Hohenfels, Germany. (February 21, 2025): In World War II, GIs had a saying “grenades are great if you can get close enough. The trouble is getting close enough.” In the old days, infantrymen had to creep within throwing range and there was always the danger the enemy would throw them back. How things have changed. In this photo by Staff Sergeant Tristan Peete, Specialist Zachery Curtiss fires an M-19 automatic grenade launcher, a devastating weapon that earlier warriors could only dream of.

The M-19’s roots date to Vietnam when the Navy employed them on riverine craft patrolling the Mekong Delta. A handheld version, the M-209, was widely employed by infantry platoons and was the frontrunner to today’s fully automatic belt-fed launchers.

No longer do troops have to risk their lives to toss grenades, today they can shower the enemy with them. The M-19 fires 40 mm grenades at a rate of up to 375 rounds per minute. This crew-served weapon can be attached to a Humvee or a small watercraft or mounted on a tripod to engage targets up to 7,200 feet away. It fires like a machine gun, but to a much more devastating effect.

Manufactured by General Dynamics Armaments, the M-19 delivers a heavy volume of accurate and continuous firepower against enemy personnel and lightly armored vehicles. Each 40mm grenade can pierce armor up to two inches thick and produce deadly fragments within fifty feet of impact. Lastly, the M-19 can defeat hovering rotary-wing aircraft and light armored vehicles with these high-explosive showers.

Currently in use by the Army, Marines, Navy, and Marine Corps, the M-19 continues to be a cornerstone of U.S. military firepower.