Original Item: Only One Available. Totally inert per guidelines provided by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) this is a rare WWII 1943 dated British No. 68 MkIII AT (Anti-Tank) Grenade.

The No. 68 was an early form of shaped charge grenade, and has some claim to have been the first High Explosive, Anti Tank (HEAT) device in use. The design of the warhead was simple and was capable of penetrating 52mm (2 inches) of armor in 1940.

The fuze of the grenade was armed by removing a pin in the tail which prevented the firing pin from flying forward. The grenade was launched from a rifle cup. The simple fins gave it some stability in the air and, provided the grenade hit the target at the proper angle (90 degrees), the charge would be effective. Detonation occurred on impact, when a striker in the tail of the grenade overcame the resistance of a creep spring and was thrown forward into a stab detonator.

Construction is main body, cap, fin, inner tube, inner cup cast metal cup main body, open and threaded top with threaded hole in base; solid flat cap screwed on to top; four fins (with lateral gas check plate screwed on to bottom) screwed in to grenade base; split pin inserted through fin shaft with warning plate; rubber inner tube inserted into main body; cast flat cup on top of inner under cap; painted green. L 6.5in x 2.5in diameter.

The grenade is crisply marked on the fins : No68. A.T. VI / 1943. There is also has an S W marking under "sun rays" next to this, for Sunshine Waterloo Co. Ltd, located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Overall condition is very good to excellent, and even has the original "TO BE WITHDRAWN FROM GRENADE BEFORE FIRING" warning tag. Disassembles correctly to show the interior structure. A wonderful rare World War Two manufactured example of this grenade type!