Who Made B1 Grenades?

[Kilroy was Here]

Anyone know more about these mysterious "B1" grenades? Are they a Polish grenade body maybe? Yugoslavian grenade bodies maybe?
It seems there is not much info, and nobody knows too many facts about these B1 grenade bodies.

Here's what I have in my collection so far, and the details that I see.

One grenade is a WW2 era Yugo Tito partisan grenade, as signified by the star stamped on the M38 fuze. The fuze threads are left hand counter clockwise, and the body is fragmented on the inside. The body is painted black, and appears original. There is a seam on each side of the body, that I guess was welded and ground down to join the grenade halves. It also looks like there is another third piece that forms the body...a "cap" at the bottom. There is a seam around the bottom, and it looks like the grenade body was made from 3 pieces.

The second B1 grenade, I just received. It looks like it was never painted. It's also fragmented on the inside. This one also has two seams on the sides, but does not appear to have a third piece, or cap at the bottom like the other one, there is no seam at the bottom on this second grenade. This B1 has right hand clockwise smaller threads. The fuze is unmarked, but looks like a Polish fuze.

The necks of both bodies are completely different also. So obviously the bodies were made specific for the fuze type intended to be used.

Anyone know more facts about these B1 bodies?

There surely WW2 or prewar era grenade bodies, but Who made them? Where did they come from?

 

[sgtlynn]

To the best of my knowledge, the B1 grenade has only appeared on the battlefields of the Spanish Civil War. The fuze is without doubt Polish, but the body is not. I think the Spanish made them to fit the Polish fuzes.

 

[Kilroy was Here]

To the best of my knowledge, the B1 grenade has only appeared on the battlefields of the Spanish Civil War. The fuze is without doubt Polish, but the body is not. I think the Spanish made them to fit the Polish fuzes.

Interesting, thanks for the info. OK, then you are saying the B1 bodies are possibly Spanish? Then the maybe Spanish also made bodies for the Yugoslavians?

 

[pointblank0]

I was going to say Yugoslavia, but this is only because I have seen a few for sale as such, so may be incorrect

 

[Francesco_Dif]

For me the grenade is Polish made for export just. With different holes for different fuzes.

 

[Kilroy was Here]

For me the grenade is Polish made for export just. With different holes for different fuzes.

Thanks for reply Francesco. That is also what I have heard before.

It's strange no one knows the complete story and information of these B1's.

Maybe these details are lost to time. :tinysmile_cry_t4:

I like these B1 very much, they look nice, and seem to be a well made grenade. They probably worked very well also.

 

[Kilroy was Here]

So then most others also believe these B1 are Polish in origin?

I was hoping to see more of these that maybe members had in their collections.

I was curious if all the other B1's had this "seam" around the bottom that looks like it's a third body casting piece attached.

Very strange way to make a grenade body if they are made from 3 pieces.

 

[al'saad]

here is my find. grenade is recovered 3 days ago by the man who was preparing ground in his garden.

http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/79201-Polish-pre-WWII-B-1-grenade

I did some research on background of this grenade trying to find out how it got in the backyard in suburb of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Especially as there are no record of this type in armament of yugo army before WWII, and as far as I know production of this type of grenade stopped when Poland got occupied by Germany so there was no way that any of armies in Yugoslavia during WWII could be supplied with these hand grenades during WWII.

One possible way is that some of the members in International Brigades in Spanish Civil War brought grenade from Spain, as lot of members of Yugoslav Communist Party fought in International Brigades and B1 grenades were as far as I am informed spread in Spain that time.

Other possible way is that some of these grenades were issued to Yugoslavia for testing. I found article written by Nebosa Djokic MA, entitled 'Military and technical cooperation of Kingdom of Yugoslavia and Polish Republic' in which author studies types, quantities and ways of providing armament and ammunition from Poland to Yugoslavia.

 

[Grenademan2005]

Sorry, I missed this thread in its moment. The "infamous" B1 grenade IS NOT SPANISH MADE. Many of them are still found today inside Austrian lakes, and many of the Civil War collectors here have never found one in the Spanish battlefields. I bet Polish as always they are found with the WZGR31 fuze, more exactly the GR31 one. But forget the Spanish theory, Im 100% sure about this.

 

[al'saad]

Is there any records of production length or some time frame in which production of these grenades can be placed?

 

[Kilroy was Here]

Is there any records of production length or some time frame in which production of these grenades can be placed?

al'saad....This is also what I would like to know...it seems these grenades are a complete mystery. Thanks for showing this one found in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/thread...II-B-1-grenade

I hope one day more info will be found about when... and who produced these B1 grenades. We know they were used by the Yugo partisans in WW2 as seen by my example and a few others we have also seen with Yugo fuze with star on the cap, and probably by the Polish before they were invaded in 1939? ....Maybe they really are Polish grenade bodies as has been said, and the Germans continued production after the invasion of Poland? If they are found in lakes in Austria, this is strange, and might be a clue. The German volunteer 13th SS Mountain Division Handschar were Bosnians and Croats, and the unit was used in anti-partisan duties in Yugoslavia. Maybe the grenades were used by them also?

These B1's have to have been made somewhere and by someone....but by who, where and when? Seems to me the Yugo M38 fuzed B1 "partisan" grenades would have been made in Yugoslavia? If you look at my two B1's, not only the fuze thread sizes are different, they seem to constructed a little differently also.