The hand grenades used by the German Army are all of the "offensive" type: that is, they
have a thin metal casing with a high proportion of explosive filler. Being of this
type, they depend on the blast effect, instead of on the fragmentation of the case
as in the U.S. "defensive-type" Mills grenades. They can be used safely by troops
advancing erect in the open, because they can be thrown to a distance greater than their
effective bursting radius. The model 24 and model PH 39 stick-type,
or "potato masher"-type, grenades are used more often than the "egg"-type and
can be regarded as the standard hand grenades of the German Army. In addition, there
is a smoke stick grenade which differs from the regular stick, or "potato masher," only
in the marking on the head of the grenade.