Replica German M39 Smoke Grenade "Potato Masher" (updated 10-28-25)

Over the years Standinthedoor1944 has done several runs of replica German M39 stick grenades but our newest generation of M39’s (as of 10-28-25) are nothing short of remarkable.  Hands down these replicas are some of the most historically accurate and by far the most durable replicas to have ever been made.  These replicas are made of steel and wood and can not be made to explode. 

New features include:

1. Complete ground up redesign of all components to match original WWII M39’s.
2. Top of the cans are metal stamped with proper manufacturer coding and manufacturing date (cud/41)(Wilhelm Pfeiffer & Co. manufactured in 1941).
3. Manufacturer coding is hot iron branded into the handle just like originals.
   
4. Smoke emitter holes are properly sized and located in the bottom of the can.
5. The rain caps are extra reinforced by a hidden wood screw which helps prevent the cans from coming loose from the handles.
6. Pullable cord- the pull cord is secured by a resin cast stopper which allows the cord to be pulled for public demonstration or film use to mimic the look of activating an original M39.
7. Proper dome shaped fasteners on the rain cap.
8. Proper paper warning label glued to the top of the can.
9. Proper smoke identification groves carved into the base of the handles.

Other features include:

1. Proper white ink markings
2. Full weight/no weight- mashers can be ordered with inert contents to match the weight of an original (approximately 1 pound 3 ounces) or left empty (approximately 10.5 ounces).
3. Steel tail caps can be unscrewed to reveal the activation “pull ball” and cord.  
4. Pull balls are cast directly from an original ensuring they are identical in shape and within a few grams of the original weight.
5. Raw wood handles (no wood finish) the same way they were issued to troops during the war.
6. Handles have been slightly dirt aged to give them a nice “salty” look.

Our new M39 mashers are made for us to our exact specification and are not available from any other vendor in the world.  We have built these replicas from the ground up, piece by piece to make them as close to originals that we possibly could even down to the makers marks.

The originals that we chose to reproduce were specifically made by the Wilhelm Pfeiffer & Co. (manufacturer code cud) in 1941 and saw service throughout the war.

Most recognizably on our replicas is the custom white nomenclature and proper paper warning label both copied directly from an original.  

Aside from making all the external parts of our M39’s as close to originals as we could, we also wanted to do a special job recreating the iconic activation pull balls found inside the handles.  Not only are the pull balls the exact size and shape of an original (because we cast them from an original in our collection) but the are within a few grams of the original weight.  The cords themselves are of cotton construction that matches one of several different style cords used during the war.  The pull balls are also attached to the string using the exact same knot found on all original M24 and M39 mashers.

An issue that you find often with other reproduction M24’s and M39's is the in ability to actually pull the activation cords.  In all cheap reproduction M24’s the garbage glass beads and tied to poor quality strings and simply shoved into the handle and when you pull them out it takes a full 10 minutes to try and shove the sting back inside the handle.  With our replicas we attach our pull cords to a custom made, cast resin stopper with fits perfectly into the hole inside the handle.  This allows the cord to have tension on it when you pull it the same way original did and once you apply the proper force the cord pops out of the bottom of the handle.  Once pulled the cords are easily put back into the handle by reinserting the resin stopper and applying however much force you would like.   

Another authenticity problem you run into with cheap reproduction potato mashers is the handles.  95% of cheap repos masher handles have a super thick shiny finish on the handles, this is utter hog wash.  Original mashers were designed as a one time use item and thus the German military could care less if the handles had a nice shiny finish on them.  Handles on original M24’s and M39's coming out of the factory were left as raw unfinished wood.  You see various kinds of woods used on original handles and some have a slightly darker shade but they are raw unfinished wood.  Original handles have also darkened over the years after hundred of people have handled them and transferred their oils into the raw handles.

To finish off our replicas we do give our raw wooden handles a slight dirt aging to make them look just a little “salty” which is of course the look everyone wants.

Item not for sale outside the United States.

****While these replicas are extremely tough they are not intended to be thrown.  These are designed to be worn with your impression into the field and are built to with stand years or reenactor use but throwing they may result in negative results.  Stand in the Door is not responsible for any damage to the replica, damage to property, or bodily harm inflicted to a person or animal should you choose to throw this replica.****

****While the cans on these replicas can be unscrewed to disassemble the replica they should be left in their assembled state.  Unscrewing the rescrewing the cans onto the rain cap can result in stripping the threads and preventing the can from being reinstalled securely. Stand in the Door is not responsible for any damage you may inflict to this replica or to yourself or others should you choose to take it apart****

****Should the can and rain cap ever start to wobble on top of the wooden handle you can unscrew the can carefully to reveal the wood screw in the top of the rain cap.   Remove the woodscrew with a screw driver and select a screw of your choice that is slightly longer.  Predrill the hole in the handle with a bit then install the new screw with a screwdriver.  Failing to predrill the hole will most likely result in splitting the wood handle.   Stand in the Door is not responsible for any damage you may inflict to this replica or to yourself or others should you choose to make this modification****