The traditional `pineapple' hand grenade has been used by the United States Army for over 50 years. It resembles the older British Type 36 grenade called the `Mills bomb,' developed in 1915.
The hand grenade is grasped by the thrower in the palm of the hand. The safety pin on the grenade is withdrawn by its ring. When the grenade is flung a lever swings upwards and frees the spring striker. This action detonates the percussion cap which then ignites the slow-burning time fuse. The detonator is fired after a delay of approximately 4 seconds and this then sets off the main charge. Deadly splinters of the cast-iron case are scattered in all directions to a range of about 30 metres.
The hand grenades of today are usually still produced using the same basic principles of the older forms, however, they now generally have wound-wire or plastic fragmenting shells.
