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| BRITISH EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE |
| Part 5 - Chapter 4 |
| Smoke, Illuminating, and Incendiary Grenades |
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Colored Smoke Hand Grenade No. 83 Mks I and II (Service) |
| Data |
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Over-all length |
4.45 in. |
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Diameter |
2.55 in. |
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Total weight |
16 oz. (approx.) |
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Filling |
P.N. 469A, red smoke; P.N. 473A, yellow smoke; P.N. 468A, green smoke; P.N. 471A, blue smoke |
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Filling weight |
6 oz. (approx.) |
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Fuzing |
Mk I, Match Composition Igniter; Mk 2, Striker Mechanism No. 3 Mk I or No. 4 |
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Delay |
4 sec. |
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Color |
Green |
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Markings |
Standard |
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Description: This smoke grenade is cylindrical in shape and contains a perforated ca-nister filled with blue, green, red, or yellow smoke composition. The igniting arrangements are carried in the head. The grenade body is of tin plate, while all other empty compo-nents are of black plate. |
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The No. 83 Mk I has a flanged top secured to one end of the body by a folded joint. The top is recessed to accommodate the match head. Four equi-spaced smoke-emission holes are prepared around the top and sealed by shellacked adhesive tape. Match com-position P.N. 196 is filled into the hole of a cylindrical cork match head, the composition being built up on on the outside to give a good striking medium. A striker, in the form of a strawboard washer primed with striker composition. P.N. 288 on one-half of one side, is carried in the top of the body, primed side uppermost. |
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The canister body, with its perforations covered by a wrapping of paper coated with glue or other adhesive, is fitted at one end with a flanged top folded over onto the body. The top is shaped to seat the recessed top of the grenade body containing the match head, and has a one-inch square, or disc, of primed cambric or muslin, shellacked to its underside with the primed surface adjacent to about three drams of composition stem-med into the neck of the canister. The canister is closed by a cap and retained in the grenade body by a bottom plate. |
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A lid fits over the body for transit purposes. The junction of the lid and body is sealed with a strip of adhesive tape formed with a tab to faciliate removal. To prevent acciden-tal functioning of the match composition, a pad of tissue paper is interposed between lid and igniter. |
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The Grenade No. 83 Mk II differs from the Grenade Mk I in being fitted with a Striker Mechanism No.3 Mk I or No. 4, instead of a match head. Into the recess in the top of the grenade body is screwed a Mazak alloy adapter for the striker mechanism. Fitting of the striker mechanism precludes the fitting of a lid to the grenade as in the Mk I. |
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Operation: First removes the lid and striker of the Grenade Mk I. The striker must then be drawn sharply across the match composition. Smoke is emitted about four se-conds after ignition and continues for 20 - 40 seconds. |
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In the Mk II no priming is necessary, as the grenades are issued assembled with ignit-ers complete and ready for use. The safety pin is removed and the fly-off lever held firm-ly in position until the grenade is thrown. During filght, the striker is rotated around the axis-pin by its spring and the fly-off lever is thrown clear. The striker fires the cap, and a delay of about four seconds ensues before smoke emission commences. Effective emis-sion continues for about 25 to 40 seconds. |
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Remarks: The Grenade No. 83 Mk I was never produced. The Striker Mechanism No. 4 differs from the No. 3 in that is has a plastic body. |
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| Figure 248 – Colored Smoke Hand Grenade No. 83 |
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