Cutaway model of a (post WW2 and PRB produced) Belgian M50 BGM white Phospor smoke handgrenade. The grenade consists of a sheet metal tin can filled with a pressed cilinder of white Phospor, with a flat side on one side of the cilinder where the tin is soft soldered together. The space that is created this way is filled with water. This to prevent the phospor from corroding the soft solder seam away and starting to burn.
The fuze used is the M2BG or M4BG all ways fuze. The fuze body is a two piece -upper and lower- Zamak cast which is machined to size. On the inside the brass all ways fuze parts are placed, consisting of a firing pin carrier in top which slides inside a primer carrier. The primer (red) and firing pin are kept apart by a weak spring. In safe condition a brass safety pin is placed through the top of the primer carrier, fixating the firing pin carrier in the upper position, preventing the firing pin from reaching the primer. To this safety pin, a hinged brass plate is connected to which a fabric arming ribbon is fixed. This ribbon is wound three times around an outer groove in the upper fuze body to keep the fuze in safe position. A flat lead weight is pressed over the other end of the ribbon. A brass protective cap with a pull ring is placed over the fuze housing , fixating the ribbon and keeping the fuze in safe position.
A detonator with a short delay is placed in the base of the fuze and protrudes in the central well of the grenade body.
Functioning of the fuze:
Before throwing, the brass protective cap is removed by pulling it of the fuze housing by means of the pull ring. The index finger is placed on the lead weight to prevent te ribbon from unwinding, and the grenade is thrown. The ribbon unwinds and a small ejection spring pushes the brass safety pin away from the primer carrier, releasing the lead weight, ribbon and pin from the fuze all together. The fuze is now armed. It does not matter how the grenade lands, the fuze will always function; if the grenade lands on its bottom part, the firing pin is pushed into the primer, if the grenade lands on the top of the fuze, the primer moves into the firing pin, if the grenade lands on it’s side, both the chamfered sides of the firing pin carrier and the primer carrier move along the chamfered edges inside the Zamak fuze housing pushing the firing pin and firing cap toward one another. In all three cases the flame of the firing cap moves downward in the delay detonator
The delay in the detonator is short and ignites the detonator that will split the grenade body open and spread the burning white phospor around.
The detonator looks quite short fort his grenade, that is because it is normally used in the defensive grenade that has a shorter fuze well.
Regards, DJH
The fuze used is the M2BG or M4BG all ways fuze. The fuze body is a two piece -upper and lower- Zamak cast which is machined to size. On the inside the brass all ways fuze parts are placed, consisting of a firing pin carrier in top which slides inside a primer carrier. The primer (red) and firing pin are kept apart by a weak spring. In safe condition a brass safety pin is placed through the top of the primer carrier, fixating the firing pin carrier in the upper position, preventing the firing pin from reaching the primer. To this safety pin, a hinged brass plate is connected to which a fabric arming ribbon is fixed. This ribbon is wound three times around an outer groove in the upper fuze body to keep the fuze in safe position. A flat lead weight is pressed over the other end of the ribbon. A brass protective cap with a pull ring is placed over the fuze housing , fixating the ribbon and keeping the fuze in safe position.
A detonator with a short delay is placed in the base of the fuze and protrudes in the central well of the grenade body.
Functioning of the fuze:
Before throwing, the brass protective cap is removed by pulling it of the fuze housing by means of the pull ring. The index finger is placed on the lead weight to prevent te ribbon from unwinding, and the grenade is thrown. The ribbon unwinds and a small ejection spring pushes the brass safety pin away from the primer carrier, releasing the lead weight, ribbon and pin from the fuze all together. The fuze is now armed. It does not matter how the grenade lands, the fuze will always function; if the grenade lands on its bottom part, the firing pin is pushed into the primer, if the grenade lands on the top of the fuze, the primer moves into the firing pin, if the grenade lands on it’s side, both the chamfered sides of the firing pin carrier and the primer carrier move along the chamfered edges inside the Zamak fuze housing pushing the firing pin and firing cap toward one another. In all three cases the flame of the firing cap moves downward in the delay detonator
The delay in the detonator is short and ignites the detonator that will split the grenade body open and spread the burning white phospor around.
The detonator looks quite short fort his grenade, that is because it is normally used in the defensive grenade that has a shorter fuze well.
Regards, DJH
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