Part of why America uses round grenades is because of the popularity of baseball which made it a familiar shape thats easy for American men to throw, back in the days when baseball was a more common and popular national pastime time than shoving foreign objects up your ass.
Its important to note that the American grenade/baseball thing isnt just about the shape. A round object that fits well in the palm of your hand is inherently a great shape for throwing. The US military went further, intentionally designing grenades to be as close as possible to the same weight as a baseball. It's simple but brilliant; it meant that most American men had spent hundreds of hours training up the skills and muscle memory for throwing this grenade before even starting basic training.
I was merely commenting on the fact a cricket ball and baseball are the same shape and similar size hence why both the British design and the US design for grenades were similar given both sports involve throwing
The commentor you are replying to is engaging classic online misinformation dissemination. The "grenades were designed to be like a baseball" thing is mostly an urban myth. It seems to stem from a Wikipedia article on the BEANO T-13 grenade, which was a spherical grenade that the page claims was designed to be lIke a baseball but, these were grenades developed by the OSS (predecessor to the CIA) in the latter half of WW2 and not mass issued to all US troops, they were racially experimental weapons.
Before that other European countries as well has the USA had grenades similar to the M2 "pineapple" grenade dating back to WW1. The only other spherical grenade that was mass issued by the US was the m67 which came in around the Vietnam era and the Wikipedia page for that grenade also references the baseball myth thing
I refuse to believe that there is absolutely no influence from baseball on American grenade design. Even the pineapple was roughly the same diameter, and therefore could be gripped like one.
Bro the French and the Brits had pineapple style grenades in WW1 that predates even the American M1 grenade. And if you wanna go even earlier than that early mortars and explosives of all kinds are round. It's simply just a good shape regardless of nationality.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mills_bomb
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F1_grenade_(France)
Both of these are European WW1 grenades that predates the American M1 by at least 2 years
In part it's just an easy shape to throw well, and likely in part a mixture of WW2 Lend-Lease and subsequent NATO standardization. The US's European allies got used to American-made round grenades during the war, and if you're trying to implement some amount of equipment compatability between different militaries, everyone sticking to the same shape for grenades makes sense.
I don't man, a lot of things that were once thought of as "common American pass times" turned out to be pretty much about shoving objects up asses behind closed doors.
This is all there is too it. Logistics are tough, even moreso in warfare. Why use something with 3x the volume (and more mass) when baseball-type grenades exist.
You're taught to put your non-domimant arm out like a certain old German salute in the direction you want to throw. Then throw the grenade with your dominant hand releasing at the top of the arc to prove maximum distance. That technique is really just to make sure nervous or unathletic recruits don't throw it at their own feet. Which absolutely happens anyway.
In reality, you can absolutely throw it like a baseball. They're a bit heavier, but the mechanics are the same. Overhand, underhand, roll it, drop it, whatever you need to get it to whatever needs exploding. The point of the shape is just that it's convenient to throw and carry.
Your comment about throwing it like a baseball just made me imagine some soldier / marine chucking a nasty slider to get a grenade around a corner, and now I've got the giggles. Thanks for that.
Think how much more deadly the marines will be both by the fact they can now be understood and have more time for crayon eating. All other countries are doomed!
The beloved corps will absolutely not use AI for this purpose, and you know it. Their primary line of effort in application and use case research will be either trying to figure out how to fuck it, or get it to produce alcohol.
I got to throw a real one in my service here in Finland. It was very safe and thrown from a bunker into a hole in a range but still you'll never be as nervous to do anything as you are to throw a real grenade when you pull that pin...
Also it was not uncommon to hit a tree dead on and bounce the grenade right back at you during drills, no matter the technique. Makes you feel like a royal dumbass
When we learned the first time we threw them over a berm into a field. Each recruit had an instructor who was there to basically tackle you over a smaller berm behind you if you fucked it up and threw it at your own boots.
Sounds like there's a lot in common with everyone who gives one a toss for the first time.
Interesting. I learned that you release the grenade from way behind your back during your throwing motion, so that it comes down as vertical as possible and doesn't roll too much after touching ground for the first time. Maybe that's another difference between European and American forces
That's also pretty much how you throw stick grenades. The only difference is that by giving it a little flick out the wrist when throwing you can give it some extra energy to throw further. You throw it basically like a tomahawk.
Interesting, I swear I was reading a thread in the last two weeks talking about a baseball-sozed grenade program that failed. In the thread it was said that grenades are taught to be thrown more like shotput. That really didn't make any sense to me though, shotputs don't go that far afaik. And grenades need to be light enough to be thrown far even if they are heavier than a baseball.
I think its down to the fact that you generally dont throw grenades TO another person across an empty field, and you rarely intentionally throw a baseball over a wall or through a window/doorway
There's no one "right" way to throw 'em, but generally you strike a pose: empty hand stretched ou, palm down and pointing towards the intended landing areas direction while the nade hand is ready to throw behind you -> lob it.
But they're just little explosive balls so they get dropped through cracks in the ceilings, holes in the wallls, half-assedly lobbed into rooms or whatever the case may be.
Basically just use common sense lmao. Ask yourself "How do I throw this thing into that foxhole 20m away?" and if for whatever reason you need to throw it like a baseball to achieve that goal then that's the way to do it.
Interestingly, if you actually throw it like a baseball you probably won't get it in a foxhole. but either fly on past or bounce right over, like skipping a rock on a pond. You want to sort of soft lob it instead of putting power behind on a flat trajectory like you'd do to get a baseball to another player.
Of course. My point was more about how if you're throwing it in an unconventional manner then it doesn't make it wrong per se, as long as it reaches the intended target.
But yeah, you'd actually use the proper form as described because the taught form is useful on shorter throws too - not just yeets as some people think.
