as ground-to-ground or ground-to-air signaling devices, target or landing zone marking devices, and
screeningthumb|right|205px|A [[U.S. Army]] [[Humvee]] laying a smoke screenA smoke screen is a release of smoke in order to mask the movement or location of military units such as infantry, tanks, aircraft or ships....
devices for unit movement. The body is a sheet-steel cylinder with emission holes in the top and bottom. These allow the smoke to be released when the grenade is ignited. Two main types exist, colored smoke (for signaling) and screening smoke. In colored smoke grenades, the filler consists of 250 to 350 grams of
colored smokeColored smoke is a kind of smoke created by an aerosol of small particles of a suitable pigment or dye.Colored smoke can be used for smoke signals, often in a military context. It can be produced by smoke grenades, or by various other pyrotechnical devices...
mixture (mostly
potassium chloratePotassium chlorate is a compound containing potassium, chlorine and oxygen, with the molecular formula KClO
3. In pure form, it is a white crystalline substance. It is the most common chlorate in industrial use, and is usually present in well-stocked laboratories...
, lactose and a dye). Screening smoke grenades usually contain HC (
hexachloroethaneHexachloroethane, also known as perchloroethane , C2Cl6, is a colorless solid at room temperature which is used by the US Military in smoke compositions, e.g...
/
zincZinc , also known as spelter, is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
) smoke mixture or TA (
terephthalic acidTerephthalic acid is the organic compound with formula C
6H
42. This colourless solid is a commodity chemical, used principally as a precursor to the polyester PET, used to make clothing and plastic bottles. Several billion kilograms are produced annually...
) smoke mixture. HC smoke is harmful to breathe, since it contains
hydrochloric acidHydrochloric acid is the solution of hydrogen chloride in water. It is a highly corrosive, strong mineral acid and has major industrial uses. It is found naturally in gastric acid....
. Whilst not intended as a primary effect, these grenades can generate enough heat to scald or burn unprotected skin and the spent casing should not be touched until it has cooled.
Riot control
Tear gas grenades are similar to smoke grenades in terms of shape and operation. In tear gas grenades the filler is generally 80 to 120 grams of
CS gasCS gas is the common name for 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile , a "tear gas" that is used as a riot control agent. It is generally accepted as being non-lethal...
combined with a pyrotechnic composition which burns to generate an
aerosolParticulates, alternatively referred to as particulate matter or fine particles, are tiny particles of solid or liquid suspended in a gas or liquid. In contrast, aerosol refers to particles and the gas together. Sources of particulate matter can be man made or natural...
of CS-laden smoke. This causes extreme irritation to the eyes and, if inhaled, to the nose and throat. (See also the Branch Davidian siege). Occasionally
CR gasCR gas or dibenzoxazepine, chemically dibenz[b,f][1,4]oxazepine, is an incapacitating agent and a lachrymatory agent. CR was developed by the British Ministry of Defence as a riot control agent in the late 1950s and early 1960s....
is used instead of CS.
Incendiary
Incendiary grenades (or thermite grenades) produce intense heat by means of a
chemical reactionA chemical reaction is a process that leads to the transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. They are studied by chemists under a field of science called chemistry. Chemical reactions can be either spontaneous, requiring no input of energy, or non-spontaneous, often coming about...
. The body is practically the same as that of a smoke grenade. The filler is 600 to 800 grams of
thermateThermate is a variation of thermite and is an incendiary pyrotechnic composition that can generate short bursts of very high temperatures focused on a small area for a short period of time. It is used primarily in incendiary grenades....
, which is an improved version of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
-era
thermiteThermite is a pyrotechnic composition of a metal powder and a metal oxide, which produces an aluminothermic reaction known as a thermite reaction. It is not explosive, but can create short bursts of extremely high temperatures focused on a very small area for a short period of time.Thermites can...
. The chemical reaction that produces the heat is called a "thermite reaction". In this reaction, powdered
aluminiumAluminium or aluminum is a silvery white and ductile member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al; its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
metal and
iron oxideIron oxides are chemical compounds composed of iron and oxygen. Altogether, there are sixteen known iron oxides and oxyhydroxides.-Oxides:* FeO, iron oxide, * Fe3O4, iron oxide,...
react to produce a stream of
moltenMölten is a comune in the province of Bolzano-Bozen in the Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 60 km north of Trento and about 12 km northwest of Bolzano ....
iron and aluminium oxide. This reaction produces a tremendous amount of heat, burning at . This makes incendiary grenades useful for destroying weapons caches, artillery, and vehicles. Other advantages include its ability to function without an external
oxygenOxygen Oxygen Oxygen (acid, literally "sharp", from the taste of acids) and -γενής (-genēs) (producer, literally begetter) is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O...
source, allowing it to burn underwater. Because they are not intended to be thrown, thermate incendiary grenades generally have a shorter delay
fuseIn an explosive, pyrotechnic device or military munition, a fuse is the part of the device that initiates function. In common usage, the word fuse is used indiscriminately...
than other grenades e.g. two seconds.
