Grenade

A hand grenade is an anti-personnel weapon that explodes a short time after release. The word "grenade" is derived from the French word for pomegranate, as shrapnel reminded soldiers of the seeds. Grenadiers were originally soldiers who specialized in throwing grenades. Some grenades are fired from rifles or from purpose-designed grenade launchers. Tear gas grenades for riot control are fired from riot guns. The M203 grenade launcher is fitted to various assault rifles.

Design

Unused and used M69 training grenades.
Most grenades explode, projecting shrapnel, i.e., pieces of the casing, serrated wire, or an incendiary material. Some, such as smoke grenades, merely burn, releasing smoke for masking, marking, or signaling. Grenades are filled with explosive or chemical filler and have a hole into which a fuse is inserted. In modern hand grenades, the fuse is lit by an internal device rather than an external flame.

Characteristics
Hand grenades have four characteristics:
Their employment range is short
Their effective casualty radius is small
Their delay element permits safe throwing;
Their hard shell enables grenades to ricochet off hard surfaces, like walls, before detonating.
Hand grenades have:
A body containing filler
A filler, the chemical or explosive for fragmentation
A fuse causing the grenade to explode by ignition or detonation

U.S. Army grenade training during initial entry training includes throwing both dummy and live hand grenades. A hand grenade range instructor, right, observes an M67 grenade in flight. Photo: Walter Ludka.

Survival
At least five people threw themselves on grenades to save the lives of others and survived. They are Medal of Honor recipients Richard Earl Bush, Jacklyn H. Lucas, Richard K. Sorenson,Carlton R. Rouh, and John Baca .