Grenade
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The English used in this article may not be easy for everybody to understand. (May 2012) |
A grenade is a weapon that is meant to destroy things. Some different types of grenades:
- Hand-held grenades
- Cannon-grenades
- Airplane-ammo-grenades
Hand-held grenades [change]
Hand-held grenades are grenades used by the infantry (soldiers). There are three main types: one which gives a big powerful blast to destroy bunkers, another which starts fires and another which contains shrapnel to hurt enemy soldiers.
A hand-held grenade is usually shaped like an egg (with shell), with a metal-arm on its top and a ring. When the ring is pulled out, the arm flips up and ignites a fuse. The user then has a few seconds to throw it and take cover, usually about 5 seconds. It explodes on impact and may injure or even kill people.
An early type of hand-held grenade was a iron-ball, filled with gunpowder and with a long fuse that its user must light up with a match before throwing. The German army used stick grenades (grenades with handles) during World War One and World War Two.
Cannon-grenades [change]
The most commonly used grenade, and it comes in all sizes, from 50mm cannons to attack aircraft, to 105mm shots in tanks, to up to 50 cm or more mounted on great battleships or coastal fortresses. It works the same way as a gun, but instead of just a lead bullet, the shell is packed with explosives like TNT. An artillery-grenade can do a lot of damage when it explodes.
Airplane-ammo-grenades [change]
Airplane-ammo-grenades are used in machine-cannons mounted on either warplanes or gunships (helicopters built for war). It is the same shape as a normal shot, but much bigger. It consist of a tube with an ignition mechanism in its rear, which throws out the shell very quickly. The shell is loaded with TNT or any other type of explosive.
