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M15 white Phosphorus grenade question


jmd62
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Hey Guys,

 

I was reading an account of an Army Infantryman in WWII who used M15 WP hand grenades to clear German bunkers north of Munich in 1945.

 

I was wondering, in an Army Rifle Squad in WWII, if these WP grenades were standard equipment or where he would've gotten them if they weren't?

 

Thanks!

James

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James,

 

I believe that it could have been possible for him to get them. I late father (also named James) was in the Army Air Corp (He was in a Mortar Battalion) during WW2 and he told me a story about him and a WP hand grenade. He said that they were traveling by train from one location to another (Cannot remember where) and he happen to have a WP hand grenade that he had picked up somewhere. Well he was bored and with nothing else to do, so he decided that he was going to pull the pin on the grenade and through it from the moving train. The only problem was that about the time he let go of the grenade there was a high bank alone side the train track.

The way he talked, the trains were a little airy and in order to keep the cold air out the soldiers would put their blankets and poncho up to the train windows while traveling. When the WP hand grenade went off the sparks and White Phosphorus came back toward the train and burnt holes in many of the blankets and ponchos cover the windows. There were a several upset G.I.s that night, and when asked, he did not have a clue who through the grenade from the train that night. :rolleyes:

Therefore, while the WP grenade would not have been standard issue for a person on a mortar team, there were available.

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Excellent story, thanks for sharing it! Ha, I don't think I would've said anything either when asked :D

 

Makes sense, maybe not something they typically carried around, but they could be found. I'm sure when there was a particular mission that called for them, they were distributed that day..

 

Thanks!

James

 

James,

 

I believe that it could have been possible for him to get them. I late father (also named James) was in the Army Air Corp (He was in a Mortar Battalion) during WW2 and he told me a story about him and a WP hand grenade. He said that they were traveling by train from one location to another (Cannot remember where) and he happen to have a WP hand grenade that he had picked up somewhere. Well he was bored and with nothing else to do, so he decided that he was going to pull the pin on the grenade and through it from the moving train. The only problem was that about the time he let go of the grenade there was a high bank alone side the train track.

The way he talked, the trains were a little airy and in order to keep the cold air out the soldiers would put their blankets and poncho up to the train windows while traveling. When the WP hand grenade went off the sparks and White Phosphorus came back toward the train and burnt holes in many of the blankets and ponchos cover the windows. There were a several upset G.I.s that night, and when asked, he did not have a clue who through the grenade from the train that night. :rolleyes:

Therefore, while the WP grenade would not have been standard issue for a person on a mortar team, there were available.

 

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