British Ordnance Collectors Network
This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Mills Grenade
- Thread starter Fjordhouse
- Start date
butterfly
HONOURED MEMBER RIP
Mike interesting point. One thing I have wondered is what if you were left-handed.........did they simply switch the safety pin round?? Surely there would be a percentage of left handed grenade lobbers??
regards Kev
p.s. very nice Mills by the way Ben - thanks for showing!!!
Kev . Interesting point that I can't answer ! They were always shipped with the ring on the right & whether it was acceptable to change them over before use , I've no idea . It's just that one of my pet hates for many years is to see them the wrong way round when displayed in collections or museums . Mike .
sgtlynn
Well-Known Member
When we were using them, we could change the pin to the way we wanted after the striker test. We had to remove the base plug, pull the pin and release the striker under control (mostly so we didn't lose the lever). We would hold the base of the grenade against our web belts and listen for a nice smack. Ensured the striker was not hung up and the spring was still strong. Then put it back together, prime it, and off to the throwing bay. Great fun.
Can't say for the practice in the UK but almost no military would allow to rearrange the pins or any other tampering. Let alone that the mills is one of the very few grenades with a separate det. (and maybe some others in the UK)
Left handers just hold the grenade with the fuze down in their left hand and use it as anyone else would do. This is described in any proper grenade manual.
Left handers just hold the grenade with the fuze down in their left hand and use it as anyone else would do. This is described in any proper grenade manual.
Last edited:
Small Arms Training, Volume I, Pamphlet No.13, Grenade, 19xx, makes something of a meal of left and right handed throwing.
The 1942 version, when dealing with instruction for assembly of the No.36 states, "If the thrower is right-handed, replace pin from right to left, if left handed from left to right."
The 1951 Pamphlet instructs similarly and has photos of both right handed and left handed throwers; and again the 1964 Pamphlet likewise, but with one photo (labelled as right handed).
Clearly, changing pin orientation was done prior to insertion of the separate igniter set. With the advent of the L2 (1975 Pamphlet), changing over the pin was expressly forbidden for obvious reasons.
Of course, that's the training manual. In practice what happened was in some cases another matter. Troops often did not prime their own grenades but had them issued by the platoon sergeant, with orders not to mess around with them. My father - who was left handed - was issued with primed 36 grenades many times in the Sicilian and Italian campaigns in WWII, and just threw them as was. Pulling the pin with the "wrong" hand proved not to be so difficult after all.
Tom.
The 1942 version, when dealing with instruction for assembly of the No.36 states, "If the thrower is right-handed, replace pin from right to left, if left handed from left to right."
The 1951 Pamphlet instructs similarly and has photos of both right handed and left handed throwers; and again the 1964 Pamphlet likewise, but with one photo (labelled as right handed).
Clearly, changing pin orientation was done prior to insertion of the separate igniter set. With the advent of the L2 (1975 Pamphlet), changing over the pin was expressly forbidden for obvious reasons.
Of course, that's the training manual. In practice what happened was in some cases another matter. Troops often did not prime their own grenades but had them issued by the platoon sergeant, with orders not to mess around with them. My father - who was left handed - was issued with primed 36 grenades many times in the Sicilian and Italian campaigns in WWII, and just threw them as was. Pulling the pin with the "wrong" hand proved not to be so difficult after all.
Tom.
Last edited:
I just ran a field test for this in my back garden . Using Hayley , my girlfriend , who is a South paw & utilising a genuine No36 , she pulled the pin & threw it with no problem whatsoever . She is , admittedly , strange . However , interesting experiment .
Did it stay within the walls Mike? That could have been fun with the neighbours!
John