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Weapons · Japan · 1929-1945

Type 89 grenade discharger

light mortar

Misnamed the 'knee mortar' by Allied troops who wrongly assumed its curved base plate rested on the thigh (firing it that way broke bones), the Type 89 let a single squad carry its own light indirect-fire support, lobbing grenades or dedicated shells out to nearly 700 meters. It was compact, simple and issued down to the smallest infantry units in vast numbers.

Wikipedia

caliber50mm
weight4.7 kg
range120-700 m
crew1-3

Pacific, China, Burma and India

Japanese Type 89 50 mm grenade discharger. From the en:Second World War.
Japanese Type 89 50 mm grenade discharger. From the en:Second World War. · Public domain · source
Soldiers of JIA 13th Army during the Zhejiang-Jiangxi operation, 30 May 1942. At Jīnhuá, Zhèjiāng Province, China.
Soldiers of JIA 13th Army during the Zhejiang-Jiangxi operation, 30 May 1942. At Jīnhuá, Zhèjiāng Province, China.Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · source