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Post by chadhill on Sept 14, 2010 12:20:00 GMT 8
Hi fots2, I'll bet you've googled this by now, but anyways, here's a photo of the 50mm Type 89 "Knee Mortar". It could fire a combination of high-explosive, smoke or incendiary shells, or launch grenades. It had a rifled bore for greater accuracy, as opposed to the earlier Type 10 knee-mortar, which was smooth-bored and apparently relegated mostly to firing flares and conducting training during the war. The Type 89 weighed just over 10 pounds. Because of it's curved baseplate it could easily be mounted against a tree, log or dug into dirt for firing in jungle environments. Allied troops, looking at captured weapons, thought initially that it was designed to be fired from the knee or hip, hence the "knee-mortar" name. But it generated so much kick when fired that it probably would have seriously injured an operator's knee. Estimated range: 120 meters (131 yards) to 670 meters (737 yards). Pulling the leather lanyard fired the weapon.
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Post by EXO on Sept 15, 2010 9:40:22 GMT 8
TYPE 89 HEAVY GRENADE DISCHARGER - a short ranged mortar desired to be fired braced on the ground, the "knee mortar" gave the Japanese infantryman a huge advantage in short-range firepower. The best an average GI might throw a grenade is around 100 feet, 35 yards. The Type 89 could place a grenade up to twenty times that distance. They were cheap, light, simple, not primitive, extremely dangerous and utterly ubiquitous. The 503d had a mortar platoon in each Company, normally with three 60mm mortars. The Japanese would have a 50mm mortar launcher in each squad. The US standard launcher weighed in at about 43 lbs, whereas the Type 89 weighed in at 12 lbs. They were easy to use, robust, and amazingly accurate. It was initially called a "leg mortar" because it was carried strapped to the leg. In captured documents, "leg mortar" was mistranslated as "knee mortar". It was fired by a toggle string, not by dropping the mortar round down the weapon's barrel. How many allied servicemen broke their thigh using trophy examples of this weapon is unknown, so hopefully this is not a photograph of an idiot about to get himself a self-inflicted wound. The 'trooper has been identified as Dodson.
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Post by chadhill on Sept 15, 2010 23:58:08 GMT 8
Interesting attire, too! No shirt or socks, but at least he has his cover (or "pisscutter") on.
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