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57-455: " Mills bomb " is the popular name for a series of British hand grenades which were designed by William Mills . They were the first modern fragmentation grenades used by the British Army and saw widespread use in the First and Second World Wars . William Mills , a hand grenade designer from Sunderland , patented, developed and manufactured the "Mills bomb" at the Mills Munitions Factory in Birmingham , England, in 1915. The Mills bomb

114-526: A Byzantine invention of the previous century, could not only be thrown by flamethrowers at the enemy but also in stone and ceramic jars. Later, glass containers were employed. In Song China (960–1279), weapons known as ' thunder crash bombs ' ( 震天雷 ) were created when soldiers packed gunpowder into ceramic or metal containers fitted with fuses. A 1044 military book, Wujing Zongyao ( Compilation of Military Classics ), described various gunpowder recipes in which one can find, according to Joseph Needham ,

171-415: A base for the bayonet to rest against, so that when a bayonet cut or thrust is made, the bayonet does not move or slip backwards. Prior to the lug's invention, plug bayonets were used, which were shoved into the muzzle end from a tight-fitting stub, preventing the firearm from being reloaded or discharged. By the early 18th century, this type of bayonet was being phased out and subsequently replaced with

228-411: A cup-type launcher to replace the rod-type rifle-grenade. In this design, a can-shaped launcher was attached to the muzzle of the rifle and a gas check disc was screwed onto the base of the grenade before the grenade was placed in the launcher. The safety pin could then be removed as the launcher cup kept the safety-lever in place. The operator inserted the ballistite cartridge into the rifle before setting

285-561: A five-second fuze with a match-tip that was ignited by striking on a ring on the soldier's hand. William Mills , a hand grenade designer from Sunderland , patented, developed and manufactured the " Mills bomb " at the Mills Munition Factory in Birmingham , England in 1915, designating it the No.5. It was described as the first "safe grenade". They were explosive-filled steel canisters with

342-529: A grenade which could operate in either fragmentation or blast mode (selected at any time before throwing), the electronically fuzed enhanced tactical multi-purpose ( ET-MP ) hand grenade. During the Great War, handgrenades were frequently used by troops, lacking other means to defend against enemy tanks threatening to over-run the position, to various success. The Interwar period saw some limited development of grenades specifically intended to defeat armour, but it

399-404: A hand grenade, the objective is to have the grenade explode so that the target is within its effective radius while keeping the thrower out of the same. For this reason, several systems has been used to trigger the explosion. Impact was the first used, with fragile containers of Greek fire that ruptured when landing. Later impact fuzes contained some kind of sensitive explosive to either initiate

456-514: A hard synthetic material or steel, are designed to rupture and fragment on detonation, sending out numerous fragments ( shards and splinters ) as fast-flying projectiles. In modern grenades, a pre-formed fragmentation matrix inside the grenade is commonly used, which may be spherical, cuboid, wire or notched wire. Most anti-personnel (AP) grenades are designed to detonate either after a time delay or on impact. Grenades are often spherical, cylindrical, ovoid or truncated ovoid in shape, and of

513-505: A loud popping noise and a puff of smoke on detonation. The grenade body can be reused. Another type is the throwing practice grenade which is completely inert and often cast in one piece. It is used to give soldiers a feel for the weight and shape of real grenades and for practicing precision throwing. Examples of practice grenades include the K417 Biodegradable Practice Hand Grenade by CNOTech Korea. When using

570-452: A rodded base plug which allowed it to be fired from a rifle. This concept evolved further with the No. 36, a variant with a detachable base plate for use with a rifle discharger cup . The final variation of the Mills bomb, the No. 36M, was specially designed and waterproofed with shellac for use in the hot climate of Mesopotamia in 1917 at first but remained in production for many years. By 1918

627-459: A size that fits the hand of an average-sized adult. Some grenades are mounted at the end of a handle and known as " stick grenades ". The stick design provides leverage for throwing longer distances, but at the cost of additional weight and length, and has been considered obsolete by western countries since the Second World War and Cold War periods. A friction igniter inside the handle or on

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684-446: A spring-loaded striker hit the cap after the grenade is released like the Mills bomb with the latter being predominant since WWII. There is also an alternative technique of throwing, where the grenade is not thrown immediately after the fuze is ignited, which allows the fuze to burn partially and decrease the time to detonation after throwing; this is referred to as "cooking". A shorter delay

