Hand Grenades

Posts : 1605 Join date : 2009-09-21

Was there such at thing as Hand Grenades or simlar devices used during the Zulu War.

Posts : 420 Join date : 2011-05-14

Dave,

Not actually Anglo-Zulu War but close:

On 8th April 1879 during an attack on Morosi's Mountain, South Africa, Sergeant Robert George Scott, of the Cape Mounted Rifles, volunteered to throw time-fuse shells as hand grenades over a wall of stone barricades from behind which the enemy were bringing heavy fire to bear on the Colonial troops. Sergeant Scott made his men take cover in case the shells burst prematurely before making two attempts to throw shells over it. At the second attempt the shell exploded almost in his hands blowing his right hand to pieces and wounding him severely in the leg.

Sergeant Scott was subsequently awarded the V.C. for his actions.

Dynamite was used against the Zulu hold-outs in their cave positions in September 1879.

'Jimu

Subject: Re: Hand Grenades Tue Mar 26, 2013 12:26 am

Quote :: time-fuse shells

Jim were these designed to be used as depicted in your reply above?

Posts : 420 Join date : 2011-05-14

LH,

No these were fused artillery-shells, those normally fired from artillery-pieces, which Scott was throwing like hand-grenades.

I recall an account from the Korean War where the units fused the fins of mortar-shells and threw them like grenades. I think Hollywood showed the technique in "Saving Private Ryan".

'Jimu

Posts : 1851 Join date : 2009-03-25

Jim, so are we looking at a shell which contained a fuse, which was lit by the person who intended to throw it at the enemy. Would it not have been obvious? When the need arose to lob this thing..ie when the fuse burned shorter!!!!

Subject: Hand Grenades Tue Mar 26, 2013 9:56 pm

The making of fused bombs was also wide spread in the trenches at Gallipoli , I think from memory the Australian troops
were acknowledged as the first to do so , using the many empty jam tins that were lying in the rubbish dumps ! . 24th in regard to your post , that was just what the troops did back in those days , they obviously didnt think about what injuries they could sustain ,
they were only concerned with what damage could be done to the enemy !
Cheers 90th.