The Kugelhandgranate (lit. 'Ball hand grenade') is a model of hand-thrown fragmentation grenade manufactured in Germany, also known as Mod. 1913.
== Description == The body of the grenade was cast iron 8 mm (0.31 in) thick, spherical and externally segmented, designed to produce between 70 and 80 fragments. A bronze-like stick (which was the igniter) was introduced to the spherical body. The filling was a mixture of black powder, barium nitrate, and potassium perchlorate, and did not require a detonator. The friction igniter consisted of a bronze body with a central chamber filled with black powder and supplied with a 5 or 7 second delay, the powder train was topped with a priming wire made of brass with a loop at one end and serrated on the other. The serrated portion was coated with a mixture of ground glass, manganese dioxide, and potassium chlorate.
== Method of use == To be used, the friction wire had to be pulled from the igniter, starting the delay train at the last possible moment. To do this, a piece of leather was attached to the igniter with a snap hook; pulling this removed the wire so the grenade could be thrown. A man with average strength could throw this grenade about 15 m (49 ft).
Variants
=== M1915 Kugelhandgranate NA === By 1915, German industry was preparing for a long war and resources were already becoming stretched, making it beneficial from both an economic and manufacturing point of view to design a replacement for the Kugelhandgranate Mod. 1913. The Kugelhandgranate Mod. 1915 (which was considerably easier to produce) was thus introduced and used from 1915 onward.
== Former users == German Empire
== See also == Mills bomb Stielhandgranate Eihandgranate F1 grenade (France)
== References == Kugelhandgranate at ORDATA http://www.inert-ord.net/gerimp/kugels/ Images and description of Kugelhandgranate 1913 and other grenades
