This node covers the Stielhandgranate 24 (StiGr24), Handgranate 43 (Hdgr43),
Eihandgranate 39 (EHdgr39), Volkshandgranate 45 (VHdgr45),
Behelfshandgranate, Scheibenhandgranaten.
All these are
hand grenades used by the German
Wehrmacht during
World
War II.
Stielhandgranate 24 (StiGr24):
Length: 356mm.
Diameter: 60mm.
Weight: 595gr.
Load: 165g
TNT (originally).
StiGr24 is inarguably the most (in)famous handgrenade in the
world. Also
nicknamed the "potato-masher" grenade for its characteristic shape: An
approx. 30cm long stick, with a cylindrical head on top of it.
The German StiGr24 worked in a quite different fashion than Allied hand
grenades, as it was made for shock and concussion effect more than
fragmentation damage.
An extras added to the StiGr was the SplitterRinge (fragmentation-ring),
which was attached to the explosive head and made it possible to use as a
fragmentation grenade. The idea was imported from the
Soviets, who used
this method for their RGD 33 hand grenades.
Handgranate 43 (Hdgr43):
Length: 75mm.
Diameter: 60mm.
Weight: approx 200gr.
Load: 165g
TNT (originally).
Is the designation of a grenade constructed from the StiGr24/39 - by
removing the handle.
Used for a diversity of tasks - mines, charges and also:
Gebalte Ladung (Great Load), which consisted of 6 Hdgr43, wrapped around the
explosive head of a single StiGr24/39. Often used as a haphazard
Anti-Tank
weapon.
Eihandgranate 39 (EHdgr 39):
Length: 76mm.
Diameter: 60mm.
Weight: 230gr.
Load: 112gr TNT.
The Egg-
hand grenade EHdgr39 was a
compromise between size and power. As
materials for creating
hand grenades grew scarse, the EHdgr39 fell in
favor. It was created from almost any material such as
concrete or metal
shrapnel. They held a lighter load, and was much more fragile than its
predecessors.
The fuse on the EHdgr39 was covered by a
blue cap, which was removed and a
string was pulled to ignite the fuse (4-5 second delay).
Later, there was a
red capped version added, which had a delay of 1 second
- it was not used for hand grenating tasks, but as an explosive. The Red
capped version was often left behind if
Soldiers retreated, an enemy who
did not understand the color-coding would try to use the hand grenate with
fatal results.
On the Soviet front, there existed a
booby-trap version which carried the
official blue cap, but exploded instantaneously. Often left behind by
retreating Germans, ready for "use" by a Russian soldier.
Volkshandgranate 45 (VHdgr45):
Length: 70mm.
Diameter: 50mm.
Weight: approx 530gr.
Load: 36gr
TNT.
The Volkshandgranate (People's hand grenade) was basically a cardboard can
filled with shrapnel and explosives. 70g concrete, 75g gravel and 350g scrap
metal pieces, and had a core of only 36g of TNT was used to make this
grenade. The same rip-cord device used in the StiGr was used.
Behelfshandgranate:
Length: 90mm.
Diameter: 70mm.
Weight: 550gr.
Load: Bohrpatrone 28 explosive cartridge.
Shortages in critical raw material had also led to the development of the
Behelfshandgranate which was a makeshift hand grenade. It was introduced in
March 1943 and consisted of a concrete pot with a wooden stick cast
into.
Scheibenhandgranaten:
Length: 16mm(!)
Diameter: 80mm.
Weight: 125gr.
Load: 87gr TNT.
Also called Detonierende Pulverscheibe (Detonating powder-disc) or DPS. Used
primarily as an
anti tank weapon, but was fairly uncommonly used. The disc
itself was made from Nipolite - a then newly invented explosive which did
not require a casing. Discs were often used together for better effect.
A later modification to use against
bunkers weighed about 1 kilogram where
about half (450gr) was Nipolite and
phosphor.
Back to German Infantry Weapons