Frag Out! WW2 Hand Grenades

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Here we examine the main types of Allied and Aix fragmentation grenades used in WW2, from the Mills Bomb to the Potato Masher and the Red Devil.
Dr. Mark Felton FRHistS, FRSA is a well-known British historian, the author of 22 non-fiction books, including bestsellers 'Zero Night' and 'Castle of the Eagles', both currently being developed into movies in Hollywood. In addition to writing, Mark also appears regularly in television documentaries around the world, including on The History Channel, Netflix, National Geographic, Quest, American Heroes Channel and RMC Decouverte. His books have formed the background to several TV and radio documentaries. More information about Mark can be found at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Fe...
Visit my audio book channel 'War Stories with Mark Felton': • One Thousand Miles to ...
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Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Mark Felton Productions. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Mark Felton Productions does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.
Credits: US National Archives; Library of Congress; I, Jean-Louis Dubois; Auckland Museum; Archives New Zealand; Rama; SusFructu; Quickload; Balcer~commonswiki; Stanislav S. Yanchenko; James Hathaway

[@MarkFeltonProductions]

This video is sponsored by World of Warships - use the invite code 'WISCONSIN' and join the game today. Visit: wo.ws/3PZLlVh

[@Tjalve70]

13:40 "It contains a charge of 60 grams, or 21 ounces of TNT". I assume that is supposed to be 2.1 ounces. Not 21.

[@yaakovelbrujo1731]

Could you do a video about Brazil in Monte Cassino amd Monte Castelo in Italy? Never seen a content about it here and your amazing knowledge about Ww2 would be AWESOME talking about it! Congratulations for your amazing job and research Mark! You re the BEST

[@paddyjoe1884]

First thou shall pull the holy pin & then count to 3. Thou shalt not count 2, except 2 proceed 2 3. Thou shalt count 4 & 5 is right out. Once thou count 3 lobbit the holy hand grenade at thy enemy, who being very naughty in thy presence shall snuff it, forever & ever amen

[@danepatterson8107]

How common was the German fragmentation sleeve for the potato masher type hand grenade? I've seen a sleeve designed to go over the warhead made of a thin metal in a waffle-like pattern.

[@chriskleinbach-vd5ch]

Ja ich don't trust the grenade ich glober der garande ist dangerous very dangerous my God old boy less we forget our safety regulations word homie 😖🇺🇸.

[@SourVodka]

A young Army officer was severely wounded in the head by a grenade , but the only visible, permanent injury was that both of his ears were amputated. Since his remaining hearing was sufficient, he remained in the Army. Many years later he eventually rose to the rank of Major General. He was, however, very sensitive about his appearance. One day the General was interviewing three servicemen who were candidates for his headquarters staff. The first was a Squadron Leader pilot from Air Force , and it was a great interview. At the end of the interview the General asked him, 'Do you notice anything different about me?' The young officer answered, 'Why, yes, Sir, I couldn't help but notice that you have no ears.' The general was displeased with his lack of tact and threw him out. The second interview was with a Naval Lieutenant Commander, and he was even better. The General then asked him the same question, 'Do you notice anything different about me?' He replied sheepishly, 'Well, sir, you have no ears.' The General threw him out also. The third interview was with an Infantryman and a commando qualified Major. The General liked this guy, and went ahead with the same question, 'Do you notice anything different about me?' To his surprise the Major said, 'Yes, sir, you wear contact lenses.' The General was very impressed and thought, 'What an incredibly observant officer, and he didn't mention my ears.' He asked, 'Major, how do you know I wear contacts?' 'Well, sir,' the officer replied, 'It's pretty hard to wear glasses with no f******g ears.'

[@BrianMurfitt]

That is one lame joke, inappropriate and offensive to those poor innocent soldiers who were seriously maimed or lost their lives, due to the handling of grenades! 🙄🤨

[@MasterMalrubius]

@@BrianMurfittLikely the type of home they would tell each other.

[@mikebrase5161]

​@@BrianMurfittyou sound like somebody who almost served. I spent twenty years in the Infantry and 3 years in combat. That joke is hilarious.

[@astralclub5964]

@@BrianMurfittYou’re not a military guy, are you? Believe me. This joke would crack up any group of uniforms. Now, if a civy told the joke, then emergency dental surgery would result!

[@Penekamp11]

That’s funny my man.

[@E7DMG]

My late father was injured at Dunkirk by a German Potato masher, he was 21. My mother was still picking bits of cordite out of his back right up to when he died at 72!

