Hawkins grenade

Hawkins grenade
Scheme of a Hawkins Mk II grenade
General Information
Designation:	Grenade, hand, anti-tank No. 75
Type:	Hand grenade / anti-tank mine
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Development:	Hawkins
Commissioning:	1942
Working time:	1942-1955
Technical specifications
Combat weight:	1.02 kg
Charge:	450 g ammonal / trinitrotoluene / burrowwhite
Length:	165 mm
Diameter:	92 mm
Height:	47 mm
Lists on the subject

The Grenade, Hand, Anti-Tank No. 75 , also known as the " Hawkins grenade " or " Hawkins mine ", was a British anti-tank grenade that was developed and produced in large numbers during World War II . It could be used as a hand grenade , anti-tank mine or as an ordinary explosive charge.

development

In 1940, under the impression of an imminent German invasion , there was a great need in England for effective and quickly available anti-tank weapons. The Grenade, Hand, Anti-Tank No. 75 was based on a plan for an anti-tank mine that a Captain Hawkins had submitted in October 1940: a tin container with explosives, on it a detonator consisting of a breakable glass ampoule, covered by a pressure plate. Tests have shown effectiveness against the chains of light tanks and the General Staff ordered 2.5 million units in 1941. By the end of the war in 1945, over 10 million Hawkins grenades had been built in the UK.

construction

The 1002-gram Hawkins grenade consisted of a rectangular 1- pint tin can that you could buy for polishing . A sheet metal holder for the detonator and a pressure plate were attached to the side over the entire length. Depending on the purpose, different detonators could be inserted between the pressure plate and the container, which could act on the explosive charge through holes in the shell. The bracket itself buckled at more than 300 lb (135 kg) pressure so that the grenade could be used as a landmine against vehicles with a pressure fuse.

Depending on the batch, around 450 g of various commercial explosives such as "Burrowite" (50% Amatol and 50% aluminum ) or "Ammonal" (65% ammonium nitrate , 15% TNT, 17% aluminum, 3% charcoal) or pure TNT were used as explosives Commitment. In order to ensure the explosion, ignition charges with the explosive were also built into the shell of some types.

commitment

The No. 75 was issued to numerous Allied units and resistance fighters. A Hawkins mine was during the operation anthropoid of Jan Kubis against the vehicle of Heydrich spun.

variants

• No. 75 Mk I (mounts for the two detonators in parallel)
• No. 75 Mk II (mounts for the detonators V-shaped)

See also

• List of explosive weapons

Web links

• MINE, ANTITANK, HAWKINS MARK I manual at 105th.org (English)
• No. 75 on ammunitionpages.com (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Gordon L. Rottman: The Hand Grenade. 2015, ISBN 978-1472807342 , pp. 58, 59.
2. ↑ David Boyd: British Grenades of the Second World War - The No. 75 "Hawkins" Grenade ". 2009 (English)
3. ^ Gordon L. Rottman: World War II Allied Sabotage Devices and Booby Traps. 2010, Osprey Publishing, ISBN 978-184908-175-7 , p. 48.