Model 39 grenade
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (December 2012) |
| Eihandgranate Model 39 | |
|---|---|
Hand grenade | |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1939-1945 |
| Used by | Nazi Germany, Soviet Union[1] |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1939 |
| Variants | Standard, fragmentation sleeve |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 230 g (8.1 oz) |
| Height | 76 mm (3.0 in) |
| Diameter | 60 mm (2.4 in) |
| Filling | Donarit - (relatively similar to amatol) |
| Filling weight | 112 g (4.0 oz) |
Detonation mechanism | instant, 1, 4.5, 7.5 or 10 second delay |
The Model 39 "Eihandgranate", M39 or Eierhandgranate 39 ("egg hand grenade") was a German fragmentation
Description
The Eihandgranate were issued to the Fallschirmjäger from early till the end of the war. The grenade used the same fuse assembly (the BZE 39) as the
To activate, the dome-shaped cap was unscrewed and pulled with a coiled
If it was to be used as a fixed
Later in Italy they were used as booby traps to slow down Allied advances on the Italian peninsula, in ambushes or in street fighting and as traps for the Italian Partisans when they raided German supplies and weapon caches. Another type of trap was to wire a short-fuse grenade to a door-frame in an abandoned building with the pull-cord attached to the door. When the door was breached by opposing troops, the grenade would detonate right next to the enemy.
The offensive high explosive version of the grenade used a small Donarit filling, which was considered extremely ineffective in comparison to the standard stick grenade models: large amounts of these grenades would be thrown in a short amount of time or at once for the desired effect.
The defensive
Fuse cap colour-codes
- Red – 1 second delay (for coloured smoke, but also booby-trap)
- Blue – 4.5 second (standard issue)
- Yellow – 7.5 seconds (used on the Hafthohlladung 3 – magnetic shaped charge)
- Grey – No delay (used for demolition work or as booby-trap)
See also
- Model 24 grenade
- Model 43 grenade
References
External links
Literature
- Terry Gander, Peter Chamberlain: Encyclopedia of German Weapons 1939–1945. 2nd Release, Special edition. Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-613-02481-0.
- D. Mitev, Bulgarian and German hand grenades – history, development, contemporary state, Vol. 1, 216 pages, ISBN 978-954-629-012-0, Sofia, 2008