[@mattheide2775]

Your Father was a tough man to shrug off a grenade. If it wasn't for men like him we would have suffered a terrible fate.❤

[@aleksazunjic9672]

Him, and you by extension 😁, had a very good luck Germans did not use one of those pineapple grenades full of fragments.

[@pixelpatter01]

Cordite?

[@Mjdeben]

Cordite?

[@lexiheart6558]

Yeah shrapnel never really goes away

[@generalkenobi9782]

“You were killed by a grenade. Watch out for the grenade danger indicator.”

[@patrickt7]

Ring of Steel on Veteran in a nutshell

[@MrDeckeric]

Once the pin is pulled Mr grenade is not our friend

[@fluttzkrieg4392]

NO, NOT WAW ON VETERAN, OH GOD

[@markdexter6338]

"You're suppose to throw the grenade, NOT THE PIN!"

[@Arindam_Gaming]

Call of Duty Modern Warfare Tip

[@patavinity1262]

"The seven second fuse was found to be too long, and the Germans often threw them back. Thereafter they were fitted with a four second fuse" That would have made for a nasty surprise for any German soldier who wasnt aware of this change.

[@BrutalEnough]

In my town the kids often played with ordonance they found after the war. They were well instructed with german weapons but did not know that allied grenades used shorter fuzes. One kid was killed by a russian hand grenade because of this...

[@squeguinquack2570]

@@BrutalEnough don’t mean to doubt you but I’m pretty sure Stalin would’ve confiscated all of the German weapons after the war instead of letting civilians have them

[@BrutalEnough]

@@squeguinquack2570 lots of lost weapons and unexploded ordonance littered the area! You could still find equipment until the 70s! (and in very care cases until today) children did find ot and playwd with it. Many have received pre military training in the HJ, so they know in theory how to use a hand grenade...except thazvrussian fuses were shorter! ps: also at every construction site there is a chance to find USAF bombs in the ground....

[@nightowl9519]

​@@squeguinquack2570I think you underestimate just how much ordinance a major war leaves laying around.

[@oldtop4682]

Getting low to the ground or behind shelter after throwing a grenade was important! My father was hit by multiple pieces of a grenade thrown by one of his men in WWII. He always said he didn't duck fast enough lol. These fragments would work their way out via his skin, and in locations far from where they entered. The larger piece was identifiable as part of a pineapple and came out his shoulder in 1972ish.

[@scrappydoo7887]

That's pretty crazy. I'm glad that he didn't end up with many infections from all of the shrapnel. 👍

[@DennyBass]

I know it may sound weird, but tossing real frags in combat is one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.

[@scrappydoo7887]

Nope I don't think that is weird at all.

[@843SouthernPride]

For when "Fuk You" just doesn't get the point across, the M67 is great for bringing forth the scunion.

[@CL-vz6ch]

*flex*

[@memirandawong]

As always....It's true that giving is better than receiving.

[@Iron_Wyvern]

The potato masher will always be the coolest looking one

[@michaelbruns449]

Of course German, able to be thrown the furthest and probably more accurately.

[@andrewtodd5919]

The potato masher though was not the most produced grenade in Germany

[@sirbughunter9972]

He said it is the coolest one. At what point did he or anyone else for that matter, say the potatoe masher was the most produced?

[@jerryjeromehawkins1712]

At a military show years ago... they had a display setup where, for a dollar, you could throw both a German stick grenade and an American pineapple across a field. I was shocked at how much further I could throw the "potato masher" compared to the pineapple. It was explained to me that the handle acted as a fulcrum before being thrown... helping to carry the grenade an impressive distance. It was all for charity... you should have seen the line of people!

[@clvrswine]

@@sirbughunter9972 *Potato, not potatoe, smart-guy. To answer your dumb comment: no one, at any point was so ignorant as to use "potatoe masher" in any comment. That was just you. Feel superior much?

[@seegurke93]

M24 is cool but the Main GERMAN Handgrenade was the Eihandgranate, Egg Handgrenade M39. Its not as recognizable as the M24 with the long stick, but more than double were made. Sad that you dont cover this. Guess its the same as Spitfire vs Hurricane in the battle of france or britain. Without the Hurricane the UK would have lost. But spitfire was just more recognizable and newer... However M39 > M24 and thats a fact.

[@magnusfranzonuvebrant9519]

+1

[@Maltor95]

@seegurke93 thats what I thought. I was quiet surpised that Doctor Felton didnt mentioned the M39 grenade.

