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Rifle Grenade
The rifle grenade was developed to project grenades farther than a soldier could throw. At the start of the war, grenades were sometimes launched by catapults, but these were unwieldy, inaccurate, and prone to break down, leaving a live grenade in the firing position. Just prior to the war, the British government had begun testing a 'rodded' rifle grenade ? one with steel rod threaded onto its base ? which could be inserted into a rifle barrel. A ballistite cartridge, similar to a blank rifle cartridge, could project the grenade up to 300 metres. This No.3 or "J" Pattern grenade, introduced in February 1915, was the first British rifle grenade; by mid-1916, the country was producing 70, 000 units per week.
Rifle Grenade
CWM 20070067-040
The rifle grenade was developed to project grenades farther than a soldier could throw. At the start of the war, grenades were sometimes launched by catapults, but these were unwieldy, inaccurate, and prone to break down, leaving a live grenade in the firing position. Just prior to the war, the British government had begun testing a 'rodded' rifle grenade ? one with steel rod threaded onto its base ? which could be inserted into a rifle barrel. A ballistite cartridge, similar to a blank rifle cartridge, could project the grenade up to 300 metres. This No.3 or "J" Pattern grenade, introduced in February 1915, was the first British rifle grenade; by mid-1916, the country was producing 70, 000 units per week.
Rifle Grenade
CWM 20070067-040
