Unknown Mk II Gren

[Yodamaster]

Hello gents,
I'm here with a strange Mk II grenade I've found last week.
With all my friends and our acknownledge, we tried to identify this mystery grenade. Before decide it is a self mounting, I would know your advice.
I encountered three problems :
1. Marking BB : nowhere found as manufacturar marks !
2. Fuze M200A1 : not common for an HE grenade
3. 6 f....g pins in the body of the grenade ! It are not pins whose pass through the grenade. That's are six different pins!!!!!!!

I've well found in my doc a practice grenade but this must have a plug bottomside, and here nothing.
I am thinking it's a self-made but then, ON WHAT must it serve ????
Well, with that all, can somebody help me.

Look at the pics

For all these difficulties, thanks to all

 

[paul the grenade]

looks ok to me yoda, the spoons were some times reused off the ranges and would have an ink stamp over the original markings. if you look carefully you can see the kinks in the spoon where it was originaly bent for a smoke gren and then re straightened for a frag. not sure about the pin marks though, they may just be casting marks. can you see anything inside if you remove the fuze?
Cheers, Paul.

 

[Yodamaster]

Unknown Mk II

Thanks for quick answer, Paul,

No, there is nothing to see inside. Only a normal cavity for an Mk II grenade !

Yoda

 

[paul the grenade]

I bet they are just little casting marks or something similar.
I cant find a reference for BB. maybe some of our American members can ID the manufacturer.
A great grenade anyway.:tinysmile_grin_t:
Cheers, Paul.

 

[GTR003121]

I have been wondering about this "BB" marking myself. I have seen it on a couple grenades that were artificially aged. I can find no references to this manufacturer marking. Hopefully someone here can shed some light on this.

 

[inertordnance]

FWIW I just checked my Mk2's and found an example with a BB Coded Body. It also has the unusual circular casting marks in the body, so it must have had something to do with their mold(s). I am not sure who BB was?

Stay safe,

Frank

 

[Grenademan2005]

Hi:
Your friends would have to learn a little more then... :xd: It is a totally right and standard MKIIAI grenade Late War BB casting with a reused M200A1 spoon. Has the right modified striker pivot pin from the end of the war. I post some pics of my BBs, last one found at Belgium two years ago with the original transport tube. Note that the Blue Practice one has non modified pivot, but it is just a Practice grenade where the fuzes were changed every time the grenade was used.

 

[Yodamaster]

Thanks Grenademan,
it's a beginning but my new questions are :

1. what the signification of BB ?
2. what are these pins ? Utility ?

Yoda

 

[GTR003121]

Hi:
Your friends would have to learn a little more then... :xd: It is a totally right and standard MKIIAI grenade Late War BB casting with a reused M200A1 spoon. Has the right modified striker pivot pin from the end of the war. I post some pics of my BBs, last one found at Belgium two years ago with the original transport tube. Note that the Blue Practice one has non modified pivot, but it is just a Practice grenade where the fuzes were changed every time the grenade was used.

Some nice grenades Miguel, and thank you for the info. Thank you too Frank, good to know the bodies are legit.

Justin

 

[Kilroy was Here]

BB is an unknown maker, sorry. BB bodies always have the strange casting marks.

Regards, Steve

 

[Yodamaster]

OK, thanks Steve.

Yoda

 

[Kilroy was Here]

OK, thanks Steve.

Yoda

Hey Yoda, OK, glad to help. Here are 2 BB grenades I have. One was recovered a couple years ago in the Hurtgenwald. It is a yellow overpainted to green. It also had a M6 series detonating fuze instead of the M10 igniting series. You cannot see the BB very well, but it is there.
Also another BB I have that has a M6 series fuze also. It seems the BB maker made a lot of the TNT filled grenades with M6 fuzes for some reason. Maybe they were mostly contracted for the TNT filled grenades??

I have also noticed that there are a couple different body styles-castings of BB grenades, but they all have the odd dots from casting.
If you look at the bottom of these two grenades, they have clearly different lengths. Also the one grenade has a "41" stamped on it, which is unusual. I do not think a date, because the original shipping can-container I have for it is dated 1-1944. BB grenades are always "knobby" square looking segments also.

Just some interesting small things I have noticed about BB grenades for you, and other members if interested.

Regards, Steve

 

[Yodamaster]

Mk II Gren

Thanks Steve, very interesting.

Yoda

 

[Grenademan2005]

Hi there... again:
Yes, Steve could have reason on the TNT BB grenades, in my first pics the one with the transport tube is a TNT grenade with the M6A4C fuze. Another maker usually found with M6 series fuze is the S into an oval. Steve are you sure the Green over Yellow body is a BB one? I have a PP one which is very similar. I ask it because if the yellow is a real BB means that the BB grenades started production before 1943. For pins Im with Frank that they are just from molding.

 

[Kilroy was Here]

Hi there... again:
Yes, Steve could have reason on the TNT BB grenades, in my first pics the one with the transport tube is a TNT grenade with the M6A4C fuze. Another maker usually found with M6 series fuze is the S into an oval. Steve are you sure the Green over Yellow body is a BB one? I have a PP one which is very similar. I ask it because if the yellow is a real BB means that the BB grenades started production before 1943. For pins Im with Frank that they are just from molding.

Hi Miguel, yes, I am sure it is "BB". I cannot fully see too clearly because of the layers of paint, but it is a BB body for sure. It cannot be a "PP" body...... do you see how rounded the shape of the segments are on the PP grenade you show?..... "BB" bodies always have a very "Square or Knobby" look to the segments. They also always have the 6 small casting " pins" or as I call them round "indentations" in the body casting. :wink:

This is a nice PP grenade you have shown, they are a very uncommon maker to see.

Regards, Steve

 

[orpheus72]

Hi:
Your friends would have to learn a little more then... :xd: It is a totally right and standard MKIIAI grenade Late War BB casting with a reused M200A1 spoon. Has the right modified striker pivot pin from the end of the war. I post some pics of my BBs, last one found at Belgium two years ago with the original transport tube. Note that the Blue Practice one has non modified pivot, but it is just a Practice grenade where the fuzes were changed every time the grenade was used.

I've also found my 'BB' marked grenade in Belgium, but mine has also the marking '55' on the upper part of the body. I tought the 55 ment 1955, and so believed it was a post-war production.
The fuze lever has hard to see printed markings FUZE M6

 

[Yodamaster]

Now that you say it, Orpheus, I looked beter and I found also a stamping in the head of the body, but I don't think it is the year because mine is "31" !

Yoda

 

[Grenademan2005]

Great Steve! More info about the US MKII Grenade series is confirmed now. Perfect! About numbers on bodies they never mean the year of production, just numbers of lots, production places, etc, but never the year. Im sure the other members of the forum will agree with me in this field.

 

[Grenademan2005]

I've also found my 'BB' marked grenade in Belgium, but mine has also the marking '55' on the upper part of the body. I tought the 55 ment 1955, and so believed it was a post-war production.
The fuze lever has hard to see printed markings FUZE M6

Hey:
Another Green over Yellow BB!!! What happens here? Until this thread in the forum the BB grenades were known as uncommon to find maker, and now they seem mushrooms!!!!! :flowers:

 

[Yodamaster]

Hey:
Another Green over Yellow BB!!! What happens here? Until this thread in the forum the BB grenades were known as uncommon to find maker, and now they seem mushrooms!!!!! :flowers:

F***** weather, it's a BB season !