[@apacifistmachinegunner669]

Fallschirmjäger loved them

[@benx6264]

came here to mention that too. I guess "Rule of Cool" wins again

[@abzzeus]

When the pin is out Mr Grenade is no longer our friend

[@paavobergmann4920]

"GamerDude82 tried to push the pin back in"

[@ourlifeinwyoming4654]

My Dad still has two type 97 grenades - inert of course - that his father mailed home from Guam.

[@thEannoyingE]

I love that they used baseball as an example when training back then, through Vietnam. Probably even today too.

[@yeticonfettis]

no, we just throw grenades

[@jimbevske]

Yeah, that's how I was taught in 1979. But the grenade is much heavier and the amount of strength needed much more to get it the same distance.

[@jerichofalls8236]

Great way to blow out a shoulder lmao.

[@DJSockmonkeyMusic]

​@@jimbevskeI trained on the M26A2 and was coming in to say "they are really heavy, and stupid hard to throw well"

[@ugahdugha]

Still did as of 2018

[@binaway]

At the beginning of the long march the German guards dad had were each issued 2 stick grenades. All but one put them in their packs, un-fused. One guards, a bully, fused his grenades and stuffed the handles into his belt, in front of his stomach. Dads group were caught up in the USAAF bombing of Regensburg. After the raid they found that guards body. Both grenades had detonated and blown his guts out. Nobody, even the other guards, missed him.

[@tkeo12]

Today we've got a package from an old viewer from Germany. Let's see what is inside..

[@raymondtonns2521]

if it is long and narrow call the bomb squad

[@ariane11970]

You should be in hurry, there's only 5 sec. to explain ... 😁 Greets from Germany. 👋

[@norwich_hema_society]

My grandfather was a Burma veteran, and he told me that the Mills Bomb also has an "instantaneous" fuse, which would detonate immediately. These were used in booby traps, the idea being the target trips a wire and pulls the pin, and the explosion was immediate.

[@paavobergmann4920]

Or you leave them behind when retreating as "loot"....

[@michaelbevan3285]

the stick grenade could also be set to instant explosion and could be used as a booby trap. the same fuse could be used to set off standard Teller mines and Pioneer blasting charges.

[@Jordan-rb28]

Love you Mark, you're one of the golden channels on this platform right now. You are singlehandedly educating generations of people with better teachings than often even found in schools and universities.

[@demef758]

But Mark is falling FAR behind today's university in his Gender Awareness studies!

[@oliverreedslovechild]

@@demef758 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ColumbiaB]

I recall reading remarks on grenades by a WWII U.S. Army veteran. He noted that the German “potato-masher” type generated much less shrapnel, and its principal effect was the concussion of its direct blast. For that reason, he said, the potato-masher was a useful assault weapon; soldiers could throw the grenade at an enemy position, and then follow it in a pretty aggressive charge. “In contrast, with our fragmentation grenades,” he continued, “we’d throw them, and then have to dive for cover to escape the shrapnel from our own weapons!”

[@franzenders344]

Yes, though the Germans did have a fragmentation sleeve for both the stick and egg (more common) grenades.

[@tavish4699]

the german grenades had also an extra frag sleeve that you could push over the grenade making it a defensive grenade

[@timothyhouse1622]

The potato masher, or stielhandgranata, was NOT the main hand grenade of the German Army. It shows up most in photos because it is more "photogenic" and looks great for propaganda. The actual MAIN hand grenade for the Wehrmacht was the Model 39 Eihandgranate, which was produced in FAR greater numbers.

[@clvrswine]

Yeah but @sirbughunter9972 corrected us all with an all new spelling "potatoe"!

[@bwilliams463]

@@clvrswine Must be Dan Quayle's account. I hope that joke is not completely forgotten.

[@franzenders344]

My understanding is a ratio of about 55/45, but yes, the potato masher was not the most common. Also, no mention of the fragmentation sleeve or the rifle grenades.

[@hyperturbotechnomike]

@@clvrswine Stielhandgranat"A"

[@dangvorbei5304]

And here I was thinking Signal just cut out all of the guys carrying egg grenades because they weren't photogenic.

[@akyukon]

As an OR RN working at a VA several years ago, I was talking to a vietnam vet prior to surgery and he said he was hit several times with shrapnel in combat, most of the fragments were left in. He said periodically, years later a few more superficial pieces worked their way to the skin where he just picked them out.

[@Jreb1865]

I've done the same thing. Got a piece out 2 years ago...

[@Amac1825]

The fact the potatoe masher in its original form isnt even a fragmentation type will always blow my mind.

[@michaelbevan3285]

they had a frag sleeve that slid over the top of the stick grenade head. they learned from fighting in Russia that blast alone wasn't good enough.

