A time-delay fragmentation anti-personnel hand grenade or a frag grenade is a object that is thrown to kill or maim enemy troops near the grenade. The way that grenades ensure maximum damage to the receiver is designed to launch tiny metal fragments when it explodes.

Its History

Grenades were first used in the 15th Century and were used because of their effectiveness  to clear out enemy positions, but were abandoned in the 1750s due to Firearms becoming more accurate. They were reused during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) and most famously used during WW1 A.K.A The Great War. Grenades during this time period were either the German Stick Grenade or the Stielhandgranate (M15, M16, M17) or the Mills Bomb. Grenades truly came into their own as a effective enemy clearer during WW2 as the MK 2 Grenade and the Stielhandgranate M24 which were one of the most effective killers of the war

How It Works

The most common design for grenades is the chemical delay mechanism which we will be talking about in this article. The outer shell is made of serrated cast iron which holds a chemical fuze mechanism which is surrounded by explosive material and the grenade has a filling hole, so you can fill the explosive material into the grenade. The firing mechanism is triggered by a striker which strikes the percussion cap which activities the detonate blowing up the explosive materials which sends the outer shell of the grenade flying into enemies as shrapnel only while the safety pin is pulled and the striker lever is let go. The user must also hold the grenade in a way that the safety lever is still held while the safety pin is pulled otherwise the grenade will explode in their hand instantly killing the user.

Grenades are a effective tool in clearing out enemy positions like bunkers and fox holes due to the range that the sharpnel reaches which can reach upwards of 5 meters(16 feet) and severely maim up to 20 meters(65 feet).

Related Articles:

Harris, Tom. “How Grenades Work.” HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 4 June 2022, https://science.howstuffworks.com/grenade2.htm.

Perreira , Julian. “The Hand Grenade: For When Things Turn Ugly.” Forces Network, 27 Jan. 2020, https://www.forces.net/technology/weapons-and-kit/hand-grenade-when-things-turn-ugly#:~:text=Without%20body%20armour%20or%20protection,it%20becomes%20much%20less%20effective.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “grenade”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Sep. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/technology/grenade. Accessed 25 October 2022.

Pike, John. “M67 Fragmentation Hand Grenade.” Edited by Robert Sherman, M67 Fragmentation Hand Grenade, Military Analysis Network/Federation Of American Scientists, 5 Jan. 1999, https://man.fas.org/dod-101/sys/land/m67.htm.

“M67 Fragmentation Hand Grenade .” M67 Fragmentation Hand Grenade, Project Management Close Combat System , https://www.pica.army.mil/pmccs/CombatMunitions/Grenades/LethalHand/M67Frag.html.

Gupta, Harsh. “Can Being Underwater Save You from a Grenade Explosion?” Science ABC, Science ABC, 8 July 2022, https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/whats-safer-grenade-explosion-underwater-land.html.