goran_croatia
Well-Known Member
This school model of Mills grenade was used in early period after ww2 in Yugoslavian Peoples Army military schools as a classrom model for soldiers and in Yugoslavian Peoples Army military bases as practice grenade for training soldiers in throwing Mills grenade.
Yugoslavian partizans got large quantity of british Mills grenades in form of allied help during 1944 and 1945. After the end of ww2 Yugoslavian Peoples Army storaged Mills grenades in their military bases depots,and this yugoslavian made classroom model of Mills was made from cast aluminium and it was totally inert,as I said,used as practice grenade and classroom model. Yugoslavia never produced live version of Mills,all live Mills grenades used in early period of Yugoslavian Peoples Army were british made,just repainted in olivegreen colour from early period of Yugoslavian Peoples Army. Only these practice Mills grenades were yugoslavian made.
In the early after ww2 period Yugoslavian Peoples Army used several hues of olivegreen colour and from 1960 till 1990 the hue of Yugoslavian Peoples army colour was standardized as light hue of olivegrey colour. For example Yugoslavian parachute knifes M 51 were painted in the same hue of olivegreen as these practice Mills grenades. This practice Mills was withdrawn from classrooms in 1950s because Mills grenades were completly withdrawn from yugoslavian hand grenades arsenal. That's why this practice yugoslavian made Mills is so rare today. Notice that all parts were cast aluminium except steel safety lever,safety pin and ring of the safety pin. On this grenade from my collection safety lever is missing. The grenade was overall painted in this olivegreen colour from early period of Yugoslavian Peoples Army. The colour is pretty worn off. Guys give me the advice-to restore it or not?
