Stielhandgranate 24

Stielhandgranate 24
TypeHand grenade
Place of originGermany
Service history
In service1924–1945
Used bySee § Users
WarsWorld War II
Production history
Produced1924–1945
VariantsSee § Variants
Specifications
Length360 mm (1 ft 2 in)
Diameter70 mm (2+3⁄4 in)
FillingTNT
Filling weight170 g (6 oz)
Detonation
mechanism
4–5 seconds timer
References[1]

The Stielhandgranate 24 (lit. 'Stick hand grenade 24') or Stg. 24, also known as the potato masher (Kartoffelstampfer), or the doorknocker (Türklopfer),[2] was an improvement over the stick grenades used by the Germans during World War I, which would be later be augumented during World War II with a fragmentation sleeve while in 1943, the Germans introduced a new variant designated as the Stielhandgranate 43.

Design and History

Main article: Stielhandgranate

The Stielhandgranate 24 was an improvement over the stick grenades used during WWI introduced in 1924, with a smoke version (Nebelhandgranate 39) introduced in 1939. The Stg. 24 was one of the main hand grenades used by the Wehrmacht alongside the more commonly used Eihandgranate 39 (lit. 'Egg grenade 39').[3] In 1943, a simplified variant, the Stielhandgranate 43 was introduced, using the egg grenade fuse screwed upon the warhead and a solid wooden handle.[4][5] The Germans also made use of 'emergency' (Behelfs) grenades with warheads made of concrete or wood during the WWII;[6] these improvised variants were sometimes unreliable, less durable and poorly protected from the elements, being marginally safe to use even when recently made.[7]

The Stielhandgranate primarily relied on its concussion blast effect since the thin warhead casing produced little fragmentation upon detonation. Since its effective throwing range was greater than its burst radius, advancing soldiers could throw them in the open without risk of injury.[8] In 1942, the Germans introduced clip-on fragmentation sleeves were introduced to increase their lethality,[9] but these were seldomly used by their pioneer units, who relied on the explosive effect alone for demolishing enemy bunkers.[10]

The Stielhandgranate 24 functioned much like its WWI predecessors, with a pull cord to activate the fuse and a screw cap, but the belt clip on the warhead was omitted.[11] Soldiers were usually issued with two or three grenades usually tucked on the front their belts or on the top of their jackboots.[12][13]

The Stg. 24 was a simple to operate design that a recruit could achieve basic proficiency in about three hours of training.[14] The practice stick grenade (Stielhandgranate 24, Übungs) contained a small charge that produced a puff of white smoke that was vented through eight holes in the warhead, but it was usually thrown without the charge.[15]

Alternative uses

A Geballte Ladung

A versatile weapon, the Stielhandgrenate 24 could be fitted with several warheads to create a bundle charge (German: Geballte Ladung, lit. 'Concentrated charge').[16] A concept initially developed during World War I, up to six warheads or captured foreign grenades were wired to a seventh grenade with its handle still attached.[17]

A typical WWII-era bundle charge contained approximately 1.2 kg (2 lb 10 oz) of TNT. These charges were thrown at enemy tank treads, engine decks or firing ports,[18] or used to demolish enemy pillboxes.[8] German pioneers placed these improvised charges against the door or throw them into the anti-tank gun embrasures.[19]

Alternatively, the grenade and extra warheads could be wired to a wooden board at about 15 cm (5.9 in) intervals and then pushed under barbed wire to act as an improvised Bangalore torpedo (German: Gestreckte Ladung, lit. 'Elongated charge'), with a long cord tied to the detonator porcelain bead to detonate the charges.[16][20][21] According to Rottman, the Germans used 3 m (9 ft 10 in) long boards with over a dozen warheads placed at 10–15 cm (3.9–5.9 in) intervals.[19]

  • Illustration of a Gestreckte Ladung
    Illustration of a Gestreckte Ladung

The Germans in WWII made ample use of booby traps, often using the Stielhandgranate 24 or captured British Mills bombs, Soviet F-1s, or American Mk 2 grenades.[22] The grenades were rigged to tripwires or fitted with pressure plates and buried as improvised landmines. Six warheads with their handles removed could be wired on a warhead rigged to a pressure plate to create a makeshift anti-light vehicle mine.[23]

The Germans also used the B.Z. 24 friction igniter, with the time delay fuze removed and rigged to an explosive charge to make booby traps. Since soldiers not always had the time to remove the time delay mechanism from the M24, they preferred using captured Allied grenades (which were easier to adapt due their smaller size and simpler design) instead.[24]

In an attempt of replacing the rather ineffective Sprengpatrone grenade used by the Kampfpistole, the Germans developed the Wurfkörper 358 LP round, which combined the warhead of Stielhandgranate with a 23 mm (0.91 in) shaft that was inserted into the barrel. The result was a too heavy projectile with such a short range that firers were discouraged to use these special rounds.[25]

