13-040-917

NAME – Model 1917 Stick Grenade Large Bundle Charge

NAME (NATIVE) – Stielhandgranate M 1917 Geballte Ladung

COMMON NAMES – Potato Masher Bomb (Allies)

TYPE – Blast-type antitank stick grenade

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – Imperial Germany

DATE OF MANUFACTURE – 1917

LENGTH – 34 cm (13.4 in)

WIDTH (DIAMETER) – 6 cm (2.36 in) single complete grenade

WIDTH (DIAMETER) – 18 cm (7.09 in) Geballte Ladung with seven warheads

WEIGHT – 0.82 kg (29 oz) single complete grenade

WEIGHT – 3.742 kg (8 lb 4 oz) Geballte ladung with seven warheads

WEIGHT – 0.61 kg (1 lb 5.5 oz) – single warhead

EFFECT – Blast and light fragmentation

BURST RADIUS – 20 to 25 m (22 to 27 yards)

FUSE TYPE – friction wire pull igniter, Brennzünder 17 (B.Z. 17) with detonator

FUSE INITIATION – Pull string with porcelain ball in base of handle under metal screw cap

FUSE DELAY – 5.5 or 7 seconds

FILLER – TNT

FILLER WEIGHT – 0.17 kg (6 oz) single warheads

FILLER WEIGHT – 1.19 kg (2 lb 10 oz) seven warheads

AVERAGE RANGE – 4 to 5 m (4.4 to 5.5 yards)

COLOR CODE – Olive-drab metal head, plain wood handle, white markings

MARKINGS – VOR GEBRAUCH SPRENGKAPSEL EINSETZEN [Before Use Insert Detonator] – Printed on explosive head in white block letters, 5.5 or 7 Sec. – Printed on wood handle in black impressed lettering

STATUS – Obsolete

SERVICE – German military service

     By 1917, British tanks were entering combat with heavier armor. The Mark IV tank entered combat in June 1917 and had 8 to 12 mm (0.31 to 0.47 in) of armor. Larger concentrated charges were produced from hand grenade by the Germans to combat these lumbering behemoths. There were some grenades made in the field with as many as nine warheads attached to a single stick grenade. These charges were just too large to effectively use in the close fighting of trench warfare. The seven-warhead Geballte Ladung could be relatively easily used by one man and could attack the top armor of the Mark IV tank. It was also very useful when attacking strongpoints in the enemy trench system, or bunkers, when they were encountered. The wet environment of the trenches was a drawback with using the bundle charge with sic open grenade warheads. To help prevent moisture from entering the extra warheads of the bundle charge, paper, cloth, and even bits of wood, would be pressed into the open mouth or detonator well of the warheads. The basic idea of the seven-head Geballte Ladung remained in use by the German army until 1945.