It would generally end badly if you tried to throw a grenade exactly like a baseball. An M67 is 14 oz / 400 g, while a baseball is 5 oz / 145 g, so a grenade thrown exactly the same won't go nearly as far.
But they do fit the average hand of most people very well, and as the jarhead said the ideal way to throw one is more at the top of the arc so it will go farther. Plus they're relatively small. I used to carry four on my armor and never really notice them. Carrying four foot-long sticks would be a pain in the ass.
Well you don't today, but don't know the old doctrine. But even if the taught throwing style differs, it would probably be possible to throw in a style similar to a baseball or softball, as a default.
If nothing else the similar size and shape, would probably lead to a more confident/familiar grip
Yeah that sounds like a great idea, why give them standard grenades or a grenade launcher when you can instead give them a weapon that is more likely to kill them than their enemies
Also in fairly certain the average North American at least would likely be able to throw a circle/baseball style grenade further than one of those sticks.
Iirc it wasn’t that the baseball shape could be thrown further necessarily, it was that we were way more fuckin accurate with em.
A corn-fed Midwest feller that could pitch a 60mph grenade through a 1’x1’ opening is a lot more effective than simply being able to use the “lazy man’s fetch” style grenade to fling it 100yards.
Back in yee olden days they baseball design was because the average American was familiar with baseball, coinciding with baseballs popularity at the time.
It worked so well there are stories of Americans beaning Nazis with the grenades. In one story actually killing them before the grenade exploded by smacking them in the head
That could probably work, but the costs of production and engineering would probably not be worth the relatively small benefit. It's not like you need soldiers to hand-throw grenades at like 50m.
It's not like you need soldiers to hand-throw grenades at like 50m
I mean you have to admit that it's a huge benefit that you can rather throw these things as far as possible instead coming into a closer proximity to the enemy.
That's a completely different topic though. This is a specialised weapon for a specific purpose that presumably would be carried by maybe one guy in a squad, and not in every squad. Not a grenade that is expected to be carried by pretty much everyone.
Like yes, a fucking abrams tank is also more complicated and expensive to manufacture than a grenade xD
How is it not directly related? Why would any modern army rely on a gimmicky grenade on a stick for extra range when launchers are cheap and effective? Even if the new Barrett is expensive versions like the Milkor MGS have been around for a long time.
But... that's exactly my point though? Hand-grenades don't need that extra range, that's what I said. You tried to counteract my point that "overengineering hand-grenades for more range isn't worth it" by linking a grenade rifle.
If I remember correctly, it also at least 10x longer to pull the trigger, and also can't be undone once you do, whereas modern grenades won't explode unless you let go of the trigger
The main benefit they provide has been taken over by rifle grenade/grenade launchers. If you really wanted to you could have the dog ball thrower type of device and remake a ye olde atatl with a regular grenade if you wanted to
To quote a comment I already made under here
"You have plenty of options:
Knife handle (just keep it sheathed)
Sidearm
Bunk buddy
Hand
Enemy
Tank barrel"
I mean, if you want to cut up your hand, I was suggesting inserting the knife handle instead of the grenade handle, if you want to grab it by the unsheathed blade then go ahead, I won't stop you.
I think this is a new tactic in which you stick the handle up your ass, leave the blade poking out unsheathed, and charge the enemy as an enraged bee, ready to stab them with your but.
Also how far you can throw them doesn't matter as much in the days of underbarrel grenade launchers.
And whilst sticking them in the ground sounds awesome, you activate them by pulling a cord on the lower end of the handle, so its not like you could easily convert them into tripwire mines
In the cases modern grenades aren’t just put on drones, if used in buildings something stick shaped is easier to grab and won’t bounce around as much as a smaller one that is also round, same can be said in trenches too. Logistics and size on kit is a major factor too as many have said before me.
Yeah there are plenty of other explosives you can stick in the ground and detonate remotely. What a helpful feature, stick a grenade in a hole and then pull the pin and run away before you blow yourself up. Versus oh I dunno, throwing one from behind cover so it arcs easily and then rolls up to or past enemy cover? Nah, rolling is dumb.
Oh awesome so when I don't absolutely bullseye some guy 35 meters away from me with a stick the size of a 2L thermos because I'm not the terminator, it'll get stuck in the middle of nowhere and do 0 damage. Why did we start using hand grenades?
Grenades aren’t necessarily for throwing across the map on a lineup to B point on search and destroy. They are for tossing around the corner in a building or trench.
The grip on a modern grenade prevents it from exploding in your hand. In case you didn't know, the ring you pull out isn't what sets it off, it's set off once you let go of the grip.
Heavier than a regular grenade, bulkier than a regular grenade, can carry like 1/3 as many as a regular grenade, requires an even heavier and bulkier attachment to turn it from a glorified flashbang to an actual frag grenade.
The big wooden handle doesnt seem to confer any tangible benefit over handle-less round grenades, and comes with a long list of downsides. I'd also mention the stick grenade would require a lot more space to throw properly, and a much longer throwing motion out of cover.
Only explanation is that someone in high command or procurement was really in love with the idea.
There is like a single upside, and that's that the least athletic person imaginable could still throw a stick at least far enough to not kill themselves. Which is nowhere near good enough to outweigh all the mentioned downsides.
Pineapple grenades are better at producing injury / death from farther away stick grenades destined around explosive content , pineapple shape grenades make a sphere of death
It’s large and it’s heavy. A clue might be that soldiers will absolutely bitch about every gram added to their kit. (Cant really blame them. It adds up very quickly)
A big wooden handle is a pretty big waste of space and weight, and that's a much bigger concern in military planning.
