Can You Survive Jumping on a Hand Grenade With Body Armor?

[@metocvideo]

A British soldier did this manoeuvre in 2008 after he tripped a booby trap grenade. He was wearing a standard issue backpack so he lay on his back to absorb the blast. He survived and was awarded the George Medal for bravery.

[@clxwncrxwn]

All the gear in his pack most likely muzzled the concussive force a bit.

[@Pest789]

10:05 looking at the dirt on his pelvis, the grenade definitely kicked him in the ding ding. If there's one thing this video taught me its to consider that when the grenade launches you skyward, your testicles are going to want to remain on the ground. That disparity will probably cause severe discomfort.

[@colinmcgrath2392]

Pest789 it's like Grandad always used to say, "Avoid disparity between you and your testicles! "

[@kill3rbamb146]

Always wear a cup, got it

[@mousseman8239]

The more recent5 body armor actually has crotch armor.

[@crosbykabir2418]

You all probably dont care but does anyone know of a method to get back into an instagram account? I somehow lost the account password. I love any assistance you can give me

[@andrewalvaro1000]

@Crosby Kabir Instablaster =)

[@Gen_Kael]

"Hold my beer" -Kyle Carpenter

[@stephenbritton9297]

"He's dead Jim!" honestly, Carpenter would not have survived in any previous war. His story is amazing!

[@jakemakes]

Short answer: Yes, its been done, people have survived. No way in hell should they have surived.... But they have.

[@timberwolf1575]

I would put money on a large contribution to their survival being poor condition of the grenade, natural (and higher back then) variation in grenade power due to manufacturing variation, and the presence of a brigade of guardian angels.

[@user-jc2in3cp3g]

@@timberwolf1575 and the possibility of them having body armor

[@baloog8]

A ceramic armor insert would be very ideal and/or backpack of soldier.

[@konnorkuznetsov1035]

I know a man who survived jumping on a grenade. His name is Allan Kellog, he is a Vietnam veteran and he has his guts blown out by a grenade when he jumped on top of it and shoved it into the mud beneath him. he was wearing a flak jacket, but it didn't do much. He saved the lives of his entire squad and proceeded, afterwards, to carry his wounded buddy about a half a kilometer to a safe spot. He was awarded the Congressional Medal Of Honor. Anyone who jumps on a grenade in order to save lives is an absolute hero.

[@SeñorDossierOficial]

Well the flak jacket, despite his wounds, saved his life

[@jay8980]

@@SeñorDossierOficialyeah if he wasn’t wearing his flak jacket he wouldve been the latest flavor of ragu pasta sauce

[@SeñorDossierOficial]

@@jay8980 true

[@onehandmedicgaming1925]

A large percentage of casualties from frag grenades is infact not from the fragmentation itself, but rather the concussive force behind the explosion. A true test would be completed with both tissue substitute as well as shock tube or g shock testers. It's amazing how many casualties look great, but die in the field to internal damage from any type of explosive.

[@jay8980]

i imagine the sheer concussive force is comparable, if not stronger than being hit with a sledgehammer

[@Bad666Moon]

Dad, I'm sorry for leaving my mega blocks out. Please come back home. It doesn't take 10 years to go get cigarettes.

[@deejayimm]

@Bill Howitzer sounds like you guys might have the same dad.

[@HickLif3]

Without watching I can definitively say yes. It's happened several times and one I know for sure is still alive and got a medal of honor for it

[@jeots962]

You called the men who I survived lucky men, I’m going to call them tuff sonsofbi-ches. Unselfish bravery. I hope never to be put in that situation. It takes a special kinda commitment to do something like throwing yourself on a grenade, and then surviving the whole thing. Truly heroic stuff there...

[@jeots962]

@Doug Sawyer. Only if you survive the blast.

[@johnladuke6475]

When you guys do these kinds of tests, it would be really interesting to see you use those package-damage shock detection stickers that Mythbusters always used to play with. Randy and the other stand-ins that you use may or may not see penetration in a given test, but having those shock indicators to tell you about the pressure wave could settle a lot of arguments in the comments.

[@mestariwelho612]

"Looks like this would have been a JFK to the brain housing" :D

[@DanGoodShotHD]

When you dragged him across the field on his men dangles did more damage than the grenade.

