Talk:M18 smoke grenade

Additional Images

Reproduction of WWII-era M16 or M18 smoke grenade with period-correct body.

Discussion

Question

Was just wondering when this was adopted? Google didn't turn up a year, and I notice that it was in Band of Brothers. Was it standing in for another grenade, or has it really been around that long? Jimmoy 15:55, 24 May 2011 (CDT)

• The M18 replaced the Willie Pete during WWII, if I remember correctly. --yocapo32 (talk) 03:38, 28 October 2016 (EDT)

No, the M18 was adopted in the 50s, replacing the earlier M16 smoke grenade. Spartan198 (talk) 09:31, 28 October 2016 (EDT)

Actually, OP 1664 US Explosive Ordinance, 1947, lists the M18 as standard with 7 colors and the M16 as Limited Standard.--Mandolin (talk) 14:04, 9 June 2018 (EDT)

Never hear of the other three colours actually being manufactured, that might be an error in copy-pasting the description of the M16 from the previous version of the manual and just changing it to say M18. That's not without precedent, IIRC they did the same thing with the field manual for the M136 AT4, which keeps calling it a rocket launcher because most of the text is lifted directly from the service manual for the M72 LAW. Evil Tim (talk) 14:16, 9 June 2018 (EDT)

Found a document in the National Archives that notes the demonstration of M18 smoke grenades in 1944. Page 61 of the PDF.--Mandolin (talk) 20:14, 27 April 2019 (EDT)

Do we have any sources for the adoption date? Just any verifiable document. Anything. Because not even Wikipedia has any sources as to when was this thing adopted. In fact, some of Wikipedia's (equally uncited) statements directly contradict the statements on IMFDB, like the AN/M18 designation which wikipedia says is false. --Wuzh (talk) 20:45, 14 December 2018 (EST)

Do we have a citation for the "early 1950s" adoption date? --Wuzh (talk) 23:01, 27 April 2019 (EDT)

LEXPEV cites FM 23-30-1944 manual where M18 is already listed (PDF of this manual). So this grenade predated 1950s, it's wartime weapon. --Greg-Z (talk) 03:25, 28 April 2019 (EDT)

If anyone's curious

The non-manufacture of modern violet smoke grenades and the change in formula I got from here. It doesn't give a specific date for the change, but the dates of the papers suggest late 80s or early 90s. Evil Tim (talk) 19:05, 6 October 2017 (EDT)

Purple grenades still exist?

So as of 2017, PEO is still listing purple M18s as being procured, any idea what is up with that?--Mandolin (talk) 14:46, 9 May 2020 (EDT)