You'd also need more space and a more specific angle to throw a stick grenade well; you dont need to pop up over cover to throw something overhand but you would for throwing underhand, and throwing a stick grenade overhand seems like it would make it easy to release the handle just a hair too late and it spin into the ground 10 feet in front of you.
Rolling is good, means your enemy has a even lesser chance to grab it and throw it back.
I think one of the disadvantages of the german grenades was that they were thrown back at them in some situations but the place I read it wasnt very reputable and i never verified it.
Well anon, grenades tend to be designed based on what armies believe their men are most familiar with throwing.
Americans invented the more circular grenade, as they were more familiar with throwing baseballs, and the French invented this grenade because they were used to throwing wine bottles.
Had a conversation about this awhile back with some national guard guys.
1) they're too big for alot of urban uses, would have to open doors wider to chuck them in. Throwing them in small windows would be harder. And just stuffing them through holes in general is easier with baseball, or canister types.
2) if you need more range use a launcher or just duct tape a stick to it, but they're not really using hand grenades them in open area’s bullets work fine in open areas.
3) how grenades are carried in modern times is a factor. With stick grenades you generally ran around with a messager bag full of them. Now everything useful is strapped to your chest and space is at a premium, a stick grenade will run the length of your chest taking up space better used for mags and other tools. Hanging it off your belt like a nightstick is just asking it to get caught on something, dropped or interfering with your ability to move in general. Worst-case the pin or pull cord catches and boom, no more you.
German grenades didn't even act like grenades either, they had no fragmentation, they needed a fragmenting jacket over the top for it to even operate like a frag grenade.
Funfact: The most used german Handgranade in WWII had a usual avocado shape and was called "Eierhandgranate". But even back then and still today, media uses this Handgranade because it looks so distinctively German.
1) It takes up double the amount of space on a combat rig and is more uncomfortable to move around with crouched or prone.
2) Production costs would skyrocket as the fuse would need to be longer and the handle would need to be manufactured, this actually a huge reason Germany had a grenade shortage during the end of the war.
3) Not rolling is not actually a positive, being able to underhand throw a grenade makes clearing rooms a lot easier and especially if bunkers are involved rolling would help it go into vents or further in from an opening better.
4) For non-standardized military groups these grenades are much easier to set traps with because of their low profile, furthermore because grenade production is mostly standardized sourcing a variety of the same type of grenade from multiple companies is easier to train your troops as they don't have to change the shape every time one supplier dries up.
We had to tape literal branches to ours during training so that, quoting "you dumbfucks are less likely to blow your fingers off". Needless to say that grenades don't work like in movies where you can pull out the splint with your teeth, so either the branch or the tape failed before the splint came out 100% of the time. So we just used them as intended at the end of the day. Luckily none of us dumbfucks blew our fingers off.
wasted-degrees@reddit
Part of why America uses round grenades is because of the popularity of baseball which made it a familiar shape thats easy for American men to throw, back in the days when baseball was a more common and popular national pastime time than shoving foreign objects up your ass.
FMC_Speed@reddit
Especially when considering how hard it is to find a good lubricant in the field of battle
Next-Use6943@reddit
Yeah, but we have the same ones in Europe and we don't play baseball
DoubleBlade759@reddit
Huh that got me curious and it turns out the British made the first modern one
entitledfanman@reddit
Its important to note that the American grenade/baseball thing isnt just about the shape. A round object that fits well in the palm of your hand is inherently a great shape for throwing. The US military went further, intentionally designing grenades to be as close as possible to the same weight as a baseball. It's simple but brilliant; it meant that most American men had spent hundreds of hours training up the skills and muscle memory for throwing this grenade before even starting basic training.
Zac3d@reddit
And now they are using off the shelf Xbox controllers for submarine periscopes, drones, unnamed ground robots, etc.
Adjective-Noun-6969@reddit
Same reason drones are controlled by xbox controllers.
flyinchipmunk5@reddit
I’d love to see someone throw a 4 seam fastball pitch of a grenade over 100 mph now
Dark_Knight2000@reddit
You’ve got to draft Jacob Misiorowski for that. 104 mph fastball
Tuarangi@reddit
Cricket at least for the UK is basically the same size as a baseball though not as established as baseball is in the US!
Exurota@reddit
It's not the same shape and has a correct orientation in the hand for throwing, I don't think that's a great example
HansJobb@reddit
They're both hand sized balls. They're about as similar as it gets lol.
coolname234@reddit
a grenade also has a single correct orientation for throwint
Tuarangi@reddit
I was merely commenting on the fact a cricket ball and baseball are the same shape and similar size hence why both the British design and the US design for grenades were similar given both sports involve throwing
throwpayrollaway@reddit
I bet it was in the 1930s and 1940s. It was the traditional school sport in the milder months of the year.
Bhrutus@reddit
so... baseball, huh?
TannerTheG@reddit
Cricket
MrShoe321@reddit
The commentor you are replying to is engaging classic online misinformation dissemination. The "grenades were designed to be like a baseball" thing is mostly an urban myth. It seems to stem from a Wikipedia article on the BEANO T-13 grenade, which was a spherical grenade that the page claims was designed to be lIke a baseball but, these were grenades developed by the OSS (predecessor to the CIA) in the latter half of WW2 and not mass issued to all US troops, they were racially experimental weapons.
Before that other European countries as well has the USA had grenades similar to the M2 "pineapple" grenade dating back to WW1. The only other spherical grenade that was mass issued by the US was the m67 which came in around the Vietnam era and the Wikipedia page for that grenade also references the baseball myth thing
Tusami@reddit
I refuse to believe that there is absolutely no influence from baseball on American grenade design. Even the pineapple was roughly the same diameter, and therefore could be gripped like one.