[@blacquejacque5188]

I just watched the movie "Act of Valor" and in the scene where the Seal dives onto a granade to save his fellow comrades and dies instantly from the blast. This video was so helpful that made me understand that there's a 50/50 chance surviving a granade blast with a Kevlar vest. Thanks you guys ✌️

[@markoj3512]

I think in the future there will be armor vest which increase the chance to survive. Some company developed a body armour which is 50cal rated...

[@ChambersCustom]

His name was Jacklyn H. Lucas and it happened on Iwo Jima.

[@walterbigsby6380]

Thanks for the info, looked him up, clearly and stellar chap, "the homie" indeed.

[@johnallen7230]

"Gave him the JFK!" LMAO 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@misshern3696]

I am so glad you guys made this because after watching the scene on Money Heist in part 4. I couldn’t stop thinking about the actual possibility of survival of two helmets, two bullet proof vest over a grenade .

[@MrMattumbo]

I've always wondered if throwing a ruck on top then laying on it would increase survivability, it's probably an unlikely scenario but I imagine a heavy ruck would contain and offset the explosion enough to almost be 'safe' (as in very low chance of mortal injury).

[@thespokenword6456]

Yes, it makes a massive difference.

[@MrMattumbo]

@Dr. Mantis Toboggan What a lad, the wits to act so bravely yet smartly!

[@Pest789]

Hopefully legitimate research is the best kind of research.

[@thatonecamel]

I didn't realize those things were powered by easy cheese 4:36

[@ulflyng]

Gotta sub to your channel. Knowledge and blasts. Good combo

[@SandrasSpicySpanishSalami]

*You guys are my Heroes*

[@reiddennis9125]

Hey great video guys. Keep it up and you'll be at a million subs in no time.

[@PenDragonsPig-Jam_on_Top]

I watch a channel which follows a bunch of guys digging up soldiers and war stuff from the Eastern Front. Lots of soldiers skulls were messed up and when a helmet is founds it was more likely to have a hole in it from shrapnel than a bullet hole. You may as well wear something to protect you from the weather. In fact, I was in the British armed forces at a time just before steel helmets were phased out. A number of units, army, navy, and airforce tended not to bother with helmets even when heading into sticky situations. And it was more than mere arrogance.

[@csjrogerson2377]

Would be interesting to see what happened if Ryan had an EOD Operators Bomb Suit on. Might have saved his gentleman's department and kept his legs attached. The results of the test with the helmet were highly predictable to anyone with explosives knowledge. Tin hat and grenade = more shrapnel.

[@xandergross8474]

I can't get Why do you guys have such a lack of subs and, consequently, such a small budget! It's unfair!

[@richardbyrnes7468]

I'm a former marine I was wearing dragon skin body armor and i survived diving on a grenade

[@nickpatoka7096]

Fitzmaurice joined the United States Army from his birth city of Jamestown, North Dakota, and by March 23, 1971, was serving as a specialist four in Troop D, 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.[1] During a firefight on that day, in Khe Sanh, Republic of Vietnam, Fitzmaurice smothered the blast of an enemy-thrown explosive charge with his flak vest and body to protect other soldiers. Seriously wounded and partially blinded by the blast, he then continued to fight the enemy. After his rifle was damaged by a second explosive blast, Fitzmaurice proceeded to acquire another rifle from a Viet Cong sniper, defeating him with his bare hands, and continued to fight, refusing medical evacuation.[1] Fitzmaurice survived his wounds and was subsequently awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.[1]

[@gscott5778]

A lot would depend on the actual blast force and the precise location of the grenade under a person. If you watch that video clip of Captain America when Tommy Lee Jones tosses that grenade - yeah that position would mean you would get gutted and taken apart at the hips. So I tend to agree with the opinion that most cases the valiant action will result in death or extreme body damage and that's assuming that the body armor is adequate to the tasik and your insides aren't turned to a mass of mashed up jello.

[@tmutant]

Pulling the pin with your teeth= lots of expensive dental work.

