Making Mills Bombs
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- čas přidán 1. 01. 2022
- In this video we'll use some brilliant newsreel footage from New Zealand to examine how the Mills Bomb (or No.36 Grenade) was manufactured during the war. We also take a look at the design and history of the No.36 which served for over 50 years.
Disclaimer: This video doesn't give any instruction on how to actually make a Mills Bomb.
Be sure to check out our accompanying article for this video here -
armourersbench.com/2022/01/02...
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Check out the accompanying article here: armourersbench.com/2022/01/02/making-mills-bombs/ Thanks for watching! - Matt
Fascinating stuff - although as a suggestion going forward, could you move the play/pause symbols up to one corner? Having them overlap the footage I was trying to peer closely at was a bit jarring. The voiceover-and-pause on industrial processes part is excellent as a general conceit though!
The 36 production line was still in the Glascoed Ordnance factory in the early 80s although not in use. The filling was usually Baratol which was Barium Nitrate and TNT which was considered more moisture resistant than Amatol which was the usual shell filling of the time and was TNT and Ammonium Nitrate.
You said that the detonator was a 27. This is not strictly correct, the 27 was the standard pain demolition detonator of the time, but the "igniter set" that was used for the 36 was made up from a rimfire igniter cap in an aluminium holder with a central vent hole, a length of safety fuze and a No6 commercial detonator which is shorter than a 27. I think most of them were made by ICI at Ardeer. The hole in the middle of the igniter cap was very important as it allowed the gas created by the burning fuze to vent, otherwise this would have led to the burning speeding up!
Boom boom And bust out
@@reiver9031 o
@@felixthecat265 9
Years ago there were a set of notes floating around for a wartime infantry's Mills bomb lecture, it stands out in memory because it contained the darkly understated sentence :
_"The body is segmented like a chocolate bar .... _*_to ensure everyone gets a piece."_*
They found out after the wars, that the bomb broke up into a powder basically.
I remember Grenade Throwing Practice when I was a Royal Fusilier, in 1969. Before we did anything thing else, we had to clean the Cosmolene Protective Grease off them - including inside - then check that the Striker worked correctly. "Remove Base Plug; Hold against Webbing Belt; Remove Ring-pull; Release Arming Lever." If the Striker didn't hit the belt hard, you had to clean the inside of the grenade again. Once cleaned and checked, Replace Base Plug and proceed to Throwing Bay. When it was your turn to throw your grenades - we were given 2 each - you moved into the Priming Bay, where the Demolition Corporal Primed your grenades with 7 second fuses and handed them to you. When instructed, you moved into the throwing bay, where the Instructor stood facing you. You then placed both of your grenades on the ground, between you and the Instructor. He then instructed you how to throw the Grenades - the Throwing Position - and what to do, if you should drop one in the throwing bay. The thrower should step back into the throwing bay and throw himself flat on the ground, with his head away from the entrance. The Instructor would grab the grenade and lob it over the protective Blast Wall of the grenade range, watching to see where it landed, before ducking down behind the wall. After the Instructor checked that you understood his instructions, you then repeated them back to him, at which time, he then told you to pick up one grenade and 'Make Ready'. He then told you to remove the Ring-pull and assume the Throwing Position. On his word of command, you threw you grenade as far as you could, using the same Over-arm Bowling Motion as a Cricketer. You then watched to see where the grenade landed, before ducking down behind the wall. What the Instructor was listening for, was the sound of the Detonator Igniting. It made a loud 'Crack', as it did so. If he didn't hear the 'crack', he'd make note of where the grenade landed and with you both crouched behind the blast wall, he'd count to 100. If the grenade didn't explode, God Help You, 'cos that when things got scary for the thrower and the Demolition Corporal did his job, with a One Ounce lump of 'Plastique' Explosive and some Det Cord. Once the Demolition Charge was complete, the Demo Corporal and the Thrower would then exit the throwing bay and slowly walk towards the unexploded grenade. You were instructed, that if you heard a 'crack' and smoke started issuing from the grenade, you had to turn around, take three strides and throw yourself on the ground, with your legs and feet together, with the soles of your boots towards the Grenade. You put your hands and arms over your head and waited for the bang. If that didn't happen, the two of you moved towards the grenade and you were told to stop, six feet from the grenade. The Demo Corporal then moved to the grenade and very carefully squashed the Plastique onto the side of the grenade, after which, he used an Igniter to light the Det Cord. He then stood up, ordered you to About-face and march away for ten paces, before throwing yourself on the ground and 'Assuming the Position'. The Explosive charge then detonated the grenade. This invariably resulted in the infamous 'Brown Trouser Job' for the recruit and frequently, also for the Demo Corporal. If the above UXB occurred during Grenade Practice, they would then detail another qualified Corporal to take over Demo Duties. It happened twice to members of my platoon, the first time we did grenade practice. Thankfully, both my grenades worked as expected. I hope the above explanation is of use to those of you who have never thrown - or even seen - a No 36 Mills Bomb.