MrShoe321@reddit
Bro the French and the Brits had pineapple style grenades in WW1 that predates even the American M1 grenade. And if you wanna go even earlier than that early mortars and explosives of all kinds are round. It's simply just a good shape regardless of nationality.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mills_bomb
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F1_grenade_(France)
Both of these are European WW1 grenades that predates the American M1 by at least 2 years
entitledfanman@reddit
In part it's just an easy shape to throw well, and likely in part a mixture of WW2 Lend-Lease and subsequent NATO standardization. The US's European allies got used to American-made round grenades during the war, and if you're trying to implement some amount of equipment compatability between different militaries, everyone sticking to the same shape for grenades makes sense.
rubenyoranpc@reddit
Baseball, huh
iknewaguytwice@reddit
Strongly disagree. Shoving foreign objects up your ass is a time-honored tradition throughout the history of mankind.
yakimawashington@reddit
What a backwards time that was.
The_Salacious_Zaand@reddit
I don't man, a lot of things that were once thought of as "common American pass times" turned out to be pretty much about shoving objects up asses behind closed doors.
bratbarn@reddit
We've come so far as a society 🥲
Sir_Daxus@reddit
> takes 3x as much space on your rigging as a modern grenade
It's that simple, none of anon's provided gimmick benefits are as important to modern military applications as simple convenience.
HubrisOfApollo@reddit
This is all there is too it. Logistics are tough, even moreso in warfare. Why use something with 3x the volume (and more mass) when baseball-type grenades exist.
HistoricalInternal@reddit
Volume =/= mass lol
mgl89dk@reddit
Also the baseball type of grenade was chosen by US military, because most service men were familiar with throwing a baseball
SoulCode1110101@reddit
I am so ignorant about grenades, but don’t you not throw it like a baseball?
Dizzy_Dust_7510@reddit
You're taught to put your non-domimant arm out like a certain old German salute in the direction you want to throw. Then throw the grenade with your dominant hand releasing at the top of the arc to prove maximum distance. That technique is really just to make sure nervous or unathletic recruits don't throw it at their own feet. Which absolutely happens anyway.
In reality, you can absolutely throw it like a baseball. They're a bit heavier, but the mechanics are the same. Overhand, underhand, roll it, drop it, whatever you need to get it to whatever needs exploding. The point of the shape is just that it's convenient to throw and carry.
Source: I r marine.
Firestar463@reddit
Your comment about throwing it like a baseball just made me imagine some soldier / marine chucking a nasty slider to get a grenade around a corner, and now I've got the giggles. Thanks for that.
StanIsHorizontal@reddit
I’m impressed you were able to get the crayons out of your mouth long enough to scribble this down so someone else could type it out for you
Dizzy_Dust_7510@reddit
I mostly just mumble into an AI microphone. It's learned to decipher my autistic screeches over the last few years.
YourLocalSnitch@reddit
Thank you for your service or whatever youre doing
Teln0@reddit
I imagine you screeching into it and it converting it into like a Stephen Hawking type of voice revealing the secrets of weapon design
revanisthesith@reddit
When they talk about using AI for military applications, this is what they actually meant.
boomeradf@reddit
Think how much more deadly the marines will be both by the fact they can now be understood and have more time for crayon eating. All other countries are doomed!
SarcasticGiraffes@reddit
The beloved corps will absolutely not use AI for this purpose, and you know it. Their primary line of effort in application and use case research will be either trying to figure out how to fuck it, or get it to produce alcohol.
boomeradf@reddit
You act like both haven’t already occurred you know better
dr_strange-love@reddit
It would take all the supercomputers on earth to translate all the meanings of Oorah.
angelis0236@reddit
You don't need hands to eat crayons I've seen marines that could do both.
jbourne71@reddit
He actually just drew a stick figure picture using the crayon flavors he doesn’t like.
MacchuPicchu55@reddit
I got to throw a real one in my service here in Finland. It was very safe and thrown from a bunker into a hole in a range but still you'll never be as nervous to do anything as you are to throw a real grenade when you pull that pin...
Also it was not uncommon to hit a tree dead on and bounce the grenade right back at you during drills, no matter the technique. Makes you feel like a royal dumbass
Good times
Dizzy_Dust_7510@reddit
When we learned the first time we threw them over a berm into a field. Each recruit had an instructor who was there to basically tackle you over a smaller berm behind you if you fucked it up and threw it at your own boots.
Sounds like there's a lot in common with everyone who gives one a toss for the first time.
zwoelfenzig@reddit
Interesting. I learned that you release the grenade from way behind your back during your throwing motion, so that it comes down as vertical as possible and doesn't roll too much after touching ground for the first time. Maybe that's another difference between European and American forces
Dizzy_Dust_7510@reddit
That is interesting. That feels more likely to land one too close. But, if it works it works.
HATECELL@reddit
That's also pretty much how you throw stick grenades. The only difference is that by giving it a little flick out the wrist when throwing you can give it some extra energy to throw further. You throw it basically like a tomahawk.
Sauce: dad wuz Grenadier
A_Sketchy_Doctor@reddit
So your favorite color would probably be the red ones I bet
IMM00RTAL@reddit
Pink is best
Dizzy_Dust_7510@reddit
I'm partial to the purple ones honestly.
DrSomniferum@reddit
A man of culture, I see.
natedrake102@reddit
Interesting, I swear I was reading a thread in the last two weeks talking about a baseball-sozed grenade program that failed. In the thread it was said that grenades are taught to be thrown more like shotput. That really didn't make any sense to me though, shotputs don't go that far afaik. And grenades need to be light enough to be thrown far even if they are heavier than a baseball.
