Shrapnel

Shrapnel is the collective term for fragments and debris thrown out by an exploding shell or landmine. In the strict sense of the word, shrapnel is shot which is deliberately included in an explosive device, in order to cause death and injury; more loosely, the term is used to refer to any metal debris which is propelled by an explosion which could be more properly called splinters. Although the anti-personnel effects of burst metal shell casings had been known for centuries, the word shrapnel is derived from the name of Major-General Henry Shrapnel (1761?1842), an English artillery officer, whose experiments - initially conducted in his own time, and at his own expense - designed a shell specifically for the purpose.

World War I

During World War I, shrapnel was widely used by all sides to cut the barbed wire entanglements in no man's land as a precursor to an attack. Shrapnel's effectiveness for wire cutting was enhanced by the widespread introduction of the French percussion fuse (known to the British as the No. 106 fuse) which ensured the shell detonated immediately on contact with the ground, rather than after it had buried itself.

Related Topics:
World War I - Barbed wire - No man's land - Percussion fuse

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As explosives improved it was found that a properly designed shell casing fragmented so effectively that additional shot was not required, and during World War II shrapnel shells, in the strict sense of the word, fell out of use (ironically, canister rounds are still used in modern tank shells, such as the American M1028 120mm round). Nonetheless, many land mines, hand grenades and other anti-personnel munitions continue to use metal ball-bearings, metal wire, or other forms of shrapnel, such as the American M18 Claymore mine, and the M61 and M67 hand grenades. In contrast, the WW2-era British Mills bomb and American Mk2 handgrenade used their serrated cases for shrapnel effect, and were informally known as "pineapple grenades" for their resemblance to the fruit.

Related Topics:
World War II - Land mines - Hand grenades - M18 Claymore mine - Mills bomb - Mk2 handgrenade - Pineapple

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Shrapnel can cause light or heavy wounds (or damage).

Related Topics:
Wound - Damage

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