Rare WWI French Viven-Bessieres rifle grenade, named after its inventors, also known as 'VB grenade', and officially referred to as the 'Viven-Bessieres shell' in the French Army instruction manual, was an infantry weapon in use with the French Army from 1916 onward, it was the most famous and best French rifle grenade. Cylindrical in shape, it was made of cast iron with internal grooves to facilitate fragmentation during its bursting. The US Army also adopted this weapon and implemented it from July 1917 using a launcher on the Springfield rifle. Inert.