Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very interesting example of a late-war German WWII simplified hand grenade, generally identified as a metal-cased variation of the Volkshandgranate 45, or “People’s Hand Grenade.” Developed during the final months of the war, the Volkshandgranate was part of Germany’s effort to produce usable infantry weapons with greatly reduced manufacturing time and consumption of strategic materials.

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:

fen
4

The wartime manufacturer code fen is associated with Paul Liebner of Luckenwalde, 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.

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 coiled pull cord 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.

Production difficulties continued even after adoption of this extremely simplified design. Cement itself became scarce, leading to experimentation with Nipolit, a mechanically strong explosive developed by WASAG that could be molded and machined into structural forms. Surviving late-war examples and period documentation consequently show considerable variation in materials and construction, making these emergency-production grenades an especially interesting field of study.

This inert ordnance item has been fully deactivated in accordance with ATF guidelines. It cannot be converted into a functional explosive device and is strictly restricted from international export.

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).