fragmentation grenade

A fragmentation grenade is a type of grenade designed to burst into numerous small, fast-moving, lethal fragments upon explosion. These grenades typically have an iron casing filled with an explosive, such as TNT. The casing is engineered to break apart upon detonation, scattering these fragments in all directions.123

Grenades, in general, are small bombs used at short range. The term likely originates from the French word for pomegranate due to the shape of early grenades. While their use declined with the advent of more accurate firearms, they saw a resurgence during the Russo-Japanese War and became standard infantry equipment during World War I due to the effectiveness of trench warfare. The United States manufactured over 50 million fragmentation grenades for World War II alone. These grenades are effective against personnel in fortified positions like trenches and bunkers.2