Necessity was the Mother of Lethality (Part 1): RC Can Becomes VC Grenade

From its origins in Columbus, Georgia, in 1934, RC Cola became one of the most popular drinks in America during the Second World War, although most GIs couldn't necessarily lay their hands on one as they fought their way across the globe.  By the time of the Vietnam War a generation later, military logistics has improved to such a point that canned soft drinks and beer provided a welcome reminder of home to those deployed in-country.  All the cans the service members discarded after their use, however, presented an opportunity to those seeking to send the GIs home, one way or another.  Although RC was the first company to distribute sodas in aluminum cans, this soldered-seam steel soda can could be pried open, packed with powder and shrapnel, and re-soldered shut, while the tab top made a convenient place to insert a rudimentary fuse system.  This example from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) is featured in the Hampton Roads Naval Museum's exhibit, The 10,000 Day War at Sea, the U.S. Navy in Vietnam, 1950-1975 .  (M.C. Farrington)

By Thomas Grubbs
Contributing Writer


Modern war requires immense amounts of resources to wage, from small arms ammunition to capital warships. Like in so many other areas, factories and assembly lines meet these requirements. Most nations possess the capability to manufacture their own consumables, ranging from boots and uniforms to small arms ammunition and field rations. For more complex items such as vehicles, aircraft or small arms, nations either manufacture their own or purchase them for hard currency or other valuables such as oil or the cancellation of debts from foreign nations that possess that capability. A terrorist or insurgent group such as the Viet Cong, however, lacks this advantage. Few nations wish to have headlines reading that they are providing war material to groups operating outside of commonly accepted guidelines on armed conflict splashed all over the news. Condemnation and sanctions are sure to follow. Therefore, in order to meet their needs for war material, such a group must turn to other methods of acquisition. This acquisition in turn takes one of three forms: repurposing of other materials, homemade weaponry or the copying of existing weaponry.

The other side of the RC hand grenade showing the safety pin and lever hanging over the solder seam. (NHHC collection/ M.C. Farrington)

Example 1. The Royal Crown Cola grenade:

One of the hallmarks of contemporary American culture is its intensive focus on materialism and the production of consumer goods from high-end electronics to soda pop. The American service member, no matter where in the world he or she may be, demands access to at least some of the comforts of home. A second hallmark of this culture is the enormous amount of trash that is produced in the process. It is doubtful that a guard would be posted on the base trash heap, thus presenting an opportunity to a canny foe to acquire some of the raw materials of weapons manufacture. Inevitably, the intersection of human ingenuity, the exigencies of war, the desire for comfort goods and easy access to massive amounts of trash would conspire to create one of the infantry’s favorite weapons: the hand grenade.

Viet Cong improvised hand grenade, reverse side. (NHHC Collection/ M.C. Farrington)

Hand grenades are popular amongst the infantry for three reasons: they are easy to use, easy to carry and they are effective weapons in a wide array of tactical situations. Most grenades, for obvious reasons, are mass-produced in factories to standardized designs and capabilities. The Viet Cong, being an insurgent group operating deep in hostile territory, was cut off from the typical supply lines enjoyed by regular soldiers. Making use of what they had and what they could find, Viet Cong weaponsmiths manufactured hand grenades, such as the RC Cola hand grenade displayed in the HRNM's exhibit on the U.S. Navy in the Vietnam War, out of the castoffs of their American adversaries. While of dubious reliability, there can be no doubt that this weapon and others like it would be just as effective as the factory-produced models utilized by their American adversaries. 

Editor's Note: Thomas Grubbs earned a master's degree in military history from Southern New Hampshire University and is currently a park ranger interpreter at Vicksburg National Military Park. His research interest is in the history of the dreadnought battleship.