Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very interesting original German WWII late-war simplified hand grenade, generally identified by collectors as a metal-cased variation related to the Volkshandgranate 45, or “People’s Hand Grenade.” Weapons of this type reflect the increasingly austere manufacturing standards adopted by Germany during the final phase of the war, when shortages of strategic materials and industrial capacity encouraged the production of simpler infantry weapons requiring less time and fewer resources to manufacture.

Unloaded or dummy grenades, artillery shell casings, and similar devices, which are cut or drilled in an BATF-approved manner so that they cannot be used as ammunition components for destructive devices, are not considered NFA weapons. This example is in total compliance and is NOT AVAILABLE FOR EXPORT.

This example has the characteristic compact cylindrical form, the dark cylindrical body is fitted with a removable upper closure carrying the friction-fuze assembly, giving the grenade its distinctive profile.

Of particular interest, the bluish domed fuze cap is stamped:

eeh
44

The wartime manufacturer code eeh is associated with F. Soennecken of Bonn, Germany. The blue or blue-green coloration of the cap is also characteristic of German hand-grenade fuzes with the standard approximately 4.5-second delay, and the paint is well-retained.

This example is particularly interesting because its construction can be examined in considerable detail. The domed blue fuze cap unscrews from the threaded stem, exposing the assembly beneath it. Additionally, the entire upper closure of the grenade body can be unscrewed from the cylindrical casing. With this larger top removed, the interior of the grenade body is accessible and the cavity that would originally have contained the explosive charge can be seen. The original explosive filling is no longer present. This removable construction offers a good opportunity to examine the basic arrangement of this austere late-war grenade without altering its exterior appearance when assembled.

The Volkshandgranate 45 was developed against the background of Germany's rapidly deteriorating industrial position during the final months of the war. By late 1944, shortages of metals, explosives, cement, and other raw materials were forcing German designers to produce increasingly economical weapons for both the regular armed forces and the newly formed Volkssturm. The best-documented Volkshandgranate 45 utilized a cylindrical body incorporating concrete, gravel, and scrap metal to provide fragmentation, with a relatively small central explosive charge.

All deactivated ordnance sold by IMA, Inc is engineered to be inoperable according to guidelines provided by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATF).