Regarding pulling out the grenade pin with teeth...
In Vietnam, GI used to hook their greandes on their SBO ala
Hollywood. This means they hook the handle onto the D rings of the
SBO near the chest.
Reports started coming in of grenades going off cos the safety pin
ring-pull caught onto vegetation and got pulled off, causing the
grenade to explode.
That's why they came up with grenade pouches where you are supposed
to put the grenade in, and close the restraining strap. We had this
on our old US style SBO. 2 grenade pouches at the side of each mag
pouch.
So, if US-made grenades of that era can have their safety pin
ring-pull yanked off by vegetation, it may not be impossible to
pull them off with your teeth.
Anyway, just an assumption on my part.
In SAF, we use STK-made grenades and not US ones, so we can't use
SAF grenades to judge all other grenades. SFG-87 or
something...
Ours also has a safety clip as a double safety. And yes, the pin is
damn bloody hard to pull out.
And throwing a grenade is an experience money cannot buy. An
experience mixed with fear and excitement.
While waiting for your turn in the training shed with walls, you
can hear the loud crump of other people's grenades going off and
the ground shaking slightly. Pebbles would occassionally rain down
on the zinc roof!
The actual throwing of the grenade was a bit of an anti-climax as
you are concentrating so hard not to drop the bloody thing you
barely notice anything else.
