Grenades were usually thrown by hand and did fearful execution at close range. At first they were crude affairs, often as dangerous to those who carried them as to the enemy. But clever minds soon found a way to remedy their defects, and towards the close of the war they were lozenge-shaped shells about as large as a big lemon, filled with high explosive. Some of the shells exploded by percussion, the impact igniting a cap within the bomb. Others exploded by means of a time fuse, the soldier withdrawing a surface pin and quickly throwing the bomb which usually burst about five seconds later.
The British conceived the idea of fitting shells of this type upon a steel rod which could be inserted into the barrel of a rifle. These were called rifle grenades and proved to be a valuable addition to the offensive equipment of an army. They were used to a large extent in the battles in Flanders, whole platoons firing them off at a time.
These grenades contained four ounces of explosive and burst into twenty four pieces. They could be thrown with accuracy from 150 to 200 yards, according to the powder charge. The grenade which this soldier has, extending as we see beyond the barrel of the weapon, is of another though similar type. Here a specially constructed gun barrelr devised solely to fire grenades, is used.
Secure from all but a plunging fire, assured of his range, the soldier could bombard enemy trenches with impunity.
- Excerpt from: The World War through the stereoscope a visualized, vitalized history of the greatest conflict of all the ages / / edited by Major Joseph Mills Hanson.
- Published/Created by: Meadville, Pa.; New York, N.Y.; Chicago, Ill.; London, England:
- Keystone View Company, photographed between 1914 and 1918, published 1923
- Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
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