Grenade à main offensive mle 1915
From Battleground Europe Wiki
| |
| Grenade à main offensive modèle 1915 | |
|---|---|
| Specifications | |
| Type | Grenade |
| Fuse delay | 4-5 sec |
| Length | 67 mm without igniter |
| Weight | 300 g (11 oz) |
| Explosive | 60 g TNT |
| Effective blast radius | 10 m |
The Grenade à main offensive modèle 1915 (Offensive Hand Grenade Model 1915, officially abbreviated Gr Ma Of 15 but often erroneously referred to as the "Grenade OF") developed was first used by France in World War I and was adopted by the U.S. in 1917.
The Gr Ma Of 15 relied purely on concussive effect to disable opponents. Its smooth sheet-metal casing did not contribute much to its lethality. As its name indicates, this weapon was intended for use in attack, generally in close quarters, in contrast with the pineapple-shaped grenade défensive F1 that could only be safely thrown from a concealed position such as a trench or foxhole, due to its greater lethal radius.
French grenade designers invented the Bouchon-allumeur automatique (Automatic Plug Igniter), commonly known as the mousetrap igniter or Bouchon fuse in anglophone armies, which in World War I introduced the safety lever mechanism familiar to us today.
By World War Two, the Gr Ma Of 15 had been partially replaced by the Gr Ma Of 37. The World War II-era grenade’s main improvements over the original Of 15 were refinement of the Bouchon fuse and a wider, flat bottom that allowed it to rest more stable on a flat surface.
In preparation for throwing the grenade, a soldier clasps the safety lever firmly and removes the safety pin. As long as the soldier holds down the safety lever, the weapon has not been armed and the safety pin can be re-inserted. Once the lever is released, a spring-loaded firing pin activates the primer. At that point, only a malfunction will prevent the grenade from exploding.
Like so much other French equipment, large numbers of Gr Ma Ofs and Gr Ma Dfs were captured in 1940 and later used by the Germans, who designated them the Eihandgranate (Egg Hand Grenade) 302(f) and 314(f), respectively.