741-483: A time delay or on impact. Modern fragmentation grenades, such as the United States M67 grenade , have a wounding radius of 15 m (49 ft) – half that of older style grenades, which can still be encountered – and can be thrown about 40 m (130 ft). Fragments may travel more than 200 m (660 ft). These grenades are usually classed as offensive weapons because the effective casualty radius

798-402: A triggering pin and a distinctive deeply notched surface. This segmentation is often erroneously thought to aid fragmentation , though Mills' own notes show the external grooves were purely to aid the soldier to grip the weapon. Improved fragmentation designs were later made with the notches on the inside, but at that time they would have been too expensive to produce. The external segmentation of

855-533: Is much less than the distance it can be thrown, and its explosive power works better within more confined spaces such as fortifications or buildings , where entrenched defenders often occupy. The concussion effect, rather than any expelled fragments, is the effective killer. In the case of the US Mk3A2 , the casualty radius is published as 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in open areas, but fragments and bits of fuze may be projected as far as 200 m (660 ft) from

912-545: Is the predominant system today, developed from the match-fuzes that were hand-lit in the early grenades. From there, two sub-groups were developed: friction-ignitors where a cord is pulled or a cap is twisted to ignite the delay-fuze like on the German Stielhandgranate; the other being strike- or percussion-ignitors where the user either hit the cap before the throw like on the Japanese Type 10 grenade , or have

969-529: Is useful to reduce the ability of the enemy to take cover, throw or kick the grenade away and can also be used to allow a fragmentation grenade to explode into the air over defensive positions. Concerned with a number of serious incidents and accidents involving hand grenades, Ian Kinley at the Swedish Försvarets materielverk identified the two main issues as the time-fuze's burntime variation with temperature (slows down in cold and speeds up in heat) and

1026-644: The Governor of Jamaica in 1721. Improvised grenades were increasingly used from the mid-19th century, the confines of trenches enhancing the effect of small explosive devices. In a letter to his sister, Colonel Hugh Robert Hibbert described an improvised grenade that was employed by British troops during the Crimean War (1854–1856): We have a new invention to annoy our friends in their pits. It consists in filling empty soda water bottles full of powder, old twisted nails and any other sharp or cutting thing we can find at

1083-671: The Hales rifle grenade , developed a modern hand grenade in 1906 but was unsuccessful in persuading the British Army to adopt the weapon until 1913. Hale's chief competitor was Nils Waltersen Aasen , who invented his design in 1906 in Norway, receiving a patent for it in England. Aasen began his experiments with developing a grenade while serving as a sergeant in the Oscarsborg Fortress . Aasen formed

1140-511: The Home Guard as an anti-tank weapon. It was produced in vast numbers; by August 1941 well over 6,000,000 had been manufactured. Sting grenades, also known as stingball or sting ball grenades, are stun grenades based on the design of the fragmentation grenade. Instead of using a metal casing to produce fragmentation, they are made from hard rubber and are filled with around 100 rubber or plastic balls. On detonation, these balls, and fragments from

1197-603: The Iraqi insurgency in the early 2000s against lightly armoured mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles, designed for protection only against improvised explosive devices , as well as drone ordnance in Ukraine 2022–2024. During World War II the United Kingdom used incendiary grenades based on white phosphorus . One model, the No. 76 special incendiary grenade , was mainly issued to

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1254-609: The Jacobites in the battles of Killiecrankie and Glen Shiel . These grenades were not very effective owing both to the unreliability of their fuse, as well inconsistent times to detonation, and as a result, saw little use. Grenades were also used during the Golden Age of Piracy , especially during boarding actions; pirate Captain Thompson used "vast numbers of powder flasks, grenade shells, and stinkpots" to defeat two pirate-hunters sent by

1311-406: The socket bayonet . This type of bayonet slides over the muzzle end with the blade offset to the side at a right angle, above or underneath the barrel. The socket bayonet would later be replaced in the late 19th century by the press stud and bayonet lug. Bayonet lugs are usually located near the muzzle end of a long gun barrel . The lug is occasionally placed on top of the barrel, if serving as

1368-449: The springs , the striker spring in particular, coming pre-tensioned from the factory by mechanism designs that had not changed much since the 1930s. In 2019, a new mechanism, fully interchangeable with the old ones, was adopted into service. The main difference, apart from a fully environmentally stable delay, is that the springs now are twist-tensioned by the thrower after the transport safety (pin and ring) has been removed, thus eliminating