Variants

A Stielhandgranate 24 with a splittering sleeve and a Nebelhandgranate 39
  • Stielhandgranate 24 − Based on the various WWI Stielhandgranate models, it had a 70 mm (2+3⁄4 in) steel head painted field gray fitted to a hollow wooden handle containing the fuse and detonator. A pull cord tied to a porcelain bead and protected by a screw cap was pulled to initiate the 4+1⁄2 second timer.[1][9] The 360 mm (14 in) grenade carried a 170 g (6 oz) of TNT explosive filler. In 1942, a clip-on fragmentation sleeve (Splittering) was added.[26] For operations in the Eastern Front, a special filler was used to ensure detonation under extreme cold conditions: these grenades in particular were marked with the letter 'K' (German: Kalt, lit. 'Cold').[27] Due shortages of raw materials during WWII, black powder saw limited use as the warhead filler[28]
  • Stielhandgranate 43 − A Stielhandgranate 24 substitute, the warhead had the fuse of the Model 39 grenade screwed on top of it while the handle was made of solid wood[4]
  • Nebelhandgranate 39 − Smoke grenade containing a mixture of powdered zinc and hexachloroethane released through eight holes located at the base of the warhead which also had a thin white band painted for identification[5]
  • Nebelhandgranate 39B − Virtually identical to the Nebelhandgranat 39, but with raised ridges on the handle and thicker white band[5]
A Swedish Übungs-Stielhandgranate 24 (övningshandgranat m/39)
  • Übungs-Stielhandgranate 24 − Dummy grenade with a small black powder charge for practice. It can be distinguished by the bright-red perforated warhead.[27]
  • Behelfs Handgranate Holz − A last-ditch grenade, it externally resembles a Stg 24, but entirely of wood. It relied on its blast effect alone[6]
  • Behelfs Handgranate Beton − A Stg 24 with a concrete warhead 13 mm (0.51 in) thick filled with approximately 100 g (3.5 oz) of explosives, it was first observed by Allied forces during the North African campaign[6]

Users

A Swedish Stielhandgranate 24 (spränghandgranat m/39)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b United States Navy Department Bureau of Ordnance 1969, p. 319.
  2. ^ Rottman 2010, p. 30.
  3. ^ Miller 2007, pp. 150, 152.
  4. ^ a b Rottman 2015, p. 22.
  5. ^ a b c Miller 2007, p. 152.
  6. ^ a b c Hogg 1977, p. 169.
  7. ^ Rottman 2015, p. 61.
  8. ^ a b Miller 2007, p. 150.
  9. ^ a b Rottman 2015, p. 20.
  10. ^ Rottman 2010, pp. 30, 49–50.
  11. ^ Bull 1995, p. 58.
  12. ^ Buchner 1991, p. 24.
  13. ^ Llm & Castelein 2022, p. 30.
  14. ^ McNab 2011, p. 47.
  15. ^ Rottman 2010, p. 12.
  16. ^ a b Lucas 2000, pp. 83–84.
  17. ^ Rottman 2015, pp. 47, 53.
  18. ^ Rottman 2015, p. 53.
  19. ^ a b Rottman 2010, p. 49.
  20. ^ Buchner 1991, p. 32.
  21. ^ Stone 2009, p. 156.
  22. ^ Rottman 2009, pp. 10, 14.
  23. ^ Rottman 2009, p. 10.
  24. ^ Rottman 2009, pp. 10, 12.
  25. ^ Miller 2007, p. 130.
  26. ^ Rottman 2015, pp. 20–22.
  27. ^ a b "Stielhandgranate 24". bergflak.com. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  28. ^ Rottman 2015, p. 9.
  29. ^ Lai 2017, p. 22.
  30. ^ Brnardic 2016, pp. 6, 38.
  31. ^ Rottman 2015, p. 50.
  32. ^ Tibor, Rada (2001). "Német gyalogsági fegyverek magyar kézben" [German infantry weapons in Hungarian hands]. A Magyar Királyi Honvéd Ludovika Akadémia és a Testvérintézetek Összefoglalt Története (1830-1945) (in Hungarian). Vol. II. Budapest: Gálos Nyomdász Kft. p. 1114. ISBN 963-85764-3-X.
  33. ^ Jowett 2001, p. 10.
  34. ^ Jowett 2001, p. 47.
  35. ^ Llm & Castelein 2022, pp. 30, 36, 45.
  36. ^ Cornish 2014, p. 26.
  37. ^ "VI: S-, övnhgr.". Amregister, Ammunitionsregister för armén (in Swedish) (1942 ed.). Stockholm, Sweden: Ammunitionsavdelningen vid tygdepartementets 1. materialbyrå.
  38. ^ "VI: S-, övnhgr.". Amregister, Ammunitionsregister för armén (in Swedish) (1942 (1948 changes) ed.). Stockholm, Sweden: Ammunitionsavdelningen vid tygdepartementets 1. materialbyrå.

Bibliography

  • Media related to Stielhandgranate 24 at Wikimedia Commons
  • Stick Hand Grenade, Model 24 (Stielhandgranate 24) at Lone Sentry
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