The Blendkörper 1H was a non-lethal smoke grenade that was developed by Germany and used by the Wehrmacht during World War II.

Blendkörper 1H
TypeSmoke grenade
Place of origin Nazi Germany
Service history
Used byWehrmacht
WarsWorld War II
Specifications
Mass370 g (13.2 oz)
Length150 mm (6 in)
Diameter64 mm (2.5 in)[1]

WarheadTitanium tetrachloride
Warhead weight260 g (9.2 oz)[2]

Design

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A diagram of the Blendkörper 1H.

The Blendkörper 1H consisted of a glass bulb sealed with plaster of paris roughly the size as a light bulb but of made of thicker glass that contained 260 g (9.2 oz) of titanium tetrachloride. The grenade was used to temporarily blind the crews of pillboxes and vehicles. The grenade was carried in a hexagonal cardboard container and was pulled from the container by a tape attached to the lid of the box that was glued to the neck of the bulb. The lid was then removed and the grenade was thrown against the target. When the bulb burst the mixture vaporized and gave off a thick white smoke. A downside was that it didn't work well with low humidity. This was addressed by the similar Blendkörper 2H.[2][page needed]

References

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  1. ^ "Smoke Grenade (Blendkörper 1H) | German Hand & Rifle Grenades, Bulletin No. 59, March 7, 1944 (Lone Sentry)". www.lonesentry.com. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
  2. ^ a b Carruthers, Bob (ed.), Handbook On German Military Forces - The Illustrated Edition, vol. 3 (Hitler's War Machine)