Type 89 grenade discharger
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The , inaccurately and
colloquially Colloquialism (), also called colloquial language, everyday language or general parlance, is the style (sociolinguistics), linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication. It is the most common functional style of speech, the idiom norm ...
known as a knee mortar by Allied forces, is a Japanese
grenade launcher A grenade launcher is a weapon that fires a specially-designed large-caliber projectile, often with an explosive, smoke or gas warhead. Today, the term generally refers to a class of dedicated firearms firing unitary grenade cartridges. The mos ...
or light mortar that was widely used in the
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of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. It got the nickname the "knee mortar" because of an erroneous Allied belief that these launchers could be fired by propping its plate against the leg. However, anyone trying to fire it this way would receive a severe bruise (or sometimes a broken thigh bone) from its hefty recoil.


Background

The Japanese Army, noting that
grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...
s were short-ranged weapons, began efforts to optimize these weapons for close-in infantry fighting. After studying employment of grenades and mortars on the battlefield, the Japanese Army developed
hand grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...
s,
rifle grenade A rifle grenade is a grenade that uses a rifle-based launcher to permit a longer effective range than would be possible if the grenade were thrown by hand. The practice of projecting grenades with rifle-mounted launchers was first widely used du ...
s, and grenade and mortar shell dischargers (small mortars) suited to warfare in typical short-range combat environments such as urban, trench, and jungle warfare. As part of this effort, the Japanese Army had adopted by 1932 a set of fragmentation grenades with almost universal adaptability. The
Type 91 fragmentation grenade The was an improved version of the Type 10 fragmentation hand grenade/rifle grenade of the Imperial Japanese Army. Although superseded as a hand-thrown weapon by the Type 97 by the start of World War II it was still used by units in the Second S ...
could be thrown by hand, fired from a spigot-type launcher, or used in a mortar-like grenade discharger, the Type 89.


Design and operation

The Type 89 heavy grenade discharger was adopted in 1929, but production did not begin until 1932. It differs from the earlier Type 10 grenade discharger in that it has a rifled barrel. The Type 89 could fire two types of grenades or shells: the
Type 91 grenade The was an improved version of the Type 10 fragmentation hand grenade/rifle grenade of the Imperial Japanese Army. Although superseded as a hand-thrown weapon by the Type 97 by the start of World War II it was still used by units in the Second S ...
, which was a normal infantry fragmentation grenade adapted to the Type 89 discharger, and the Type 89 50 mm shell, which was an impact-detonated shell with considerably more explosive power. When fired from the Type 89 discharger, the Type 91 fragmentation grenade was fitted with a propellant base and time fuse. It did not explode upon contact, but was designed to ignite its fuse while in flight. A weak creep spring inside the grenade firing mechanism allowed the firing pin to be thrown back upon launching, igniting a time fuse with a 7-8 second delay. Using this system, the Type 91 grenades could be launched through jungle cover or through small openings without the danger of premature detonation in the event the grenade struck an object on its way to the target. Although the Type 89 could be fired by a single person, it was typically operated with a crew of 3, enabling it to reach a rate of fire of about 25 rounds per minute. The Type 89 discharger could also be used with a more powerful impact-detonated shell approaching the power of a light mortar. Weighing approximately , it was known as the Type 89 50 mm shell, and was made in high explosive (HE), incendiary and smoke variants. To fire the shell (which had a nose-mounted impact fuse that detonated on contact), it was dropped base-down inside the tube of the discharger. By setting the Type 89 discharger at a fixed angle of 45 degrees, and varying distance to target by adjusting the size of a variable chamber space inside the discharger mechanism (see also the Granatnik wz. 36), soldiers could adjust fire onto multiple targets at varying ranges while firing the contact-detonated 50 mm shell through a single small clearing in the jungle canopy. The method worked equally well when firing from deep trenches or pits, or between various building obstructions when fighting inside a built-up town or city. With its curved support plate, the Type 89 was designed to be placed on the ground or against a log or trunk at a fixed firing angle of 45 degrees. However, since it used a spring-loaded, lanyard-operated firing pin mechanism, in an emergency it could fire grenades or shells at point targets while braced horizontally against a tree or building.


Combat use

The
Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...
issued three Type 89s per
platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...
, making it their most widely used infantry
fire support Fire support is defined by the United States Department of Defense as "Fires that directly support land, maritime, amphibious, and special operations forces to engage enemy forces, combat formations, and facilities in pursuit of tactical and oper ...
weapon. The Type 89 discharger saw service at the
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in
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during the
Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the weapon was used effectively against the Allied defenders in the
Battle of Corregidor The Battle of Corregidor (; ), fought on May 5–6, 1942, was the culmination of the Japanese campaign for the conquest of the Commonwealth of the Philippines during World War II. The fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942, ended all organized o ...
in May 1942. It also saw service in Burma and the Pacific islands. Japanese Navy paratroopers carried special containers for the Type 89 clipped to their harnesses to provide fire support right on the landing zone. Allied troops quickly learned to take cover when they heard the weapon's "pop" when launching its grenades or shells, in some cases from more than away. After World War II the Type 89 was used by Indonesian National Army and militias against Dutch forces in the
Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution, or the Indonesian War of Independence, was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during Aftermath of WWII, postw ...
, with copies of the weapon manufactured in Demakijo,
Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...
. Others were used by Communist forces during
Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...
and
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. Some were also used by the
Việt Minh The Việt Minh (; abbreviated from , chữ Nôm and Hán tự: ; french: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam, ) was a national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Front ...
during
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and by the
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during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
. File:Japanese50mmGrenadeMortar.jpg, Japanese soldier demonstrating the correct use of the Type 89 discharger File:Soldiers Zhejiang Campaign 1942.jpg, In use in Zhèjiāng Province, China (1942) File:Diagrammatic drawing of Type 89 50 mm grenade discharger.png, Type 89 diagram File:Japanese Type 91 50 mm grenade.gif, Type 91 fragmentation grenade File:Japanese Type 89 grenade discharger Incendiary shell.gif, Type 89 50 mm incendiary shell


Ammunition

* Type 89 50 mm HE (high explosive) mortar shell (fitted with impact detonator) * Type 91 fragmentation grenade (fitted with 7 second delay time fuse, ignited in flight) * Type 94 50 mm practice shell * Smoke shell weight: 0.9 kg containing 0.11 kg of HC type smoke mixture * Incendiary shell weight: 0.57 kg containing 0.32 kg of incendiary material


Users

* * : Imperial Japanese Army * : Indonesian National Army * *


Notes


References

* ''Leo J. Daugherty III'', Fighting Techniques of a Japanese Infantryman 1941–1945, * ''Gordon L Rottman'', Japanese Infantryman 1937-45 Sword of the empire,
US Army field manual TM-E 30-480 at hyperwar





See also

* Chinese Type 27 * Commando mortar, a class of infantry light mortars designed for maximum portability and rapid deployment, at the expense of accuracy and rate of fire. *
Lance-grenade individuel Mle F1 (LGI Mle F1) The LGI Mle F1 is a lightweight, close-support infantry weapon designed to be used by one man to provide indirect fire. The LGI has been used by the French Army since the 1990s and fires high explosive, smoke, and illumination rounds. Deployment ...
, a French close-support weapon infantry weapon designed to be used by one man


External links


Nambu World: Type 89 “Knee Mortar” (Grenade Launcher)






{{Japanese WWII infantry weapons 89 89 Infantry mortars of Japan 50 mm artillery Military equipment introduced in the 1920s