hand grenades

[n cherry]

Can anybody suggest a web site/book/article on the technical merits of the hand

grenades/bombs used by both sides on the Western Front in 1915?

I am aware of the jam tin bombs used at Gallipoli - is htere any evidence to prove these were used in France/Flanders?

[Paul Reed]

The first British grenade was the No 1 Mk I, produced from June 1908. The British Army went to war with the No 1 Mk II, which was virtually identical, but none seem to have been used until early 1915.

Jam Tin bombes were indeed used on the Western Front - these were formalised into the No 8 Mk I grenades, produced from May 1915 onwards.

A good book is Patrice Delhomme Les Grenades Anglaises de la Grande Guerre (Heigide, France, 1982). Copies are often available in the museums in France/Flanders, and are often for sale on ebay. He did a whole series on grenades in WW1.

[Marco]

The best online reference there is:

http://pacificcoast.net/~dlynn/index.htm

Regards,

Marco

[Patrick]

Or surf to following links

http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/utah/894...mangrenades.htm

http://home.tiscali.be/be033830/27/

http://www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/mortars.htm

[CROONAERT]

An excellent book on British Grenades that immediately jumps to mind is "An introduction to British Grenades"(ISBN 0 949 749 10 9) by Ian Skennerton,published by Greenhill books.This has photos and statistics on each grenade (hand & rifle,WW1 & WW2).

Another,which has "official" cutaway diagrams,but isn't as comprehensive is "Weapons of the Trench War 1914 - 1918" by Anthony Saunders.This book also includes some foreign patterns.

For French Grenades,it's hard to beat an article by Patrick Delhomme & Robert Yuille in the French magazine "Gazette des Armes" (issue no. 49, May 1977).I have a copy of this and will send you a photocopy of the article,if you wish.

Dave.