The Model 17 Eierhandgranate (German for "egg hand grenade") is a small defensive and offensive

hand grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...

which was used by

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The average soldier could throw it 40 meters or farther. It was more portable than the heavier ''

Kugelhandgranate The ''Kugelhandgranate'' ('ball hand grenade') is a model of hand thrown fragmentation grenade manufactured in Germany, also known as Mod. 1913. M1915 Kugelhandgranate NA By 1915, German industry was preparing for a long war and resources were ...

'' and less awkward to handle than the stick grenade. The body of the grenade was initially smooth and thus difficult to hold so the design was modified with the addition of a raised band to provide better grip. A similar grenade called the

Model 39 grenade The Model 39 "''Eihandgranate",'' M39 or ''Eierhandgranate 39'' ("egg hand grenade") was a German fragmentation hand grenade introduced in 1939 and produced until the end of World War II. Description The ''Eihandgranate'' were issued to the '' ...

was later introduced by

and used in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

References

Imperial German Eierhandgranate 1917, WWI

1916 establishments in Germany 1920s disestablishments in Germany World War I German infantry weapons Hand grenades of Germany {{Grenade-stub