M7 grenade launcher

The M7 grenade launcher, formally rifle grenade launcher, M7, was a 22 mm rifle grenade launcher attachment for the M1 Garand rifle that saw widespread use throughout World War II and the Korean War. The M7 was a tube-shaped device, with one end slotting over the muzzle of the rifle and attaching to the bayonet mount, and the other end holding the grenade in place. Blank cartridges were loaded into the rifle prior to firing. When fired, the expanding gases generated by the cartridges propelled the grenade forward with considerable force. The M7 could fire grenades up to , compared with the maximum of achieved by a hand-thrown grenade. Anti-armor (M9), Fragmentation (M17), and smoke grenades (M22) were available for the M7. When the United States entered World War II at the end of 1941, all infantry were issued with the Mk 2 fragmentation hand grenade. Owing to its hand-thrown nature, it had a range of only about and could not be used against armored targets. To keep its weight down, it had to have a small charge, with a fatality radius of just . For longer ranges, rifle grenade attachments were available for the M1903 Springfield (M1 grenade launcher) and M1917 Enfield (M2 grenade launcher). These rifles were limited standard, however, and had been all but replaced in frontline service by the new service rifle, the M1 Garand, by 1943. To rectify this, U.S. Army Ordnance designed a new launcher attachment for the M1 Garand, designated the M7, which could fire much heavier grenades up to 250 yards. M7-compatible fragmentation grenades had a fatality radius of . It entered production and service in 1943. The M7 grenade launcher was a tube-shaped device with an overall length (including the mounting bracket) of 7.5 inches. One end fitted onto the barrel of the M1 Garand rifle enclosing the muzzle, and was held in place with the rifle's bayonet lug. The other end was cylindrical with a small clip that held the grenade in place by friction. To launch a grenade, a special high-powered blank cartridge made specifically for the purpose (the .