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Grenades and Guts

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The Myth

THIS MYTH WAS FEATURED IN...
Grenade MythsEpisode 81: Grenades and Guts

Original air date:6/13/2007
Myth Title: Hollywood Hand Grenade Heros

Myth Description: A hero jumping on a hand grenade will save those around them

MythBusters on the bust: ----


Hypothesis: Jumping on a hand grenade will dampen the explosion


Procedure/Experimental Design: Build a human analogue, and blow up a grenade with and without the analogue on it. Come up with an objective way to measure blast damage and test other ways to stop a grenades blast.

Results: A devastating baseline test with out the "hero" proving that the blast indeed would be lethal. Out to 15 feet the test subjects were riddled from head to toe with shrapnel. when the "hero" was set in place the shrapnel was contained, hitting only the first wooden test subject. Also none of the shrapnel made its way above the legs of the subjects. Our hero, well.... if being blown into numerous 20 pound chunks of gel means he did his job, Then he did one hell of a job.

Conclusion: In short, If someone where to dive on a grenade to save lives, there's a good chance they will be successful, just don't plan on walking away from it. Unless your wearing Dragon Skin- Future Weapons.


Busted or Not Busted: Plausible/Confirmed
Fan Feedback

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Your Scientific Method

Did the MythBusters get it right? How would you have busted this myth differently? Share your experiment design for how you would prove/disprove this myth:

  • The only things I could see that would change the results, is the usage of various forms of grenades. From what I saw only one form of grenade(lemon or pineapple, can't remember off hand.) A newer style grenade with a high powered explosive could prove to be fatal to the by standers. Also the "hero" was straight gel, could a skeleton prove to slow or ricochet fragments?
  • There are several kinds of grenades, and the old "pineapple" grenades aren't used anymore, as the new anti-personnel grenades ( think hypersonic BBs perforating everyone ) are more effective per unit weight.


  • Putting a "flak jacket" or some kind of ballistic armor on the dummy might make a diffrence in shrapnel dispersion and "hero" survivability. just a thought.
  • I don't think it'd change "hero" survivability, but it probably would change the absorption of shrapnel to dispersion, to some degree


  • This Myth has already been done. But it has been in real combat. And that is why Marines ad Soliders have the Medal of Honor. Becuase they saved their budies in Combat.
  • I think a pig carcass would make a more realistic test.
  • Don't all soldiers wear flak jackets? If so, Buster should've had one too. And what if the soldier quickly took off his helmet and placed it over the grenade then laid on the helmet? Or, what if a helmet was laid over the grenade by itself without a soldier?
  • Very interesting question, except the last bit: an empty helm on a grenade would itself become a missile, and the explosion of shrapnel escaping beneath it would likely chop the legs from any nearby types...

  • All military use "Point Blank" body armor in which SAPI plates or armor plates are inserted, but also for this test most grenades used to date are FRAG grenades "pineapple" or white phosphorus grenades which definitely do more damage than the standard percussion "baseball" grenade. I would like to see this myth redone using fragmentation grenades and possibly body armor.
  • not all soldiers use armor: check recon, marines, etc. sometimes sneaking is worth more than armor.
See Also

Related myths: ----

Related resources and reference pages: ----




Threads

Anonymous  (Get credit for your thread)
Started By Thread Subject Replies Last Post
wkcrandalljr Real life examples 2 Today, 1:39 AM EDT by Joelr1
Thread started: Aug 29 2007, 8:57 PM EDT  Watch
At least two U.S Military members have died saving others in this manner. A marine received the Medal of Honor - http://www.army.mil/cmh/html/moh/iraq.html - and the other, an Alabama Army National Guard Soldier, received the Silver Star - http://www.omsa.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1911.
9  out of 11 found this valuable. Do you?    
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MitchVanya Save Buster! (page: 1 2) 33 Mar 28 2008, 1:28 PM EDT by bigfun
MitchVanya
Thread started: Jan 29 2008, 9:29 PM EST  Watch
Don't all soldiers wear flak jackets? If so, Buster shoul've had one too. And what if the soldier quickly took off his helmet and placed it over the grenade then laid on the helmet? Or, what if a helmet was laid over the grenade by itself without a soldier?
Show Last Reply
dIaRyofchaInS Another real life example 3 Nov 27 2007, 10:21 AM EST by evilpawnofsatan
Thread started: Sep 7 2007, 4:19 PM EDT  Watch
I also know of a real life example. My friend has a relative who died by smothering the blast of a grenade, and by doing so, saved everyone else around him. He was a soldier in the US Army in Iraq. He was 19 years old.

I have nothing against the Mythbusters; I think they're awesome. But I think they should have done more research before taking on this myth.
11  out of 12 found this valuable. Do you?    
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