75MM Energa Anti-Tank Practice Grenade

[inertordnance]

Newer addition to the collection, 75MM Energa Anti-Tank Practice Rifle Grenade Circa June 1960. I have been looking for this type with the round fin assembly to display with an early Colt / Armalite Rifle, so was pretty happy with the find.

Stay safe,

Frank

 

[ordnance]

Excellent Frank. I've been looking for one of these since seeing that photo of all the SEAL weapons spread out on the back cover photo of Kevin Dockery's "Special Warfare, Special Weapons" book.

If you know that image, there are two different Mecar practice grenades shown. Both have the ring type fin, like your 75mm example, but one appears to the smaller 62mm type Mecar made at the same time. So that's two types to look for.

I was lucky enough to find an HE version of the 62mm version a couple years ago, unfortunately missing the nose fuze and fairly beat up. But it is good enough until a better one comes along.

It sounds like you might have a nice rifle to hang it on. I have a 4-digit 601 Colt that is an Amnesty registered Vietnam bring-back. It REALLY needs some grenades like these to compliment it in a future display. Please let me know if you ever find another.

Rick

 

[vinnyw]

Excellent Frank. I've been looking for one of these since seeing that photo of all the SEAL weapons spread out on the back cover photo of Kevin Dockery's "Special Warfare, Special Weapons" book.

If you know that image, there are two different Mecar practice grenades shown. Both have the ring type fin, like your 75mm example, but one appears to the smaller 62mm type Mecar made at the same time. So that's two types to look for.

I was lucky enough to find an HE version of the 62mm version a couple years ago, unfortunately missing the nose fuze and fairly beat up. But it is good enough until a better one comes along.

It sounds like you might have a nice rifle to hang it on. I have a 4-digit 601 Colt that is an Amnesty registered Vietnam bring-back. It REALLY needs some grenades like these to compliment it in a future display. Please let me know if you ever find another.

Rick

Hello guys
Maybe one of you guys can tell me something about one I have.It is still the WW2 style rifle grenade head,but the tail piece is like a mortar tail.
By the way that is a nice Rifle Grenade.
vinny :tinysmile_classes_t

 

[inertordnance]

Excellent Frank. I've been looking for one of these since seeing that photo of all the SEAL weapons spread out on the back cover photo of Kevin Dockery's "Special Warfare, Special Weapons" book.

If you know that image, there are two different Mecar practice grenades shown. Both have the ring type fin, like your 75mm example, but one appears to the smaller 62mm type Mecar made at the same time. So that's two types to look for.

I was lucky enough to find an HE version of the 62mm version a couple years ago, unfortunately missing the nose fuze and fairly beat up. But it is good enough until a better one comes along.

It sounds like you might have a nice rifle to hang it on. I have a 4-digit 601 Colt that is an Amnesty registered Vietnam bring-back. It REALLY needs some grenades like these to compliment it in a future display. Please let me know if you ever find another.

Rick

Hello Rick,

Thanks, I do not have a copy of Mr. Dockery's Book yet and it sounds like I will defiantly have to obtain a copy. The Images that inspired me to obtain one of these grenades came from AF Manual 50-12 Dated August 30, 1963. I will let you know if I ever run across another one of the 75MM Round Fin Examples.

Thanks again and stay safe,

Frank

 

[inertordnance]

Hello guys
Maybe one of you guys can tell me something about one I have.It is still the WW2 style rifle grenade head,but the tail piece is like a mortar tail.
By the way that is a nice Rifle Grenade.
vinny :tinysmile_classes_t

Hello Vinny,

Thanks. Also please post some pics. of your grenade for possible ID if you can.

Stay safe,

Frank

 

[Bonnex]

Energa UV

The attached image might be of interest. From recollection the 75mm UV was rejected by the Brits because it had PETN in its filling. I think the Australians took it up.

 

[V40]

One thing for sure is that it is not a WWII R/G.

 

[inertordnance]

The attached image might be of interest. From recollection the 75mm UV was rejected by the Brits because it had PETN in its filling. I think the Australians took it up.

Hello Bonnex,

That's a really nice and interesting example, thanks for posting!

Frank

 

[vinnyw]

Hello Vinny,

Thanks. Also please post some pics. of your grenade for possible ID if you can.

Stay safe,

Frank

Hi Frank
I will but it will be a bit I have it in a museum,and the picture will be thru glass.
Vinny :tinysmile_shy_t:

 

[V40]

Bonnex,

I know for a fact the South Africans picked it up. Theirs had a filling of RDX/WX 93/7 main charge and a CH6 booster. What ever that means. I only know about the RDX composition. I do not have any info on the Australians on any attempt to see if it was adopted by any other Common Wealth countries(?)or way back then.

