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Mk 2 -I.D marking

Zdenek

Zdenek

Member
Hi all.
I have got one special Mk 1.
What is that made?
What is that marking?
Any info will be helpful.

Cheers
Zdenek
 

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Is that blue paint coming through or is it just how the picture came out? This is a MK2 and the lettering looks hand painted to me and looks very new. Could it be a repainted practice or dummy grenade made to look like a frag? Also, is there a hole in the bottom?

Cheers,

Rob
 
Also, the fuze looks to be an M228 which, though I am not sure, were not used on these grenades but were used on later ones, I think the M67? I think the fuzes used on later MK2s were M204. I would say that the fuze is not original to that body.
 
Pointblanko,

Is correct on the fuze shown in your picture as being a fuze for the M33 and M67 series of grenades. Also, not the one that is used on this Mk.2. The Mk.2's used approximately 3 different types of fuzes.

Here is some more information here it is in regards to the body of the Mk.2:

The body is made of cast iron.
Filler is 2 ounces (approximately)
Weight is approximately 1 1/4 of a pound again approximately.
The grooved serrerations on this grenade are there for a reason other than for fragments. These were placed on the grenade so that it would not slip out of your hands when they are cold, muddy, or covered with blood.

The fuze in essence doesn't belong on that grenade.

I am however a little suspicious of the body itself. In fact if you look closley to the writing on the spoon you can tell somebody first used pencil/pen or even etched it on the spoon, then it was painted over with yellow paint. Not a bad paint job for ones I have seen. Also it should have some sort of markings embedded in the iron body somwhere including the bottom.

Can I ask where you recieved this from?

Mark
 
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I don't think its an American made grenade. Many countries copied the Mk2a1 after the war, Norway, Germany, Holland, etc etc. The body looks too fat to be a US made grenade, that would also account for the fuze being a bit different. I haven't tracked down which country as yet, but I will continue to look through my files to see if I can ID it.
 
Taiwan.

Made them as well. It looks like Taiwan may be the manufacturer, possibly. Not too much use of TNT in grenades anymore either.
 
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V40 said:
Pointblanko,

Is correct on the fuze shown in your picture as being a fuze for the M33 and M67 series of grenades. Also, not the one that is used on this Mk.2. The Mk.2's used approximately 3 different types of fuzes.
Click to expand...

I'm going to have to disagree with you on the call of that being an M213 fuze.
The safety lever is too long for it to be a 213 or 228 style fuze lever.

It is a MK II body and judging by the red lacquer on the fuze it was a detonator not a practice fuze.

+++ UPDATE +++

Ok, my best guess here based on what I have here at the office is that it's from Portugal. They no longer use that type of grenade having phased it out for an M26 copy but the marking style is dead on with the other grenades I have for them.

Is the designation M/324 or M/924? I ask because their current series of defensive grenades are 300 series numbers and their older Defensive grenade is a M/962.
 
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Done a bit of searching and saw a very similar body and fuze on an Israeli grenade. M204A2 fuze?
No writing on body though.
 
pointblank0 said:
Done a bit of searching and saw a very similar body and fuze on an Israeli grenade. M204A2 fuze?
No writing on body though.
Click to expand...

Most likely. They also use the "4.5 sec" on their fuzes but they don't use the same "M/" designation on their grenades.
 
I might be wrong on the spoon, but then again I can also put on any spoon I like to on that fuse to whatever suits me. In other words it could be a original fuze for the M33/67 grenade and the spoon changed over to the more rounded and longer spoon that you'd find on a Mk.2 or M26 series of grenades. With that being a Portugal manufacturing you know what type of explosive is going to be found in their if it were live. Then again I could be all wrong?:crossedlips:

V40
 
V40 said:
I might be wrong on the spoon, but then again I can also put on any spoon I like to on that fuse to whatever suits me. In other words it could be a original fuze for the M33/67 grenade and the spoon changed over to the more rounded and longer spoon that you'd find on a Mk.2 or M26 series of grenades. With that being a Portugal manufacturing you know what type of explosive is going to be found in their if it were live. Then again I could be all wrong?:crossedlips:

V40
Click to expand...

If you have a M21 body handy, screw an M228 fuze into it and you will see that the bottom of the lever is significantly shorter on the body of the grenade than the bottom of the lever that he shows in the first picture. The lever on an M228/213 will come to the bottom of the 3rd frag ring on a MK II style body. The lever on an M10 or M204 fuze will come to almost the bottom of the grenade. Additionally, the M228/213 lever has a bend in it that can't just be removed by bending and smoothing.

I literally see dozens of MK II bodies and M21 Novelty bodies on a monthly basis in photographs submitted to us for identification from multiple agencies around the world and that is the one thing that you can always easily identify, how far the lever comes down the body.

There are quite a few countries that use/used the MK II and live HE filled grenades are still recovered all the time. You would be amazed at how many countries have an M26 clone in their inventories.
 
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