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Grenades: Pineapple vs Potato masher (Read 4946 times)
David Morningstar
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Grenades: Pineapple vs Potato masher
Dec 23rd, 2012 at 7:08am
 

This is interesting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYPyhJXKeMA#t=3m13s

It is a side-by-side throwing test of two WW2 grenades, the British Mills bomb versus the German Stielhandgranate. The German grenade goes twice as far because its weight is at the end of the long handle. Thus it gains extra leverage when thrown just like the atlatl and dart.
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Atlatlista
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Re: Grenades: Pineapple vs Potato masher
Reply #1 - Dec 23rd, 2012 at 9:36am
 
Also, just like a choctaw throwing stick:

...
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Bikewer
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Re: Grenades: Pineapple vs Potato masher
Reply #2 - Dec 23rd, 2012 at 9:46am
 
As I recall, US researchers tried all through the war to come up with a "baseball grenade" for our boys.   The idea being, of course, that all our lads could throw a baseball both accurately and far.   (well, lots of 'em, anyway)
Never quite got it.   In order to match the size and weight of a baseball, most examples were not powerful enough to satisfy the military guys.   Put enough explosive in and add a metal casing for shrapnel... Rapidly gets heavier than any baseball.
Also, they wanted an "explode on contact" capability.    Good idea, but hard to do safely.  What if you arm the thing and then loose your opportunity to throw?  What do you do with the thing?
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AncientCraftwork
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Re: Grenades: Pineapple vs Potato masher
Reply #3 - Dec 23rd, 2012 at 11:37am
 
I've always liked the look of the Stielhandgranate more.
This is another interesting video about it,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB9o-Tmxyv8
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Thearos
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Re: Grenades: Pineapple vs Potato masher
Reply #4 - Dec 23rd, 2012 at 9:27pm
 
I seem to remember S. Ambrose writing that the potato masher had less explosive, though
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Re: Grenades: Pineapple vs Potato masher
Reply #5 - Dec 24th, 2012 at 2:30am
 
The potato masher had a thinner skin, and a heavier explosive weight.  It was designed for a storm-trooper tactic:  small groups advance under cover of artillery fire, not shooting their guns, but using grenades to take out enemy bunkers, hoping the grenades are mistaken for the artillery- and the enemy keeps their heads' down, allowing the storm troopers to advance to a command/communications point, and destroy it.  A "frag sleeve" was developed later.
The pineapple was designed to throw metal- but the explosive charge was too small. (only 55grams in the Mk2 Pineapple).  This produced large fragments that were lethal at long ranges, but the probability of a hit was low (bigger fragments= fewer of them).
The best modern grenade designs use pre-formed fragments, usually ball bearings held in epoxy.  This gives a nasty storm of metal at close range, but the small (1-3mm diameter) ball bearings lose velocity quickly.
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Mauro Fiorentini
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Re: Grenades: Pineapple vs Potato masher
Reply #6 - Dec 25th, 2012 at 3:13pm
 
Topic stored in our Index!
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Re: Grenades: Pineapple vs Potato masher
Reply #7 - Dec 26th, 2012 at 3:49am
 
it was also considered an "offensive" grenade meaning that it relied primarily on the explosive itself to cause damage rather than a fragmentation effect.
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ninja-slinger
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Re: Grenades: Pineapple vs Potato masher
Reply #8 - Dec 28th, 2012 at 7:06pm
 
I go with pineapple.  It fits in a sling better.  Wait!  Put fletching on a "potato masher" and fire from a cestros!  It's perfect!
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