Egg Grenade, ggm42 (Eierhandgranate 39)
Price: Sold
Description: Inert; circa 1942-1945 egg grenade, high explosive concussion type. Two piece vertically oval, stamped magnetic sheet metal construction. Retains most of its original finish. Timed Fuze unscrews and is pulled activate originally. Maker marked “ggm 42”. Fuse is dated for 1944. Inert.
BACKGROUND: Introduced in 1939, the M39 high explosive, offensive, concussion, egg hand grenade was a slightly larger version of the WWI egg grenade which had originally been introduced in 1916. The advantage of the M39 egg grenade was that its smaller size made it easier to carry in larger quantities and due to its shape most personnel could throw it further than the M24/M39 stick grenades. The thin sheet metal construction egg grenades were armed with roughly 112 grams, (4 ounces) of TNT giving it an effective explosive radius of roughly twelve to fourteen yards. The grenade was activated by a screw threaded ignition fuse that was inserted into a receiving port on the top edge of the grenade and provided a four to five second explosion delay. Regulations of May 1942 introduced a second pattern egg grenade which was identical to the first pattern with the addition of a metal ring secured to the bottom which was designed for attaching the grenade to the target or joining a group of grenades together although it was more commonly utilized to attach the grenades to the uniform or equipment. Additional regulations of September 19TH 1944 introduced a separate fragmentation sleeve for the egg grenades, altering it from a purely concussion weapon to a more damaging fragmentation weapon.