[@LJWalter78]

The German potato masher is an iconic classic. Forever to be associated with WW2 Axis forces.

[@timothyhouse1622]

It wasn't actually Germany's primary hand grenade though.

[@PassportToPimlico]

According to Military History Visualised, the Germans made far more M39 egg grenades than stick grenades during WW2.

[@suzyqualcast6269]

So, loads not thrown but left boxed for Russian Metal Detectors to find more recently

[@charlesphillips4575]

Note that the Russian F1 can be found with fuses from zero to 13 seconds. The time is marked on the fuse, but the marking is inside the grenade when assembled. So be very careful to ensure you know what is fitted to a grenade, the zero delay is for booby traps and throwing is not advised.

[@dima.jiharev]

What happens if you throw it?

[@Ronald-qs3ke]

@@dima.jiharev your internal organs become external organs

[@Lappmogel]

​@@dima.jiharev you don't

[@scrappydoo7887]

​@@dima.jiharevas soon as the spoon leaves the body so does your arm and probably many other bits of you

[@Stickman2030]

The fun-loving U.S. Navy Seals reportedly would sneak into Viet Cong supply caches and replace some of the multi-second-fused Soviet-made grenade fuses with the zero-second fuses, with the intention of demoralizing the VC who survived.

[@timelordtardis]

No mention of the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch 😁

[@raymondtonns2521]

what is it?

[@aka99]

Watch Monty Phyton Holy Crail and you will know it.

[@michaelmorley7719]

Details can be found in Armaments 2:9-21 (KJV).

[@ytcensorhack1876]

"And Saint Attila raised the hand grenade up on high, saying, 'O Lord, bless this thy hand grenade, that with it thou mayst blow thine enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy.' And the Lord did grin. And the people did feast upon the lambs, and sloths, and carp, and anchovies, and orangutans, and breakfast cereals, and fruit bats, and large chulapas...

[@TheDarkWizard666]

Fnv

[@MrSmokincodz]

One of my buddies was hit by a pineapple grenade in iraq. ill never forget, he was just peppered everywhere and it shattered his leg. He got two purple hearts for it. Deadly little devices for sure. Love your content Dr Felton.

[@mitchmatthews6713]

You and the Enfield look good together, sir! Cheers, Mark!

[@Thisisnolongerajoke]

This is why Australian soldiers with cricket skills were valued

[@CamBridge-ii9mu]

Of course the Italian grenade has the most fabulous style.

[@gate7clamp]

6:03 that explains that scene and letters from Iwo Jima I didn’t know why they hit the grenade on top of their head.

[@Shinzon23]

Yeah it's a sign there industrial base was a dog s*** awful if their fuses were that bad

[@trainnerd3029]

4:49 that looks like a Hollywood “bad guy” if I ever saw one!!

[@ganiniii]

My favourite grenade is the italian. What a design! Doesn't even seem harmful. Italians do have their own way of doing things.

[@olivere5497]

Im trying to think up a joke involving a very combat shy, vain yet hansome Italian, covered in medals and a grenade.

[@jeffgraham4549]

Italian went crazy with their landmine designs as well.

[@aleksazunjic9672]

It was not a very good design. Italians tried to make "perfect" grenade that would explode on contact, without ability to be thrown back. What they actually made was a grenade that would often not explode.

[@olivere5497]

@@aleksazunjic9672 ahh theres the joke, 'even their grenades were cowards and refused orders!'

[@aleksazunjic9672]

@@olivere5497 🤕

[@foabmoab]

The guy who designed the Mills bomb lived on a street close to where I sometimes walk. Randomly stumbled across that fact one day when I saw an information board in a park.

[@LoremIpsum1970]

The Mills bomb was originally designed in Belgium, the British perfected it.

[@foabmoab]

@@LoremIpsum1970 Bill Mills was the guy who designed it from the ground up, though, wasn't it?

[@LoremIpsum1970]

@@foabmoab No, not really. Essentially, Mills changed the shape from being round; added the shoulders for the pin and changed the flyoff lever...(1) Mills did not really so much invent the Mills grenade as improve it (albeit significantly) from an original design by a Belgian Officer, Leon Roland. Roland was actually captured by the Germans and a mutual friend *bought his idea and William together* in 1914. (2) it's named after its British *inventor*, William Mills, who *drew inspiration* from the Belgian Roland grenade. (3) William Mills, who had settled in Edgbaston and owned engineering factories in the suburbs, *accepted commissions* to provide a safer model resulting in the standard 'Mills Bomb' grenade. (4) Mills was *inspired* by the earlier work of a Belgian Army Captain, Léon Roland who, upon seeing the Mills Bomb, engaged Mills in a patent lawsuit.

