Original Item: Only One Available. Totally inert and demilitarized according to BATF guidelines with hollow body and inert fuse. This grenade cannot be converted to an explosive device and 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 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 grenade bears all original paint (except for yellow band), original fuse and pin. It is offered in very good condition.

Also included is an original transport/storage cardboard canister, often referred to as the “husk”. When grenades were packed, put in crates and shipped off, they would all be in these individual canisters. The purpose of the cans was to ensure that nothing would compromise the spoon, pin, and fuse. In today’s military grenades are still issued in canisters almost identical to this one and for the same purpose, to protect the grenade components, as well as a new component on the grenades today, the thumb clip. The canister is offered in great condition given for what the purpose of them was, take the beating so the MkII doesn’t.

Genuine WW2 examples are extremely hard to find on the market today. Now’s your chance to own a genuine and iconic fragmentation grenade! Act fast because these do not last long when they show up for sale.

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 use 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 replace the failed Mk 1 grenade used by the U.S. military during World War I. 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, but 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 grenade concussion grenade.