• YungOnions
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    4 months ago

    What’s the deal with the Excelsior P2? It looks like a grenade cosplaying as the ghost of Kaiser Wilhelm.

    • SSTF@lemmy.worldM
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      4 months ago

      It is an impact initiated grenade. During flight, the propeller on the nose rotates down to arm. The grenade is actually a stick grenade, hidden by the cloth. The cloth is to help it orient itself nose forward in flight for the propeller.

  • mars296@fedia.io
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    4 months ago

    It’s missing the US Mk 1. From the wiki:

    In 1917, the Mk 1 grenade was created.

    However, it became apparent that the Mk 1 grenade was quite difficult to use in the field. The grenades were often not ignited properly before being thrown, and enemies would return the grenade, this time properly lit.

    • Tb0n3
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      4 months ago

      Yeah. Having the pineapple in my head as the quintessential grenade I wondered where it started, seeing the F1. Turns out it was just as the war was ending that they created the Mk II. I would imagine they didn’t include the Mk I because it was such junk.