Question on M39 Smoke Grenade

[timg]

Hi Gents,

With the German Stick grenades, smoke version. Did they only have "white smoke" as it were ? Or different colours??

If different colours, how do you tell?

Reason I ask I have been reading up on the german advance to Stalingrad and a specific order for an assault was that "troops to mark their forward location with purple smoke prior to arrival of Stuka support"

Would this have been grenades? artillery? or some form of smoke generator.

Thanks for the education

Tim

[oberjaeger]

hello Tim, the M 39 smoke stick grenade is only for grey/white smoke.....also smoke canisters ( Landungsrauchzeichen) are used in red, blue, yellow and purple....orange ones are also in the survival kits used...i try to post some pics later

[oberjaeger]

found these orange ones in the web, all from survival kits from airplanes

[klarkon]

The mixture of hexachloroethane / Al or Zn gives only white smoke........



Colour signal :
http://www.lexpev.nl/grenades/europe...chzeichen.html
http://www.lexpev.nl/grenades/europe...henorange.html

[oberjaeger]

red one

[timg]

Re Smoke Signals

Thank you very much gents, very informative.

As the size of the coloured pots are only about 200mm x 100mm can I assume they were used pretty much the same as the modern versions, trigger the top mounted fuse and chuck it.

Part of the book has battle appreciation write up from the troops on the ground, one of which states,

"Very effective to engage a bunker first with smoke, followed momentarily with an M24" Higher command concurred on the proviso that troops ensured enough smoke was available for marking purposes and if short they would have to reserve the smoke for signals use.

Apparently the Russians were ballsy enough to chuck the M24 back out.

Regards
Tim

[Bergflak]

found these orange ones in the web, all from survival kits from airplanes

The Rauchsichtzeichen was not part of the survival kit. It was for ground troops!
Here is a cut from the manual:
1. Rauchsichtzeichen sollen die Bodentruppe dazu dienen, sich eigenen Fliegern gegen-über als eigene Truppe zu erkennen zu geben.
2. Folgende 3 Rauchsichtzeichen werden verwendet:
Rauchsichtzeichen orange 350, Rauchsichtzeichen orange 160, Rauchsichtzeichen orange 80.

[oberjaeger]

yes....your are right

[oberjaeger]

this was the one in the kit....