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US MK 1 grenade, fuze types used.

917601

Well-Known Member
Internet sources say the US WW1 frag grenade had a short lived fuze, one which the spoon acted as a lever, it was toggled left/rt to release the hammer. The "cut back fuze with short spoon " was a late WW1 replacement and carried forward to the MKII body. Did the MK1 body with cut back short spoon put into inventory and reach Europe for use as this pic depicts? Or, was the cut back fuze used in the MK1 body usually found post war?
 

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I'm going by memory here, but I believe it is addressed in "America's Munitions" by Benedict Crowell. This is a very in-depth compilation of US ordnance use throughout WWI. If I remember correctly they are reported as being used.
 
Yep as US-Subs , extract from América's Munitions book 1971-1918 by Benedict Crowell (printed in 1919)
 
A few pictures of the Mk1 grenade. Body has remnants of both black and grey paint. Fuze, cut back with short spoon. Markings: M10A2 PA Lot 2-6935-2. Body, number "19" with a diamond below it. The bottom plug is not present, but threads are visible. When I received the grenade it appeared black and was dirty, some light surface rust. I did a light wash of citric acid to remove dirt, and then noticed the grey paint on a few segments. I stopped there, dried and coated with Renaissance wax.What to think? Web sources state the grey color was used right after WW1, then yellow then OD.
 

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Nice looking grenade. I have to do more research but I do not recall seeing an M10A2 being short but I have not paid that much attention to them. Most of the short spoon grenades are just labeled on the reverse. I will have to look through my proof pubs and early TR's. The 1918 manual pictures an early cutback fuze with a short spoon and the 1936 TR shows a long spoon on a M10 Fuze. I'll have to see if I can determine when the A2 was first being used and if it was short or long and if the long one shown in the 1936 TR is generic in nature. I think the long spoon came about in about 1930 and the A1 and A2 fuze in 41,42 so the fuze could be a reproduction. Only thing missing which most are is the fuze seal that takes up the space of the cut back on the fuze in an original grenade.
 
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The early MKII fuze was also used on the French F1 Body. To what extent, I don't know. Here's an example.15790480635554442337416403320333.jpg15790480359406317914749662473936.jpg
 
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