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“Grenade, Hand: Smoke, Nr701, Yellow, W/fuze

pzgr40

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Cutaway model of a “Grenade, Hand: Smoke, Nr701, Yellow, W/fuze. This smoke grenade is meant to signal by means of yellow smoke, to mark a target, to mark a landing area, either serve as a wind direction indicator. The same handgrenade is also available in the colour red (Grenade, Hand: Smoke, Nr.702, Red, W/fuze, either Green smoke (Grenade, Hand: Smoke, Nr.700, Green, W/fuze).

The body of the smoke grenade is light green of colour and has the following tekst stencilled on:
CCC ( Means Colour)
GREN HAND
SMK YELLOW
NR 701
LOT PSH 16-06

The smoke grenade consists of a deep drawn aluminium can with an aluminium lid, held in place by means of a rolled seam. The fuze is placed in the center of the lid, a hole is punched out to allow the smoke escaping the grenade body after ignition. A cartboard container housing the smoke composition (yellow) with a topping of igniting composition (black) is placed in the Aluminium can.
The fuze body is made of plastic and houses the steel cilinder for the firing cap and powder composition (black) below the firing cap. A brass pipe housing the delay composition (light blue) is screwed in the base of the steel cilinder. The firing pin is tensioned by a rotation spring and kept in armed position by the lever. The lever is fixated by the rotation/pull safety pin which is connected to a pull ring. This pull ring is fixated in a groove in the plastic fuze housing (this groove is not visable as it is cut away)

If the greande is thrown away, the lever flies off, allowing the firing pin to rotate into the firing cap like a mouse trap (hence the name “mouse trap fuze”). This ignites the firing cap, which ignites the powder composition below it (black), which ignites the pyrotechnic delay (light blue), which ignites the lower powder composition (red), which ignites the quick match fuze cord below it. The flame of the latter ignites the topping ignition composition (black) which ignites the smoke composition.

An interesting feature on the grenade fuze is the revolving sheet steel ring placed below the fuze housing, the so called Swivel Safety Catch or SSC, (see picture 03). If the grenade is made ready to be thrown, this is done by removing the rotation/pull safety pin; as long as the lever is held against the grenade body, the fuze is not activated. If -for some reason- it is descided not to use the smoke grenade it is not possible to replace the rotation/ pull safety pin back in place. Hence the SSC; a rectangular slot is machined in the side of the lever and in the fuze housing, and by rotating the SSC clockwise, a sheet metal plate is inserted in the slot, locking the lever from any movement, deactivating the grenade. Smoke grenades deactivated in this way cannot be reactivated again and are to be disposed of as soon as possible and to be destroyed by authorized personel only.

Length smoke grenade : 142mm
Diameter : 63,5mm
Weight : 337 grams
Smoke composition 110 grams
Smoke ignition composition : 2,9 grams
Fuze delay : 1,5 seconds
Build up to smoke signal : within 10 seconds
Emission time yellow smoke : 45 seconds

Regards, DJH
 

Attachments

  • 01 -Smoke grenade No.701 cutaway.jpg
    01 -Smoke grenade No.701 cutaway.jpg
    229.2 KB · Views: 58
  • 02 - Smoke grenade No.701 backside.jpg
    02 - Smoke grenade No.701 backside.jpg
    229 KB · Views: 43
  • 03 - SSC.jpg
    03 - SSC.jpg
    153 KB · Views: 45
@ Copdoc; I have no idea.

I got some questions myself;

Who produced these grenades (who is PSH)
Which countries used this smoke grenade,

Regards, DJH
 
PSH I have listed as a Rheinmetal Subsiduary. Pyrotechnik Silberhutte in Germany. Also noted on Baton rounds.
 
I have a PSH catalog from a few years back if I can find it again. I think I posted pics of their flares or tear gas on this forum. The organization of these companies is pretty confusing with branches in several countries.

As usual DJH, your cutaway looks just as good or better than factory version.
Older Nico version

20210518_215140.jpg
 
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