ABSTRACT
Ordnance design is the result of solving a tactical problem encountered on the battlefield. The history of modern grenades serves as an excellent example from which to explain how something as straight-forward as a hand grenade has evolved over the last 120 years. Grenades date back to the 1600s when specially trained assault troops known as “grenadiers” threw softball-sized, iron balls filled with black powder and fitted with a manually lit fuze at the enemy. By the beginning of World War I, hand grenade designs became more conducive for throwing and fuzing was made very simplistic. During the 20th century, a new type of grenade launched from a rifle and designed to cover the tactical gap between maximum hand grenade and minimum mortar ranges was fielded. During the 20th century, a new type of grenade launched from a rifle and designed to cover the tactical gap between maximum hand grenade and minimum mortar ranges was fielded.
