# AN-M8 smoke grenade

The AN-M8 HC Smoke Grenade designated as the Army/Navy Model 8 HC Smoke Grenade (AN-M8 Smoke HC) is a US military grenade used as a ground-to-ground obscuring or screening device or a ground-to-air signaling or target-marking device.

## History

Developed in the 1940s, using a sheet-steel cylinder body that can emit a dense cloud of white smoke that would last from 105 to 150 seconds.
The AN-M8 was used extensively by American or other allied forces throughout World War II to the 1990s. As of the September 2000 version of FM 3-23.30 Grenades and Pyrotechnic Signals, the AN/M8 was listed as obsolete.

## Details

It is used for smoke screening, target marking, and signalling, although the M18 colored smoke grenades are mainly used for the latter.
Army/Navy Model 8 HC Smoke Grenade (AN-M8) :
| Color/Markings | light green body with black markings and a white top |
| Body | Sheet steel cylinder |
| Fuze assembly | M201A1 Pull-ring Igniter. A "mouse trap" type igniting fuze with a 1.2 to 2.0 second delay. Ignition ignites the filler and expels it from the grenade body |
| Filler | 19 ounces of Type C, hexachloroethane (HC smoke) mixture |
| Weight | 24 ounces (680 g) |
| Safety clip? | No |
| Range | Can be thrown 30 feet by an average soldier before it ignites. It can be thrown further while igniting in flight |
| Duration | The grenade emits a dense cloud of white or gray smoke that lasts for 105 to 150 seconds (1.75 to 2.5 minutes) |

## Warning

* The AN-M8 hand grenade produces harmful hydrochloric fumes that irritate the eyes, throat, and lungs. It should not be used in closed-in areas unless the users are wearing protective masks.
* Both the AN-M8 and the M18 risk starting a fire if used in a dry area. The steel casing, heated by the smoke-generating chemical reaction, can ignite flammable materials like trash or dry vegetation.

## Field Instructional Use

When employing the M18 or AN-M8 HC hand grenade, it may be desirable to use one of these grenades without the fuze. To do this, the following procedure should be used in combat only:
* Remove the tape from grenade bottom to expose the filler.
* Remove the fuze by unscrewing it from the grenade.
* Ignite starter mixture with open flame.
* Immediately throw the grenade to avoid burn injury.

## Toxicity

The HC smoke of the M8 is more toxic than that of the M18 grenade. The fumes comprise an acidic smoke of zinc chloride (ZnCl$_2$), which produces hydrochloric acid on contact with water.

## Variants
### M83 and Model 308-1 White Smoke

The M83 (also written AN/M83) is a modernized version of the M8, using TA (Terephthalic Acid) instead of HC as the filler mixture. This is the American M83, a carrier, Smoke, striker-release, burning type, hand Grenade, used to generate white Smoke for screening activities of small units, also used for Ground-to-Air signalling, that produces a cloud of Smoke for 25 to 70 seconds.
"It also features a new body, though it uses the same fuze as the AN-M8.
Originally designed in the 1990s purely for use as a training Grenade, it has since started to replace the AN-M8 in combat."
The Model 308-1 White Smoke was a modified version of the M8 produced at the Special Operations Branch of the Naval Weapons Center at China Lake California, often simply referred to as China Lake. The Model 308-1 was modified for a US Navy SEAL requirement with a greater burning rate, meaning a greater smoke output but a shorter overall burning time.