The answer to the Whatziss of Saturday.

By The Armorer on April 23, 2007 | | Comments (6)

Yer slugs. Most of you didn't even try, sigh.

But those that did went down the path I thought you would.

If you're new to this one, start here, and then go here.

Click here to see the assembled version.

It *is* an arming vane, just not for an air-dropped bomb, but rather for the British Grenade, Rifle, No25, also known as the Sangster grenade.

With its 15 inch rod (keep a lid on it, W-K) and high quality of construction, this grenade was able to achieve good ranges, and functioned well enough in optimum conditions. The problem was what you might expect - the soldier had to carry that vaned fuze in the trenches... and *that* was a problem. The grenade worked well, at a time when many Brit grenades didn't - except for that "robustness" problem of Tommy having to flop on the ground and crawl around, which was bad for the vanes.

British Grenade, Rifle, No25, the Sangster grenade, shown disassembled

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6 Comments

By MajMike on April 23, 2007 9:06 AM
so basically, Tommy is crawling thru the muck and mire with nothing but that safety pin keeping the little spinner from spinning, and then jamming the rid down the muzzle and squeezing the trigger?? makes me wonder how enough survived to continue the species...
 
By WereKitten on April 23, 2007 12:45 PM
*sigh*
   
By sandman6actual on April 23, 2007 2:05 PM
And to think that "arming vane for a British Grenade, Rifle, No25, also known as the Sangster grenade" was gonna be my very next choice.....guess I shouldn't have waited, huh?? I'll be here all week, tip your waitresses and bartenders, and try the veal!!!
 
By Casey Tompkins on April 24, 2007 3:31 AM
Slug, am I!? Sheesh. I didn't say much after the first exchange as you made it clear my best shot was short of the gold. :) Actually, I didn't want to sound like somebody from the movie Friday, while saying "Well; you see; the thing is..." Heh. Your link to the AN-M64 500lb GP bomb was exactly what I had in mind. Martin Caidin once related a story about an accidental bombing in Brussels during WW2. For some reason the reference of the lead bombadier to watching the groups bombs falling - "arming vanes spinning away" - has stayed with me over the years.
 
By John of Argghhh! on April 24, 2007 5:03 AM
The slugs, Casey, are all the *non-participants.*