The "Grenade, Hand, Anti-Tank No. 74", commonly known as the S.T. grenade or simply sticky bomb, was a British hand grenade designed and produced during the Second World War. The grenade was one of a number of anti-tank weapons developed for use by the British Army and Home Guard after the loss of many anti-tank guns in France after the Dunkirk evacuation. Designed by a team from MIR(c) including Major Millis Jefferis and Stuart Macrae, the grenade consisted of a glass sphere containing an explosive made of nitroglycerin and additives which added stability to the compound. The compound was designed to contact the target before exploding. This form of detonation would concentrate on a small area, favouring the rupture of a thick armour plate rather than a general and diffuse explosion. The charge was covered in a strong adhesive and surrounded by a sheet-metal casing. When the user pulled a pin on the handle of the grenade, the casing would fall away and expose the sticky sphere. Pulling another pin would arm the firing mechanism and the user would then attempt to attach the grenade to an enemy tank or other vehicle. Letting go of the handle would release a lever that would activate a five-second fuse, which would then detonate the nitroglycerin compound. The grenade had several faults in its design. In tests, it failed to adhere to dusty or muddy tanks and if the user was not careful after freeing the grenade from its casing, it could easily stick to their uniform. The Ordnance Board of the War Department did not approve the grenade for use by the British Army, but intervention by the prime minister, Winston Churchill, led to production of the grenade. Between 1940 and 1943, approximately 2.5 million were produced. It was primarily issued to the Home Guard but was also used by British and Commonwealth forces in North Africa. It was used by Allied Forces on the Anzio Beachhead, including the First Special Service Force; as well as by Australian Army units during the New Guinea campaign. The French Resistance were also issued a quantity of the grenades. Development In 1938, Maj. Millis Jefferis developed an anti-tank weapon that would be ideal for irregular warfare. It would have an explosive charge deform so that it had a substantial area of intimate contact with the surface of the target. Then, when detonated, the effect of