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The No68 Rifle Grenade enterd service in Nov 1940
It was launched using a 2.5in cup discharger attatched to the rifle.Designed as an anti tank grenade it used a shaped charge
Markings: Red filling ring,Green or GGreen/Black band to indicate filling type
And here is the very rare all steel experimental version.
The standard models are made from Mazac, an alloy of Alluminium and Zinc but this version is constructed from steel.
These versions were produced for Ordnance board trials in conection with production of No 68's for India. Apparently The Indian's had no production facilities for Mazac casting in the size and quantities required and Mazac does not do to well in the hot humid climate of india so an all steel model was required. These were manufactured by W.H. BRISCOE & Co in Birmingham and were produced in 1942. They have no markings except the makers stamp on the body and one of the fins. Internal components seem to be the same as the standard grenade.
Unfortunately this one is missing the discharger disc.
Does anyone have one ?????
Managed to get a nice No68 yesterday ,Bit unsure about the colour though ,it looks genuine good condition paint(or its a very good respray) but shouldnt it be white as this is a non live version as you will see in the photographs
Designed by Professor Thorpe in late 43. Clever use of Bakelite (cheap) and could take fragmentation coil for APers capability. The large plate flies off after discharge to arm the thing. Basically arrived on the drawing board too late to be taken seriously, the 68 having seen better days by then.
I will have to look up OB Procs again to answer your questions. The design is mentioned only fleetingly but it got to trials. DLR is a likely contender for manufacture but like most 'one offs' it is not marked from recollection.
Gordon,
No, it didn't get that far. I expect only a few were made. There are a dozen or so experimental 68 grenades of which this is only one. Versions with telescopic tails, extended caps to give a longer stand-off, a four-inch diameter version (to fire from the AFV smoke discharger if I remember correctly), a rodded type and even one converted to an aircraft bomblet (a 'Motley' bomb).
There were a couple of designs for North American Production which leaned on the work of the Briscoe design mention by Paul. One became the No 68 Mk VI and the other a sand filled version of the same thing for drill/practice purposes. You should find these in Canada since they were manaufacture there and were declared obsolete before any/many were shipped abroad.
Sorry Gordon I have just realised you were probably asking if the No 68 in general was used rather than the plastic version. It was used operationally and I will see if I can find some chapter & verse on it.
While I'm back on: Spotter's grenade is a No 68 Drill Mk I manufactured as such rather than one which was manufactured from reject service bodies. You will find drill grenades with tails for Mks II through V but from a service momenclature point of view they were all regarded as Drill Mk I as far as I am aware.
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