Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice French WWI Barbed Wire Destruction Rod Grenade, known in French as the Pétard de Destruction pour Barbelés. Barbed wire was one of the many obstacles faced by troops during the Great War, as they rushed across “No Man’s Land” towards enemy trenches. There were wire cutters available, but they were slow and left troops exposed to machine gun fire. With a grenade, the barbed wire could be quickly and effectively breached in one area.
There were several different designs implemented, and the French used 400 or 800 grams of cheddite explosive inside a cylindrical body. This was plugged at one or both ends with wood, and had a traction type fuse that ran through the hollow wooden shaft, which varied in length. This type has a relatively short shaft on the wood end, which is nailed into the iron body. Condition is quite good, though as with most battlefield recovered items, it does have rust and weathering wear. Measures 5 1/4″H x 1 3/4″W.
This example is offered totally inert with all explosives removed per BATF specifications.