US Mark II Grenade

By Crusader1307

The Mark II Hand Grenade was an Anti-Personnel Fragmentation, Explosive Device - used by US Military Forces during World War II. The US Army aptly named "Pineapple" (for it's similarity to the fruit), was made of cast iron. It carried 2-once said of "Blank Fire" or EC Powder. The overall device weight was 1.5-pounds. Activated by a Pull Pink Trigger, when activated, a slow fuse was set off by a spark. Generally, one had 5 to 10-seconds to throw (deploy) The Mark II. The Device had a "kill radius of 5-meters. The "Pineapple" was noted for it's "hissing" noise made during it's activation  (due to the slow burn of powder in an encased cylinder). The Mark II was carried on a Soldiers Loading Bearing Gear Straps. As many as 4 could be attached. However, a common problem was in this carriage. Although it took roughly 2-pounds of pressure to pull the activation Pin, accidental discharges could still occur due to the Grenade getting entangled on obstacles (tree, rocks etc). The Mark II would still continue to be issued to US Armed Forces into the late 1940, being  eventually replaced by The M-25 Ball Grenade.