Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1917-06-06
CRENADES IN WAR
Terrible Weapons When Charged
With High Explosives.
MERclLEsS DEATH sPREADERs
They Are Made Now to Be Flung by
Hand at Close Quarters, to Be Shot
From q Howitxsr or TO Bs Planted ~
Mines and Fired BY Electricity.

| from f1oWItxer or TO Dc Ftahteo -
Mines and Fired BY Electricity.
The use Of hand grenades as an Inn
plement OF war dates back nearly four
centuries, and this deadly weapon re
mains today, as In the sixteenth cen
ons of warfare. In the United States
Infantry Journal there Is an article
dealing with grenades which Is a trans
lation from the German military pub
LEGATION. tar-Wochenblatt
Hand grcnades." the article reads.
"as an implement OF warfare date back
many centuries. History records their
use as far back as 1886 at the siege OF
| Aries. Up to the close OF the eight
| zenith century soldiers were trained in
the throwing of hand grenades. They
| were for that reason called grenadiers.
The grenadcs were hollow balls Of
iron or other metal about two and
half inches In diameter. filled with
| powder and provided with fuse,
which was lighted before being thrown.
| At first there were few In each regi-
ment, later entire companies were
| formed. and still later every infantry
battalion had its own grenadier com
| pauy, which in the different armies had
precedence over the other companies
at parades and other formations.
| During the war between Russia and
| japan hand grenades were again used
in great quantities by both sides, espe-
eially in lighting at close quarters. and
so deadly effective were they that 1t is
not surprising the inventors mind oc-
cupied itself with this means OF COM
bat and endcavored TO adopt II to the
requirements of modern warfare.
First OF all. 1t was very important
to invent projectile that would unite
deadly effectiveness with complete
| safety OF the thrower. Mr.. Asse-,, the
Danish inventor. constructed number
Of hand. rife and mine grenades which
are said to fulfil these requirements.
The hand grenades are carried by
thrown by hand. The rife or 'howitzer'
grenades are fired from firm rest
| such ms a wooden stand made from a
rifle placed ON the ground and directed
at various angles OF elevation by means
| Of stakes. The mine grenade Is an
| chored In the ground and discharged
by electricity upon approach Of the en-
| envy. In each case they are yeritable
| death dealers.
The rifle grenade weighs about $50
| grams II contains seyenty-two bullets
weighing 80 grams and seventy-two
grams OF explosives. The seventy-two
| bullets cover space OF at least forty
to fifty square meters. The rife gre
made may be fred from an ordinary
| army rifle at any range up to about
400 meters. The great destructive ef-
feet Of the grenade is due to the fact
that the explosion takes place immedi-
| ateiy after the grenade strikes the
| ground before II has had time to bury
| itself In the soil.
THE 'howitzer' grenade weighs one
kilogram and contains 2l5 bullets and
| a bursting charge weighing 200 grams.
1t can be thrown with the hand forty
meters or with 'howitzer' 800 meters.
The .howitZer' is q continuance made
| OF a cylinder and weighs twelve kilo-
grams. 1t may be carried like rifle.
The bullets OF this grenade cover a
semicircular space OF at least eighty
square meters and spread only to the
front and laterally. but not to the rear
toward the thrower. They are, there
fore. Of especial value for lighting at
close quarters. They are constructed
so that they may be exploded only aft
err they have travelled eight meters to-
ward the target.
The hand grenade weighs one kllo-
gram and contains 100 bullets weigh
ing "a grams and bursting charge
weighing 10 grams. In contrast to the
above described 'howitzer' grenade the
bullets fly In every direction, so that II
is only used for throwing from cover.
The last kind of these grenades Is
the mine grenade. 1t weighs about
four Kilograms and contains 400 33
gram bullets and 200 gram bursting
charge. The 400 bullets will cover a
space of Mt least 800 square meters
These grenades. together with theil
electrical connections. are placed about
one half meter under the surface OF
the ground. so that they are completely
Invisible TO the enemy.
when IL is set OF the grenade rise,
, at=sut three-fourths of meter above
! tie ground, then expiodes and throw.
the bullets In all directions parable
with the ground. At a distance of ter
meters the bullets will go through
l wood ~ loost N hundred mflinator-
thick and retain deadly effectiveness
for a distance of ffty meters. A de
. tachment of hundred men can lay I
line of these mines over a front o
1000 meters In less than two hours.
In a test three mine grenades wer
laid In the corners of triangle who's
: legs were thirty meters long among
group Of 145 wooden double silhouette
that were scattered over q space o
l o 7n0 onrrorc rnoforu The Oron ia