Hawkins grenade

Hawkins grenade
Diagram of a Hawkins grenade, British Explosive Ordnance, NAVORD OP 1665, Naval Ordnance Systems Command (1946), p.384
TypeAnti-tank hand grenade/anti-tank mine
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1942 - 1955[1]
Used byUnited Kingdom, United States, Canada
WarsWorld War II
Production history
Produced1942-?
VariantsUnited States M7 anti-tank mine[2]
Specifications
Mass1.02 kilograms (2.2 lb)
Length150 millimetres (5.9 in)
Width75 millimetres (3.0 in)

FillingAmmonal/TNT
Filling weight0.45 kilograms (0.99 lb)
Detonation
mechanism
Crush igniter
Battle patrol of the 1st East Surreys rest after returning from enemy territory in Italy, 16 December 1943. The soldier is the centre is holding a Hawkins grenade

The Grenade, Hand, Anti-Tank, No. 75, also known as the "Hawkins grenade" was a British anti-tank hand grenade used during World War II. It was one of a number of grenades developed for use by the British Army and Home Guard in the aftermath of the Dunkirk evacuation. The grenade first appeared in 1942, and was designed to be more versatile than previous grenades, such as the No. 73 grenade and the sticky bomb.

It was rectangular in shape, about 150 millimetres (5.9 in) in length and 75 millimetres (3.0 in) in width, and contained approximately 0.45 kilograms (0.99 lb) of explosive. When a vehicle drove over the grenade, it cracked a chemical igniter and leaked acid onto a sensitive chemical, which detonated the explosive. Multiple grenades were often used to destroy tanks or disable their tracks, and the grenade could also be used as a demolition charge. It was used by the British Army and the United States Army, with the former using it until 1955 and the latter also creating their own variant, the M7 anti-tank mine.

  1. ^ Rottman, World War II Infantry Anti-Tank Tactics, p. 43
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference RottmanInfantry was invoked but never defined (see the help page).