White phosphorus (also used in smoke grenades; see above) can also be used as an incendiary agent. It burns at a temperature of 2800 °C (5000 °F). White phosphorus was notably used in the
No. 76 Special Incendiary GrenadeThe No. 76 was an incendiary grenade based on white phosphorus used during World War II.The design was the suggestion of the British phosphorus manufacturing firm of Albright and Wilson at a time when the UK faced possible invasion by Germany...
by the British Home Guard during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Thermite and white phosphorus cause some of the worst and most painful
burn injuriesA burn is a type of injury that may be caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation, or friction. Burns can be highly variable in terms of the tissue affected, the severity, and resultant complications. Muscle, bone, blood vessel, dermal and epidermal tissue can all be damaged with...
because they burn so quickly and at such a high temperature. In addition, white phosphorus is very poisonous: a dose of 50-100 milligrams is lethal to the average human.
A common improvised incendiary grenade is the
Molotov cocktailThe Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, or Molotov bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...
.
Stun
A stun grenade is a nonlethal weapon. The first devices like this were created in the 1960s at the order of the British
Special Air ServiceThe Special Air Service is a special forces regiment within the British Army which has served as a model for the special forces of other countries. The SAS forms a significant section of United Kingdom Special Forces alongside the Special Boat Service , Special Reconnaissance Regiment , and the...
as an incapacitant.
These grenades are used to temporally neutralize the combat effectiveness of enemies by usually disorienting their senses.
The flash of light momentarily activates all light sensitive cells in the eye, making vision impossible for approximately five seconds until the eye restores itself to its normal, unstimulated state. The incredibly loud blast produced by the grenade adds to its incapacitating properties by disturbing the fluid in the ear.
When
detonatedDetonation is a process of combustion in which a supersonic shock wave is propagated through a fluid due to an energy release in a reaction zone. It is the more powerful of the two general classes of combustion, the other one being deflagration. In a detonation, the shock compresses the material...
, the fuse/grenade body assembly remains intact. The body is a tube with holes along the sides which allow a explosion of light and sound to be produced. This is done to avoid injury from shrapnel but it is still possible to be burned, and injuries resulting from the concussive blast of the detonation can occur, the heat created can ignite flammable materials such as fuel. The fires that occurred during the
Iranian Embassy SiegeThe Iranian Embassy Siege of 1980 was a siege of the Iranian embassy in London after it had been taken over by Iranian Arab separatists. The siege was ended when British special forces, the Special Air Service , stormed the building in Operation Nimrod...
in London were caused by stun grenades. The filler consists of about 4.5 grams of a pyrotechnic metal-oxidant mix of
magnesiumMagnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12 and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the earth's crust by mass, although ninth in the Universe as a whole...
or
aluminiumAluminium or aluminum is a silvery white and ductile member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al; its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
and an oxidizer such as
ammonium perchlorateAmmonium perchlorate is a chemical compound with the formula NH4ClO4.It is the salt of ammonia and perchloric acid...
or
potassium perchloratePotassium perchlorate is the inorganic salt with the chemical formula KClO4. Like other perchlorates, this salt is a strong oxidizer and reacts with many organic substances. It is usually obtained as a colorless, crystalline powder...
.
Sting
Sting grenades (also called rubber ball grenades) are based on the design of the fragmentation grenade. Instead of using a metal casing to produce shrapnel, they are made using two spheres of hard rubber. Inside the smaller sphere is the explosive charge, primer, and detonator. The space between the two spheres is then filled with many small, hard rubber balls. Upon detonation, the subject is incapacitated by the blunt force of the projectiles. The subject is incapacitated, winded, or at the very least dislodged from cover.
Some types, such as the ALSG101CS from ALS Technologies, have an additional payload of chemical agents like CS gas.
The advantages compared to a flashbang are:
- The subject does not need to be looking at the grenade for it to take full effect in outdoor areas.
- Sting grenades are much more likely to cause a subject to either fall or lower himself in pain, thus providing good sight lines to unaffected targets in the area.
