The German grenade-throwing rifle (Granatbüchse 39) is a modification of the
The barrel has been shortened to 24 1/8 inches. At the forward end, 4 7/16 inches of the barrel have been turned down to 13/16-inch diameter, and threaded back approximately 1 3/8 inch to accommodate the launcher base. The standard sights have been replaced by special sight equipment. The wooden forearm has been removed, and the carrying sling has been changed to the right side because of the position of the new sights. The bipod mount is located 6 3/4 inches forward of the breech.
The launcher threaded to the barrel is the Scheissbecher, which is also used on the Mauser Kar 98K rifle, firing the same grenades as with the present weapon. The launcher is 7 inches long; the inner tube is 5 1/8 inches long and 1 1/2-inch in external diameter.
Three types of grenades can be fired from the weapon: (1) antipersonnel grenade (Gewehr Sprenggranate); (2) small antitank grenade (Gewehr Panzergranate); (3) large antitank grenade (Gross Gewehr Panzergranate). The propelling medium used is a wooden bulleted blank cartridge. The cartridge case used is a standard 7.92/13 mm case such as is used in the
SPECIFICATIONS
| Caliber of launcher | 3 cm (1.18 in.) | |
| Weight | 23 lb. | |
| Length | 48 1/2 ins. extended | |
| 35 3/4 ins. folded | ||
| Length of barrel | 24 1/8 ins. | |
| Length of barrel with discharger | 29 1/2 ins. | |
| Feed | Handfeed | |
| Effective range | 80 yds. on moving targets | |
| 136 yds. on stationary targets | ||
| Front sight | Special grid type sight graduated up to 150 meters for the Gewehr Panzergranate grenade | |
| Hear sight | Fixed sight with open U notch |
German: p. 212
This grenade, designed to be fired from Models 38 and 99 rifles by means of a spigot launcher and wooden bullet, is similar in use and operation to the Model 91 rifle grenade. However, it is smaller and has a smooth-wall body rather than the serrated type. It contains a cyclonite primer enclosed in a brass container, a tetryl booster, and a three-ounce bursting charge of cast TNT; it is also fitted with an instantaneous fuze and a tail assembly with four fins spot welded to the rear part of the tube.
The Type 2, which is patterned after the German grenade launcher of the same type, fits over the front sight of the rifle and has a short rifled barrel. It fires both the 
The Type 100 may be used with either the 
The spigot type launcher, which may be used with either the Type 38 or Type 99 rifle, fires the Type 91, Type 3 H.E., and several types of smoke and incendiary grenades. It consists of a rifled barrel threaded to an adapter. The launcher is attached to the rifle at the rear of the front sight mount by two locking arms on the adapter. When a bayonet is fixed to the rifle, additional stability is obtained by the use of a two-pronged lug on the adapter which fits on the bayonet guard.
The two standard German rifle dischargers are the cup type (Schiessbecher) and the spigot type. The former is made of steel and consists of a rifled barrel which screws into a holder fitted with a clamp for attaching it to the rifle barrel. There are no gas ports, and varying ranges are obtained by altering the elevation of the rifle by the aid of the sighting attachment. The latter type consists of a hollow tubular spigot about one inch in diameter, terminating in a part resembling the hilt of a bayonet. It is fitted to the rifle in the same manner as a bayonet, and is locked in position by a spring-loaded bolt. The hollow tailpiece of the grenade is fitted over the spigot, and on firing the propelling cartridge, the gasses pass out of the barrel of the rifle through the spigot and into the hollow tailpiece to propel the grenade. Both a swing-over blade front sight and a rear sight are provided.
Two additional H.E.A.T. (hollow charge) armor piercing rifle grenades have recently been recovered and are illustrated herewith. They bear the designations 
This grenade consists of a bell-shaped body of thin steel with a slightly convex aluminum closing disc, a graze fuze which screws into a cylindrical projection welded to the base of the body, and a finned tail unit. The bursting charge of cyclonite wax is cast around an aluminum hollow charge liner which is hemispherical in shape. A detonator and intermediary exploder are contained in an aluminum magazine which fits into the base of the main explosive cavity. The tail unit screws onto the base of the fuze housing and consists of a drawn-steel tube with six vanes formed in pairs. The cartridge is of the 7.92 mm small arm type with an undyed hollow wooden bullet.
This grenade which is used for propaganda purposes consists of a cylindrical steel body with a pre-rifled base and a removable ballistic cap. The base of the grenade contains a 9-second delay fuze and an ejecting charge covered by a cardboard disc to prevent moisture from causing deterioration. Leaflets are inserted in two steel packing covers held loosely inside the case, and then the case and cap are varnished to protect them from rust. On firing, the flash from the propelling cartridge ignites the fuze and approximately 9 seconds later the ejecting charge explodes, blowing off the cap and forcing the leaflets out of the nose of the projectile.
This grenade, while larger and of slightly different contour than that described on the preceding page, is basically the same in construction and operation. The body of pressed steel contains a steel cone around which the T.N.T. filler is cast, and at the bottom of the filler is an exploder pellet of penthrite wax. Two types of stem may be used, one entirely of light alloy and the other of plastic with a steel shank by which it is screwed onto the body. The booster assembly and the percussion type fuze are both located in the stem divided by a perforated septum which contains a small flash pellet. At the base of the stem is a rifled band which corresponds to the rifling on the discharger. The assembly is closed by a base plug.
The Gewehr Panzergranate is constructed in two parts, the head and the stem. The head, a seamless steel tube fitted with a light ballistic cap, contains a hollow charge cone and an explosive filling of T.N.T. A cavity is provided in the rear portion of the main filling to take an exploder of penthrite wax. The stem of light alloy or aluminum is screwed onto the head of the grenade. It is divided into two compartments. The upper portion contains the booster which consists of a detonator surrounded by a penthrite wax filling contained in a light alloy case. The percussion type fuze is located in the lower part of the stem. In the septum is a small flash pellet held in place by a perforated screw plug. A pre-engraved driving band is formed on the outside of the grenade approximately 1/4 inch fromn the base. The entire assembly is closed by a base plug which positions the fuze by a stem which fits into a recess in the rear of the striker body.