Adoption of the weapon occurred during the latter part of 1940. Its general cylindrical shape quickly netted the product the nickname of "Thermos Bomb" or "Woolworth Bomb". An outcropping at the top was the safety cap which housed the detonating facilities of the grenade including its spring, needle, and safety bolt. The explosive filling (either Nitrogelatine or Polar Ammonal Gelatine Dynamite) made up the remainder of the cylinder. A detonator tube ran from the detonator to the filling. The grenade body was fabricated of tin with an inner wax paper wrapper. A stream of adhesive tape - used during the throwing/arming process - hung free along the side of the grenade and was held by the operator when hurling the grenade, the tape pulling the firing pin. Overall weight was a hefty 4.5lbs (considering other infantry equipment expected to be carried) with an overall length of 11 inches and a diameter measuring 3.5 inches. Actual detonation was through a simple impact process.
The No. 73 grenade held a very short service life during the war for it was given up (at least in its intended battlefield role) before the end of 1941. By this time, however, it was already found that the grenade could prove serviceable as a demolition charge for engineering units and was brought into use again for 1943. The grenade then ended its days as such and was formally retired from frontline use in the last year of the war - 1945. The anti-tank killing function during the course of the war fell to various other solutions in play - shoulder-fired rocket launchers, anti-tank rifles, landmines, self-propelled tank destroyers, and towed anti-tank guns.
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