This makes sting grenades ideal for containing small groups of rowdy prisoners, providing a shooting opportunity when a suspect is hiding behind cover, or in allowing
SWATA SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in American and some international law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
teams to clear small rooms.
A disadvantage of using sting grenades is that they are not sure to incapacitate a subject, so they are dangerous to use with armed subjects. This is because sting grenades rely on the body's reaction to adverse stimuli (pain and blunt force trauma) rather than denial of sensory input. A person with sufficient mental focus can concentrate enough to ignore being hit by a sting grenade's payload, whereas a stun grenade will physically affect vision and sense of orientation. The effective range of a sting grenade is limited compared to a stun grenade. In addition, there is the risk of serious physical injury as the target is being pelted with actual objects capable of inflicting harm, and not just being deafened/blinded.
Sting grenades are sometimes called "stinger grenades", which is a
genericized trademarkA genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for a general class of product or service, rather than the specific meaning intended by the trademark's holder...
as "Stinger" is
trademarkA trademark or trade mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or services from...
ed by
Defense TechnologyBAE Systems plc is a British defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in Farnborough, Hampshire, England, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is the world's second-largest defence contractor and the largest in Europe...
for its own line of sting grenades.
Impact stun
A more recent development is the Blank Firing Grenade (BFIG or Blank Firing Impact Grenade). Preferred in many situations, especially training, for two main reasons; they are re-usable - and therefore more economical - because the charge is a standard
ammunition blankA blank is a type of cartridge for a firearm that contains gunpowder but no bullet or shot. When fired, the blank makes a flash and an explosive sound . Blanks are often used for simulation , training, and for signaling...
, and they are subject to very few transport restrictions when unloaded. The BFIG contains a mechanism to fire a blank cartridge when dropped at any angle onto a hard surface from a height of a metre or more. Firing will occur in any combination of positions only on impact.
Anti-tank
The first
anti-tankAnti-tank refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicles, notably tanks. The most common anti-tank systems include artillery with a high muzzle velocity, missiles , various autocannons firing penetrating ammunition, and anti-tank mines.In the area of anti-tank warfare, three...
grenades were improvised devices usually made by putting a number of fragmentation grenades into a sandbag or by tying them together. Due to their weight, these were normally thrown from very close range or directly placed in vulnerable spots onto an enemy vehicle.
Purpose-designed anti-tank grenades invariably use the
shaped chargeA shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Various types are used to cut and form metal, initiate nuclear weapons, and penetrate armor...
principle to penetrate the tank's armor. This means that the grenade has to hit the vehicle at an exact right angle for the effect to work properly. This is achieved by the grenade deploying a small
drogue parachuteA drogue parachute is a parachute designed to be deployed from a rapidly moving object. It is often used to gain control of very fast descents, including those of spacecraft during atmospheric reentry, or nuclear bombs such as the B61 and B83...
or fabric
streamerStreamer or Streamers may refer to:* Streamer , a small pointed flag* Streamer fly, artificial fly fishing lure* Streamer * Streamer * "Streamer", a song by Krokus from Metal Rendez-vous...
s after being thrown.
Britain put the first anti-tank grenade into the field during the Second World War with the rifle-fired No 68 AT Grenade. Also developed by the UK during the war, was the No 74 ST Grenade popularly known as a
sticky bombThe Grenade, Hand, Anti-Tank No. 74, commonly known as the sticky bomb, was a British hand grenade designed and produced during the Second World War. The grenade was one of a number of anti-tank weapons developed for use by the British Army and Home Guard as an ad hoc solution to a lack of...
; the main charge was held in a sphere covered in adhesive. In anticipation of a German invasion, it was produced in substantial numbers. Inherently dangerous for the user, it was relegated to Home Guard use.
During World War II, when tanks overran entrenchments, hand grenades could be and were used by infantry as improvised
anti-tank mineAn anti-tank mine, , is a type of land mine designed to damage or destroy vehicles including tanks and armoured fighting vehicles....
s by placing or throwing them in the path of a tank in the hope of disabling a track.
The most widely-distributed anti-tank grenades are the Russian designs of the 1950s and later, mainly the
RKG-3RKG-3 is the designation of Russian series of anti-tank hand grenades. It superseded the RPG-43, RPG-40 and RPG-6 series of grenades.-Design:...
.
Due to improvements in modern tank armor, anti-tank hand grenades are generally considered obsolete. However, in the recent
Iraq WarThe Iraq War, also known as the Occupation of Iraq or Operation Iraqi Freedom, is an ongoing military campaign which began on March 20, 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by a multinational force led by troops from the United States and the United Kingdom.Prior to the war, the governments of the United...
