Original Item: Only One Available. This is a wonderful example of an American MkII “Pineapple” grenade. This example is in great shape and is affixed with a repainted fuze. This example does not retain any of the yellow ring around the neck. Like all deactivated ordnance, this grenade is Not Available for Export.

This is an iconic U.S. fragmentation pineapple grenade issued during WWII. The Mk II was standardized in 1920 replacing the Mk I of 1917. It was phased out gradually, the U.S. Navy being the last users, on 2 April 1945 the Mk II and Mk IIA1 were re-designated the Mk 2 and Mk 2A1.

The Mk II was commonly known as a pineapple grenade, because of its shape and structure. Grooves were cast into the cast iron shell, which was believed at the time to aid in fragmentation and had the side benefit of aiding in gripping the grenade; this provision gave it the appearance of a pineapple fruit. The Mk II was identified with an all yellow body prior to 1943. They were then painted olive drab for camouflage purposes with a narrow yellow band below the fuse. This example may have remnants of the yellow but it is very hard to make out.

In the closing years of WWII the Mark II was produced with a solid base and equipped with the M10A3, or M6 series fuze (depending on the explosive filler used).
This example is in good overall condition but may have been repainted. The fuse has definitely been repainted and as a result none of the markings are still readable, so we are unsure of what type of fuse this is, but from the design we believe it to be an M10A3.

This iconic grenade comes ready for further research and display.

The Mk 2 grenade (initially known as the Mk II) is a fragmentation type anti-personnel hand grenade introduced by the U.S. armed forces in 1918. It was the standard issue anti-personnel grenade used during World War II, and also saw limited service in later conflicts, including the Korean War and Vietnam War. Replacing the failed Mk 1 grenade of 1917, it was standardized in 1920 as the Mk II, and redesignated the Mk 2 on April 2, 1945.

The Mk 2 was gradually phased out of service as the M26-series (M26/M61/M57) grenade was introduced during the Korean War. Due to the tremendous quantity manufactured during World War II the Mk 2 was still in limited issue with the US Army and US Marine Corps throughout the 1950s and 1960s. The U.S. Navy was one of the last users of the Mk 2 when it was finally withdrawn from U.S. military service in 1969, replaced with the M33 series (M33/M67).

The Mk 2 grenade did not widely replace the failed Mk 1 grenade used by the U.S. military during World War I. Although 44 million were ordered and more than 21 million were completed (it was possible to convert Mk 1 grenade bodies to the Mk 2 configuration) before the war ended, few reached American troops overseas. It was formally standardized in 1920. The Mk 2, like the Mk 1, was manufactured of cast iron with a grooved surface divided into 40 knobs in 5 rows of 8 columns. This was intended to enhance fragmentation (in practice, it was found that the grooves did not enhance fragmentation as much as desired) and provide a better grip when handling and throwing the grenade.

The grooves and knobs gave it the appearance of a pineapple, and are the origin of the nickname. It was also commonly referred to as a "frag" grenade, in contrast to other types of grenades such as the Mk 3 concussion grenade also developed during World War I.

The Mk 2 used the M5, M6, M10, M11, or M204 series fuses. The early M5, and the later M6 and M204 series detonating fuses, were used on high explosive-filled grenades. The M10 and M11 series igniting fuses were used on low explosive-filled ones. The early fuses had many problems. In the M5, moisture could get in under the foil fuse cap, causing the weapon to fail to detonate. The early fuses were not completely silent and made a loud "bang" and produced sparks when activated. They also made a faint "hissing" sound while burning, potentially alerting the enemy of their presence. The M10, used during the interwar period, and the M10A1, used early in WWII, sometimes prematurely detonated when the flash from the primer hit the explosive charge rather than the delay fuse. They were replaced by the M10A2 and M10A3. A less common type of igniting fuse was the M11.

The M6A4C had a delay of 4 seconds. The M5 and M11, like the M10, M10A1 and M10A2, had a delay of 4 to 5 seconds. The later M10A3 had a delay of 4.5 to 5.3 seconds. In 1944, the M6A4C was replaced by the silent and more reliable 4 to 5 second delay M204 or M204A1 fuse. Due to the large number of grenades already issued, few grenades with the new fuses were used in combat during WWII.