Hand grenade facts for kids
A hand grenade is a small explosive device that is thrown at a target. It can be used as a weapon against an enemy soldier or vehicle. The most common type of grenade is the fragmentation grenade. Fragmentation grenades send out lots of very fast, very small fragments when they explode. Hand granades are usually thrown, and explode soon after that. Some specially designed grenades are fired from rifles or specially made grenade launchers. There are grenades which contain tear gas. These are used to control riots.
Hand grenades are used by the infantry. There are three main types: one which gives a big powerful blast to destroy bunkers, another which starts fires and another which contains shrapnel to hurt enemy soldiers. Most grenades are shaped like an egg, with a metal-arm on its top and a ring. When the ring is pulled out, the arm flips up and ignites a fuse. The user then has a few seconds to throw it and take cover, usually about 5 seconds. It explodes on impact and may injure or even kill people.
You can't pull a grenade with your teeth and you can't walk away from an explosion unscathed, as is commonly portrayed in social media.
Contents
Etymology
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.
History
Early grenades were iron balls, filled with gunpowder and with a long fuse that its user must light up with a match before throwing. Some were too big to throw, so soldiers rolled them. Some armies assigned special soldiers called "grenadiers" to throw or roll grenades.
Grenades in the early 20th century exploded on contact. This was changed during World War I to time fuses. The German army used stick grenades (grenades with handles) during World War I and World War II. The Soviet Army used different grenades for attack and defense.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Demonstration of a German stielhandgranate (shaft hand grenade), a high explosive grenade with time fuze, the Netherlands, 1946.
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Hand grenades filled with Greek fire; surrounded by caltrops. (10th–12th centuries National Historical Museum, Athens, Greece)
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Mongolian grenade attack on Japanese during Yuan dynasty.
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An illustration of a fragmentation bomb known as the 'divine bone dissolving fire oil bomb' (lan gu huo you shen pao) from the Huolongjing. The black dots represent iron pellets.
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A cross-section of a Ketchum Grenade, used during the American Civil War.
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One of the earliest modern hand grenades. Fielded in the British Army from 1908, it was unsuccessful in the trenches of World War I, and was replaced by the Mills bomb.
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The Mills bomb – the first modern fragmentation grenade – was used in the trenches from 1915
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Cross section of the Model 24 Stielhandgranate
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World War II-era U.S. Mk 2 grenade
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German DM51 hand grenade with blast core (top) and fragmentation sleeve (bottom)
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Diagram of the Mk3A2 concussion grenade
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M84 stun grenade (1995–present)
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Inert training grenade made from hard rubber
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M61 grenade (1959-1968), with safety clip around the lever and the bent tip of the safety pin at top
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Typical safety pin. A cotter pin with a ring attached
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An infantryman throwing a hand grenade during training, 1942
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Grenade immediately after being thrown at a practice range. The safety lever has separated in mid-air from the body of the grenade.
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Hand grenade converted to booby trap with pull trip wire trigger
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Grenade on a kepi of the French Army
See also
In Spanish: Granada de mano para niños
