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AN-M14 TH3

Incendiary Grenade AN-M14 TH3

incendiaryU.S. chemical ordnance plants · 1942–1960

OVERVIEW

U.S. incendiary grenade for destruction of equipment, stores, and light materiel.

HISTORIAN'S COMMENTARY

Before the Storm

Introduced between 1942 and 1960, AN-M14 TH3 was fielded by United States forces as a incendiary instrument for close combat and battlefield shaping.

In the Field

Loaded with Thermite incendiary grenade filling and percussion ignition and delay fuzing, this 0.9 kg munition depended on nerve and timing more than machinery. Its effective use envelope reached about 20 meters, with effects spreading near 2 meters.

Historian's Note

On the ground, it was used to ignite supply, shelter, and morale in equal measure. Its historical value came from practical battlefield utility rather than dramatic technical scale.

SPECIFICATIONS

TypeThermite incendiary grenade
FuzingPercussion ignition and delay
FillingThermite mixture
Weight0.9 kg
Effective Range20 m
Blast Radius2 m

DEVELOPMENT

The AN-M14 TH3 was an incendiary grenade using thermite composition to destroy equipment rather than maximize blast. It was intended for materiel denial and controlled destruction tasks.

COMBAT HISTORY

Troops used it to disable weapons, stores, and light equipment when recovery or capture risk was high. Operational use focused on denial effects rather than anti-personnel fragmentation.

NOTABLE USES

  • [01]Destruction of sensitive equipment during withdrawal or abandonment. - AN-M14 TH3 employment here depended on timing, distance, and unit coordination more than raw charge size.
  • [02]Incendiary denial against vehicles, stores, and weapons sets. - This use case shows how engineers and infantry turned explosive tools into tactical advantage in constrained terrain.
  • [03]Engineer and support-unit use for controlled materiel destruction. - Field application in this context illustrates why placement and doctrine governed real effect.

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