Original German WWII 1940 dated M24 Stick Grenade by Richard Rinker with Wall Adapter – Stielhandgranate Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is an extremely rare M1924, M24,  or “Stielhandgranate (stalk hand grenade) 24″ German Stick Grenade, often called a “potato masher”. This example, acquired from the family of a WWII veteran, has been demilitarized according to specifications by the BATF. The warhead still unscrews. It still retains its original paint, and the original markings can be seen on the head and shaft of the grenade. It also comes with a very rare “wall adapter”, used to mount the grenade to a wall or other surface, where it would be readily available for use. The adapter does show much past corrosion, but still works. These are quite rare, and this is one of the first that we have seen.

The warhead is in very nice condition and easily unscrews from the shaft. It still has some of the original green paint, and is stamped on the top with amaker mark and an date: ЯR 217 1940. This corresponds to the manufacturer Richard Rinker G.m.b.H. in Menden/Iserlohn, and it has the early war “Reverse R” marking. This company was the original designer of the M24 stick grenade. Rinker also had many factories and subcontractors, which is what the number 564 corresponds to. From what research we have done, contractor 217 was Schmöle & Comp. Werk Immelborn, bei Bad Salzungen. There is some past pitting on parts of the warhead, but it has been neutralized, and preserved as found.

The wood shaft of the grenade is marked lhg 44 which, which indicates manufacture by Josef Walter & Sohn, Krischwitz bei Tetschen, a ship building business. They would have had the necessary wood working skills to make many grenade handles.

The wood shaft handle is very nice, with the wood in very good condition. The lower screw cap is complete and unscrews nicely, though it has lost all of its paint. The shaft is correctly hollow to allow the internal components and porcelain “donut” bead with pull string.

A very nice example of a German WWII stick grenade, complete with a rare mounting. Ready to display!

In WWII the stick of the German M24 (Model 24) grenade provided a lever, significantly improving the throwing distance. The Model 24 could be thrown approximately 30 to 40 yards, whereas the British Mills bomb could only be thrown about 15 yards. The design also minimized the risk of the grenade rolling downhill back towards the thrower when used in hilly terrain or in urban areas. These grenades were extremely useful for clearing out entrenched infantry positions.

As grenades were disposable, encountering them on the market is very rare, especially with the original pull string and weight, making this an excellent opportunity to acquire one to complete a WWII ordnance collection.