BACKGROUND: The high explosive, concussion, M24 stick hand grenade was a modification of the WWI German M1915 stick grenade and was to become the most common grenade used by Germany during WWII. Modifications of the M24 resulted in the longer M39 grenade in 1939 and the M43 grenade with a different fuze insertion configuration in 1943. The M24, M39 and M43 grenades were all armed with TNT with a four to five second time delay fuse and had an effective radius of twelve to fourteen yards. The German army went to great lengths to ensure its personnel were provided with the best in-depth training that was available at the time. The training took many forms and in an attempt to replicate the most realistic combat conditions possible the German army used live fire training exercises and found a one percent training fatality rate as acceptable, reasoning it was better to remove inadequate personnel in training as opposed to having them risk other lives in actual battle. Although the German’s did use live fire training exercises, for economic reasons, they also utilized assorted "dummy", and training ordnance items including stick grenades to enhance throwing distance and accuracy. The official, army pattern, training, stick grenade utilized the standard M24 grenade handle but had a distinctive grenade head, of the proper weight, with a bright red painted finish and eight punched holes to make it instantly recognizable. Although the official army pattern training stick grenade is the most commonly encountered there were variety of different patterns manufactured and utilized by assorted political and paramilitary groups. Of Note: Interestingly qualifications for award of the Hitler Youth Proficiency Badge included a "sport" called, "Keulenwerfen", (Club Throwing), which utilized the training/practice grenades as the club.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: This example is an official, army pattern, M24 training stick grenade with an unusual bright gilt finished grenade head. Roughly, 14" tall, M24 style, training stick grenade with a 3" tall, 2 3/8" diameter, two-piece, tooled alloy construction head and a roughly, 11" tall, 1 3/8" diameter, lathed, subtly contoured, natural soft wood handle with a magnetic sheet metal fitting to both the top and bottom ends. The top end of the handle has a screw threaded, sheet metal fitting secured by four, small, impressed crimps. The top fitting was designed to screw into the bottom of the grenade head. The bottom of the wooden handle has a removable, screw threaded, sheet metal cap with a corresponding, screw threaded, sheet metal receiver. The bottom screw threaded receiver is secured to the handle by four, small, impressed crimps. The top handle fitting retains about 80% of its original field-grey paint with spots of wear to the base metal while the bottom screw on cap retains about 90% of its original dark matte grey finish. The hollowed out wooden handle would have originally housed the detonator and pull cord with a porcelain pull bead. The pull cord and the porcelain bead are included but the detonator is absent. The handle is well marked with the impressed, manufacturer’s date and three letter code and date," 43 eyu", indicating manufacture by Carl Winzerling Schlossfabrik of Volmarstein in 1943. The two piece, tooled alloy training grenade head has a circular indentation to the top center and eight, evenly spaced, circular holes to the sides. The bottom of the head has a separate alloy sleeve cup brazed to the top section. The training grenade head retains about 75% of its original, unusual bright gilt finish with numerous small scrapes and scuffs and a fair sized area of wear to the base alloy with moderate oxidization spotting. The training grenade head has no visible manufacturer’s markings.

GRADE ***3/4                             PRICE $212.00