Do they still use potatos as replacements for grenades in basic training? Or did they ever?
2007-03-01 12:26:08 · 12 answers · asked by Spiral Out 6 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
Lol you guys are funny. I asked because on Call of Duty 2 thats what we had to practice with for throwing grenades. Anyway...just wondering.
2007-03-01 12:46:12 · update #1
Not when I went through in 1981, nor have any of my Men used one since. Possibly in the shortages of Early WWII, but not anymore.
Practice Grenades in BCT are Painted Bluedrab which signifies an Inert item. Currently the M69 Practice Grenade is used both in Basic Training, and before all Live grenade Ranges, Expert Infantrymans Badge Training.
2007-03-01 14:32:42 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
They were not using potatoes during the Vietnam war. We had practice grenades. We all got to throw a few real ones in basic training too. Way cool for some. In advanced infantry training we threw a bunch of 'em. We even took careful aim at barrels and stuff. Grenade launchers we really nice, and accurate. I guess they could have saved a lot of money with potato guns.
2007-03-01 12:48:54 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Did you hear the story on CNN today about the Italian woman in Naples who was washing some spuds she had just brought? Apparently she picked one up thinking that it was really heavy and proceeded to wash all the mud off it where it turned out to be a WWII hand grenade! It seems it was dropped in a field in France where it stayed for sixty odd years and eventually it was ploughed up with all the potatoes that had been planted. She would have had a nasty surprise if she'd put that in the pot without realising what it was!
2007-03-01 13:24:18 · answer #3 · answered by Golf Alpha Nine-seven 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
haha thats pretty funny. I know the Russian soldiers in World War II actually resorted to throwing potatoes at the Germans during their invasion of Russia because they were running out of grenades.
Also, in World War II here in America, the country was so poor because of the costs of the war effort, that at basic training, recruits were using sticks in place of rifles and cardboard cut-outs of tanks and vehicles because they could not afford more of them for training purposes. So, they might have used potatoes in place of grenades here during World War II.
2007-03-01 13:52:15 · answer #4 · answered by Teufelhund 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've never heard of using potatoes for training, they do use dummy grenades and live grenades though...
2007-03-01 15:12:21 · answer #5 · answered by [Counry and Corps] 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
you're comparing protecting grenades and offensive grenades. The potato masher became into on a stick so it may desire to be thrown forward (an prolonged way!) by utilising troops who have been themselves advancing into the path wherein it became into thrown.
2016-10-02 05:46:23 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Haha, I first read that, and thought you were talking 'bout those tatermasher grenades that the Nazi infantry used in WWII... No, I heard from a friend who did basic they don't do that... He thought it was an urban legend, but, I wouldn't know. Fun stuff, hehe, I can imagine what it might be like...
2007-03-01 12:39:17 · answer #7 · answered by crimsononice 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
sorry the ones i used were live fragment grenades. no potato's any where but in the mess hall and i had just enough time to wolf them down. WHAT YOUR NOT OUT OF MY MESS HALL YET?GET OUT ! geez those drill Sergent's never did have a sense of humor.
2007-03-01 12:36:12 · answer #8 · answered by frank h 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
They used fake potatoes. That would be a waste of food using real potatoes.
2007-03-01 12:37:15 · answer #9 · answered by beaudrewufl 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I dont know if this is entirely true or not,but in the russian military,i heard they DID use potatoes as fake grenades.This was during WW2.
2007-03-01 12:35:11 · answer #10 · answered by machiner94 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