[@coffee4682]

7:19 Saved you 7 minutes :D

[@knobjob2839]

They are happy and funny, with a hard layer of ice cold seriousness behind it. Fun is allowed when and where they say so lol. Jk, but seriously, they are probably cool and assertive af in real life.

[@ddurkof]

If you want to save money on your GoPros see if you can get two stainless steel mirrors (think jail mirrors). 1. Build a berm or blast protection for your GoPro. Your GoPro will be positioned 180 degrees away from your blast point. 2. Determine where your blast point is going to be. If your GoPro is due north of the blast point your blast point should be at 180 degrees, with the berm between the GoPro and blast point. 3. You will have to play with the distance and angles of the two mirrors, but place mirror #1 on 0 degree heading about 10 feet from the GoPro at a 45 degree angle, aimed at mirror #2. Aim mirror #2 so that the blast point and GoPro can "see" each other. The blast will hit mirror #2, but go over your GoPro and mirror #1, due to the berm. You want to have mirror #2 to be able to fall over, and you might have to experiment with the weighting. This way the blast wave knocks over the mirror and whatever you blowing up will be videoed, but the shrapnel will not damage or warp the mirror, screwing up the optics. Two mirrors put the blast in the proper perspective, not a mirror image of the blast. With stainless mirrors That should save your GoPro. You can use regular mirrors, but you will have to replace them with every blast and clean up, not to mention all the years of very bad luck, which when working with high order detonation you don't want ANY bad luck. :) If you do decide to use glass mirrors, I'd suggest maxsold.com in the Houston area. They do estate auctions and mirrors not attached to furniture are cheap. New Mexico Tech's IRTB does a bunch of filming and they use the SS mirrors for filming, that's where I got the idea from. You could call them, I am sure that they would have some better suggestions.

[@jlambuth]

We are building blast boxes for the cameras. I have a source on Lucite panels that we will fix onto a steel box. That or we become testing sponsors for Gopro to show how tough they are. lol

[@vizualvoice]

We do something similar in the theatre world with projectors when you can't get a long enough throw for the lens you have, bounce via a couple of mirrors and it works great.

[@volvo245]

In the Russo-Ukrainian war most people that end up dead from smaller munitions usually catch an unlucky shrapnel in the neck or exposed areas of the head or get direct hits to limbs resulting in amputations and massive blood loss. There also TBI and neurogenic shock from blast overpressure that often kills, but requires close proximity to the blast. The body armor works really well absorbing light shrapnel usually associated with smaller grenades, be it hand grenades or cannon shells.

[@Craig_Black]

Music is too loud at beginning guys.

[@onenote6619]

Depends on the grenade, depends on the armour, depends on the circumstances.

[@JeffWitkin]

Don't let these guys barrow your go pro... great video, guys

[@eyeofjake]

We destroy them for the interest of science and entertainment.

[@cydc08]

Great content

[@markoj3512]

If you ever repeat the test, it would be nice to test a kevlar helmet.

[@Gunbudder]

i remember when dragon scale was on future weapon claiming to take a direct grenade blast with no problem. too bad it doesn't stop off angle shots at all, which is why it never got adopted

[@matthewrenn1540]

In the Military we also have groin protectors so if y’all did a test with a gen 2 iotv with full body protection that would be better results

[@HazmatUnit]

When of been cool to seen a m1 helmet with nylon helmet liner have a grenade go off under it for the hell of it

[@hippie430]

How do you sleep at night with the ghosts of dead Go-Pros haunting you?

[@jlambuth]

It isn't easy. Buddy the cat has to stand extra duty dealing with them.

[@Dev_Six]

Ribs broken, lungs collapsed, throat may collapse, junk blasted to hell if unlucky, legs bleeding, arms bleeding, spinal injury. (With hard plates and soft plates) Just what I think is most likely to happen.

[@user-yp5fp8gn7o]

Id not recommend that anyone in combat try this to get their medal of honor as i suspect that the blast wave would turn their guts to jello. Rich

[@yoteoboth8449]

Rescue Randy ain't breathing anymore and his bladder is somewhere south of his knees. Got about 10 broke ribs and a very smooth chin.

[@user-pc8tb7hg1lHandlesRDumb]

We need a kevlar helmet test, also i’ve heard of this working in the trenches so i guess back in the day they had less power.. or thicker helmets.

