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No74 Grenade

Hi ,anyone got a picture /example of a No74 Mk 2 Sticky Bomb without the sticky cover on the Bakelite head in their collection ,my MK1 glass head has makers details cast in the glass ,was just wondering if the Bakelite ones had the same ,regards Dave
 
Thanks Paul ,i didnt know if all the glass heads had makers details never mind the Bakelite ones ,seems a bit of a waste of effort .
 
Pascal said:
I think you know it, but if not :

Go here http://www.iwmcollections.org.uk/qryPhotoImg.asp.
In subject field, type "sticky" then press search.


D_014762.jpg
Click to expand...

That's a great pic!
 
may seem a waste of effort dave but by marking stuff ,if things repeatedly malfunction for whatever reason they can be traced back to source and the problem rectified
 
Afternoon Allan never thought of it like that ,i wonder if the glass manufacturers had a clue what they were making at the time ,regards Dave
 
Both glass and Bakelite flasks had markings on them, I have a bakelite flask without covering somewhere, I'm sure it has MD 1 and a date and a batch No. on it. Will have a look during the week. Tony.
 
Thanks Tony ,i was looking at my 74 and noticed the makers mark and date and just wondered if the Bakelite ones were also marked ,regards Dave
 
A truly scary grenade. More dangerous to the user than the target I would think.

When my father was undergoing his army training in 1940, he was trained in this grenade and he and his fellow trainees had a very memorable lesson. The instructor showed them how to use the grenade and then he proceeded to a large concrete wall to complete the training. The idea was that he would lean around the end of the wall, stick the grenade onto the wall and then retreat safely behind the wall. The trainees were in a trench 30 yards away watching. As he cracked it against the wall somehow his hand became stuck to the grenade. He could just get his body around the end of the wall but the grenade exploded taking off his arm. My father's conclusion was that this was not safe to operate! I don't think he touched one again. On the other hand he liked the Mills 36 a lot!

John
 
No 74 Grenade Mk II

The marking on the bakelite sphere can be MD1 and the design number (something in the 7000 range); I say 'can be' because I have seen completely plain bodies - maybe they were pre-production. Incidently the development of the sticky bomb is pretty well covered in Rick Lander's book 'Grenade'. I know the book is hard to come but Jeremy Tenniswood of militaria.co.uk has some copies.
 
For reference I had a look at my Bakelite flask today without the sticky cover. It is marked : MD 1/ 7106 PB 43 on the lower half and MD 1/ 7107 PB 43 on the upper half. The two halves are cemented together around the middle. Tony.
 
The 74 Mark II was a long time coming. Development started in July 1941 and it was cleared for production in October of that year. MD1 ordered 10,000 in April 1942 but the proper production orders were not got out by the Ministry until December 1942 with first deliveries arriving in August 1943 - a two year cycle.

There was a 'Mark III' designed in October 1941 which was basically the Bakelite flask with an instantaneous fuze which functioned when the flask crushed against the target. Development discontinued in March 1942 there being 'no demand for such a weapon'.
 
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