The thought of every GI becoming Babe Ruth with a grenade was… unsettling.

In 1944, the U.S. Army experimented with the T13 Beano grenade, designed to mimic the size and weight of a baseball. The logic of the Army was simple: most American soldiers grew up throwing baseballs, so muscle memory would improve throwing accuracy and distance in combat. It even had an impact fuse, meant to detonate upon hitting the target, much like a perfectly aimed fastball. Unfortunately, field tests showed it that the weapon was temperamental. Several accidental detonations later, the project was quietly cancelled. Turns out not every soldier was major league material.

Not a bad idea. There are several stories of baseball players throwing a regular pineapple grenade like a baseball. *Band of brothers* recounts the story of a soldier who played catcher; in one instance he hit a German in the helmet with a grenade from like 25 meters or so.

Did Germans grow up throwing potato mashers?

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