, the RKG-3 anti-tank hand grenade has made a reappearance in the service of insurgents who utilize them primarily against
US HumveesThe High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle is a military 4WD motor vehicle created by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles formerly served by smaller Jeeps such as the M151 1/4 ton MUTT, the M561 "Gama Goat", their M718A1 and M792 ambulance versions, the CUCV, and other light trucks...
, which lack the heavier armor of tanks.
Grenades as ornamentation
Stylized pictures of early grenades, emitting a flame, are used as ornaments on
military uniformMilitary uniforms comprises standardised dress worn by members of the armed forces and paramilitaries of various nations. Military dress and military styles have gone through great changes over the centuries from colourful and elaborate to extremely utilitarian...
s, particularly in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
(esp. French Gendarmerie and the
French Foreign LegionThe French Foreign Legion is a unique unit in the French Army, established in 1831. The legion was specifically created for foreign nationals wishing to serve in the French Armed Forces, but commanded by French officers. However, it is also open to French citizens, who amount to 24% of recruits...
), and
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
(
CarabinieriThe Arma dei Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both the military and civilian populations. The Carabinieri is now a branch of the armed forces , thus ending their long standing role as the first corps of the Italian army.-Early history:The corps was created by King Victor...
). Fusilier regiments in the British and Commonwealth tradition (e.g. the Princess Louise Fusiliers, Canadian Army) wear a "flaming grenade" cap-badge, reflecting their historic use of grenades in the assault. The British
Grenadier GuardsThe Grenadier Guards is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
took their name and cap badge of a burning grenade from repelling an attack of French Grenadiers at
WaterlooIn the Battle of Waterloo forces of the French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte and Michel Ney were defeated by those of the Seventh Coalition, including an Anglo-Allied army under the command of the Duke of Wellington and a Prussian army under the command of Gebhard von Blücher...
. The Spanish artillery arm uses a flaming granade as its badge. The flag of the
Russian Ground ForcesThe Russian Ground Forces are the land forces of the Russian Federation, formed from parts of the collapsing Soviet Army in 1992. This in turn, posed many economic challenges coupled with reforms to professionalize the force during the transitional phase that Russia had to endure due to the...
also bears a "flaming grenade" device. The branch insignia of the US Army
Ordnance CorpsThe United States Army Ordnance Corps is a combat service support branch of the United States Army, headquartered at Fort Lee, Virginia. The mission of the Ordnance Corps is to "support the development, production, acquisition and sustainment of weapons systems and munitions, and to provide...
also uses this symbol, the grenade being symbolic of explosive ordnance in general. The United States Marine Corps also uses the grenade on their uniforms: the rank insignia for master gunnery sergeant has three chevrons pointing up, with four rockers on the bottom. In the middle of this is a bursting bomb, or grenade. US Navy
Aviation OrdnancemanAviation Ordnanceman is a United States Navy occupational rating.- Overview :Aviation Ordnancemen operate and handle aviation ordnance equipment. They are responsible for the maintenance of guns, bombs, torpedoes, rockets, and missiles. Their duties include the stowing, issuing, and loading of...
's rating badge features a winged device of similar design. Ukrainian
Mechanized InfantryMechanized Infantry are the basis of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. They execute tasks of holding the occupied areas, lines and positions tasks of enemy’s impacts repelling, of penetrating enemy’s defense lines, of defeating the enemy forces, of capturing the important areas, lines and objects,...
and Engineers use a "flaming grenade" in their branch insignia.
See also
- Nils Waltersen Aasen
Nils Waltersen Aasen was a Norwegian arms inventor; he is credited with having created the modern hand grenade and land mine just prior to World War I.-Biography:...
, the creator of the modern hand grenade
- Rocket propelled grenade
A rocket-propelled grenade is any hand-held, shoulder-launched anti-tank weapon capable of firing an unguided rocket equipped with an explosive warhead....
- Rifle grenade
A rifle grenade is a grenade that uses a rifle based launcher to permit a longer effective range than would be possible if the grenade was thrown by hand...
- Grenade launcher
A grenade launcher is a weapon that launches a grenade with more accuracy, higher velocity, and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand....
- Technology of the Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty provided some of the most significant technological advances in Chinese history, many of which came from talented statesmen drafted by the government through imperial examinations....
- Jiao Yu
Jiao Yu was a Chinese military officer loyal to Zhu Yuanzhang , the founder of the Ming Dynasty . He was entrusted by Emperor Hongwu as a leading artillery officer for the rebel army that overthrew the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, and established the Ming Dynasty...
- The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch
External links