A standard red smoke grenade.
In the United States military, the various colors of smoke created by smoke grenades do not have preassigned meanings or uses. The specific meaning of a given color is determined by the needs of the user at the time of use. This means that the same color of smoke could mean different things in different situations.
Historical Uses
Colored smoke grenades were first used by American forces during the Vietnam War. They were used to prevent the Viet Cong from employing a tactic known as a false flag maneuver. The Viet Cong would attempt to draw enemy air forces into an ambush by popping standard smoke grenades, or "false flags." By using colored grenades, American troops could provide air forces with a color-specific target and help them to avoid enemy ambushes.
Military Grade
Military grade smoke grenades come in a variety of colors. They can be red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, black, gray or white. A military grade smoke grenade is basically a simple steel cylinder filled with a colored smoke composition. Its color is indicated by a strip of paint around the top of the cylinder. Emission holes in the top and bottom allow the smoke to escape after the grenade has been triggered.
Benefits
Having several smoke colors available makes it possible for ground and air troops to coordinate multiple operations at the same time. All the ground troops have to do is pop two different smoke colors and make sure their air support knows what each color signifies. For example, they might pop green smoke to indicate wounded soldiers on the ground and red smoke to mark an enemy target.
Potential Meanings
Since there is no set meaning for any color, every color of smoke grenade can mean whatever its users want it to. Some potential uses include marking the location of wounded soldiers, providing a target for an air strike and marking the location of friendly troops in need of extraction. They are often used to provide a smoke screen to mask troop movements and attacks.
Other Uses
Colored smoke grenades are not limited to military uses. Smoke grenades are also used routinely in paintball events and airsoft-gun matches, yet these rarely meet military-grade standards. Nonmilitary smoke "grenades" are usually high-volume smoke candles or smoke bombs, which are significantly less expensive than their grenade counterparts. In either paintball or air-soft matches, different smoke colors can be assigned different meanings just as they are in real combat settings.
Tags: smoke grenades, smoke colors, smoke grenade, color smoke, Colored smoke grenades