Fantastic stuff Russ, great insight. As a historian one of the problems I have is finding primary sources for men's first hand experiences with weapons. So it is fabulous to get a detailed account of training with them. This will come in very hand when I come to cover the No.36 in more detail! Feel free to drop me an email at armourersbench@gmail.com if you'd like to share any other thoughts on the weapons you trained with and used. Thanks again! - Matt
Beautifully written and very interesting as well. Thank you!
Very precise and cogent explanation, thank you. The only part of your instructions I’m still fuzzy on is how to properly throw the grenade per your explanation. We Yanks haven’t a clue the as to the correct way to pitch a Cricket ball!
Now, I could throw a hanging curve or off-speed slider, a fast ball, or even a sinking knuckler; but I don’t think any of those american baseball pitches would particularly enhance a successful grenade 💥 attack during an ongoing battle….
@@parrot849 Cricketers bowl, they do not pitch :P
@@PencilProper See! Shows ya how much we know….
Making deadly weapons while the big band playing cheerful tune in the background, priceless. 😂
Fantastic video sir. We had a couple of inert No. 36 growing up that my father "liberated" post the Vietnam war... they were always cool to pull part and put back together. Amusingly, my grandfather nearly wiped out himself and several other soldiers as they were smoking whilst priming Mills bombs in the field during WWII. Apparently he dropped hot ash straight into the filling hole, which was promptly tossed, and he and his mates bolted from the area. Thankfully nothing detonated. Great blast from the past - thank you. 👍
Oh wow, great story haha. Thank you, and thanks for watching!
When I was on the grenade range for the first time ( Fort Bragg, NC)
the Ranger Sargent addressed us in that loud DI voice. He said, " Gentleman and ladies, men smarter than us have tried to make these "idiot proof." But I am here today to inform you that NOTHING IS IDIOT PROOF..... because idiots can be so damned ingenious."
We regularly find Mills handgrenades i Denmark, delivered too the danish Resistance movements during WW2
Ahh interesting. I wonder who the manufacturer was, I had a look but couldn't find it.
Oprigtigt spørgsmål.. Gør vi??
Imagine what a pro baseball pitcher could do with a couple belts of these..
Exploding field
Relyt345 winds up for the pitch
The batter his it and it goes far left field into the crowd! It's been caught by little Timmy who's here with the make a wish foundation. Little Timmy's wish I'd for his cancer pain to go away... And he's exploded!!! The crowd goes wild!!
Is for- oops
Those things are hefty!
@Miller What does video games have to do with it?
In WW2 droves of everyday people volunteered and were drafted, some must’ve been talented pitchers, I’d imagine this would make it easier to get a grenade through a little window, have it land just behind an AT gun shield or ricochet it off of something etc.
If you had to clear out an urban area it might’ve been a godsend to have someone like that beside you.
Enjoyed that Matt. We’ve got a few drill and inert grenades here. Had them literally thrown at me when I walked into a scrap dealer’s yard in a previous job. They thought it was ‘funny’. Jeez! I needed new pants.
Thanks mate! Ahah ah wow, top banter.
