WWI Small Arms & Personal Weapons

[cyberia]

Three examples of WWI German hand grenades including the stick grenade, commonly called the "potato masher" by Allied troops.

TOP: The model 1915 stick grenade
LOWER LEFT: The "ball" grenade
RIGHT: The "egg" grenade.

[cyberia]

The British egg grenade No 34 Mk III B- known as "Osterei" or Easter egg by the German troops

[cyberia]

Trench raids were up close and often grizzly.

Both sides employed trench clubs for both offence and defence. Here are two examples...

Contrary to popular belief, these clubs were not hand made by the men in the trenches but rather mass produced and issued.

The nationality of either of the above examples is not known.

[cyberia]

No 5 Mk 1 Mills Bomb

Developed in 1915 by William Mills, a Birmingham engineer, the Mills Bomb had a central spring-loaded firing-pin and spring-loaded lever locked by a pin. Originally it had a 7 second fuse which required that the bomber held the bomb for 3 seconds after ignition otherwise the enemy could throw it back before it exploded. In the newer models once the Mills Bomb was in the air, the lever flew up and released the striker, which ignited a four-second time fuse, allowing the thrower to take cover before it exploded.

The Mills grenade became very popular with British troops and remained in short supply until the end of 1916. By the time the Armistice was signed, more than 33 million Mills Bombs had been issued.

[cyberia]

Cutaway of the British Model 36 Mills Bomb

Oddly enough, this WWI grenade did not come ready to use like modern grenades. Each Mills had to be assembled by the user before they could be hurled against the enemy. Each battalion had a "Bombing Platoon" that specialized in explosives, mostly Mills Bombs and Gun Cotton.

Still, it was a step up from the Grenade No 1 first issued to British troops in the opening months of the war which were a cast-iron canister on an 18 inch stick.
Soldiers soon discovered that they were dangerous to use when in a front-line trench. There were several cases of soldiers being killed when the grenade hit the front of the trench and bounced back onto them.