Lannes51st@reddit
Thank you for eating all the crayons 🫡
risethirtynine@reddit
Imagine Tyler Rodger’s throwing frags
Trevski@reddit
I think its down to the fact that you generally dont throw grenades TO another person across an empty field, and you rarely intentionally throw a baseball over a wall or through a window/doorway
IMM00RTAL@reddit
Never throw a grenade through a window. To high a chance of missing and ending up with a live grenade near your feet.
Trevski@reddit
If you’re close enough that it would land at your feet I think you’d better not miss…
imnevereversober@reddit
There's no one "right" way to throw 'em, but generally you strike a pose: empty hand stretched ou, palm down and pointing towards the intended landing areas direction while the nade hand is ready to throw behind you -> lob it.
But they're just little explosive balls so they get dropped through cracks in the ceilings, holes in the wallls, half-assedly lobbed into rooms or whatever the case may be.
Basically just use common sense lmao. Ask yourself "How do I throw this thing into that foxhole 20m away?" and if for whatever reason you need to throw it like a baseball to achieve that goal then that's the way to do it.
boringdude00@reddit
Interestingly, if you actually throw it like a baseball you probably won't get it in a foxhole. but either fly on past or bounce right over, like skipping a rock on a pond. You want to sort of soft lob it instead of putting power behind on a flat trajectory like you'd do to get a baseball to another player.
imnevereversober@reddit
Of course. My point was more about how if you're throwing it in an unconventional manner then it doesn't make it wrong per se, as long as it reaches the intended target.
But yeah, you'd actually use the proper form as described because the taught form is useful on shorter throws too - not just yeets as some people think.
calmdownmyguy@reddit
I would definitely throw it overhand
charmys_@reddit
Just thow it like a baby hard and far but dont catch it
H0rnySl0th@reddit
Why are you throwing baby's?
2ndRandom8675309@reddit
It would generally end badly if you tried to throw a grenade exactly like a baseball. An M67 is 14 oz / 400 g, while a baseball is 5 oz / 145 g, so a grenade thrown exactly the same won't go nearly as far.
But they do fit the average hand of most people very well, and as the jarhead said the ideal way to throw one is more at the top of the arc so it will go farther. Plus they're relatively small. I used to carry four on my armor and never really notice them. Carrying four foot-long sticks would be a pain in the ass.
UristMcMagma@reddit
Depends how you throw a baseball.
Scottish_Whiskey@reddit
I stick them in my ass and squeeze until it fires out
yumstheman@reddit
Ah yes the marshmallow gun method
Impish3d4@reddit
Put some gunpowder in there and you got yourself a cannon
mymau5likeshouse@reddit
Terrific
Atitkos@reddit
Talk about Explosive diarrhea
SheSaysSheWaslvl18@reddit
Hi ho, hi ho, off to school we go With razor blades and hand grenades Hi ho, hi ho, hi ho
Hi ho, hi ho Back to home we go With razor cuts and blown up butts Hi ho, hi ho, hi ho
I finally understand the lyrics to this song now
clownind@reddit
Impressive
Son_Of_Toucan_Sam@reddit
Underhand, release at the waist. Make sure to cheer your teammates on
mgl89dk@reddit
Well you don't today, but don't know the old doctrine. But even if the taught throwing style differs, it would probably be possible to throw in a style similar to a baseball or softball, as a default. If nothing else the similar size and shape, would probably lead to a more confident/familiar grip
Tophatanater@reddit
The stance can be different but the mechanics of the arm throw is exactly the same as throwing a ball
Delicious_Level_69@reddit
Nowadays however most service men are more familiar with shoving objects up their asses rather than throwing baseballs so maybe OP still has a point
lucario192@reddit
Baseball, huh
intbah@reddit
Even if you need to throw it farther… just issue a sling to each men
lowrads@reddit
The crew-served slingshot is more fun, but not as reliable.
Eayauapa@reddit
https://youtu.be/CzsBTUEupKs?si=_ZBbzlbiOatGuK1Q
Don't ask Croatia what they'd use...
Matt_2504@reddit
Yeah that sounds like a great idea, why give them standard grenades or a grenade launcher when you can instead give them a weapon that is more likely to kill them than their enemies
Tophatanater@reddit
That’s what the M320 are for
420DiscGolfer@reddit
"Infantry wins battles, logistics wins wars"
Sanguinor-Exemplar@reddit
You use 1 good grenade when 3 medium grenade do okay
Abdul-Wahab6@reddit
The fact that it gives me pleasure simply outweighs your points
jbm91@reddit
Also in fairly certain the average North American at least would likely be able to throw a circle/baseball style grenade further than one of those sticks.
hstormsteph@reddit
Iirc it wasn’t that the baseball shape could be thrown further necessarily, it was that we were way more fuckin accurate with em.
A corn-fed Midwest feller that could pitch a 60mph grenade through a 1’x1’ opening is a lot more effective than simply being able to use the “lazy man’s fetch” style grenade to fling it 100yards.
wolf96781@reddit
Back in yee olden days they baseball design was because the average American was familiar with baseball, coinciding with baseballs popularity at the time.
It worked so well there are stories of Americans beaning Nazis with the grenades. In one story actually killing them before the grenade exploded by smacking them in the head
AlCapwn351@reddit
Didn’t we use pineapple style grenades back then?
carsausage@reddit
This made me imagine Shohei Ohtani absolutely rocketing a grenade at triple digits
pibenis@reddit
cheapest ICBM ever, costs only 2 million per season + grenades
hstormsteph@reddit
It’s an impact weapon first, AoE second.
Hanza-Malz@reddit
Grenades are ball shaped because American youth are familiar to baseballs. Logistics wasn't a factor in their design.
brinz1@reddit
Gear is stored for months, carried for weeks, used for hours and active for minutes or seconds.
