Dano done a bad thing

[Millsman]

Great find Dano. It's the only one missing from my Egg/ Kugal fuse set. I've only seen a couple in museums (Verdun is one museum I've seen one). That's an elite club you are in there!

John

 

[SG500]

Well, the postman brought this today and not a moment too soon as I was getting nervous. Well it is the rarest of rare, the German m1916 percussion igniter used on m1917 eggs and m1913 and m1915 kugel grenades. Introduced at the very end of 1916 and obsolete by the very beginning of 1917. I have talked to other knowledgable collectors and they all agree they are a bitch to find. This is only the 2nd one i've ever seen and the only one that was for sale. The ones made in 1916 were of brass, and the 1917 units had no brass (mine is a 1917 unit). I attached a page copied from Delhommes book German Grenades of the Great War and I hope the printing is legible. I'm laughing...Dano

Good result Dano, when the really rare stuff is available you've just got to go for it.
Dave.

 

[roller63]

Thought I would bump this post as relevant. Tony
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/eihandgranate-1917-t5545.html?t=5545&highlight=german+egg+grenades

 

[jeeeensy]

Well done Dano,,, excellent find mate,,,,its great when you find something you have been looking for,,for a long time, esspesially when you know its as rare as rocking horse shite. It then makes collecting more enjoyable when this happens, nice one ..

Regards nick

 

[dano1917]

Thanks John, Dave, Tony and Nick. And Tony yours is the third example i've yet to encounter. the production was very very short lived and i'm happy to have it. Thanks again....Dano

 

[Grenademan2005]

Hey Man:
You got it! Congratulations, very nice fuze. :rock:

 

[Grenademan2005]

Ehhhh, just a question: where is the bad thing? You had to sell your wife for get the fuze....?:tinysmile_angry2_t:

 

[dano1917]

No Miguel, not the wife, may have to eat hot dogs and sauerkraut for a while and cut down on beer consumption...Dano

 

[V40]

You are very lucky my friend. Here, for a while, I thought you were going to tell me you'd bought a DM51!:tinysmile_hmm_t:

 

[dano1917]

Thanks Mark, I feel fortunate as it was on the top of my want list for many years. Postman should be bringing you your goodie very soon...Dano

 

[V40]

Just got it today my friend. All I can say is woooooow! Thanks Dano I really appreciate it.

 

[Der_Feldgraue]

Olla, nice one!! That thing is so bad, that you should immediately give it to me. :tinysmile_classes_t:tinysmile_classes_t:tinysmile_classes_t

 

[dano1917]

m1916 German percussion igniter

For safety reasons, the German army was reluctant to use percussion igniters. On this model, the striker spring is relaxed until the moment of ignition, thus reducing the chance of accident.

The striker is integral in a tube terminating in a mushroom shaped head held in place by a ball. The tube lodged in the igniter body has a spiral guide surface which, in order to extract, requires a twist pull movement, thus preventing accidents. When the tube is twisred and pulled, it raises the striker which compresses the spring until the point where the ball, rising from the top of the igniter, falls out. The striker, suddenly freed, explodes the primer.

Using a percussion igniter presented an advantage, along with some risk, in that it ensured ignition; causing a rapid increase in the use of this grenade.

Overall, this igniter provided no real advantage over the pull model due to complexity of construction. Invented at the end of 1916 it was abandoned by the beginning of 1917. The models manufactured in 1917 are recognizable by the absence of any brass parts.

The m1916 German percussion igniter is by leaps and bounds the rarest of all WW1 German grenade igniters and are extremely difficult to find.......Dano

 

[V40]

Just thinking....

I was just thinking last night that the WW1 hand and rifle grenades can make very good sources as a Booby-Traps back then. When WWII came along Booby-Traps were very popular in every country's (involved in WWII) history for Booby-Traps. This is when they came to age. They weren' used much in Korea. But by Vietnam, they were all perfected. The VC and the NVA were the experts at putting out primitive Booby-Traps, then they went on to Chinese Claymores and other rarities. Just the thing, I am an expert in Booby-traps and have been trained to disarm them, and they still scare the shite out of me. Jee-wizz I was half way up an oak tree when my partner sprayed silly sting.
Just thought I'd state a fact and my $00.02 to:tinysmile_eyebrow_t.