New Technology WWI Grenades Grenades At the start
- Slides: 10
New Technology WWI Grenades
Grenades • At the start of the war – Germany had 70, 000 grenades ready to go, along with 106, 000 rifle grenades
Bombing Parties • Grenadiers – men whose job it was to deploy grenades • Bombing parties grew in number and frequency as war continued • They formed a large part of the infantry • Team consisted of 9 men: • • • An NCO 2 throwers 2 carriers 2 bayonet-men to defend the team 2 spare men to fill in for casualties
Role of Grenadiers • They raced through trenches throwing grenades at enemies as their infantry progressed forward • The Western Front was lacking grenades well into 1916 • This soon changed and they were producing 250, 000/ week
Detonation • 2 forms Hand or Rifle • 2 detonations Impact or timed fuse • Generally – Timed fuse was used as it created less of a danger to detonators • “Stick Grenade” – fuse was lit and the handle was lifted it then detonated • “Cricket ball” – cylindrical grenade ignited by striking it like a match before throwing it upwards
Mark 1 • Highly unpopular with soldiers • Canister with a 16 inch candle- ignited by removing the safety pin • When thrown the handle and streamers had to land downwards– difficult in a trench • Mistrusted as it would detonate if it came into contact with anything while flying through the air
Mills bomb • Thrower removes the pin while holding down the strike lever beneath it • When thrown a 4 second fuse is set off • Soldiers were instructed to throw this like bowling in cricket
No 36 M • The mills bomb was revised to create the 36 M • This was filled with explosives and dipped in shellac to seal the grenade and prevent rapid detonation • This reduced the amount of “dud” grenades • The base was strengthened for use on a rifle discharger and delay was set to 7 second
German Grenades • The Stielhandgranate “Stick Grenade” or “Potato Masher” was first used in 1915 • The earliest grenades had a simple metal sheet rolled into a cylinder filled with explosives- attached to a wooden handle making it easier to throw • http: //www. collegehillarsenal. com/shop/prod uct. php? productid=858
Greatest Grenade Battle of the War • Pozieres Heights on the night of 26 -27 July 1916 • Duration: 12 ½ hours without a break for the AUS and BR support • Grenades were thrown for hours – allies alone threw 15, 000 Mills bombs during the night • Many were killed- others dropped from exhaustion