German Model 1913 Hand Grenade

By Crusader1307

Developed in 1913 for The Imperial German Army, The Model 1913 Grenade was a fragmentation type hand held explosive device. Weighing around 1 pound, they had an impressive blast radius of 20 meters. Rather than a standard “black powder” mixture – a combination of Potassium Perchlorate and Barium Nitrate was infused with the black powder. A “friction igniter” chamber provided a 5 to 9 second blast delay (an innovation). A loop wire was attacked to the fusing top of the grenade. Pulling the loop would activate the device. In addition to the standard fragmentation expected from the detonation (shrapnel), ground glass was also mixed into the ignition powders. The Model 1913 was the last of the “traditional” appearance hand explosive device made prior to the iconic “Potato Masher”.