Grenade No. 82 "Gammon Bomb"
Type	Grenade
Nationality	United Kingdom
Era	World War II
Platform	Individual
Target	Personnel, fortifications, and vehicles
History
Date of design
Production period
Service duration	May, 1943 - 1945
Operators	United Kingdom
War service	World War II
Specifications
Type	Fillable plastic explosive
Filling	Typically composition C
Detonation	Impact or timed (4-7 seconds)
Weight	340 g
Filling weight	Variable: up to 900 g
Length	N/A mm
Diameter	N/A mm
Variants	No. 82 Mk 1
Number built	many thousands

The Gammon bomb officially known as the No. 82 grenade was a British hand grenade used during World War II. Image File history File linksMetadata Grenade_Hand_No_82_The_Gammon_Grenade. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom France Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Charles de Gaulle Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian... A weapons platform is generally any structure or system on which a weapon can be mounted. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Composition C is a plastic explosive consisting of RDX, other explosives, and plasticizer. ... A US designed WWII-era MkIIA1 pineapple fragmentation hand grenade. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom France Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Charles de Gaulle Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian...

Overview

Designed by Capt. R.S. Gammon MC of the 1st Parachute Regiment, the Gammon bomb was developed as a replacement for the temperamental "sticky bomb" grenade. It consisted of an elasticized stockingette bag made of dark coloured material, a metal cap, and an 'Allways Fuse' (the same fuse as found in the No. 69 grenade). The Military Cross (MC) is the third level military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries. ... The Parachute Regiments display team, the Red Devils at an American airshow The Parachute Regiment is the main body of elite airborne troops of the British Army. ... No 74 ST Grenade Type Hand grenade Nationality United Kingdom Era World War II Platform Individual Target Vehicle/Tank History Date of design 1940 Production period Service duration Operators United Kingdom War service World War 2 Specifications Type High Explosive Filling nitroglycerine Detonation Timed. ... British No. ...

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 armored fighting vehicles or other large 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. An armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is a military vehicle, equipped with protection against hostile attacks and often mounted weapons. ...

Using the Gammon bomb was very simple. After filling the stockingette bag with explosive, the screw-off cap was removed and discarded, and the grenade then thrown. When the Gammon grenade was thrown, a linen tape with a curved lead weight on the end automatically unwrapped in flight, freeing a ball-bearing inside the fuse. In this manner the fuse always was armed in flight and the grenade exploded on impact.

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 their small size and weight when unfilled, as well as their adaptability. For other uses of the term, see Special forces (disambiguation). ... An American Paratrooper using a MC1-B series parachute Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force. ...

Allways Fuse

An "Allways" fuse is an impact-only fuse. The term "Allways" refers to the fact that no matter which way the grenade lands (eg on its base, sideways or upside down) it will still explode.

References

• Ian V. Hogg - The Encyclopedia of Infantry Weapons of World War II - Arms & Armour Press - 1977 - ISBN 0-85368-281-X

External links

• The Grenade with Instant Fame
• Photo of assorted Gammon Bombs
• Sectioned No 69 grenade (same fuze as Gammon bomb)
• Gammon Bomb Reproductions

See also