Hand Grenades - An Easily Recognized Weapon

Amanda Kramp, Assistant Curator of Collections & Exhibits

Julia Cronin, Curator of Collections & Exhibits

Gifts of American Legion Post 197 and John & Beth Shuford

Most people would recognize a hand grenade from pop culture, war movies, or personal experience. They are a dangerous weapon. But don’t worry, Turtle Bay’s grenades are more than 100 years old and inert. They contain no explosives. 

Grenades are not a 20th-century invention. Byzantine soldiers used incendiary grenades in the 700s, and the Chinese developed throwable gunpowder-packed ceramic and metal containers during the Song Dynasty (906-1279 AD). The first cast iron grenades appeared in Europe in 1467 AD. These are two versions of World War I era defensive weapons: a complete U.S. Mk2 and an incomplete French Citron Foug Modele 1916. Both designs were used into the 1960s with some small changes to make them more reliable and effective. 

Modern grenades work by dispersing fragments, chemical aerosols, or fire. Fragmentation grenades are the most common in modern armies. Their cases, made of a hard synthetic material or steel, are designed to rupture, and fragment on detonation. This detonation sends out fragments as fast-moving projectiles. The standard grenade design has a safety handle or lever and a removable pin that prevents the handle from being released. The safety handle is spring-loaded, and once the safety pin is pulled and the grenade thrown, the lever releases and ignites the timed detonator.

In battles, these WWI grenades could be launched mechanically from a rifle muzzle or a grenade launcher or thrown by hand. The damage radius was greater than a one-pound five-ounce grenade could be thrown, so the thrower had to take cover in a trench or behind a substantial barrier. However, unlike movie grenades, they do not cause a giant fireball or blow-up buildings! 

Did you know that the word “grenade” is derived from the French word, spelled exactly the same, meaning “pomegranate?” The fruit analogies don’t end there! The Citron is named for its lemon shape, and the Mk2 was called the “pineapple grenade” during World War II. 

To learn more about this artifact, visit the Artifact of the Month exhibit inside the Museum entrance at Turtle Bay Exploration Park. You can also click the link below for the Artifact of the Month webpage for more information on the exhibit and past blogs.