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M1 grenade adapter

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The Grenade Projection Adapter was an expedient rifle grenade used by the American Military in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. It consisted of an add-on 22mm stabilizer tube and fins that converted a hand-grenade into a rifle grenade. It was made obsolete by the M72 LAW Anti-Tank Rocket.

(From Left to Right): M1 Grenade Adapter with Mk.2 Fragmentation Grenade, M22 Smoke Rifle Grenade with Impact fuze (unknown smoke color), M17 Fragmentation Rifle Grenade with Impact-fuze, M2 Grenade Adapter with AN/M8 Smoke Grenade (Red).

M1 Grenade Projection Adapter

The M1 Grenade Projection Adapter was designed to convert hand grenades into rifle grenades. It allowed the infantryman to hit targets farther away than he could throw and was an expedient if rifle grenades were not available. It supplemented and eventually replaced the M17 Fragmentation rifle grenade by mid-1944.

Use

The user pulled the Mk.2 grenade's pin and inserted it into the prongs; a holder on one of the prongs kept the arming lever from releasing. He then loaded the adapter on the muzzle of the grenade launcher bracket. The operator then braced the rifle from a standing or kneeling position. The adapter was launched by firing a high-powered blank from the rifle. Inertia causes the holder to shear off in flight, releasing the lever and arming the grenade.

The M1 Grenade Projection Adapter was designed to be used with the M1 (M1903 Springfield), M2 (M1917 Enfield), M7 (M1 Garand), or M8 (M1 Carbine) rifle grenade launchers.

Variants

  • M1 = 4 prongs, no base cup, and solid or slotted tailfins. It was designed to launch the Mk 2 Fragmentation Grenade.
  • M1A1 = 3 prongs, a base cup to secure the grenade, and solid tailfins. It was designed to launch oval-shaped grenades like the M26 Fragmentation Grenade.
  • M1A2 = 3 prongs, a base cup to secure the grenade, and slotted tailfins. It was an improved version of the M1A1 with a reinforced tube and redesigned tailfins.

Users

  •  Portugal - Portugal adopted a version of the M1A2 as the Dilagrama m/65 for use with the FN FAL or H&K G3 rifles. They did not need the grenade launcher bracket because it was built into the weapons' muzzle brakes as part of a NATO STANAG requirement.

M2 Grenade Projection Adapter

The M2 Chemical Grenade Projection Adapter was designed to launch cylindrical chemical grenades like smoke, white phosphorus, or tear gas.

Use

The user pulled the chemical grenade's pin and inserted it into the short prongs on the base disc; a spring-loaded metal collar (called a "set-back band") slid over the middle kept the arming lever from releasing. He then loaded the adapter on the muzzle of the grenade launcher bracket. The operator then braced the rifle from a standing or kneeling position. The adapter was launched by firing a high-powered blank from the rifle. The shock of firing causes the collar to slide off in flight, releasing the lever and arming the grenade.

It was used with the same rifle grenade launchers as the M1 Adapter.

Variants

  • M2 = 3 short prongs, a base disc to secure the grenade, and solid tailfins.
  • M2A1 = 3 short prongs, a reinforced base disc to secure the grenade, and slotted tailfins.

References

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