Sticky Bomb
From OMGWiki
 |
Sticky Bomb is updated to version Beta Two. |
| |
| Placement | |
| Faction | American |
|---|---|
| Doctrine | Any |
| Tree | Any |
| Unit Price | |
 Manpower
| 0 |
 Ammunition
| 75 |
 Fuel
| 0 |
 Population
| 0 |
The Grenade, Hand, Anti-Tank No. 74, also known as the sticky bomb, was a British hand grenade designed and produced during the Second World War. The grenade was one of a number of anti-tank weapons designed for use by the British Army and Home Guard as an ad hoc solution to a lack of sufficient anti-tank guns in the aftermath of the Dunkirk evacuation. Designed by a team from MD1 under Major Millis Jefferis, the grenade consisted of a glass sphere containing nitroglycerin covered in a powerful adhesive, and surrounded by a sheet-metal casing. When the user pulled a pin on the handle of the grenade, the casing would fall away and expose the sphere; another pin would activate the firing mechanism, and the user would then attempt to attach the grenade to a German tank or vehicle with sufficient force to break the sphere. After it was attached, releasing the lever on the handle would activate a five-second fuse, which would then detonate the nitroglycerin.
History
With the end of the Battle of France and the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from the port of Dunkirk between 26 May and 4 June 1940, a German invasion of Great Britain seemed likely. However, the British Army was not well-equipped to defend the country in such an event; in the weeks after the Dunkirk evacuation it could only field twenty-seven divisions. The Army was particularly short of anti-tank guns, 840 of which had been left behind in France and only 167 were available in Britain; ammunition was so scarce for the remaining guns that regulations forbade even a single round being used for training purposes.
Given these shortcomings, a number of ad hoc anti-tank weapons were designed and put into production as stop-gap solutions until more anti-tank guns and ammunition could be produced. Lieutenant Colonel Stewart Blacker created the Blacker Bombard, a swiveling spigot mortar system that could launch a 9.1-kilogram (20 lb) bomb approximately 91 meters (3,600 in); although the bombs it fired could not actually penetrate armor, they could still severely damage tanks, and in 1940 a large number of Blacker Bombards were issued to the Home Guard as anti–tank weapons. At the time that he developed the Blacker Bombard, Blacker was working for a government department known as MD1, which was tasked with developing and delivering weapons for use by guerrilla and resistance groups in Occupied Europe.
Another member of the department, and friend of Blacker, was Major Millis Jefferis. Jefferis and others under his command came up with the idea of a grenade that would adhere to a tank when it was thrown, either by soldiers or members of the public. The Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, who was concerned with the state of the country's anti-tank defenses, learned about the grenade and urged its development and production throughout June. Initial tests of the grenade, which had been given the name of Grenade, Hand, Anti-Tank No. 74, in June were not positive, as it was found that the grenade did not stick to tanks that were covered with dust and mud. As such, the Ordnance Board of the War Office did not approve the grenade to be used by the Army. However, Churchill ordered further tests to be conducted in July, and after personally viewing a demonstration of the grenade ordered that it immediately be put into production. The grenades were produced by the Kay Brothers Company, a chemical manufacturing firm in Stockport, and between 1940 and 1943 approximately 2.5 million were produced.
The Grenade, Hand, Anti-Tank No. 74 consisted of a glass sphere in which was contained approximately 1.25 pounds (0.57 kg) of semi-liquid Nitroglycerin. The sphere was covered in stockinette which was coated with a liberal amount of Birdlime, an extremely adhesive substance from which the nickname 'sticky bomb' was derived. A casing made out of thin sheet-metal, and formed of two halves, was then placed around the sphere and held in place by a wooden handle, inside of which was a five-second fuse. The handle also contained two pins and a lever; the first pin was pulled out to make the casing fall away, and the second to activate the firing mechanism in the grenade. This primed the grenade, with the lever being held down to ensure the fuse was not triggered; then the user would run up to the tank and stick the grenade to its hull, using as much force as possible to break the sphere and spread the nitroglycerin onto the hull in a thick paste. Another alternative was for the user to throw it at the tank from a distance. Either way, the lever would be released and the fuse activated, and the grenade would then detonate.
The grenade did possess several problems with its design. Users were urged to actually run up to the tank and place it by hand, rather than throw it, because the Birdlime could very easily stick to their uniform in the process; the user would then be placed in the unenviable situation of attempting to pry the grenade loose whilst still holding onto the lever.[15] It was also discovered that as time passed the nitroglycerin began to deteriorate and become unstable, which made it even more difficult to use. As the grenade was a short-range weapon, users were trained to hide in a trench or other place of concealment until the tank went past them, and then to stick the grenade to the rear of the tank, where its armor was thinnest.
The grenade was first issued in 1940 to Home Guard units, who appear to take a liking to it despite its flaws. Although the Ordnance Board had not approved the grenade to be used by Regular Army units, a quantity were provided for training purposes. However, a number of sticky bombs did find their way to British and Commonwealth units participating in the campaign in North Africa, and were used as anti-tank weapons. During the Afrika Korps advance towards the town of Thala in February 1943, they accounted for six German tanks. They were also issued to units of the Australian Army, who used them during the Battle of Wau and the Battle of Milne Bay. A large number were also supplied to the French Resistance.
Tactics & Tips
- Use these to disable or destroy enemy vehicles.
