MK3 grenade
The MK3
There are three variants: the basic MK3, the MK3A1, and the MK3A2. They differ in their construction and the type of fuze used. They were designated Mk III (Roman numbers) prior to 2 April 1945.
MK3 (Mk.III offensive blast grenade) [1918]
The first version was created in March 1918.[1] It was designed to be used during trench assaults to knock out bunkers and clear trenches without producing fragmentation that could injure the user or friendly forces nearby.
The MK3 has a cardboard body[2] and a crimped metal top and bottom. The top has a raised fuze well that was threaded for a fuze assembly. It used the reliable Mk.II fuze, which used a Mills-bomb style striker but with a straight lever. It was replaced by the MK3A1.
It can be identified by its black body with yellow markings.
MK3A1 (Mk.III A1 offensive grenade)
The MK3A1 had a water-resistant laminated-paper body and top and bottom caps made from die-cast metal. The top had a threaded fuze well in the center. It originally used the M6A1 fuze, which had a four to five second delay. It was upgraded to the M6A2, and then the M6A3 fuze sometime in the early 1940s and the M6A4D fuze in 1944. The grenade contained 7 ounces (200 grams) of flaked
It can be identified by its black body and a yellow band pasted across the middle marked "Grenade, Hand - Offensive MK.III A1" in black lettering. It differs from the MK3 in having a fuze well that is flush with the surface of the top cap.
The grenades weighed 0.69 lbs. (~313 grams) each.[3] The MK3, like all TNT-filled grenades and bombs, were shipped without their fuzes as a safety measure. They were packed in cardboard storage tubes in crates of 24 or 50. Fuzes were shipped separately in boxes containing 25 fuzes.
MK3A2
The MK3A2 had a waterproof asphalt-impregnated fiberboard cylinder and its top and bottom were made from the same material. The top had a fuze well directly threaded in its center. It originally used the M6A4D fuze, which had a four to five second delay. This was later replaced with the updated M206 series fuze (currently using the M206A2), which was smokeless— and noiseless—burning and had a five-second delay. It contained an 8 oz. (~226.8 grams) TNT charge.
It can be identified by its cylinder, which is in two halves and is secured in the middle with a wide black band. The yellow lettering is printed directly on the surface of the grenade and reads "Grenade Hand - Offensive MK3A2 - TNT".
The grenades weighed in at 0.96 lbs. (~435.45 grams)[3] They came packed in storage tubes in crates of 30 grenades.
References
- ^ Hogg, Ian; Chen, C. Peter (March 2015). "World War II Database".
- ^ "American Grenades & Ordnance". www.inert-ord.net.
- ^ a b c Dockery, Kevin. Weapons of the Navy SEALs, Berkley Publishing Group, New York (2004). p.237
- FM 3-23.30 "Grenades and Pyrotechnic Signals". globalsecurity.org, 1 September 2000. Ch. 1, Sec. 1-8.b "Special-Purpose Hand Grenades/Offensive". Retrieved on 26 May 2011