No. 73 Grenade in the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich (Operation Anthropoid)

[batonroundcollector]

I thought this was interesting, from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Reinhard_Heydrich):

"According to [the authors of A Higher Form of Killing], the Type 73 hand anti-armour grenade which was used in the attack, had been modified to contain botulinium toxin. The general evidence cited to support the theory includes the modifications made to the Type 73 grenade: the upper third part of this British anti-tank grenade had been removed and the open end and sides wrapped up with tape. A specially modified weapon could be explained by the need to attach a toxic or biological payload... [however] the grenade modifications could have been aimed at making it lighter... Two of the original six modified grenades are kept by the Military History Institute in Prague.[SUP]"

I had heard that the 'bomb' that was used may have contained a biological agent but did not know it was a No.73 that was used...

Has anyone got pics of those from the Military History Institute?

[/SUP]

 

[paul the grenade]

here's a previous thread with a photo of one of the grenades.
cheers, Paul
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/43441-Heydrich-Grenade?highlight=Reinhard+Heydrich*

 

[Snufkin]

The museum display example of the No.73, modified.





Tom.

 

[batonroundcollector]

thanks guys... interesting that this mod would be the pattern for the No.82 Gammon.

 

[Bonnex]

I appreciate the intricies of biological science is not my strong point but I have always found the idea of some form of biological agent in the Type 6 No 73 grenade to be a rather fanciful idea mainly because I cannot imagine a relatively small amount of agent surviving the heat generated by a fair quantity of detonating explosive. Happy to be proved wrong of course.

The Type 6 grenade was 'designed'/modified by Lt Col Wood who commanded the ES6 (or Station 12 in SOE parlance) and in the correspondence I have seen from him there is no mention of biological agent. Interestingly when Capt Gammon came up with his idea for the Gammon Grenade he was sent to Station 12 for help in its development and although he received help from Wood he was not allowed to know about the Type 6 No 73 grenade work.

 

[Millsman]

thanks guys... interesting that this mod would be the pattern for the No.82 Gammon.

I remember reading in various books that the grenade used was (variously) a modified Mills or a modified Gammon. Nice to get that straight.

The infection that killed Heydrich was from the horsehair from inside the seat driven into his body by a grenade fragment, so I think the bio aspect may be speculation.

John

 

[TimG]

"Stories that the British S.O.E. had placed botulinum toxins in the grenade that wounded Heydrich have circulated since 1982. There is no record of such intervention in the archives of Porton Down, the British center of biological warfare and the S.O.E. files are still closed. The stories may have originated with Paul Fildes (1882-1971), the brilliant microbiologist who led the British bacteriological warfare research in World War II and discovered the botulinum toxin (Toxin “X”) in 1941. He did not publish his wartime work. Fildes was a scientist of rigorous integrity in his research but outside of his laboratory he was a braggart who enjoyed astounding his colleagues with extravagant boasts. He bragged to his Oxford associates after 1945 that he had placed toxin “X” in the grenade which fatally wounded Heydrich.
Fildes’ claim, however, is highly suspect"

http://ahahq.org/Bulletin/January_2009.pdf (page 6)

Tim

 

[batonroundcollector]

...I cannot imagine a relatively small amount of agent surviving the heat generated by a fair quantity of detonating explosive.

yes, assuming that their was a 'fair quantity' of explosive - i.e. more than a minimal bursting charge that would be used for a biological weapon in the form of an air-dropped bomb or artillery shell (the incineration of agent by explosive was a problem in the development of these weapons and was a hinderance to making a reliable delivery system). As a 'blast' was reported then sounds like this was the case.

Was surprised that 'shrapnel' was notable in the action - i thought the No.73 had a thin-sheet metal body and relied on blast effect (could be wrong) - unless it was filled with something in this case for fragmentation effect (although this would be a known hazard for thrower as intended to be used at such close range) as could be done with the No.82 Gammon?

 

[Sir Roger]

I tend to discount Fildes's claim. Botulinum is a very heat liable toxin. It was unlikely to have survived the blast. Was the other one was ever tested by the Germans? I think they would have made a fuss if they found anything of that sort.