Page 20 - History of War - Issue 10-14

FRONTLINE

Frontline
EVOLUTIONOFGRENADES

Robert Fleming, curator at the Department of Access & Outreach at the

National Army Museum, talks about grenades in the 20th Century

renades go back as far as The Royal Laboratory invented Grenade. These were literally Jam but they were very much just
the 8th Century, before the No 1 Grenade in 1908. It Tins or Bully Beef Tins fi lled as dangerous to the thrower –
Gbeing developed into cast- contained explosive material with with an explosive charge, metal especially in the open. Although
iron bombshells by the Middle an iron fragmentation band and an fragments or ball bearings and a the stated immediate killing range
Ages. However, they didn’t play impact fuse, detonating when the lit fuse protruding from the top. of the blast was around fi ve to ten
a major part in warfare until the top of the grenade hit the ground. Reliable manufactured versions yards, fragmentation could easily
20th Century. Since then, A long cane handle enabled of the fragmentation grenade travel 30 to 40 yards and cause
they have become an the user to throw the became available in 1915 in signifi cant injury, so taking cover
integral part of the grenade further than the the form of the Mills bomb. after throwing, or throwing into a
modern battlefi eld. blast of the explosion. The beauty of the Mills was its confi ned space was very important
Just as they classic design: a grooved cast- for the safety of the bomber.
HOW WERE GRENADES had done in the iron “pineapple” which would
USED IN WWI? Crimea, troops fragment along its grooves, but JUST HOW INFLUENTIAL WAS THE MILLS
In the years often improvised fi t neatly into the palm of the BOMB AS A GRENADE?
immediately their own weapons hand. Although slightly heavier The Mills bomb really was the
prior to the in the trenches, than a cricket ball, it was easy classic template for many of the
First World such as the Jam Tin to throw in the same fashion, world’s modern grenades. British
War, Marten Hale and most men could throw it 15 and Commonwealth armies used
created a grenade that Known as the ‘Thumper’, the to 20 metres (50 to 65 feet). variations of it in both world wars,
M79 grenade launcher first
was highly effective and Although the blast radius was and it formed the template for
appeared in the Vietnam War
he convinced the British andisstillusedallover actually wider than this, in trench the US M2 Grenade – one of the
Army of its usefulness. theworldtoday warfare it was ideal, as it could primary grenades used in the 20th
be thrown, and then the thrower Century by many of the world’s
could duck back into his trench armies and featuring in World
for protection. Skilled throwers, War I, World War II, Korean War,
or ‘bombers’ as they were known, Vietnam War, Suez Crisis, and
were even able to accurately land the Six Day War. It was phased
grenades inside enemy trenches out by US forces after the Korean
when they were close enough. War and replaced by the M26,
By the middle of the war, Britain which is a similar shape to the
was producing over 250,000 Mills and M2, and the British Army
grenades and 50 different grade introduced the L2 Series variant of
designs every week! Australian the US M26.
Commonwealth Pattern Jackets
were fitted with pleated pockets HOW WERE THESE FIRST MODERN GRENADES
that could fi t four Mills bombs DEVELOPED UPON IN THE INTERWAR PERIOD?
each, enabling them to carry Really there was actually not much
eight grenades in offensive development between the wars;
attacks! the main changes were that early
in the World War II, fuse timers
WERE THEY EFFECTIVE? SOME were shortened, as during the
REPORTS SUGGEST THEY DID Battle of France in 1940, British
JUST AS MUCH DAMAGE TO THE soldiers reported that German
THROWER AS THEY DID TO THE soldiers were picking them up and
TARGET. throwing them back! The main
They were highly difference really was that grenades
effective in trench were more reliable and produced
combat because of the in much vaster quantities – the US
containment of blasts alone produced some 50 million
within confi ned spaces, grenades during WWII.
“THE MILLS BOMB REALLY WAS THE

CLASSIC TEMPLATE FOR MANY OF THE
WORLD’S MODERN GRENADES.”

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