[@foabmoab]

@@LoremIpsum1970 Ah. The more you know, hah.

[@Maine307]

baseball was the American pastime, every kid played ball, in some way growing up.. so engineers new to keep it as close to the soze and shape they could, and the GI's could lob it . I met a WWII Marine during the battle of IwoWon the MOH for tossing back grenade uphill after they were tossed own durring the attck. .. we also threw rocks interningled with grenades to keep the supplies up and fool the bad dudes,,..it helped especially when they though we were throwing greandes..etc.. milking em is never advised. love this video!

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

Was.... You don't see any kids playing baseball anymore. ⚾

[@78bollox]

The Italian one is the equivalent of an Alpha Romeo grenade with it's functionality & simplicity 😂 🇮🇹

[@dennisyoung4631]

“Known as the red devil, it…”

[@M167A1]

The practical application of baseball.

[@JZsBFF]

Except that a baseball can't take one's hand off... I think.

[@johncmitchell4941]

IMO too heavy to compare to a baseball. In '70 we were advised to throw a hand grenade like a football. Shorter distance and the arcing trajectory made sense and I found it much easier to place my throws. 30yd or so would be my limit.

[@patavinity1262]

Or cricket.

[@patavinity1262]

​@@johncmitchell4941It would have been interesting to compare the American soldiers' throwing ability in WW2 compared to the Germans or Japanese, say, to see what the effect of having practiced throwing sports might be.

[@johncmitchell4941]

@@patavinity1262 Imaging a cricket bowler and a horse shoe pitcher facing off ...

[@petergugganig3225]

The Stielhandgranate is more popular but the Eihandgranate 39 was produced in greater numbers. You could have also metioned that there was a optional fragmentation sleeve for the Stielhandgranate.

[@suzyqualcast6269]

I on a family Canvas Holidays camping trip to near Royan (Phare de la Coubre site), in 72 - found the area surrounding was infested with bunkers of all types. What got my then youthful attention were two roadside ammo bunkers. Minimal stuffing of the two ways into each led to the discovery of a wonderland of mainly blown all ammo types. Amongst these were a certain brass round, live and blown,, but also a stick grenade handle, minus it's explosive head but complete with it's ceramic pull within the handle, held together with but string. When the bomb squad called round to out house in 76 to remove stuff after I'd blown 2.5 fingers off they not only took the live stuff, but depressingly also took the stick granate remnant as well, which was additionally depressing.

[@masahige2344]

Japan did use numerous models of rifle grenade launcher as well, including a finned adaptor that screwed into the same threading on the Type 91 used for the Type 89 propellant canister, fired by spigot launcher. The Type 91 'grenade system' was conceived as the 'do-everything' grenade, being seamlessly deployable at three different ranges by hand, rifle spigot launcher, or discharger. This replaced the Type 10, which was only used by hand or smoothbore discharger. There was also the simplified Type 3 spigot launcher that used a modified Type 99-style grenade, the Type 100 gas-operated rifle grenade launcher, firing the basic Type 99 hand grenade, and the Type 2, licensed from the German Schiessbecher. There were also a number of field expedient designs made to fire the Type 89 discharger grenade, notably the Sho 19 'Burma Model' cup launcher and one based on a Type 89 cup and a cut-down Type 38 rifle. To say nothing of the numerous other late-war anti-tank grenades, ceramic grenades, and Chinese models produced at Mukden arsenal!

[@ThePerfectRed]

Actually, Germany used more "Eierhandgranate" conventional round fragmentation grenades than stick grenades. But of course they are less iconic and thus non-existant in movies.

[@richardstephens5570]

In the movie "Downfall" Grawitz suicides his family with two egg grenades.

[@jeffgraham4549]

I'll be sharing this video with junior EOD techs. Great info here!

[@ClarenceCochran-ne7du]

Excellent Descriptions and breakdown on how the various grenades were used, mechanism of action, and pros and cons, Dr. Felton.

[@aaron6178]

Got to admit, the day when I qualified on grenades was my favorite of all the weapon systems I used in the army. There's something so old school about lobbing a nasty nade. We had to aim for windows of mock buildings and such. The bearings and dirt rain down on your helmet. So rad. As described on the label.