Eviscerator28@reddit
Is there a version that is collapsible like a selfie stick? Just extend it when you wanna throw
Sir_Daxus@reddit
That could probably work, but the costs of production and engineering would probably not be worth the relatively small benefit. It's not like you need soldiers to hand-throw grenades at like 50m.
Emitex@reddit
I mean you have to admit that it's a huge benefit that you can rather throw these things as far as possible instead coming into a closer proximity to the enemy.
BamaBlcksnek@reddit
Not when the army just signed a deal for a literal 40K Bolter.https://youtu.be/IBo_SMKWoQE?si=2MBfuSltR4TkNFo5
Sir_Daxus@reddit
That's a completely different topic though. This is a specialised weapon for a specific purpose that presumably would be carried by maybe one guy in a squad, and not in every squad. Not a grenade that is expected to be carried by pretty much everyone.
Like yes, a fucking abrams tank is also more complicated and expensive to manufacture than a grenade xD
BamaBlcksnek@reddit
How is it not directly related? Why would any modern army rely on a gimmicky grenade on a stick for extra range when launchers are cheap and effective? Even if the new Barrett is expensive versions like the Milkor MGS have been around for a long time.
Sir_Daxus@reddit
But... that's exactly my point though? Hand-grenades don't need that extra range, that's what I said. You tried to counteract my point that "overengineering hand-grenades for more range isn't worth it" by linking a grenade rifle.
BamaBlcksnek@reddit
I agree, over engineering HAND grenades for range isnt worth it. That's why we have grenade launchers. I was proving your point not disagreeing.
Sir_Daxus@reddit
Fair enough, I must have just misunderstood xD
yumstheman@reddit
It’s not a bad idea but more parts + more expensive to make. The modern frag grenade only cost $45 to manufacture.
BamaBlcksnek@reddit
Nope, we have this thing...Barrett 30mm PGS
Kaccady@reddit
you know it will bend over and fuck you in most inconvenient way possible
EvenBiggerClown@reddit
If I remember correctly, it also at least 10x longer to pull the trigger, and also can't be undone once you do, whereas modern grenades won't explode unless you let go of the trigger
TheNoodler98@reddit
The main benefit they provide has been taken over by rifle grenade/grenade launchers. If you really wanted to you could have the dog ball thrower type of device and remake a ye olde atatl with a regular grenade if you wanted to
AliciaXTC@reddit
but you forgot the pleasure
Sir_Daxus@reddit
To quote a comment I already made under here
"You have plenty of options:
Knife handle (just keep it sheathed)
Sidearm
Bunk buddy
Hand
Enemy
Tank barrel"
AliciaXTC@reddit
Why keep is sheathed? That's part of the surprise.
Sir_Daxus@reddit
I mean, if you want to cut up your hand, I was suggesting inserting the knife handle instead of the grenade handle, if you want to grab it by the unsheathed blade then go ahead, I won't stop you.
Praise_The_Casul@reddit
I think this is a new tactic in which you stick the handle up your ass, leave the blade poking out unsheathed, and charge the enemy as an enraged bee, ready to stab them with your but.
power500@reddit
ah yes, the bee formation. sun tzu talked about this
Why_am_ialive@reddit
Also transport logistics, the smaller the grenade the more you can fit in a box, that makes a very big difference when moving them at scale
OmegaAce1@reddit
Easy just give every marine one of those dog toy things that throw the ball really far mount it on the bottom of the gun
HATECELL@reddit
Also how far you can throw them doesn't matter as much in the days of underbarrel grenade launchers.
And whilst sticking them in the ground sounds awesome, you activate them by pulling a cord on the lower end of the handle, so its not like you could easily convert them into tripwire mines
Eyes_of_Aqua@reddit
Counterpoint what if a telescoping handle was designed for this type of grenade that allowed you to carry more?
SSanctuary_55@reddit
CH41N5@reddit
Makes total sense, also if anon requires pleasure, can seek a cylindrical object anywhere else.
TotenWD@reddit
But it can give you pleasure
Aware_Ad_618@reddit
Americans also grew up throwing baseballs.
Tr1LL_B1LL@reddit
..w-w-what about the giving pleasure part?
Sir_Daxus@reddit
You have plenty of options:
Knife handle (just keep it sheathed)
Sidearm
Bunk buddy
Hand
Enemy
Tank barrel
Tumifaigirar@reddit
Also wood and manufacturing
Sir_Daxus@reddit
Well you could make the handle out of polymers nowadays, it shouldn't be a big deal, it just doesn't do much positive.
AKS1664@reddit
The wood quickly became more valuable used elsewhere, like rebuilding structures.
cumble_bumble@reddit
Would you rather throw a baseball or a plunger?
W0RLD_SCUM@reddit
I feel like I could effectively throw a plunger better if I needed to
HamBlamBlam@reddit
Depends, how many lonely nights will I have before I throw it?
TimeBoysenberry8587@reddit
And if you aren't sober , it goes in the melee slot .
Iliyan61@reddit
those dog toys that chuck tennis balls and a current grenade would honestly be a laugh
CookingPhysicist@reddit
In the cases modern grenades aren’t just put on drones, if used in buildings something stick shaped is easier to grab and won’t bounce around as much as a smaller one that is also round, same can be said in trenches too. Logistics and size on kit is a major factor too as many have said before me.
TheDarkySupreme@reddit
ComradeCam@reddit
Can't carry lube
PotemkinSuplex@reddit
Doesn’t roll is not much of an advantage and I have no idea why you would want to stick one into ground.
It is bigger, it is heavier, it is hard to design one to cover everything with fragmentation, it would be a headache to put one on a drone.
EezoVitamonster@reddit
Yeah there are plenty of other explosives you can stick in the ground and detonate remotely. What a helpful feature, stick a grenade in a hole and then pull the pin and run away before you blow yourself up. Versus oh I dunno, throwing one from behind cover so it arcs easily and then rolls up to or past enemy cover? Nah, rolling is dumb.
