HE Grenade

Lore & Background

The origin of the English word grenade is disputed. Some derive it from the French word spelled exactly the same, meaning "pomegranate", while others claim it is taken more directly from the Latin granatus, meaning "filled with grain". The first use of the word for explosives comes from the August 1536 siege of Arles by the Emperor Charles V, while its first recorded use in English (as granades) dates from 1591. Rudimentary incendiary grenades appeared in the Byzantine Empire, not long after the reign of Leo III (717–741). The Byzantine army learned that Greek fire could not only be thrown by flamethrowers at the enemy but also in stone and ceramic jars. Later, glass containers were employed. In Song China (960–1279), weapons known as 'thunder crash bombs' (震天雷) were created when soldiers packed gunpowder into ceramic or metal containers fitted with fuses. A 1044 military book, Wujing Zongyao (Compilation of Military Classics), described various gunpowder recipes in which one can find, according to Joseph Needham, the prototype of the modern hand grenade. Grenade-like devices were also known in ancient India. In a 12th-century Persian historiography, the Mojmal al-Tawarikh, a terracotta elephant filled with explosives set with a fuse was placed hidden in the van and exploded as the invading army approached. A type of grenade called the 'flying impact thunder crash bomb' (飛擊震天雷) was developed in the late 16th century and first used in September 1, 1592 by the Joseon Dynasty during the Japanese invasions of Korea. The grenade was 20 centimetres (7.9 in) in diameter, weighed 10 kilograms (22 lb), and had a cast iron shell. It contained iron pellets, and an adjustable fuse. The grenade was used with a dedicated grenade launcher called a 'wangu' (碗口). It was used in both the besieging and defense of fortifications, to great effect. There is a documented precedent for the use of hand grenades by Catalan troops. At the very least, they were already utilized during the siege of Bonifacio in 1420. Another specific historical instance occurred in 1433: The fleet of Alfonso the Magnanimous (Alfons el Magnànim), which set sail for Sicily, loaded 200,000 units of primitive "magranes de coure" (copper pomegranates in the Italian language of the time) in Barcelona. The historical account describes them as follows: "...It also carried 200,000 copper pomegranates filled with

In Their Own Story

The round was 14–13, T side, Mirage. Kova had been lurking in the B-site arch for forty seconds, crosshair locked on the mid connector, breathing slow. His headset crackled with the quiet static of a server that had carried them this far.

Then he heard it. Not the flash. Not the smoke. The soft, almost polite *thunk* of a grenade bouncing off the concrete lip above the arch. His eyes flicked up. A small, dark cylinder tumbled end over end, catching the flat white light of the map, and landed on the floor two metres from his boots.

The fuse hissed. One second. Two. He tried to sidestep, but the arch was narrow, the wall was close, and his body was a half-second too slow. The world turned to a flat, roaring white, and the last thing he registered before the damage number bloomed across his vision was the faint, metallic smell of cordite that the game never actually rendered but every player swears they can smell.

He respawned. The round was lost. In the chat, a single line: *"HE flick. Classic."*

Reader's Guide

Grenades are versatile explosive devices used in combat. Fragmentation grenades disperse fragments to injure personnel. High-explosive and stun grenades produce shockwaves. Smoke, gas, and chemical grenades release chemical aerosols. Incendiary grenades produce fire. Anti-tank grenades use a jet of metal. Most anti-personnel grenades detonate after a time delay and/or on impact. Stick grenades provide leverage for longer throws but are heavier and longer; they have been considered obsolete by western countries since the Second World War and Cold War periods.

Did You Know?

• The first use of the word 'grenade' for explosives comes from the August 1536 siege of Arles by Emperor Charles V.
• Catalan troops used copper grenades filled with gunpowder in 1433, designed to explode and spray metal shrapnel.
• A hoard of several hundred ceramic hand grenades from the 17th century was discovered in Ingolstadt, Germany, many still containing black powder and igniters.
• During the Crimean War, British troops improvised grenades from soda water bottles filled with powder, nails, and sharp objects.