[@randalparks9648]

Many of the WWII guys that survived grenades had jumped on Japanese grenades. Did they have a smaller charge? Great video as always!

[@cristobalalvarez5491]

They did it was mostly like a concussive type of grenade with the shrapnel being the casing which wasn’t as effective if you where to compare it to something it would be like the German stick grenade

[@CynicismFTW]

Looks to be an old RBA front plate.

[@electrontube]

It is, that right side is distinctive. I think the last time I used one was 1998 Also, plexiglass is cheaper than cameras. Maybe they should make some hard shelters for some of their close gear

[@madpatriot7464]

No way. A man jumps on a grenade, hes hello. Body armor will make canned jello.

[@burntsilverado]

Look up Kyle Carpenter

[@hartmann3288]

the vest may have taken the blast, but who is to say that the shockwave wouldn't have caused some internal ruptures

[@chriswalford4161]

“Physics always wins”

[@BamBlamboTv]

He might have survived long enough but hes definitely not still in the fight

[@thekingisdead6411]

What's the difference between lowly explosive, explosive, and highly explosive?

[@royweyant4382]

You guys have a cool channel. You need some old fashioned “G” force meters. I would like to see how many G’s he pulled with the armor

[@Rimuru-ray]

11:16 rescue Randa 😂😂😂

[@7150285]

was it fake grenades like Edwin's??

[@jacobacon3219]

I wonder if the increased force applied on both the body armor and helmet by either a hundred more pounds of body and gear, or the intentional downward pressure of pressing on the helmet, would’ve changed some things. All in all, it’s safe to say the conclusion comes down to luck.

[@joshmarvz]

Money Heist Brought me here. Hahaha

[@mingi1489]

Yeah me too some dumbasses were arguing with me that it’s not possible to survive a grenade while there’s a helmet and 2 bulletproof vests on it People even survived jumping on it without any armor

[@ashtonhunt7818]

Same asf

[@adritrez]

Same! 😂 I had no idea.

[@PolynesianSaus]

Great video! It’d be interesting to see the same helmet test with a kevlar helmet.

[@maltesefireworks]

money heist brought me here ! can you do the same test but in a small space like a lift ! like the lift scene in money heist. hand grenade VS 2 helmets,2 body armours and 2 humans

[@zhuangsaur227]

What if it were direct blasts with 105mm to 155mm HE rounds?

[@how_why486]

He's dead. His heart,ribs and lungs turned to jelly regardless of shrapnel.

[@mikeromero4162]

Are you planning to plant something over there guys?

[@Thane36425]

Have you considered sandbags and mirrors? Set up the sandbags to protect the gopro. Set rhe gopro aiming to the side. Put a mirror there angled to the blast. The mirror might get destroyed but the gopro might survive. Of course if the camera can't zoom in on the mirror...

[@IvanIvanov-ed5we]

That isn't a world war 2 helmet, in fact, it probably isn't Soviet either due to the color and the headlining, probably a from one of the other Warsaw Pact countries.

[@Christusuniversorumrex]

You are right. It is probably a hungarian M70 helmet.

[@TheLoneRussian]

Wohoo first! Love your channel, keep up the content.

[@imnufktsdude]

Got any excerpts from the original fuse video?

[@matthewnewcomb559]

Would love to see one with a new helmet and maybe even one plus a plate

[@aixzi_official]

I think you need add weight on the tested bulletproof

[@thespokenword6456]

There are a couple of things to consider: The explosive force of the grenade being one. Modern Western grenades are pretty much unsurvivable, I believe. Another thing to consider is body position: the body is designed to fold forwards so laying on it on your back would most likely be more survivable- you can tuck your chin to your chest, minimising blast/fragment impact, as opposed to being on your front and tacking blast/fragments into your arms, legs, genitals and under the chin which would basically fold your head backwards, not to mention the compression on the ribcage. If you add to this the extra protection of a daysack/bergen then it suddenly makes it a far more survivable experiences. So- in conclusion, if you can't just dive for cover, and this is your only option: throw yourself back onto it, tuck the chin to the chest and cross your arms tight across your body. Hopefully this wont be necessary though...