1425-731: The Aasenske Granatkompani in Denmark, which before the First World War produced and exported hand grenades in large numbers across Europe. He had success in marketing his weapon to the French and was appointed as a Knight of the French Legion of Honour in 1916 for the invention. The Royal Laboratory developed the No. 1 grenade in 1908. It contained explosive material with an iron fragmentation band, with an impact fuze , detonating when

1482-485: The Mills bomb was India who only replaced it in August 2021 with a new Multi-Mode Hand Grenade (MMHG). The Mills bomb was developed into a rifle grenade by attaching a metallic rod to its base. This rod-type rifle-grenade had an effective range of about 150 yards (140 m). The operating procedure was to insert the Mills bomb rod down the barrel of a standard rifle , put a special blank cartridge (Ballistite cartridge) in

1539-403: The No. 5 and No. 23 had been declared obsolete and the No. 36 (but not the 36M) followed in 1932. The Mills was a classic design; a grooved cast iron "pineapple" with a central striker held by a close hand lever and secured with a pin. According to Mills's notes, the casing was grooved to make it easier to grip, not as an aid to fragmentation; and it has been shown that it does not shatter along

1596-653: The Paraguayan troops used hand grenades in their attempt to board Brazilian ironclad warships with canoes. Hand grenades were used on naval engagements during the War of the Pacific . During the Siege of Mafeking in the Second Boer War , the defenders used fishing rods and a mechanical spring device to throw improvised grenades. Improvised hand grenades were used to great effect by

1653-668: The Russian defenders of Port Arthur (now Lüshun Port ) during the Russo-Japanese War . Around the turn of the 20th century, the ineffectiveness of the available types of hand grenades, coupled with their levels of danger to the user and difficulty of operation, meant that they were regarded as increasingly obsolete pieces of military equipment. In 1902, the British War Office announced that hand grenades were obsolete and had no place in modern warfare. But within two years, following

1710-536: The blast.. Fragmentation grenades are common in armies. They are weapons that are designed to disperse fragments on detonation, aimed to damage targets within the lethal and injury radii. The body is generally made of a hard synthetic material or steel, which will provide some fragmentation as shards and splinters, though in modern grenades a pre-formed fragmentation matrix is often used. The pre-formed fragmentation may be spherical, cuboid, wire or notched wire. Most explosive grenades are designed to detonate either after

1767-524: The detonation point. Concussion grenades have also been used as depth charges (underwater explosives) around boats and underwater targets; some like the US Mk 40 concussion grenade are designed for use against enemy divers and frogmen . Underwater explosions kill or otherwise incapacitate the target by creating a lethal shock wave underwater. The US Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) announced in 2016 that they were developing

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1824-461: The enemy camp, the whole place will be set ablaze... Grenade-like devices were also known in ancient India. In a 12th-century Persian historiography, the Mojmal al-Tawarikh , a terracotta elephant filled with explosives set with a fuse was placed hidden in the van and exploded as the invading army approached. A type of grenade called the 'flying impact thunder crash bomb' (飛擊震天雷) was developed in

1881-569: The grenade back. Therefore, the delay was reduced to four seconds. The British Army continued to use grenades with a seven-second fuse for use in rifle mounted grenade projectors where the fuse time was required to allow the grenade to reach its full range. The heavy segmented bodies of "pineapple" type grenades result in an unpredictable pattern of fragmentation. After the Second World War, Britain adopted grenades that contained segmented coiled wire in smooth metal casings. The No. 36M Mk.I remained

1938-467: The grenade could throw lethal fragments farther than this. The British Home Guard were instructed that the throwing range of the No. 36 was about 30 yd (27 m) with a danger area of about 100 yd (91 m). At first the grenade was fitted with a seven-second fuse but in the Battle of France in 1940 this delay proved to be too long, giving defenders time to escape the explosion, or even to throw

1995-721: The late 16th century and first used in September 1, 1592 by the Joseon Dynasty during the Japanese invasions of Korea . The grenade was 20 cm in diameter, weighed 10 kg, and had a cast iron shell. It contained iron pellets, and an adjustable fuse. The grenade was used with a dedicated grenade launcher called a 'wangu' (碗口). It was used in both the besieging and defense of fortifications, to great effect. The first cast-iron bombshells and grenades appeared in Europe in 1467, where their initial role