Also, you probably all ready know this But the UK used the: "Anti-Tank Grenade No. 94 (Energa) back in 1969.

I also have seen the "AT/M29" on both the M-16 and the AR-18. I believe that this was the only Anti Tank launched r/g available with few exceptions at the time. Besides, it appears in all of Colt's manuals and brochuers for the M-16 and for the AR-18 also. Which was just about the only AT Rifle/Grenade had was what we bought from the UK back then.

V-40

 

[V40]

First off, Kevin Dockery's books are very good. He has two books out on what the Navy SEALs carried. The first edition is entitled "Special Warfare, Special Weapons" and is the bigger book (ISBN 1-883476-00-3).

The second book entiled "Weapons of the NAVY SEALs" has an (ISBN of: 0-425-19834-0,), and is entitled "Weapons of the Navy Seals, Volume II". The ISBN is: 1-883476-00-3

V-40

 

[kahu1]

Energa fuze

fuze for the energa rifle grenade.
cheers,Bob

 

[Fragman]

Hi. In this pic there's an early energa with the round fins and a super energa, dating from the late sixties with the individual fins. There's also a couple of other interesting items tucked in amongst them. Cheers

 

[V40]

Great picture Kiwi, absolutely great. Now you can sell them or give them to me as I AM all about rifle grenades. Now can you ID everything their? Brother. I believe I can can too.

Mark

 

[paul the grenade]

hi colin.
can you do an individual pic of the gold No68? was that a particular colour for practice grens in new zealand an australia?
cheers, paul.

 

[Bonnex]

Energa (Institute for the development of inventions and commercial applications)

Bonnex,

[...]
Also, you probably all ready know this But the UK used the: "Anti-Tank Grenade No. 94 (Energa) back in 1969.

[...]
V-40

Thanks V40. The 94 was introduced into British service officially (ie via War Office Lists of Changes) in December 1955 but it was issued to some units for the Korean War a couple or so years before.

The Brits first post-war interest was in 1946 when the Energa was still Swiss. Trials were held in the UK in December 1946 but in 1947 the War Office decided to abandon rifle grenades. The requirement for rifle grenades was reinstated in 1949 and the Energa in various forms (including the 1951 model, 725g, 60mm, and practice versions) was trialled from 1950 to 1954.

The 1958 Model with the ring tail was not taken up in the UK but it was used in a demonstration to show that the Energa could be fired off of an SLR (L1A1 Rifle) using the in-built flash hider and an aluminium sleeve rather using the standard projector (launcher).

The Super Energa grenades (including Anti Personnel and Incendiary flavours) were trialled in the mid-1960s but not adopted. The Super Energa smoke grenade was nearly adopted in 1967 to provide an interim platoon level screening smoke store pending the arrival of the improved light mortar (now known as 51mm) which was due in 1970, the in-Service 2-inch mortar smoke being unsatisfactory in some respects.

Although the 94 grenade had been obsolete for many years due to the introduction of the 66mm AT Rocket the stocks were not destroyed until the 1990s when it was decided to make 'elbow room' in the Base/Central Ammunition Depot's magazine storehouses.

Attached a couple of photographs that I did for Rick Landers some years ago.

 

[Fragman]

Hi, Thanks for the comments. Yeah Mark, I think I could probably identify them all at a push. The picture was taken many years ago at an Auckland gun show. It was part of a display I put on with a friend of mine. Unfortunately the No68 was from his collection and one of the items I didnt grab when he sold up. Sorry Paul, but the best I can do is the attached photo of a couple of Australian gold practice grenades. Im pretty sure we did not use that colour in NZ (we followed the British convention until the mid-sixties, and then switched to the US). Great photos Bonnex (I love the sectioned one). Id like to collect more Energa, but they are few and far between over here. We did use the Super Energa (along with the Aussies) over here in the sixties, but then went down the M79 route. Cheers

 

[Dronic69]

can you do an individual pic of the gold No68? was that a particular colour for practice grens in new zealand an australia?

Hi Paul,

Well I don't know about gold, but yellow seemed to be a popular colour - check out this "experimental" No68 with the very unusual bakelite fuse and extra large base plate! (LOL)
CHeers
Drew

 

[V40]

Bonnex & Kiwi,

If I ever get some money would any of you sell me some Energa's ???
That is if there is an astounding roar I hear from my computer.:angel::tinysmile_hmm_t:
Why, you ask because I don't have any of those.

Also, did one of you say that it wasn't used by the Aussies during thier tours in Vietnam?


Mark

 

[proditto]

Energa

Norman,
Great collection as always. Tragic story. I was at a sea dumping and not only live Energas were dumped but a large box of cutaways. They are inert---So what!!

Sandy