Original German WWII 1944 dated M24 Stick Grenade by Westfälish-Anhaltische Sprengstoff AG – 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, though the detonator is not included. It still retains its original paint, and the original markings can be seen on the head of the grenade.

The warhead is in excellent condition and easily unscrews from the shaft. The interior even still has the detonator housing partly intact, something we almost never see! It still has almost all of the original green paint, which is very rare to see! The side of the grenade is paint stamped syn Do 5/1944, indicating it was assembled and filled by Westfälish-Anhaltische Spréngstoff AG (Westfalia-Anhalt Explosives Co.), Werk Sythen, a maker of propellant and explosives. Additionally, the top of the grenade is maker marked with gck 44, indicating that the housing itself was subcontracted out to Gebr. Schuppener, Siegwerk in Siegen. This was a maker of tools and metal wares, who would be well equipped to stamp grenade bodies.

The wood shaft handle is also in excellent shape, and still has a lot of the original preservative paint intact. The lower screw cap is complete and unscrews, easily from the end fitting. It is not the type with a spring inside. The shaft is correctly hollow to allow the internal components and the porcelain “donut” bead with pull string are sttill present! Even part of the smaller bead on the detonator end is still present! We very rarely get these with the string and bead, so this is a real treat!

Overall this is one of the best examples that we have had in quite some time! A great display piece with lots of markings and great features!

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.