grenade

grenade, small bomb filled with explosives, gas, or chemicals and either thrown by hand or shot from a modified rifle or a grenade launcher. Grenades were in use as early as the 15th cent., and men trained to use them were called grenadiers. As the grenade fell into disfavor, however, the name grenadier was applied to members of various elite guards, such as those of Frederick II of Prussia and Napoleon I. Grenades were later reintroduced in warfare and have been widely used in the wars of the 20th cent.

Small explosive, chemical, or gas bomb used at short range. Invented in the 15th century, it became so important that 17th-century European armies had specially trained grenade throwers, or grenadiers. After circa 1750 grenades were largely abandoned because the increasing range and accuracy of firearms had lessened opportunities for close combat. They returned to widespread use in the 20th century, when their effectiveness in World War I trench warfare made them a standard part of the combat infantryman's equipment, which they have remained. Most common is the explosive grenade, with a core of TNT or another high explosive encased in an iron jacket and a fuse that detonates it either on impact or after a brief (usually four-second) delay. Chemical and gas grenades generally burn rather than explode.

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The V40 fragmentation grenade was manufactured in the Netherlands, and was in service in the Canadian Forces and the US Armed Forces

The V40 grenade is spherical in shape, 6.5 cm (2.5 in) high, and 4 cm (1.5 in) in diameter - approximately the size of a golf-ball. It has a safety pin and safety lever with a safety clip attached to the safety lever.

The steel body of the grenade has 326 squares pressed into its inside face to produce separate fragments when the explosive fill is detonated. The V40 weighed 136 gm (4.8 oz) and was issued primed from the manufacturer. Fuze delay time was four seconds. This grenade was considered lethal up to a radius of 5 metres (5.5 yards) and dangerous up to 300 m (325 yd) from point of impact. It was commonly referred to as the Mini-Frag

Due to its small size, a considerable number could be carried; but small size also made the weapon dangerous when wearing gloves, as the impact of the striker on the primer was difficult to feel. These grenades where in service from the late 1960's to at least 1984.

Trivia

In 2007, a Salvadoran prisoner was found concealing a V40 in his rectum, hoping to use it for a prison escape.

The V40 was used by MACV-SOG and Navy SEAL reconnaissance teams in Vietnam in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their small size allowed number to be carried by an individual making them effective in breaking contact when a small team was engaged by a superior enemy force.

In his novel Black Hawk Down, Mark Bowden says that SFC Paul Howe employed "golf ball-sized mini-grenades."

References

External links

• 1976 Canadian Forces Manual of Grenades and Pyrotechnics