Here are six common mistakes we often see in the portrayal of grenades in military movies.
What is a grenade?
Contemporary hand grenades comprise an internal explosive charge, a detonator and an internal striker responsible for initiating the explosion. These components are secured by a lever and pin safety device. While there are diverse grenade types designed for specific purposes, the fragmentation grenade stands out as the most prevalent.
The roots of grenades can be traced back to the Byzantine Empire, where small ceramic canisters resembling pomegranates were utilized. These containers were filled with “Greek fire” and employed to set ships ablaze in naval battles. Concurrently, during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) in China, ceramic vessels filled with gunpowder and fuses contributed to the historical evolution of grenades.
The advent of the modern grenade took place in Britain in 1906, although formal adoption by the British Army didn’t occur until ’13. The outbreak of World War I propelled advancements in hand grenade technology throughout Europe, leading to the creation of novel models like the Mills bomb, acknowledged as the inaugural modern fragmentation grenade.
Today, the weapon varies in form and purpose, from fragmentation grenades to high explosive ones, anti-tank and stun grenades (also known as flashbangs).
Movie error #1: Pulling the pin with your teeth
Following up from the discussion of the historical evolution of grenades, it’s important to address the misconceptions perpetuated by Hollywood about these explosive devices. A common mistake is the portrayal of soldiers pulling the pin with their teeth.
The safety pin of a grenade is deliberately made difficult to remove, especially when bent. If it were as easy to pull out as it looks in movies, the grenade would neither be reliable nor safe. While a soldier could technically use their teeth to remove the pin, it would likely result in an unpleasant trip to the dentist (which no one wants).
Using hands to pull the pin is far more practical and safer for soldiers.
Movie error #2: A massive fireball explosion
In many war films, characters often throw grenades, resulting in a dramatic explosion followed by their slow-motion escape, as is customary in Hollywood films. However, this depiction does not accurately reflect reality. Grenades are not designed to produce large fireballs; their main purpose is to scatter shrapnel over a wide radius.
The average causality radius of a hand grenade ranges from five to 20 meters. Within a 10-meter range, a grenade can fatally injure bystanders, while serious injuries can occur up to 20 meters away. Despite the potential lethality of a grenade explosion, the weapon lacks the force needed to generate the huge fireballs commonly seen in movies.
Movie error #3: The effects of shrapnel
Among the range of grenades currently in use, the M67 fragmentation grenade is especially common. It is specifically designed for defensive applications, constructed to break apart upon detonation and disperse shrapnel in all directions. Even improvised devices like Molotov cocktails use a similar fragmentation strategy to boost their destructive effect.
Yet, in films, TV shows, and video games, the shrapnel part of grenades is often downplayed, with the explosive force being shown as the main threat. In reality, the explosion by itself is unlikely to be fatal for those within the blast zone; the real hazard comes from the deadly potential of the shrapnel.
Movie error #4: Throwing the grenade like a baseball
When soldiers throw a grenade in movies, they usually throw it lightly over the shoulder like a baseball. In reality, grenades are much heavier than the average baseball, weighing around 400 grams (depending on the model), while a baseball only weighs 141 grams.
It takes time and practice for soldiers to properly learn how to throw a grenade with enough force to avoid falling victim to the 20-meter-wide causality radius.
Movie error #5: Projectile grenades are not missiles
Grenade launchers, also known as projectile grenades, have become one of the most easily recognizable weapons in the world. They were first used in modern combat during WWI and were constructed from items like crossbows and catapults. As such, they were less effective than the ones used today.
Today, projectile grenades are so sophisticated that they often get mistaken for missiles and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). RPGs are much larger and use larger ammunition that’s equipped with its own internal fuel supply, while grenade launchers are smaller rifles that use external fuel to launch fragmentation grenades, which slightly reduces the risk of getting blown up.
Both rocket launchers and grenade launchers have their advantages. Grenade launchers are smaller and can be fired faster than a rocket launcher, but rocket launchers can fire missiles at a greater distance. Even though movies like to use grenade launchers and rocket launchers interchangeably, they couldn’t be more different!
Movie error #6: You can’t actually throw grenades back
One movie trope that likely bothers many soldiers and military enthusiasts is when characters throw back unpinned grenades – especially when they’ve been sitting on the ground for more than a few seconds. While throwing the weapon back can be accomplished in some circumstances, it’s incredibly difficult (and inadvisable), unless one has a death wish.
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There’s only a few seconds of space between the pin being pulled and the grenade going off, and thus the only way a soldier could even successfully lob the weapon back is if they were to catch it straight out of the air. This hardly ever happens. The most likely scenario is it’ll roll and bounce on the ground, not giving someone enough time to run up to it, grab it and throw it back before detonation.