Really? Like as a grown man or in this case woman could u even believe it was even rea
@@jeremywest8559 thanks for your insight. They were real grenades. The person throwing was not (as far I knew) competent to know they weren’t primed.
I felt that by clicking on this I’ll be put on a list ya know but the title seemed outrageous,I expected it to be cosplay or something from a video game ,instead I’ve come across the best episode of how it’s made ever recorded. This is so metal 🤘🏻
There are much better sources for energetic material making than CZcams.
Very interesting to see these being made in New Zealand - like we in Australia, we had very limited munitions manufacturing capacity at the start of the war. A very useful weapon, the pineapple 😉
Absolutely Terry, both nations improved things impressively quickly.
So glad you opened it to check it was actually inert. Many a Hollywood actor wouldn't ....oops :-) The NZ video makes me nostalgic as back in the day we were allowed fireworks that went BANG! as kids.
Interesting! Never knew they were filled from a hole in the side, just assumed they were filled from the hole the fuze goes in.
Not a lot of safety equipment for the factory workers!
I have never really looked into how they were made so when I found the footage I found it really interesting, did some research around them and thought others might find it as interesting.
Some PPE needed there, best put that on the next HSE inspection form haha. Thanks for watching Matt.
Women working in munitions were known as Canary girls, they turned yellow from exposure to nitrated explosives like TNT,RDX,etc. and it was well known what was going on at the time
takes sacrifice to win a war right
@@bobschmoe5796 My mother worked in 'The Scratcher' at Priddy's Hard, in Gosport, during WW2, 'Doing her War Work'; Filling Shells for the Royal Navy to fire at German Ships. She was 15 at the time. Not only did her skin turn Yellow, but her Black Hair turned Bright Green, at which point, she threw a major wobbly and refused to do the job anymore. As a result, she ended up working in one of the magazines, where she met my father. But that's another story, for another day.
@@russbetts1467 what do you mean working in a magazine?
@@studentdrake presumably a ammunition or explosives storage bunker. thats what was termed a magazine when i worked in that sort of environment.
Please continue with this channel forever.
I've binge watched most of your content and am thoroughly impressed 👍👍
It's also great having a Brit doing a channel like this 🇬🇧👍
Thank you, I will do my best! Really glad to hear you're enjoying them!
Hi! Really enjoyed this clip. I live in Christchurch, New Zealand and it is great to see historical war footage from my place of birth! The style of commentary on the archive footage is really typical of kiwi news reels of the period. Great work! Thank-you.
Glad you enjoyed it Giles, you must check out the NZ Archives youtube channel its a phenomenonal resource!
This channel is massively underappreciated. Have a comment for the algorithm
Very much appreciated thank you! Happy New year.
I own three inert #36M. They are my favorite hand grenade. Nice to see the production footage. Despite their WW2 vintage it is still a royal pain to depress the internal spring to seat the safety lever.
American here. Wish I could find an inert mills grenade. Surprised how rare they are in general.
They were called No 36 Grenades, because the casting had 36 segments to it. When it exploded, you had several additional pieces of shrapnel from it. The Striker and Spring; the Base Plug and the two 'Ears' which the Ring-pull went through, to hold the Arming Lever in place. An interesting observation I made when at the grenade range, was that behind the throwing bay, there was an Observation Tower, where the Range Officer and the Platoon Sergeant stood, to observe where the grenade landed, just in case one didn't explode. Whilst in the waiting area and in the Priming Bay, I kept hearing something 'whirring' over the top of us and hitting something. When proceeding had completed, I noted, that there were scores of Base Plugs at the base of the throwing tower. One of the reason we had to duck behind the blast wall of the throwing bay. You can easily be killed by your own grenade, if you stick your head above the parapet.
Nonsense.. The Mills grenade was originally known as the No5, this became the 25 and then finally the 36.. the checkering on the outside has nothing to do with fragmentation and is there to improve the grip of the thrower. If you want to create even fragments with an HE filling, you put them on the inside. You are right however that the baseplate made the 36 a particular danger to the thrower. Most of the fragments would only go about ten yards or so, but the baseplate would often get thrown over a hundred yards..
