Someone explain Grenadiers

Were grenades used in some rare instances during the napoleonic times? Something like assaulting fortresses or something like that?

Grenadiers were veteran troops, Carolus Rex' formations relied on the Grenadiers to determine it's width. They threw their grenades during the combat charge.

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>>2121856
Rather for defending fortress

>Just as the main Forlorn Hope were beginning their attack, a French sentry was alerted and raised the alarm. Within seconds the ramparts were filled with French soldiers, who poured a lethal hail of musket fire into the troops at the base of the breach.

>The British and Portuguese surged forward en masse and raced up to the wall, facing a murderous barrage of musket fire, complemented by grenades, stones, barrels of gunpowder with crude fuses and bales of burning hay to provide light.[6]:302
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Badajoz_(1812)#Storm

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>>2121807
You are all so wrong its laughable. They were just a bunch of crazy guys who would drink straight grenadine for extra energy. They wouldnt mix it with anything, just drink the syrup straight up.
They would then get such a great sugar rush that it was basically amphetamines. They would be more accurate with their muskets, faster with their sword play, and the increased strength of 5 men. Unfortunately, like any sugar rush it would wear off pretty quick so a unit would have to finish the battle with-in a half hour or so. Otherwise they would get too lethargic and get slaughtered. Unless they had more grenadine.

The grenade is actually named after them as an homage because if you throw it into a group of enemy soldiers its quick explosive force will take them out, but its a one and done type of deal like the grenadiers themselves.

>>2123111
You're very close, but once again not entirely accurate. While it is true that they fought while on a sugar high, they actually derived their sugar from the pomegranate (in French, grenade), not grenadine.

Grenadine actually plays in to grenadier lore, though. William III of Britain was a well-known fan of ginger ale mixed with what is now known as grenadine (a drink now known as a Shirley Temple), and introduced "The British Grenadiers" as a marching tune during the Ginger Ale shortage of 1685. Thus, when William III "filled his bumper and sang a toast" to the grenadiers, he was drinking straight grenadine, thus causing his courtiers to give the mixer its name.

>>2123127
>Ginger Ale shortage of 1685

That is some dank-ass memery you've got there, my friend. Well done.

>>2123140
They were dark times, friend.

>>2121856
they were a common weapon
just think how much damage an entire line of men throwing bombs into another line of men can do

>>2123111
yeah man i used to do speed every now and then but recently i started getting into grenadine and HOLY SHIT i can't believe this stuff isn't banned
i had no idea sugar could have such a powerful effect but i ended up staying up until 7AM the next morning studying and cleaning my house, shit is crazy

>>2121807
Cavalry-mounted grenadiers could've worked. Think of now many times Ney charged at Waterloo, but could not create gaps in Wellington's line. A few grenades would've helped.

Also spiking the guns, but hey?

>>2123161
Think of how much damage it can do to your own men with a short throw, miscalculated fuse, poor construction or storage conditions, or being shot after you've lit the fuse.

>>2123701
this is a good point, a well disciplined army could be trained to hold fire until the advancing grenadiers light the fuzes, then open fire and watch the chaos as the surviving grenadiers are blown up by their fallen comrades' grenades

>>2123184
>Cavalry-mounted grenadiers
Think how hard it would be to arm one of those things when the horse is bouncing up and down and you are desperately trying to avoid hitting someone elses horse or avoiding cannons.

>>2121895
They were also used in Italy during the Revolutionary Wars by Austrians

>"On reaching the opposite side, we turned immediately to the left; along the way for forty feet, we were protected by the rock which overlooked the road and concealed us from the fort. We found the horses all ready; they were hooked in at once and started off. We returned by the same road on tip-toe, holding on to each others'coat-tails ; but we were heard, and grenades were thrown upon us over the ramparts. As they fell upon the opposite side of the road, no one was struck; we were only frightened and went back to get our muskets."

>>2121807
I imagine back then the reloading times of muskets, coupled with the lack of general infantry armour meant close quarter fighting was much more viable

imagine how many grenades one could throw in the time it took a musket to reload

the supressive effect of a grenade is noting to sniff at, I imagine troops under that kind of fire would struggle to reload their weapons

the lack of penetrative power of a musket also meant I imagine that light fortification was vastly more effective, leaving room for handheld explosives during assaults where they can be dropped over ramparts or thrown around corners