[@angrydragonslayer]

Assuming you have a plate on the back, i've seen a lot off plate carriers that are only for the front

[@brettbivensbivens9449]

I would like to see yall do this with a IOTV and kevlar helmet like if you where wearing your kit and took of your helmet and jumped on it I bet you'd be hurting pretty bad but you would probably live

[@bradkaberline8549]

Wasn't the pineapple grenade in WW2

[@benbland8304]

im pretty sure Kyle had a flak jacket on too

[@lorimiller5348]

Kevlar? WWII?

[@14goldmedals]

(1) If a grenade lands beside you grab and toss it away.

[@TheHiddenPart]

RIP Rescue Rhonda

[@raquette1673]

Why use dynamite and not a real RGO Grenade?

[@flyboy38a]

I had no doubt that he would have been safe from a lethal does of fragmentation fallout. The real question is how much "g" shock did he receive from the explosion. That is the real killer in most explosions..the shock to the body. I guarantee you that his organs would not have been happy campers from that experience.

[@user-yp5fp8gn7o]

Next time lets see Rescue Randy jump on a claymore.lol. he better update his DNR for sure on that one. Rich/San Jose

[@bosbil8597]

Yes of course... as long you don't Pull out split

[@rcfokker1630]

Need to put Randy on a grenade, with NO armor at all.

[@القزمالسحريالقزمالسحري]

Is that a rgd5 grenade with mk2 spoon?!?!?!?!?!?!

[@liliwinnt6]

whether the fragments produced by the grenade would penetrate your body armor, or not the concussion of the explosion can't be defended, and your body won't survive it.

[@burntsilverado]

Look up Kyle Carpenter

[@MrEazyE357]

Did you say "demolition ranch"? Is that not a trademarked phrase? Lol

[@southernwulf3335]

I guess you're best bet would be to pick it up and throw it back out.

[@jsd9871]

You would be better off kicking the hand grenade back to where it came from

[@topa1798]

Poor old Randy,he is badly beat up haha, P/S :if you want to jump on top of grenade for medal of honor but no body armor available, go get your self a lot of gopro cam

[@anonymousbosch9265]

Before I watch I’m guessing one would be spaulded to death if not concussed to death but anything is possible

[@MK-bx7ou]

Holy shit, you blew up and RBA plate!

[@user-yp5fp8gn7o]

Im sure you can but the question is would u want to update ur DNR first? Rich/San Jose

[@wilsonrawlin8547]

Mil-spec Steel helmets are not made from "Pot Metal". That being said, Randy def died from the helmet blast.

[@Thelastspaghetti9578]

I know it wont go off but it gives me axiety the way you guys just wave it around

[@borisboris9792]

7:36 RIP

[@roymyers465]

dont you think the concution would have stoped his heart and or ruptured it or the lungs

[@timm2020]

Rescue Randy is now Rescue Rhonda! lol :D

[@reiddennis4512]

Nice job on the video! See you at the camera store soon for some more victim.... I mean cameras.

[@keithjurena9319]

Probable aortic dissection from the acceleration. Very similar to typical head on automobile crash at high speed. Should have instrumented to measure delta V.

[@breadman32398]

Awesome video. I'd like to see a super scientific version with pressure sensors though. But I suppose I don't know what's involved in getting those.

[@jlambuth]

As much as we like to, that is beyond our budget. Ideally, down the road, we will have more funds via Patreon and monetization that we can do that. Until then, we work with a limited budget.

[@breadman32398]

@@jlambuth no problem, I still enjoy this a bunch. I just personally enjoy really detailed approaches to these topics, the engineer side of me 🤷‍♂️. Do a video on demilled RPGs, their ammo, and the process of reactivating them, as a video suggestion. I'd love it!

[@jlambuth]

@@breadman32398 I feel ya my man. I'm a scientist by trade and wish I could score tons of test equipment. Slowly but surely we shall!

[@luderickwong]

So, the answer is, randy becomes a meat ball in tomato sauce with two by standers gopro brothers.....that's a hard way to earn a medal. In fact i am surprised to see randy still have a head connect to the body.

[@nickhuffman9892]

Ribs and chest gone be broke