That's why this type of the grenades was locally (we were using grenades based on soviet F1) were classed as defensive one - that means thrown in defense from the cover - as the fragments have higher range than grenade can be thrown at.
As opposed to assault grenades that had outer shell of the thin tin - thus they produced light short-range fragments and rely rather on the blast.
I think you will find the No36 is the 36th pattern approved for grenades under the UK cataloguing system. Using your argument did the No 5 or No 23 have less fragments.
The no36 was Britain's 36th grenade .no36 mkI later with moisture proofing became the no36m mkI .it started with the no5 mkI then the no23 mkI ..no23 mkII ..then the change in body style was the no23 mkIII ..the body shape then went in to become the no36 mkI then no36m mkI.there is also no36 mkII a practice grenade with a larger threaded hole for a reinforced gas check disk .
I have a couple of mills no36 & no5 a tin of drill detonators and a casting reject.
Mills Bomb A fine Hand Weapon!
Interesting as usual. Happy New Year to all the TAB crew!
Thank you and to you too!!
Brilliant video. Really enjoyed this, a great watch. Thanks, mate.
Thank you Carl! Really glad you enjoyed it, thank you for watching.
Absolutely awesome video!
3:10 that line was great lol
I lived across a canal from a Nobel's factory that produced grenade's. My great Aunt worked there during the war. Detonators where always being found amongst the factory ruins. And i can still remember a friend who found a live grenade close by about 30 years ago. We used to play in this large complex often.
Love those old Pathe reels
This one isn't Pathe, although they're great, this one is I believe a New Zealand govt production. Thanks for watching!
Thank you, I have one of those cutaway mills grenades grandfather used in cadets demonstrations when he was in school.
Sand is packed around the pattern, which is called a match plate, not the pattern being "pressed into the sand".
So interesting love it
Very interesting! Good video
Thank you and thanks for watching!
This is really cool
i wonder how many injuries occured during this tedious process of activating hundreds per day, i mean,
springs are really wild things, they had at least a place to throw them off ... just in case a "clack! " happens ?
I’d imagine the employees were provided more instruction on how to properly assemble the grenades than is shown in this film! My curiosity peaked when the film depicted the grenades being packed, fully loaded and charged, but without their safety handles. How is THAT accomplished?
@Lex Bright Raven - oh…, I must’ve missed that observation… Thanks
During the war my mum worked at a local factory making munitions, her father also worked there's as an quality control inspector. I am unsure how it came about but grandad/mummy brought home a defective (UNFILLED, UNARMED BUT COMPLETE) handgrenade. Years after the war when my cousin and I went to visit Granny we used find this grenade and play in the street with it, much to the amusement of the local children! Having games to see who vould throw it the farthest. Can you Imagine this happening to day? .
Amazing. I mean if it was safe it's safe haha.
I wonder which factory in Christchurch they were made; I moved here in 2014 and never knew they made mills bombs here!
Anderson's Foundry in Woolston. My mate's Dad was a high school pupil during WWII and as part of metalwork studies they spent every Wednesday making grenades at Anderson's.
It's so tempting to activate the replicas of these that can be bought. Probably not worth the prison time though.
And your life
In the states you can get a license for a destructive device.
I think you pretty much have to own a gun store for it though.
@@andrewbrown6522 No need to own a store, but you do need a place to store them.
@@TunkkisNot if you destroy them where you assemble them
Got me subbed
I learned something today.
Sweet!
Omg so wild to cool ! we did the same thing back I. High school lol not get adds but same techniques
Strangely they kept producing these for export long after we switched to licence built frag grenades containing RDX and notched coiled wire.
The last UK Mills Bombs were made by Qualcast, the lawnmower company in 1972.
@@indigohammer5732 Yes.. the casting of the bodies was put out to contract. The grenades were filled at ROF Glascoed.
4:40 Jesus. The detonator being handled like that. Modern grenades have tins of separate detonators and are carefully primed just before throwing.