2052-506: The main charge directly, or set off a primer charge that in turn detonates the main charge. This turned out to present significant drawbacks; either the primer is so sensitive that unintended and premature ignition happens, while a more stable substance often fails to set off the grenade when landing in softer ground, not seldom even allowing the targeted troops to hurl the grenade back. Thus, the only significant use of impact fuzes since WWI has been in anti-tank grenades. Fuze-delayed grenades

2109-768: The mid-17th century, infantry known as " grenadiers " began to emerge in the armies of Europe, who specialized in shock and close quarters combat, mostly with the usage of grenades and fierce melee combat. In 1643, it is possible that grenados were thrown amongst the Welsh at Holt Bridge during the English Civil War . The word grenade was also used during the events surrounding the Glorious Revolution in 1688, where cricket ball-sized (8.81 to 9 in (224 to 229 mm) in circumference) iron spheres packed with gunpowder and fitted with slow-burning wicks were first used against

2166-482: The original Mills bomb was retained, as it provided a positive grip surface. This basic "pin-and-pineapple" design is still used in some modern grenades. After the Second World War , the general design of hand grenades has been fundamentally unchanged, with pin-and-lever being the predominant igniter system with the major powers, though incremental and evolutionary improvements continuously were made. In 2012, Spränghandgranat 07 (shgr 07, "Blast hand-grenade 07")

2223-420: The possibility of unintentional arming of the hand grenade. Modern manufacturers of hand grenades include: Bayonet lug A bayonet lug is a standard feature on most military and on some civilian longarms . It is intended for attaching a bayonet , which is typically a short-bladed multipurpose knife bayonet . The bayonet lug is the metal mount that either locks the bayonet onto the weapon or provides

2280-435: The pressure rising as the bullet moves up the barrel, peaking at some point before the bullet leaves the muzzle. With the much heavier grenade and rod, the cartridge had to accelerate a much heavier mass, which resulted in the powder burning up and the pressure peaking before the rod had got more than a part of the way up the barrel, putting peak pressure on sooner and sustaining it for longer. The British subsequently developed

2337-419: The prototype of the modern hand grenade. The shells ( pào ) are made of cast iron, as large as a bowl and shaped like a ball. Inside they contain half a pound of 'divine fire' ( shén huǒ , gunpowder). They are sent flying towards the enemy camp from an eruptor ( mu pào ), and when they get there a sound like a thunder-clap is heard, and flashes of light appear. If ten of these shells are fired successfully into

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2394-418: The rifle's chamber , place the rifle stock on the ground, then pull the Mills bomb's safety pin, releasing the safety lever and immediately fire the rifle. If the soldier did not launch the grenade quickly, the grenade's fuse would time out and explode. The British soon developed a simple cradle attached to the rifle's bayonet lug to hold the safety-lever in place and prevent accidental detonations. However, it

2451-534: The rod and the gas check grenade could be thrown as a standard hand-grenade. The cup discharger was typically on issue to the British Home Guard rather than the regular British Army. Hand grenade Grenades work by dispersing fragments (fragmentation grenades), shockwaves ( high-explosive , anti-tank and stun grenades ), chemical aerosols ( smoke , gas and chemical grenades ) or fire ( incendiary grenades ). Their outer casings, generally made of

2508-451: The rubber casing explode outward in all directions as reduced lethality projectiles, which may ricochet. It is intended that people struck by the projectiles will receive a series of fast, painful stings, without serious injury. Some types have an additional payload of CS gas . Sting grenades do not reliably incapacitate people, so they can be dangerous to use against armed subjects. They sometimes cause serious physical injury, especially

2565-467: The rubber fragments from the casing. People have lost eyes and hands to sting grenades. Sting grenades are sometimes called "stinger grenades", which is a genericized trademark as "Stinger" is trademarked by Defense Technology for its line of sting grenades. Chemical and gas grenades burn or release a gas, and do not explode. Practice or simulation grenades are similar in handling and function to other hand grenades, except that they only produce

2622-568: The segmented lines . The Mills was a defensive grenade meant to be thrown from behind cover at a target in the open, wounding with fragmentation, as opposed to an offensive grenade, which does not fragment, relying on short-range blast effect to wound or stun the victim without endangering the thrower with fragments, which travel a much longer distance than blast. Despite the designations and their traits, "defensive" grenades were frequently used offensively and vice versa. A competent thrower could manage 49 ft (15 m) with reasonable accuracy, but