[@mlugin8050]

the intro sound is always great. a sign of quality and consistency. relaxed, and captivating reporting. the condensed and spot on reporting is always organically in a great timing. one of the few channels i enjoy since years. thanks Mark Felton. greetings from Switzerland

[@frednugent2310]

Enormous respect for your grandfather Dr. Felton. I've read of the extreme hardships of the troops fighting in Burma. They not only had to fight the harsh jungle conditions and Japanese but also sickness and starvation. It's amazing what they endured and overcame.

[@eltenda]

I trained with the mod 35 even in the 90's back in italy 🇮🇹 😅

[@lordgarion514]

Having to slam a bomb's detonator against your steel helmet just seems like a bad design.

[@MasterMalrubius]

Great summary of the various grenades. Most I already knew but Dr. Felton always has a couple bits I didn’t know.

[@paistinlasta1805]

2:20 You should ALWAYS hold the grenade in a manner where the handle is against your palm, not against your fingers, so as to prevent accidently releasing it, the spring is quite strong. Also the pin comes off more easily if you twist it first ;)

[@simonmcowan6874]

I was a tavr EOD royal engineer, we had to clear grenade and mortar ranges in the south of England used as practice ranges for the Canadian and Americans prior to the d day landings, lots and lots of half detonated stuff was left behind, the fields after the war, given back to the farmers were littered with these, later newer tractors were ploughing them up, loosing ploughs, we cleared acres of them with a big bang at the end of the day, I was part of 33 engineer regiment a long time ago.

[@Stu.Henney]

Excellent Burma knowledge from your Grand pa... Good on the Pongos !!! 👍

[@larryjohnson7591]

That was a very interesting subject. Thanks Mark, I was intrigued.

[@hangin-in-thereawesome4245]

Once again Dr. Felton has shown me something I did not know! Please don't stop your great videos!

[@wweminehead5458]

Something different awesome Dr F. Thanks as always

[@user-si7ve1lf3o]

I really enjoy your videos ! They are very informative and interesting! Please keep them coming

[@juhokuusisto9339]

There was a fragmentation sleeve for the M24. And the Soviets used RGD-33's and RG-42's too.

[@richardbonner2354]

I knew an InfantryMan.... He said, "There's three kinds o' fuzes; 3 second fuzes, 5 second fuzes, an' fek'd up fuzes." 🙂 Rick Bonner Pennsyltucky

[@Mk-qb2ny]

Back in Finland, doing my conscription service for a reserve, we each had to throw one live grenade. They said the supervising officer's job was one of the most dangerous they had to do, as inevitably you'd get some knucklehead who'd fumble the grenade to the trench floor while trying to throw it. So in that case, the officer would have to grab the youngster, throw him aside (the trench was constructed such that with quick action getting safe away from the blast was possible) and wait for the grenade to explode just a meter or two away behind a wall. Still there were accidents and injuries. I remember waiting for my turn in the queue and listening to the grenades pop as they were thrown one by one, all afternoon and thought, wouldn't want to be that officer! They probably had to pick some steel nerved individuals for that.

[@johnfisk811]

When I was doing the training we had to stay upright after throwing long enough to note where the grenade landed. If it failed to detonate then you were the one to walk up to it with the trainer to lay a charge next to it so that it could be detonated. So throw, spot and duck behind cover for a live grenade all within less than four seconds. It made the training far more real knowing that you could really be maimed or killed.

[@thomaslangner8894]

I'd been told exactly the same story as a conscript in the german army 37 years ago before it was my turn to throw the grenade. I was pretty nervous then and just happy when I got rid of the damned thing.

[@neilwilson5785]

The critical fault of the Italian grenade was that it needed a Brass Band to operate it. That is at least 25 people.

[@scrappydoo7887]

Lol that's god level dad joking

[@somtochukwuobidegwu5426]

Amazing video mr Mark. I love all your video and i learn new things from your videos.

[@fuyu5979]

Another awesome upload ! Subject not given as much exposure as other weapons of WWII. But deadly n effective not only for physical but psychological damage to the soldiers. Kudos for vid including archival films n still pics. Looking forward to ur next one. Peace

[@stevecastro1325]

Watching your episodes are always a blast!

[@royalhero4608]

Grenades and landmines absolutely terrify me. It's one thing having some guy shooting at you, but another whole level having some little egg land next to you out of nowhere and taking your foot off

[@bertram_oredrock]

I had the opportunity to throw one live grenade in US Marine Bootcamp in 1974. Truly an experience I've never forgotten.

