Post by Bruce "Face' Dale on Jun 10, 2019 14:00:31 GMT -5
Just some general information on two commonly found individual ordinance devices carried by US troops.
HAWKINS GRENADE/MINE
The Hawkins grenade/mine was in use from 1942 to about 1955 by the British Army and the Home Guard and quite as commonly US Army Forces during WWII. Typically found are photos of Airborne Troopers with Hawkins mines strapped to their lower legs.
After the evacuation from Dunkirk in May/June 1940 it was realised that there was the need for a new anti-tank weapon. It was roughly four months later Captain Hawkins submitted a design for a hand thrown anti-tank mine. After successful trails the General Staff placed an initial order for 2.5 million Hawkins Grenades.
The grenade is 7 inches (178 mm) x 3.75 inches (95 mm) x 2.75 (70 mm). Made of steel it weighed 3lb (1.36 kg). It contained 2lb (0.91 kg) of either ammonal or TNT explosive and required a pressure of 10lb (4.54 kg) to set it off.
When a vehicle drove over the grenade, it cracked a chemical igniter and leaked acid onto a sensitive chemical, which detonated the explosive. Multiple grenades were often used to destroy tanks or disable their tracks, and the grenade could also be used as a demolition charge.
The grenade was designed so that it could either be thrown at a vehicle like an ordinary anti-tank grenade or used as an anti-tank mine. A number could be strung together in a 'daisy chain' at intervals of around two feet, and then placed across a road to damage an armoured vehicle. The Hawkins was also used in other roles, such as breaching walls. Its small size also meant that it could easily be placed into the 'web' of a railway line and when detonated could destroy a section of track.
GAMMON GRENADE
Designed by Capt. R.S. Gammon MC of the 1st Parachute Regiment, the Gammon bomb was developed as a replacement for the temperamental and highly dangerous "sticky bomb" grenade. It consisted of an elasticized stocking bag made of dark colored material, a metal cap, and an 'Always [sic] fuze' (the same fuze as found in the No. 69 grenade).
Unlike conventional grenades, the Gammon bomb was flexible in the amount and type of munition that could be delivered to a target. For anti-personnel use, a small amount of plastic explosive (about half a stick), along with shrapnel-like projectiles if available, would be placed in the bag. Against armoted fighting vehicles or other armorred targets, the bag could be filled completely with explosive. In this manner it was possible to make an unusually powerful grenade that could only be thrown safely from behind cover.
Using the Gammon bomb was very simple. After filling the stocking bag with explosive, the screw-off cap was removed and discarded. Removing the screw-off cap revealed a stout linen tape wound around the circumference of the fuze. The linen tape had a curved lead weight on the end. While holding the lead weight in place with one finger (to prevent the linen tape from unwinding prematurely) the grenade was then thrown at the target. When the Gammon grenade was thrown, the weighted linen tape automatically unwrapped in flight, pulling out a retaining pin from the fuze mechanism. Removal of the retaining pin freed a heavy ball-bearing and striker inside the fuze, which were then held back from the percussion cap only by a weak creep spring. In this manner the Always fuze became armed in flight. The grenade exploded when it impacted with the target, which gave the heavy ball-bearing a sharp jolt - overcoming the weak resistance of the creep spring - that slammed the striker against the percussion cap. The percussion cap fired directly into the adjacent detonator, which in turn sent a violent shockwave into the main explosive filling contained inside the stocking bag. Detonation of a Gammon grenade was instantaneous on impact with the target, i.e. there was no time-delay.
Gammon bombs were primarily issued to special forces such as paratroopers who were issued plastic explosive routinely. These units found the Gammon bomb to be particularly useful due to its small size and weight when unfilled, as well as its adaptability.
Gammon bombs were declared obsolete in the early 1950s, at which point all existing stocks were destroyed. Typically, any examples encountered today will be in the form of unexploded ordnance or inert examples held in museum collections
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