It was the OTO Modello 35 Italian hand grenade along with similar models from Breda and SRCM. The nickname came from the widespread use in North Africa of the Breda and SRCM models as a anti-personnel mines. This resulted from their rather spottly working fuze mechanism that required the grenade to hit something solid and upset a ball and pin mechanism. So, the Germans and Italians found that you could pull the fuze tab out and gently place it on the ground. If disturbed by walking on it or kicking it, it usually went off.
Yes, the colour lead to the 'Red' part, but as T.A. Gardener stated in his excellent answer , the 'Devil' bit came from the dodgy fuse. But you were first with the weapon I was looking for. So Kai-petri the next question's all yours
Thanx Redcoat! The US Navy personnel dubbed the aircraft 'Baka', Japanese for 'idiot'. Name the aircraft!
This was the Yokosuka 'Ohka', or 'Baka Bomb'. There were two models, the Model 11 ( rocket assisted ) and the Model 22 ( jet assisted ). If my memory serves me correctly, there's one at the Science Museum, London.
Sorry Martin, they have a V1 but no Baka (I worked there for a little while and spent HOURS standing around in the aircraft room, talk about perks of the job).
Err, ahh - that's a weird picture - but it's not what I'm after ! Perhaps I should say 'RG34 as officially issued to German Forces'....
Is it not the official designation of the K98 cleaning kit, failing that, then one of the parts, either the pull through chain or the oiler. Hows that Martin? [ 07. September 2003, 12:07 PM: Message edited by: Stefan ]
I should have known that a serious re-enactor would get it ! Well done Stefan, the Reinigungsgerat 34 or 'tobacco tin' cleaning kit it is ... BTW, your magazine take-down tool is missing from the picture - consider yourself on a charge !!
But sir, its not mine!!! Hang on a minute, who is a General here? Ok guys, as a re-enactor I wind up using lots of 'captured' weapons (they have a habit of being cheaper to hire). The Germans re-designated captured weapons in their service, please tell me what the following weapons were designated in their home nations, whoever can get 4 our of 6 correct first gets the next question: MP34 (o) MP738 (i) MP746 (d) MP709 (r) MP715 (r) MP717 (r) Should be nice and easy...
Well, let's see: The MP 34(o) is the Austrian version of the Bergman MP 34 The MP 738(i) is the Italian Beretta Moschetto SMG (a development of the MP 34 and used in German service when domestically produced as the MP 34/42). The MP 746(d) is the Danish Madsen SMG (similar to the MP 34) The last three are various models of the Russian PPSH developed from the MP34 / Madsen /Bergmann machine pistols. So, they are all really the same gun made in different countries!
Sorry, I want the official designations of the weapons please rather than just a manuracturer (and you are wrong with the first one anyhow). Maybe all the weapons incorporated design features of the early bergmann/schmeisser designs however you can not argue that they are all variations of the same weapon in the same way that you can not argue that all revolvers are variations of the colt Texas-Patterson. So, designations please (and we are assuming here that all the weapons are NOT the same)... The reason I want designations btw is that once you know which nation the weapons are from it is far too easy just to say 'baretta, madsen, ppsh' (though the latter is defainatly wrong) without specifying which models we are talking about.
My guess: MP 34(o)/(ö?) ex-Austrian (Steyr) Solothurn S1-100 MP 738(i) ex-Italian Beretta mod 38/42 MP 746(d) ex-Danish Madsen M-42 MP 709(r) MP 715(r) ex-Russian PPD 40 MP 717(r) ex-Russian PPSh 41 Regards, Juha
Well done Juha, that should have been an o with an umlaut but I can't do them on my pc for some reason. The MP 709 (r) was the PPS 43. Ok then your turn...
This was a rotating bomb which dispersed incendiary 'bomblets' as it fell. Used in the 'Winter war', it got its' name from Molotov trying to deny that such weapons were being used, claiming instead that 'breadbaskets' were being dropped on the Finns.... The official designation of the bomb was the 'RRAB', or 'Rasseirajuschtsaja Aviabomba' which I challenge anyone on the Forum to say after having a couple of bottles of Koff Beer from Finland...
Martin, As correct as it can be. A pic of Rasc... ehh... Rasseie... Molotov Breadbasket: http://www.winterwar.com/forces/SAF.htm (roll down a bit) Your turn Regards, Juha