SeaLionBones@reddit
You can go hands free for ass play if it's stuck in the ground
ErosDarlingAlt@reddit
Willing to bet that some version of this grenade still exists, but just isn't standard issue anymore
areallytinyhorse@reddit
Soldiers need one of those things for throwing tennis balls really far for dogs
Aggressive_Peach_768@reddit
You could get one of those ball throwing things for dogs, and put grenades in that... Then you also have the leaverage
dg2793@reddit
There's a reason the ppl who used these grenades lost lmao
post_depression@reddit
The new grenades not being pleasurable states that OP isn’t creative enough.
PeakDixie@reddit
>Doesn't roll
Oh awesome so when I don't absolutely bullseye some guy 35 meters away from me with a stick the size of a 2L thermos because I'm not the terminator, it'll get stuck in the middle of nowhere and do 0 damage. Why did we start using hand grenades?
Dzeppetto@reddit
Size - Modern granades are small meaning you can carry more
Weight - Addition of handle made it easier to throw, but made granade weight few times more
Price - Not big factor, but it adds up
LackWaste@reddit
Fits my hand pretty well. Definitely hefty, even when hollowed out like this one. I could still get some decent range on this.
Atomkekstime@reddit
Well... we sure need more granades to change anything...
Price-x-Field@reddit
Grenades aren’t necessarily for throwing across the map on a lineup to B point on search and destroy. They are for tossing around the corner in a building or trench.
OfficialHelpK@reddit
The grip on a modern grenade prevents it from exploding in your hand. In case you didn't know, the ring you pull out isn't what sets it off, it's set off once you let go of the grip.
Klutzy-Film8298@reddit
is that the lever?
stupid_account_69@reddit
I believe it’s called a spoon but yeah
AsbestosDude@reddit
Huh, so spoons really are deadly
AstroBearGaming@reddit
You just have to hit them for a really long time
DualSoul1423@reddit
Now that's one helluva deep cut. Haven't thought about that video in years.
AstroBearGaming@reddit
It was lurking somewhere in the recesses of my mind apparently
LudicrousStead@reddit
There's a GWOT-era vet who got a confirmed kill with a standard issue MRE spoon
GeneralBlumpkin@reddit
This what part of the PNN private news network in basic lol
SockGoop@reddit
Gumball was right
easyglue@reddit
Yeah it’s called a spoon, the pin holds it in place. Once you throw the grenade the spoon is ejected and the grenade is active.
dinnerbird@reddit
When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend
36933693@reddit
I PULL THE PIN OFF THE GRENADE ON PURPOSE BEFORE I THROW IT
DeepJudgment@reddit
A granade is simple...
EDF1919@reddit
Heavier than a regular grenade, bulkier than a regular grenade, can carry like 1/3 as many as a regular grenade, requires an even heavier and bulkier attachment to turn it from a glorified flashbang to an actual frag grenade.
entitledfanman@reddit
The big wooden handle doesnt seem to confer any tangible benefit over handle-less round grenades, and comes with a long list of downsides. I'd also mention the stick grenade would require a lot more space to throw properly, and a much longer throwing motion out of cover.
Neomataza@reddit
Only explanation is that someone in high command or procurement was really in love with the idea.
There is like a single upside, and that's that the least athletic person imaginable could still throw a stick at least far enough to not kill themselves. Which is nowhere near good enough to outweigh all the mentioned downsides.
ThePresenter183@reddit
russian_octopus@reddit
Ball go further than stick
fat_italian_mann@reddit
Cube grenade on a string
Lucariowolf2196@reddit
Cherry_p13@reddit
Or or, why not use one of these??
hs0ne@reddit
are we really ignoring the pleasure part?
616659@reddit
Cuz that's like more wood than explosive lol
lesecksybrian@reddit
Modern grenades are ribbed for our anall pleasure
House_Of_Doubt@reddit
If they’re so good, why did Germany lose?
Wyleymonks1@reddit
Pineapple grenades are better at producing injury / death from farther away stick grenades destined around explosive content , pineapple shape grenades make a sphere of death
LemonFlavoredMelon@reddit
When you throw them at Japanese soldiers, they pick them up and sing into them as they think they’re karaoke microphones
Marciano_il_Mario@reddit
Anon just wants an excuse to have something phallic in his hand.
FoxCQC@reddit
Isn't it less accurate and unnecessarily bulky?
Bilbo_nubbins@reddit
Will it mash my potatoes?
Last-Two356@reddit
r/addressme
The_Burning_Face@reddit
Talk about a dangerwank
chicken-finger@reddit
If you wanna throw a grenade farther, just use a sling
Religionis@reddit
It’s large and it’s heavy. A clue might be that soldiers will absolutely bitch about every gram added to their kit. (Cant really blame them. It adds up very quickly)
remington29@reddit
Every american can throw a baseball.
Biggu5Dicku5@reddit
They're probably too expensive to produce...
Reading_username@reddit
SheSaysSheWaslvl18@reddit
Canadian grenades are shaped like hockey pucks though
SonOfIllicitBehavior@reddit
does this mean Mexican grenades are shaped like sandals?
entitledfanman@reddit
A big wooden handle is a pretty big waste of space and weight, and that's a much bigger concern in military planning.
You'd also need more space and a more specific angle to throw a stick grenade well; you dont need to pop up over cover to throw something overhand but you would for throwing underhand, and throwing a stick grenade overhand seems like it would make it easy to release the handle just a hair too late and it spin into the ground 10 feet in front of you.
