One problem is their unpredictability : In some chemical fuzes, the delay time may vary from two to six seconds. But the biggest problem with time-delay grenades is that they give the enemy an opportunity to counterattack.
If a soldier doesn't time a grenade toss just right, the enemy may pick it up and throw it back before it explodes.
For this reason, soldiers must use impact grenades in certain situations. An impact grenade explodes wherever it lands, so there is no chance for the enemy to throw it back.
In the next section, we'll see how this sort of grenade works. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Prev NEXT. The proper way to throw a hand grenade: Depress the striker lever, pull the pin, hurl the grenade. Hand-held, under-barrel and mounted grenade launchers are all classified by the UN as light weapons. In practise, they have taken the lives of countless soldiers and civilians and are one of the more widespread explosive weapons in the world.
By the 16th century, the grenade had evolved to a cast iron sphere with a time-fitted fuse made from a flaxen cord rolled in dampened gunpowder and dried. It helped give birth to the modern grenade that consists of a filler, detonator mechanism and a safety lever secured by a linchpin.
Such hand grenades were and are used in both direct and indirect fire i. In the theatre of combat , grenades are often used against enemy soldiers caught in the open or entrenched within fortified positions. They are also used to mark positions, surprise the enemy, or destroy and disable enemy equipment, as well as being used as booby traps or early warning signals devices.
In the U. It is designed for use in offensive and defensive missions , with a new electronic fuzing system, allowing the user to choose a precise detonation time down to the nearest millisecond. This possibly reflects a withdrawal of many troops from ground offensives such as in Iraq and Afghanistan and the fact that such troops might have been involved in larger scale assaults, where more casualties would be likely.
It also follows a reduction on IED usage over the last decade, showing that many non-state actors — like ISIS — have been decimated by drone strikes etc. The US military divides hand grenades into six categories: fragmentation, chemical, offensive, nonlethal, smoke, and practice and training. They have been the most historically significant grenade and are the most commonly used today.
One of the most prolific fragmentation grenades is the US-made M67, the specifications of which are below. Another way of categorising grenades is defensive and offensive. Defensive grenades are intended to be thrown from behind cover while an offensive grenade can be thrown with minimal cover.
Fragmentation grenades, for instance, would be classified as defensive. What are, broadly, the dimensions and weight of a grenade? The weight of a grenade can range from g to g. The diameter of most grenades lies between 55mm and 65mm. Broadly, grenades fall into the following shape categories: ball, oval and can.
What quantity of explosives can a grenade deliver? High explosive fillers are designed to shatter the grenade and produce blast effects, they include ammonium nitrate, alumatol, comp B, TNT and amatol. Grenades can deliver a range of explosives, depending on the type.
British brigade orders issued for the Somme attack on July 1, , stated that the grenade or bombing squads: each non-com would carry 6 mills bombs, 4 rifle grenades and 2 smoke; the 2 bayonet men would carry 12 mills bombs and 4 smoke; the 2 throwers carried 24 mills and 4 smoke; the 2 carriers reserve throwers carried 24 mills and 4 smoke and the 2 rifle grenadiers carried 8 mills and 20 rifle grenades for a total of 74 mills bombs, 24 rifle grenades and 14 smoke grenades.
The Russians utilized a small variety of grenade types. There is a Russian Model hand grenade, dated Made of sheet metal attached to a wooden handle, the square head resembles a lantern, thus its nickname. The U. Many grenades types were used by American troops. Whether factory-produced or made in the field from sticks of dynamite and shrapnel balls, hand and mechanically launched grenades had established their place in modern technological warfare.
A long way from a box of vipers. Signal Corps photograph captioned "Illustrating methods of throwing hand grenades from the trenches. Advance outpost of th Reg. I, th Inf. Veach and 2nd Lt. Boston commanding, at hand grenade practice with Mills bombs. Veach showing the actions performed in throwing the bomb. Click for more information and to view additional images.
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