Does anyone know where I can find a deactivated or reproduction one with a base disc for the Lee Enfield No1 Mk3 grenade discharge cup?
Good job Steve, keep your lad honest !
: - )
I worked for Scott Bros in Christchurch in the 70's. before my time they had a foundry and made hand grenades and mortar shells. i wonder if thsi is that factory just off Manchester Street?
A-you're an armourer, B-you're an armourer, C-you're an armourer toooooo...
Very interesting I approve the grenade for war
I bet im on a list now
I had the same thought!
The Indian Army finally replaced the No 36M in service as late as August 2021!!!!
What works, works I guess! And that doesn't surprise me at all, what have they moved to?
Annoying, I've enabled links in comments too.
Thank you, appreciate your viewership! Happy new year to you too!
the Philippines still use the Mk 2 grenade today still works but the AFP want a new grenades' have both offensive or defensive capabilities.
I’m a x paratrooper us army I threw grenades in basic training having said that I remember reading about a us infantry men during ww2 who was in the European theater he had been a pro football player and he was used as a mortar against the Germans in forest fighting
Looks like one of the easiest grenades to cast considering how wide the sand core can be. What I want to know, is how were American grenades or medieval grenades cast without the sand cores breaking.
I have a book written by an American infantry officer who served in the Pacific, and he described the Australian grenades they were given (presumably Mills bombs) as having four-second fuses, IIRC. Is that correct? Some references I see are stating that it was five seconds; Wiki however states that it was reduced from seven to four.
Mills Bombs were usually shipped without the fuses being inserted into the bomb, they were packaged separately. I suppose this was a safety measure? Fuses were inserted in the field by the troops.
I believe so!
Great stuff. Is there any info on how the British antitank rifle grenades were made?
There's no footage that I'm aware of but I've have a few videos on the various types upcoming!
Yea , very good , like historical pathe news ,, similar to this
Great vid!
... I love grenades.
Thank you!
But only until you find yourself on the receiving end of one! Definite Brown Trouser Job!
You "love" grenades?
Ok
@@mayamanign Yes indeed! ...outgoing, of course!
Hey, I got one of those!
Yep
I love green sand casting..but i hate shoveling
@The Armourer's Bench, request: next time instead of placing the pause image in the center of the video, put it in the top left as a small image, with an audible clicking sound as to not distract the viewer and to signal the pause. Second, the color of the pause image must not be white perhaps very dark gray and other similar colors. Thank you.
Thanks for the feedback, certainly something I'll consider next time. Thanks for watching.
Interestingly, all of the components and technology necessary to produce the Mills Bomb existed at least 60 years before 1915. Imagine how the American Civil War, the Franco-Prussian war, the Boar War, etc would have been impacted if this had happened. I understand that Mills was knighted for his role in developing this grenade. My favorite is the No 5 Mills bomb, closely followed by the No 23.
Holy castings, Batman!
Very sure these were made in Anderson’s Foundry in Christchurch NZ where I live. I will ask my father to verify this.
There were a couple of NZ makers, I think Anderson was the biggest or best known. I've got a few others listed in the accompanying article for this video at www.armourersbench.com
Was that the one at Sockburn roundabout?
I threw 2 L2s in the TA, making such an arse of the first one I nearly killed the officer in the priming bay. My mate was there when they (against the SOPs at the time) allowed females to throw grenades. One - an idiot - opened her hand and let the lever fly off on "Prepare to throw". NCO said his entire life passed in front of him, said "Throw", the 3.6 to 4.2 seconds meant the thing exploded in the air and he was still punching her, screaming "I've got kids" as they dragged him off.
But where we get molds to make those sand models?
How do you disarm it safely if you came across one? Asking for a friend ...
I would love to gift my mother-in-law with fresh "pineapples"!
Lol
Very interesting.
I would like to know how they removed the cores from the bodies before filling.
Thanks Brian, good question! They may have been flushed out but neither newsreel goes into that detail!
