How a Hand-Grenade Works - By: John Homes

In terms of anti-personnel weapons, one of the most ideal ever designed is the hand-thrown grenade. Etymologically, ‘grenade’ comes from the shape of the weapon which resembles a pomegranate. The Byzantines discovered that Greek Fire could be contained in glass or ceramic jars and, when thrown at the enemy, would explode when the jar burst, meaning that grenades have been thrown in combat for some 1000 years.

They were later developed by the Chinese who pioneered the design of hollowing small cannon shots, stuffing them with gunpowder and rigging a simple fuse. Perhaps the most easily recognizable grenade of all time is the Stielhandgrenate or ‘potato masher’ which the Wehrmacht used throughout World War Two. A lot of improvised and homemade grenades have been made for rebel armies and in civil wars using contempory grenade design, but replacing a fragmentation shell with an explosive filler mixed with metal bbs

Current grenades are much more complex than these earlier designs. The American-made M67 Fragmentation Grenade is the active-service grenade in US ops today and this article will review the method by which it works and can best be deployed.

The grenadier must assume the ‘throwing position’ when it comes to deployment. Meaning that his/her feet are spread about three feet apart with the M67 grenade held about the user's waist. The right-handed user removes the safety clip and then places his/her left index finger into the pin of the grenade, making sure of a firm grip on the main body of the grenade and safety lever with the right hand, after assuming this stance. It’s critically important to do this in order that the lever doesn't merely fly off and ignite the fuse when the pin is pulled.

If the pin is pulled for any reason, it can be put back safely as following this method assures your safety. As an additional safety feature, the pin is shaped to prevent an unwanted fuse ignition. When the grenade is tossed, the lever is released and a spring-loaded firing pin starts the fuse. The explosion will cause high levels of localized collateral damage, a bright flash, a loud bang and a powerful concussion wave.

The average user can toss the four hundred gram M67about ninety feet. The steel body contains one hundred and forty grams of high explosives which is detonated by a five-second fuse. The casing instantly disperses as hundreds of pieces of hot steel shrapnel when the explosives ignite. Boasting a kill radius of five meters, the M67 has a casualty radius of fifteen meters. As fragments can disperse as far as two hundred and thirty meters, it is important to be very careful to toss the grenade from cover.

The M67 Fragmentation Grenade has been deployed in various combat situations because it is a reliable and deadly weapon.

How a Hand-Grenade Kills reveals the background of, and step-by-step procedure used to deploy a M-67 Grenade.

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