Kiwi_Doodle@reddit
Because we have this now. It stacks.
rape_is_not_epic@reddit
That last fun fact was brought to you by your local Navy officer
Shill4Pineapple@reddit
Somebody please do a “fake and gay” interpret.
drwicksy@reddit
Fake: anon has obviously never thrown something in his life
Gay: literally his last point
Shill4Pineapple@reddit
Thank you. I was going through withdrawals
McENEN@reddit
Rolling is good, means your enemy has a even lesser chance to grab it and throw it back.
I think one of the disadvantages of the german grenades was that they were thrown back at them in some situations but the place I read it wasnt very reputable and i never verified it.
dwenzyy@reddit
Old-Man-Henderson@reddit
Grenade launchers are cheap now
PJ_2005_01@reddit
Fake: anon doesn’t know what he’s talking about probably
Gay: no shit Sherlock
Ok_Two_2604@reddit
“Face toward anus”
Stwltd@reddit
Have you seen the cost of timber?
Laxhoop2525@reddit
Well anon, grenades tend to be designed based on what armies believe their men are most familiar with throwing.
Americans invented the more circular grenade, as they were more familiar with throwing baseballs, and the French invented this grenade because they were used to throwing wine bottles.
AgeAwkward@reddit
Gives away your position when you shout GRENATIEEEER everytime you throw it.
Chomps-Lewis@reddit
Cant you just tape a stick to a regular grenade if you need to fling it far?
Positive_Curve_8435@reddit
Had a conversation about this awhile back with some national guard guys.
1) they're too big for alot of urban uses, would have to open doors wider to chuck them in. Throwing them in small windows would be harder. And just stuffing them through holes in general is easier with baseball, or canister types.
2) if you need more range use a launcher or just duct tape a stick to it, but they're not really using hand grenades them in open area’s bullets work fine in open areas.
3) how grenades are carried in modern times is a factor. With stick grenades you generally ran around with a messager bag full of them. Now everything useful is strapped to your chest and space is at a premium, a stick grenade will run the length of your chest taking up space better used for mags and other tools. Hanging it off your belt like a nightstick is just asking it to get caught on something, dropped or interfering with your ability to move in general. Worst-case the pin or pull cord catches and boom, no more you.
UFCLulu@reddit
Anon never fought in either era of war
Volboris@reddit
Wooden shaft adds like 3 pounds. Have 3? Thats an extra 9 pounds to pack around.
WhatAYolk@reddit
Because a big box can have 5000 small grenades or 2000 long stick grenades, and more grenades is better
Greekwarrior06@reddit
WeasleFire@reddit
German grenades didn't even act like grenades either, they had no fragmentation, they needed a fragmenting jacket over the top for it to even operate like a frag grenade.
No_Jellyfish_2494@reddit
Funfact: The most used german Handgranade in WWII had a usual avocado shape and was called "Eierhandgranate". But even back then and still today, media uses this Handgranade because it looks so distinctively German.
zzznimrodzzz@reddit
Hear me out: 3x baseball shaped grenade, 1x stick grenade. Use stick grenade to hit baseball grenades even further
jubmille2000@reddit
Brother, i don't think you'd want to stick that stick up wherever you want. It's been places.
garmdian@reddit
4 big reasons:
1) It takes up double the amount of space on a combat rig and is more uncomfortable to move around with crouched or prone.
2) Production costs would skyrocket as the fuse would need to be longer and the handle would need to be manufactured, this actually a huge reason Germany had a grenade shortage during the end of the war.
3) Not rolling is not actually a positive, being able to underhand throw a grenade makes clearing rooms a lot easier and especially if bunkers are involved rolling would help it go into vents or further in from an opening better.
4) For non-standardized military groups these grenades are much easier to set traps with because of their low profile, furthermore because grenade production is mostly standardized sourcing a variety of the same type of grenade from multiple companies is easier to train your troops as they don't have to change the shape every time one supplier dries up.
_Vard_@reddit
Triforceoffarts@reddit
Just use one of these!
Mr_Ios@reddit
Too many assholes blown up with these.
Inevitable_Local_366@reddit
Germans also used regular hand grenades it’s just that media shows those ones because it’s more easier to film rather than a tiny hand grenade
_BlANK19_@reddit
What pleasure are we talking about?
Highfivebuddha@reddit
I have my doubts that this can be thrown farther or more accurately than current grenades
krutsik@reddit
We had to tape literal branches to ours during training so that, quoting "you dumbfucks are less likely to blow your fingers off". Needless to say that grenades don't work like in movies where you can pull out the splint with your teeth, so either the branch or the tape failed before the splint came out 100% of the time. So we just used them as intended at the end of the day. Luckily none of us dumbfucks blew our fingers off.
Punished__Snake@reddit
Narcofeels@reddit
>doesn’t roll
it absolutely fucking rolls
>can throw further
no+put grenade in a sling or launcher if you need more distance
>can stick in the ground if necessary
Regular grenades can do this too
>can give you pleasure
Anons charged the enemy ass first so many times they’ll never expect it’s a kamikaze and not anon back for more play time
CampbellsBeefBroth@reddit
Size, weight, ease of manufacture
Leozito42@reddit
It's easier to throw it back lol
BlackwoodJohnson@reddit
Anon is going to ignore that the Germans made use of round grenades in the war more than the stick variant, and for good reasons.
fluffynuckels@reddit
Can we stop reposting this?
DoggoDoesASad@reddit
Johnny_Loot@reddit
Too many implouded butts I'm guessing.
recursive_knight@reddit
SlipperyGibbet@reddit
r/DomtPutThatInYourAss
THEPIGWHODIDIT@reddit
Explosive dildo less popular these days
Xhromosoma5@reddit
Being rolly is the defining feature of today's grenades
And you look like a walking dildo collection after you get at least three of these