Here’s another of those curious contraptions that litter my Man Cave. And if you disregard the vanes at the top, this image shows exactly why this was referred to as the Cigaro.
Side view,…
…top (left) and bottom (right), where there would once have been a safety lever that had to be removed before throwing (below),…
…and if you want to know exactly how this thing was used, pictures speak louder than words.
Although you are going to get words too. Once the lever had been removed, the grenade was ready for throwing, and as it soared through the air, the vanes would begin to open, reaching a point, above right,…
…and shaded in red here, where they would detach completely from the body of the grenade, taking the locking pin with them.
And, changing tense, once the locking pin has gone, the ball at the top becomes free to detach on impact (far right above), allowing the spring to push the ignition needle (red) down onto the percussion cap, igniting the detonator (orange) beneath, thus exploding the grenade.
We could always take the grenade apart,…
…and have a look inside the real thing.
Fragmentation grooves are visible on the inside of the body of the grenade (left), as well as flakes of the powder bag that still survive inside (both pictures).
Removing the sleeve at the bottom…
…exposes both spring…
…and striker needle (above & below).
Personally, I’d be giving the bloke on the left a wide berth. The two diagrams in the centre show the working parts within the sleeve (green), the striker needle in red in the safe position (left), and on impact (right).
Removing the striker assembly from the head of the grenade…
…reveals the ball still sitting inside, which can also be removed, along with the locking pin.
For some reason I have always been slightly dubious about the authenticity of the locking pin connecting the vanes to the grenade on my version, although the pin is the correct length, fits the hole in the ball perfectly and has been in place a long time; you can see the mark on the pin made by the ball if you look carefully at the picture on the right, so it’s probably okay.
Rather strangely, whilst taking the photographs for this post, something dropped from somewhere within the grenade (right) that looks far more like the original hook seen in the diagram on the left, although it is nowhere near long enough. Perhaps a safety pin, perhaps the original locking pin, perhaps the pin that held the safety lever on (though I doubt it), perhaps simply a foreign body, I really have no idea. Nor does it matter, in the general scheme of things.
The M16 would also be adapted for use in the pneumatically fired Gergacsevics rapid launcher,…
…the Cigaro redesignated as the M17 rapid launcher grenade,…
…seen here in action on the Italian front.
So that’s the M16 Cigaro, and the next time we look at grenades, it’ll be back to rifle grenades, you lucky folk, you!
Bl***y big cigar!
Thank you for that erudite comment, John. Lol! And yes, it is indeed!
When it comes to weapons man’s ingenuity knows no bounds. Thank you for introducing us to this strange cigar.
You are most welcome, Alan. A strange cigar indeed.
Martin You are down speak to Dorking Military History Group but I don’t have your contact number December 3rd
Jim I would love to do so but I haven’t heard a word about this in eighteen months!! I presumably now know why! I am not even in the county at the moment. There is nothing I can do about it – you will have to come up with a last-minute alternative. However, should you wish to re-arrange and do this another time, then I could always email you, as I now have your email. You need to give me permission – it’s the law – and then at least we’ve made contact. Lmk.