2679-602: The standard grenade of the British Armed Forces and was manufactured in the UK until 1972, when it was replaced by the L2 series. The 36M remained in service in some parts of the world such as India and Pakistan, where it was manufactured until the 2000s. Mills bombs were still being used in combat as recently as 2004, for example in the incident which killed US Marine Jason Dunham and wounded two of his comrades. The last major operator of

2736-430: The stock, angled on the ground to absorb the recoil of the weapon. When the cartridge was fired it pushed the grenade out of the cup releasing the lever. The cup-type launcher could launch the grenade about 200 yards (180 m). Lee–Enfield rifles equipped with the cup launcher were sometimes modified with copper wire wrapped around the stock, to prevent the wood from splitting under the increased recoil. If necessary, both

2793-600: The success of improvised grenades in the trench warfare conditions of the Russo-Japanese War, and reports from General Sir Aylmer Haldane , a British observer of the conflict, a reassessment was quickly made and the Board of Ordnance was instructed to develop a practical hand grenade. Various models using a percussion fuze were built, but this type of fuze suffered from various practical problems, and they were not commissioned in large numbers. Marten Hale, known for patenting

2850-464: The time, sticking a bit of tow in for a fuse then lighting it and throwing it quickly into our neighbors' pit where it bursts, to their great annoyance. You may imagine their rage at seeing a soda water bottle come tumbling into a hole full of men with a little fuse burning away as proud as a real shell exploding and burying itself into soft parts of the flesh. In March 1868 during the Paraguayan War ,

2907-580: The top of the grenade head was used to initiate the fuse. The word grenade is likely derived from the French word spelled exactly the same, meaning pomegranate , as the bomb is reminiscent of the many-seeded fruit in size and shape. Its first use in English dates from the 1590s. Rudimentary incendiary grenades appeared in the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire , not long after the reign of Leo III (717–741). Byzantine soldiers learned that Greek fire ,

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2964-602: The top of the grenade hit the ground. A long cane handle (approximately 16 inches or 40 cm) allowed the user to throw the grenade farther than the blast of the explosion. It suffered from the handicap that the percussion fuse was armed before throwing, which meant that if the user was in a trench or other confined space, he was apt to detonate it and kill himself when he drew back his arm to throw it. Early in World War I , combatant nations only had small grenades, similar to Hales' and Aasen's design. The Italian Besozzi grenade had

3021-480: Was announced as the first major innovation in the area of handgrenades since the Great War . Developed by Ian Kinley at Försvarets Materielverk (FMV), shgr 07 is a self-righting, jumping hand grenade containing some 1900 balls that covers a cone 10 metres in diameter with the centre about 2 metres in height. This minimize the dangers outside the lethal zone as there is little to no random scattering of fragments from

3078-447: Was found that the repeated launching of rod-type grenades caused damage to the rifle's barrel, causing the middle to bulge out due to the prolonged pressure spike from driving the much heavier, larger projectile up the barrel (typically a much faster process with a normal bullet); a rifle cartridge rapidly burns up all the available powder, which fills the volume behind the bullet with extremely high pressure gases (tens of thousands of PSI),

3135-513: Was inspired by an earlier design by Belgian captain Leon Roland, who later engaged in a patent lawsuit. Col. Arthur Morrow, a New Zealand Wars officer, also believed aspects of his patent were incorporated into the Mills Bomb. The Mills bomb was adopted by the British Army as its standard hand grenade in 1915 as the No. 5. The Mills bomb underwent numerous modifications. The No. 23 was a No. 5 with

3192-481: Was not until the outbreak of WWII serious efforts were made. While there were infantry anti-tank weapons available, they were either not ubiquitous enough, ineffective or both. Anti-tank grenades were a suitable stopgap to ensure a rudimentary capability for every squad to be used for self-defence. Once rocket-propelled shaped charges became available in greater numbers, anti-tank hand grenades became almost obsolete. However, they were still used with limited success in

3249-474: Was with the besieging and defense of castles and fortifications. A hoard of several hundred ceramic hand grenades was discovered during construction in front of a bastion of the Bavarian city of Ingolstadt , Germany, dated to the 17th century. Many of the grenades retained their original black powder loads and igniters. The grenades were most likely intentionally dumped in the moat of the bastion prior to 1723. By

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