Video: Crushing a Grenade in a Hydraulic Press
OutdoorHub Reporters 05.26.16
Yikes! We don’t think safety glasses will cut it for this one. A YouTube channel by the name of PressTube recently uploaded a video online showing a WWII-era grenade being crushed by a hydraulic press. Thankfully, the grenade was inert, or rather, it was empty. The explosive components had apparently been removed before the test, leaving behind just an empty shell. Still, we’ll admit that we jumped a bit halfway through this video.
The grenade being crushed appears to be a standard U.S. Mk 2 grenade that was manufactured between 1918 and 1969. Iconic as the grenade issued to U.S. soldiers during the Second World War, the Mk 2 grenade is commonly known as a “frag” or “pineapple” due to its shape. Its body is constructed from cast iron with a grooved surface consisting of 40 knobbed segments. Inside is a 4- to-5-second fuse, and either a low explosive or high explosive charge.
Mk 2 grenades are regarded as highly effective and were rightfully feared by the Axis powers during WWII. It is one of the longest serving weapons in the U.S. arsenal, having been introduced in 1918 and finally retired from service in 1969, when the Navy switched over to more modern variants. Currently, the M67 grenade serves in the same role.
The Mk 2 is an exceptionally dangerous explosive that should never be treated as a toy, much less crushed. Yet without its explosive components, the grenade is little more than an iron shell. You can see the results of the crushing test below.
