Us mk 11

[gothica7]

Hi all,

as you know, ime into Mills grens but have been given this US MK 11 gren about which i know nothing.

Could a US gren expert give me a little info on it.

The body is green painted but there seems to be yellow underneath. This makes me think it could be WW2?

The lever is marked FUZEM10AB K LOT EK 1-67. Ime assuming this is a lot no and not a date. The body is marked with the letter 'A' on a 2nd segment at the front and there is no hole in the base. It was given to me as a Vietnam period gren.

I know nothing about it and some help would be appreciated. I could be wrong in all of my assumptions.

Many thanks

Andy

 

[Slick]

Andy

I'll let the pros jump in with the details. I just wanted to make note of my envy for such a gift. A damned fine specimen. And, the price was right. Congrats.

 

[Nismosonic]

M10A3 fuze is an Igniting type NOT detonating so this is a smokeless powder filled gren (assuming fuze and grenade are matched) K in circle is maker of fuze, Eastman-Kodak. 1-67 lot nimber. Body is latter type Mk2A1, I would say dated about 1944. Im not sure of A on body, I dont have one of these in my collection. Black on spoon indicates that at some time it was modified.
Nice gren! lucky gift. :tinysmile_shy_t:

 

[bacarnal]

It may have an M10A3 fuze, but one thing that is not realized is that the original Mk II fuze (cut back) and transitioning to the M5 then to the M10 fuze family is that the "igniting cap" was in fact a No. 6 blasting cap or equivalent. The Mk II fuze was designed to detonate 2 oz of Trojan Grenade Powder (Nitro cellulose). When .74 oz of EC powder was later used, it still had a high nitro content and could be used in blanks like the M1909 .30 cal blank and deflegrate when fired by a primer or when confined in a grenade body with a small blasting cap (which a No. 6 is), detonate. That flaked TNT grenades with M10 series fuzes exist is a fact. The successor to the M10 series, the M204 was STILL termed an "igniting fuze" (see page 301-302 of the U.S. Navy OP1664), and it states that the fuzes "detonator" has as its' base charge PETN and the grenades' main charge is 1.75 oz of TNT. Very few of the M6 series (detonating) fuzes were used with the Mk II (MkII A1, Mk 2) grenades and some speculate that it wasn't, though I have in my collection one that is fuzed with an M6 and I know of whence it came (a case was turned in for destruction, and the unit got permission to inert them for training purposes and going away plaques). My whole point of this long schpiel is that the M10 fuze is not the relatively harmless fuze that its' "igniting" nomenclature lets on. It WAS designed to detonate, albeit with a cap of less power and is more hazardous that most realize. Cheers, Bruce.

P.S. Almost forgot,nice grenade. Black on the bottom of the spoon indicates that it was re-worked at some time, though others would know more about that than I and has been discussed in past strings here. Would say that the painting from yellow to OD would have been part of the re-work (WW II) but that would be speculation on my part.

 

[Grenademan2005]

Yes, nice gift you got. A is the maker of the body, black paint on spoon indicates that this spoon was already used on another grenade and recovered for use it again, (I dont know if this is what it means re-worked), but nothing to see with yellow under green colour. Original HE grenades colour was yellow, but as it can be seen from far away after 1942 all grenades were painted OD and yellow ones on stock or already in the field covered by a coat of green paint. About Vietnam era I doubt it, this is a 100% WWII grenade.

 

[gothica7]

Thank you all for your help here, ime very grateful.

However, this gren dosnt push my buttons ime afraid, its Brit grens for me, in particular Mills grens so i think i will probably sell it. Just dosnt do it for me.

If anyone wants it , let me know otherwise it will probably go on SA soon.

Andy