Original Item: Only One Available. This is a wonderful example of a totally inert Post WWII Hungarian 42/48M Stick Grenade. The Hungarian-developed and produced the
42 M. hand grenade, and the later 42/48 M. variant, became the primary weapon of its class for the Hungarian armed forces from the late phase of the Second World War until the early 1990s. Its reliable, easy-to-manufacture construction and the versatility of employment against a multitude of targets made it a very popular hand grenade with the troops. While it never experienced the level of proliferation of the Soviet F1 and RGD-5, or the Chinese Type 67, the 42/48 M. is still occasionally found in conflict zones today.

This is a completely inert example and cannot be rendered live again. The grenade is in compliance with the BATF guidelines and regulation on owning inert ordnance and is not available for export.

The grenade is still in wonderful condition and retains about 80% of the original red paint rings around the head and markings. The top of the warhead and bottom end cap are both marked with FTM 52 for 1952 manufacture by Fémtömegcikk Művek, a bulk metal works factory. The handle still retains the original burlap pull cord with pin. The warhead is able to be completely disassembled for inspection of the interior. The small cloth strap is still fully retained. There is a small piece rattling around on the interior.

A great example ready for further research and display.

The Royal Hungarian Army entered the Second World War equipped with a multitude of domestically-designed and produced hand grenades. While reliable and effective in combat, all of these designs made use of impact fuzes. In late 1941, reports from troops operating in the Soviet Union filtered back to the arms department in Hungary, requesting grenades fitted with a delay (time) fuse that would not detonate when accidently thrown against branches in heavily wooded areas, and would provide reliable functioning when landing on soft snow or soil. The impact fuzing also limited the effectiveness of then-fielded grenades when thrown through windows or hatches of combat vehicles, as a significant impact was needed to function the fuze.

The procurement department reacted swiftly and tasked the designer of the extant 36 M. hand grenade, Zoltán Vécsey, with the development of a new weapon that featured a time fuze. Captain Vécsey had already worked on several novel ideas and presented his unique hand grenade design in mid-1942. Brief trials gave very positive feedback, and production was ordered shortly thereafter. As with other weapons designed during this time, Hungarian industry struggled to gear up for production of the new device. Designated the 42 M. kézigránát (hand grenade), the contract for production was given to companies such as Elzett Vasárugyár Rt. (Elzett Metal Manufacturing stock Company), an enterprise already heavily involved in the war effort as a supplier for Messerschmitt. Deliveries began in 1943, but it was not before early 1944 that large quantities reached the troops on the front.

The 42 M. was instantly popular with Hungarian soldiers, the time fuse giving troops more employment options. Interestingly, it was never intended to replace the other former designs but rather compliment them, allowing the operator to pick the right tool for the task. Production continued into late 1944 until the manufacturing sites were all captured by Soviet troops.

Post-War Production

After the Second World War, the newly-formed Hungarian Armed Forces lacked the basics to equip a fighting force. While other countries such as East Germany made extensive use of the weaponry produced in wartime Germany, Hungary was very reluctant to use these weapons and replaced them as soon as practicable with supplies of Soviet origin. Hungary undertook license production of Soviet weapons in substantial volume, from 1948 onwards. One of the few designs that remained of domestic origin and that was placed back into production was the 42 M. hand grenade, renamed the 42/48 M. This unusual move was made by the Hungarian government as the Soviet Union was not willing to provide a license for any hand grenade design.

Production of the 42/48 M. was allocated to the Fémtömegcikk Művek, whose logo FTM can be found on top of the grenade warhead, together with the last two digits of the year of manufacture (see FIgure 1.1). During the first year of production, a significant quantity of WWII-dated parts were used to assemble new grenades, combined with newly-produced components. The yearly output in 1951 was 3,572,000 pieces, and a cumulative 12,185,000 hand grenades had been produced by 1952. In subsequent year, production numbers dropped dramatically, and production wound down before ceasing in the mid-1960s. The only significant update the 42/48 M. experienced was the introduction of the SV-54 fragmentation sleeve in 1958, which substantially improved the performance of the hand grenade in the defensive role by adding partially pre-fragmented fragments in a circular arrangement.