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ADDITIONAL INTERESTING INFORMATION
The Stielhandgranate (Literally, German for "stalk hand grenade") was a German hand grenade of unique design. It was the standard issue of the German Empire during World War I, and became the infamous issue of Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht during World War II. The very distinctive appearance led to it being called a "stick grenade", or "potato masher" in British Army slang, and is today one of the most easily recognized infantry weapons of the 20th century. Germany entered the war with a single grenade design- a heavy (750g) ball-shaped fragmentation grenade (Kugelhandgranate) for use only by Pioneers in attacking fortifications. It was too heavy for regular use on the battlefield by untrained troops and not suitable for mass production. This left Germany without a grenade and improvised designs similar to those of the British of the same period were used until a proper grenade could be supplied. The 'stick grenade' first appeared in the midst of the First World War; it was introduced in 1915 for use by the German Empire's armed forces. As time went on, the design further developed, adding and removing certain features. Aside from its unique and unusual appearance, the Stielhandgranate used a friction igniter system, a method very uncommon in other nations, but was widely used in German grenades. During the First World War, the original design of the Stielhandgranate, under the name M1915 (Model 1915), was a direct technological competition to the British standard issue Mills bomb series. The first design model of the Mills bomb- the Grenade No. 5 Mk. 1- was introduced the same year as the German Model 1915, but due to delays in manufacturing, it was not widely distributed into general service until a whole year later in 1916 (There was a small period of time where German troops had large supplies of their newly created Model 1915 grenades, while their British opponents only had a very small number). As World War I progressed and eventually drew to a conclusion, a wide variety of improvements and changes were made to the Model 1915. As years progressed during the First World War, the Model 1915 Stielhandgranate was further improved with various changes, these received new designations- corresponding for the year of introduction -the Model 1916, and the following Model 1917.