I have no idea how the castings are made, but I have a Practice Grenade. It was painted White and had a few holes drilled into it. The internal channel, for the Striker and the Fuse, was screwed in, so I removed it.
The inside of the casting is rough, so it was clearly made hollow, but as to what they used to form it, I haven't a clue. Possibly the same casting sand they used in the mould.
The cores were made out of casting sand ( sand mixed with oil so it would hold it shape)
After the body was cast the cores were just broken up and poured out of the bottom and the sand saved to be reused
They were made form compressed sand and a glue binder. During casting the glue burned out leaving just sand. You bounced the grenade bodies on a vibrating grille and the sand fell out of the bodies.
I have a mason porter nz grenade 36, or as I call it my masport.
First time viewer, lifetime subscriber... K-9 0Ut...
Thank you!
Thought was to make a larger version of one of these of *wood,* fit an unusually thick “gas check” (with batteries, wheels, electronics, etc) and turn it into a robot…
Evil sod! I like it. I like it a lot!
My father was a marine in the Pacific theater during WWII. He would put a grenade in his mouth and one in each hand and start spinning, when he reached 8000 RPMs, he released the grenades. The grenades went flying everywhere, the Tojos, after witnessing this would be bent over with laughter, that’s when my dad’s comrades would start mowing them down with their M1 Garand rifles. Good times!
Most people don’t understand humor but this got me good
The best potato recipe of all time you what I mean
The grenade at the start has the body drilled, is that required to own one?
Yes I believe so.
Was this the most successful grenade there was to produce???
I had one after ww2 made into a money box, I'm sure it was deactivated
If not thats the most secure money box out there lol.
2 oz of filling doesn't sound right, the current UK grenade is 175 g filling from my memory of the grenade range .
Might be a fluid ounce. Baratol is pretty dense.
@@Reactordrone Two fluid ounces would equate to about 142g, which seems reasonable.
not one pair of safty glasses! lol
Nearly got killed by one of these yonks ago. Mains electricity meets brain malfunction.
🥂👏👏👏
Mustve been so cool back then to be like "yeah I make grenades to stack bodies of Germans" like damn
Pull the pin See the pin Throw the grenade
That shrapnel is tiny but very brutal.🤕
Has anyone got any footage of the Mills bomb that Israel played with . They filled it with some really high explosive plastic . Turned out you could not throw it far enough to be safe
Drilling in gloves is just asking for an accident.
During the days of a battlefied 2 mod. Forgotten hope 2. Mills bombs were known as mills nukes for their..over performing nature compared to others xD
OP fragging is always a fun gaming dynamic... Well until everyone complains hah
@@TheArmourersBench oh it was a blast still. I miss those days. Games were better..and moddable better xD
Thankfully the Germans in WW2 used the cumbersome potato mashers instead of copying this design.
That's because they are more accurate and easier to throw than the Mills. The British logic was well everyone knows how to throw a cricket ball
Okay, but what about the Q.C.? 😂
Сколько всего изабретено,для убийства
M = Mesopotamia Filler barium nitrate some later with amatol 60/40 and TNT. The cutaway being factory incerted is only for show, Soldiers had to prime grenades. The detonator assembly consisting of cap, fuse ans detonator were packed in a seperate metal can in the shipping crate. I have been an Ammunition Technician for 40 years and am still sick of these things. Among the Commonwealth there were over 2 Billion of these grenades manufactured. I find them all over. Pain in the ass.
Thanks for the extra insights John!
@@TheArmourersBench 2 inch mortar (instadud) is another piece of crap I have to deal with, Thousands of dud HE in one site alone,.3 Inch not much better.
make your footage or don't use the sound of originale footage while pause it again and again
What's that sorry I don't follow you?
Ты все прикрасно предсталяеш с
I thought this was about modding some airsoft grenades...
Bummer
I wonder if anyone has done astudy of what the war meant to women's lives. It opened things that had been closed to women,jobs.
yyyy
Seriously after every shot ur gonna pause
Yep. Thanks for watching.
hmmnn...a lot simpler to do at home than improvised firearms....
Channel strike!
Haha let's hope not.