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NVA, North Vietnam Army Grenades


Keith
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These were found in an antique mall in Eastern Missouri. No idea how they got there but, they are interesting and wanted to share them and perhaps get feedback on them...such as what are they worth! Thank you.

nva1a.jpg

nva1b.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

Researching some more, I find WW1 French grenade looks simular. That seems likely as they were in Vietname earlier. VC/NVA would utilize what was available. Anyone able to ID what grenade body was used to make thses grenades? Thanjs.

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Cap Camouflage Pattern I

Sorry I cannot be much help with these, they are not the standard Vietnamese made cast grenades. I have not seen this exact shape in wartime photographs yet, but I have seen a couple like yours in Vietnam collections except for the number of nail holes.

 

I am not familiar with French grenades, but googled French WW1 grenades and they do look identical. I think the first step would be to ask WW1 French grenade collectors if it is one because French grenades are likely more uniform and documented than Vietnamese made grenades.

 

Was there anything with them at the antique mall that said they came from Vietnam, or could they have come from France?

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No, nothing with them, bought just as shown. Internet searches is where I am trying to nail them down. I am pretty sure they are stick grenades as used by the NVA or VC. I just can't ID the source of the body. I find Russian and French having similar shapes. Thanks for trying! Keith

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Cap Camouflage Pattern I

I know LKMilitary has a couple like yours in his collection that were brought back from Vietnam, and I have seen another one somewhere else but I can't remember where.

 

I think the two likely options are either unmodified French grenades captured and used by the Vietnamese or Vietnamese made stick grenades with Vietnamese made heads. I am not aware of any widespread practice of making grenades from existing grenades, the two major methods were casting their own grenade heads in small foundries, or the cruder method of using food or drink cans packed with shrapnel and explosives.

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Thanks. That was my thinking, left over from when the French were there. If Russian perhaps supplied through the Chinese. Regards keith

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Here's a thought... you mentioned buying these in an antique mall. Is it possible they are WWI French grenades that have been misidentified as Vietnamese?

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Yes, that is possible. The rusty broken one has remains of wood and cord in it thus the linking to NVA. I would have to do more research on the French idea to see how they were detonated. Thanks, keith

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Cap Camouflage Pattern I

The "Citron Foug" grenade had a wooden fuze assembly, without any provenance that it came from Vietnam, I see no reason to believe it is not an unmodified French grenade that came from France. Not that they are bad pieces, but I don't think they are Vietnamese.

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  • 1 year later...
On 1/7/2020 at 10:46 PM, Cap Camouflage Pattern I said:

I know LKMilitary has a couple like yours in his collection that were brought back from Vietnam, and I have seen another one somewhere else but I can't remember where.

 

I think the two likely options are either unmodified French grenades captured and used by the Vietnamese or Vietnamese made stick grenades with Vietnamese made heads. I am not aware of any widespread practice of making grenades from existing grenades, the two major methods were casting their own grenade heads in small foundries, or the cruder method of using food or drink cans packed with shrapnel and explosives.

I have a very good friend who was with the Special Forces in Vietnam 70-71.

He is famous for having a cold one now and again. He was taking about his last meeting of the Purple Heart Association and I jokingly said he probably got hid PH from a beer  can. He said"how did you know that?" He was wounded, on his first patrol, buy a VC beer can IED. It wasn't life threatening, thank God, but it was enough for his PH.

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