[@Matthew-ix1mq]

Hmm, you neglected to mention the Holy Handgrenade, yea and verily it is written

[@waynesarf8065]

As I remember it, when I was a child Grandpa Sarf and I were sitting on his elevated front porch and he was talking about the grenades the Germans used in the Great War, drawing a small sketch of the "potato masher" and a line descending from the end of the stick to indicate the friction cord pulled to activate it. Once he told me of himself and a few buddies from the 103rd Infantry (26th or "Yankee" Division) finding half a dozen Germans in a boat "washin' their faces" as he put it, until a comrade fired a rifle grenade into the boat.

[@alvaromaharg9768]

The technical aspects were very well explained. If Dr. Felton was based in the US, he could probably saunter down to a gun range and give us a practical demonstration.

[@LoremIpsum1970]

...if he had all the paperwork, a single grenade would cost 200USD for just the ATF serial number...

[@brockshields9336]

The Germans developed a cast iron sleeve for the potato masher, making it an effective fragmentary grenade.

[@randydewees7338]

I got to lob a few live grenades. On a Westpac cruise in 1977 on the USS Prairie AD-15 we did some weapons training out to the South Pacific. Glassy hot day and all of the security/repel boarders team members played with stuff that was difficult to practice with while in port. The Gunners Mate gave you the thing, told you when to pull the pin and when to throw it - they certainly didn't want it to go off in the air, but the fuse was set to go off before it was too deep to make a slash. Frankly, I didn't particularly enjoy the experience.

[@tobybridson]

That was awesome and really interesting. Thanks Mark.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

Very informative video on hand grenades. I wonder what it was like to manufacture these weapons. Thanks for sharing!

[@user-gw3us8yz6x]

Very comprehensive. Thank you, Doctor.

[@petercarter9034]

My grenade is one of my favourite bits of memorabilia they have always fascinated since a child I must have had a weird childhood lol

[@scrappydoo7887]

I've always been fascinated by anything that goes bang or is used in combat so I guess we have a similarity of two somewhere along the way lol

[@monkjohn4833]

Great Work Mark!!

[@johanvanbeek7138]

Germans in WW2 actually used more of the standard egg shaped grenades, than the stick type.

[@richardcutts196]

Towards the end of the war the Germans developed a fragmentation grenade that used past date explosives. The explosives were processed into a liquid and poured into a mold. then, when it had solidified, a detonator was added and a notched wire sleeve was fitted over the explosive and when it went off the sleeve broke up into fragments. They had a similar sleeve that could be fitted over the standard stick grenade for the same reason.

[@sroevukasroevuka]

Very interesting video DR. Felton. I learned a lot. A suggestion do a video on willie peter grenades or tank shells. etc.

[@mastathrash5609]

One of my favorite videos that you put out in a while👍

[@Minnesota_Vance]

Very well done. I learned a lot about granades I didn't know before.

[@chef7658]

Very cool video Mark!

[@deanbuss1678]

Thanks!

[@rickgoetter6340]

Dr. Felton - thanks for this excellent video!

[@MrGreghome]

Missed the round wermacht grenade :(

[@moosemaimer]

I found one of those grenade-launching Enfields at a gun shop a few years ago... it didn't have the cup on the muzzle, but it did have the distinctive soldered wire wrapping on the handguard.

[@robert-trading-as-Bob69]

Practice hand grenades are dangerous too. There was a trooper at 2 Special Services Battalion in Zeerust, South Africa when I cleared in to the SADF in 1989, with only one hand and a VERY sour disposition. He'd swiped a practice grenade from the firing range, and thought it was harmless, afterall, the explosive charge was non-existent. However, the detonator still worked as in a normal grenade, for realism. He was holding the damned thing in his hand still when the detonator exploded. Suddenly he became left-handed! Normally a troop wounded like him would be sent home, but the SADF punished him by keeping him there for his full 2 year service, hence the sour disposition.

[@LoremIpsum1970]

Same thing would happen with holding a thunderflash, which is what most practice grenades contain.

[@robert-trading-as-Bob69]

@@LoremIpsum1970 My cousin Mark walked up to a Thunderflash that hadn't gone off... he lost his eyebrows and his hair that wasn't burnt off went from whitish-orange to it's normal black... 40 years later I still laugh at it. That's what happens when you pick up discarded ordinance at the Durban Tattoo after a military demonstration. That was also my first lesson in range safety, as I was only about 10 years old then. The pharmacy window that blew out of it's frame to shatter on the pavement on Jules Street has never been explained until now. The Portuguese owner who ran out shouting "Bomba, bomba!" probably still blames the ANC for that one! Personally, I did not really understand how powerful they were until I stood about 2-3 metres away from one when it went off. As a short, stocky person who hated running, I still overtook my fit, thin buddy who started running the moment the striker 'caught'. Luckily we were walking when the police arrived 5 minutes later. It was the hight of The Emergency in SA, around '86 or '87. Once again the ANC probably got the blame, not two white kids walking home after church. It turns out that setting off a Thunderflash near a power-line tower makes the SAP unhappy.

