Grenade Fuse-Pull worn on Boots

[Harry]

Flugzeugführer Uffz. Hans Fast of 2./JG 26

[wayne gosley]

Hi Harry

Hi Harry,
Nice Photo,
cheers
Wayne

[Jean-Loup]

What was the point of wearing the fuse like this supposed to be?

JL

[mambo]

to make it easier to undo the zips?

[Jos L C]

Interesting picture ..


No, what I understood is that most of the time these were worn at the zipper of the jacket by certain persons ..
It's kinda token to show how lethal these guy's were ..
They used the red caps IMO, red is very quick ignition, meaning 1 or 2 seconds before the BOOM ..

Franz von Werra wore 2 ..

Jos.

[Jos L C]

..

[mambo]

at the end of the day believe what you want to believe but the reason for the ball hanging on the zip was to make it easier to undo

have you ever tried undoing a zipper wearing a pair of gloves

[RamJet]

at the end of the day believe what you want to believe but the reason for the ball hanging on the zip was to make it easier to undo

have you ever tried undoing a zipper wearing a pair of gloves

... and when You've bailed out and are in the water ... That's the reason why in today's Luftwaffe most flight crews wear large key rings on the zippers of their boots, for example. Do You want a pic of my flight boots currently in use?

[Adam S.]

They could have used anything to make the zipping easier but they used the grenade pulls. So it's a matter of meaning and function.

Very cool photos and examples.

[Jos L C]

at the end of the day believe what you want to believe but the reason for the ball hanging on the zip was to make it easier to undo

have you ever tried undoing a zipper wearing a pair of gloves

That's why German flight boot zippers have a small leather strap to undo them .., the grenade caps had a meaning, they're not to undo the boots or jacket at first place ..

Jos.

[RamJet]

Sorry, Jos, but the meaning is just like today only the faster and easier opening of the zippers IMO. In icy water a small strap or lace like the manufacturers attach to the zipper is no real help. With the key rings on our flight boots of today we are able to put a gloved finger in and pull the zipper to get rid of the boots which hamper swimming and climbing into the life raft, for example. Try the zipper with the cord of Your mannequin with thick or wet gloves and compare with the small leather stripes attached by the manufacturer. You will find it much easier to reach, grab and pull the zipper with such a helping device.

[Jos L C]

I give up then ..

It was in one of the stories of von Werra, but I think they made a mistake ..

Jos.

[Jos L C]

Not every pilot wore them, never seen it with bomber crew, apparently they had no trouble with their zippers ..

Jos.

[blinky]

Perhaps it could be both?

You need to add something to a zipper to make it easier to pull with gloves, why not use a grenade fuze? It makes you look a lot "tougher" than having a little plastic kitten dangling off your jacket, it's a trick the old hats picked up on and if you lived long enough to be considered an old hat you were probably a short fuzed aggessive sort of guy.....what better symbol for a fighter pilot? Function and symbolism all in one.

eric

[mambo]

i think the real question here is what were luftwaffe pilots doing with grenades with 1 second fuses?

maybe they had a few rattling about on the floors of their cockpits...you know just to make them look "well ard"



i`m not trying to start a war here but the op showed a picture of a pilot with what appears to be a grenade fuse (or any other ball shaped object for that matter)
Jean-Loup asked "What was the point of wearing the fuse like this supposed to be?"
i`m just pointing out the answer i gave is the actual reason for wearing the ball (as asked in the question)

to be told i am wrong and "most of the time these were worn at the zipper of the jacket by certain persons ..
It's kinda token to show how lethal these guy's were" i find slightly patronising

like i said THE reason they wore the ball was to make it easier to undo the zipper, if it also make them look cool this was just a bonus surely otherwise they would have found a slightly more obvious place than the boot. dont you think?

best regards from the land of reason