color codes and markings for Belgian Mills grenade

[ludokhan]

here are some excerpts from a Belgian document of 1925.
Accompanied by translation .





the various types of grenade MILLS in use are distinguished from each other by the following characteristics

species of grenade ​ loading Features
Grenade Mills of ''war’’ Tolite-salpetre 20/80 Black body, gray band on the head. Yellow band on the base
Grenade Mills instruction primed nothingness White painted body
Grenade Mills instruction inert nothingness Lower hemisphere painted in red , on top hemisphere in white
Grenade Mills exercise sand Red painted body

the most interesting part of the document

2) removal of the safety device (ring pin)
Take the grenade in the right hand, with the cap (plug ) up, the pin ring turns toward the chest, the lever resting on the palm of the hand closed effortlessly.


C) the detonator of the ignition device is replaced by a tube made of tinplate or stretched brass or drawn copper tinted with a varnish, containing a charge of priming powder (pulvérin ) and closed by a cork (plug )

B) the explosive charge does not exist.

 

[Millsman]

Very many thanks for this. The yellow base appears on live and training grenades. I have a Belgian WW1 36 with traces of the yellow on the base but it has been converted to training mode by means of a re-cocking rod being added to the baseplug and the lever being inked to the body by a leather bootlace. So in some cases they didn't always repaint them.

We learn something every day here.

 

[ludokhan]

to finish the exercise version in red.
without loading and without smoke det.




there is a curious opening on the top, probably to use the lever and push the firing pin down?

I tested the throw and the compressed spring in this way is strong enough to eject the lever.

 

[Snufkin]

The striker spring is locked in partial compression by a pin inserted through the striker. This pin prevents full decompression of the spring on firing, which would otherwise jam the striker against the pillar screwed into the base plug, and make recocking a bit more difficult. The "slot" put in the striker aperture allows the correct amount of striker head to emerge to mate with the top of the lever, when recocking.

In post no.4 here:

http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/96817-belgium-n°36-pratice?highlight=belgian+mills+no.5

Millsman shows a Belgian training grenade - picture reproduced here. Traces of red paint are on the leather thong and also it seems faintly still on the body (middle horizontal groove). The background all-over yellow is aged shellac, not remaining yellow paint of a reused Belgian Service grenade. Britain supplied filled* Mills grenades, starting with the No.5 in late 1916, then No.23 MKII and ultimately 23III and 36, until 1919 at the rate of 20,000 per month. Most grenades were supplied with a shellac varnish but without any other markings. Some empty (described as "dummy") Mills grenades were also supplied by Britain for training.

* The grenades were filled at Fulham (Trench Warfare) National Filling Factory, then sent by rail to Gravesend (and ultimately Tilbury), and then by ship to Belgian Ordnance facilities at Le Havre. Le Havre was the hub for a number of Belgian Government equipment and ordnance factories, and where the French style safety pins were produced. From mid-1918 the safety pins were supplied to the Fulham NFF for fitting to the grenades before despatch.

 

[ludokhan]

yes, just I did not notice the first time, merci