[@LoremIpsum1970]

@@robert-trading-as-Bob69 Oh, those were the days! Haven't been back since '91. My cousins did their SADF service in the early 80s, though one got out it by working for Armscore... Mk5s were the norm, in the UK, but I don't remember anyone letting one off in public, we preferred rookies (crow scarers), smaller and a bit safer. The ones to stay away from were Mk7 and Mk9, but even a Mk5 in an enclosed space is something you don't forget.

[@robert-trading-as-Bob69]

@@LoremIpsum1970 After 1994 we had some new fireworks that were previously banned... until they were banned yet again. Much fun was had. Postboxes suffered our infantile wrath. Plastic models of tanks and aircraft from our childhood were mercilessly destroyed. Until I noticed how damned scared my German Shephard and cat were. I used to live in a high-crime area in Joburg, so my remaining stores of fireworks were used to scare thieving scum away for many years. I wish you all the best wherever you are now. Remember your roots. Whatever you do, don't come back.

[@LoremIpsum1970]

@@robert-trading-as-Bob69 Yeah, most things are slowly getting banned or restricted in the UK, home pyro - dead, model rocketry - dead... As for the folks in ZA, the younger generation have all left to find opportunities overseas. Such a shame, I loved the country, forget the beaches, the Karoo was my favourite place to be... Went for a decent Chinese in Hillbrow in the 80s...wouldn't want to do that now...

[@vaughnmojado8637]

Even though I hate war, I was quite fascinated by this. I don’t have much knowledge about grenades. I don’t think I could’ve named where any were from except for our pineapple and the German Potato Masher. Thank you.

[@marcmonnerat4850]

In Switzerland, we did use the HG43 (similar design to the Stielhandgranate 43) until the late nineties.

[@stevenhershman2660]

This is my favorite You Tube Channel. The material is fresh, enjoyable and educational.

[@thEannoyingE]

It’s interesting that they used baseball as a basis for training with grenades in the US army, being used into Vietnam, which was then replaced with the baseball shaped fragmentation grenades we see today. Though wwii pineapples did stick around into the Vietnam war. Been waiting for this topic to be covered for some time.

[@evileyeball]

My grandfathers were both too young for WWII being born in 1927 and 1930 respectively. My great uncle did lose an arm in WWII as he was older than Grandpa. My wife on the other hand had older grandfathers, One of whom was a Scottish Radio operator on the western front and the other was a German Radio Operator in the east fighting for the Axis.

[@av7610]

Any day with a new Dr Felton video is a good day!!!!

[@samsmith2635]

World of Warship player here, this is great WG keeps sponsoring. Hello Mark, you forgot to mention the Germans made a frag sleeve that fit over the Stiehlhandgrenate

[@richardcutts196]

BTW the British military call it a bomb not a grenade. When grenades became common in WWI the Grenadier Guards raised a stink about anyone else, using a grenade, being called a grenader so they had to call them bombs to shut them up. It's why the standard British fragmentation grenade was called a Mills bomb.

[@bwilliams463]

It was interesting to learn that the bumpy shaping of the Pineapples had little to do with fragmentation patterns. I have seen a TV show or vid somewhere showing a fragmentation sleeve which could be placed over the head of the standard Potato Masher grenade.

[@golic7123]

So much i didn't know - Thank You Very informative

[@josem.lopezjr.2605]

Thanks video great information always lean something new

[@dr.barrycohn5461]

You've covered all the bases with this one, thank you.

[@4urluvjones155]

My uncle was a 50 cal machine gunner in Pattons 3rd Army and during the battle of the bulge had a German grenade land in his foxhole and, very fortunately, it did not go off.

[@bf1905]

Never knew the pros and cons of the potato masher grenade. Good stuff

[@waltie1able]

In the Vietnam era we had the baseball type grenades. By the way, the Germans, also, had what they called the egg grenades

[@asya9493]

At the start, 2:15, the bast way to hold/throw is with the lever (also called a spoon) in the palm of your hand not under your fingers, and your fingers firmly on the grenade body not on the spoon. That gives a firmer hold, is a lot safer and gives a more accurate throw. The stick or potato masher style grenade is far far better than the rest - further and more accurate.