WWII JAPANESE ARMY DEACTIVATED TYPE 89 KNEE MORTAR

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Youare bidding on an original deactivated Type 89 “Knee Mortar”(Heavy Grenade Discharger) One of the most feared weapons in the Japanese arsenal was the Type 89 Heavy Grenade Discharger ( hachi-kyu-shiki ju-tekidanto , or more commonly just tekidanto ). This weapon received the dangerously unfortunate English nickname of “knee mortar”; the curved base plate was meant to be braced against a solid foundation (the ground, a log, etc.), NOT one’s knee, as the recoil would result in broken bones or worse. The Type 89 covered the gap between the range a hand grenade could be thrown and the range of a true mortar. Because of its small size (less than 60cm, or 24” long) and light weight (about 4.7 kg, or 10.5 lbs.), it was easily portable. In a standard Japanese infantry division, a regiment of 3,843 men had about 108 of these, or one per 36 men, according to the US Army Handbook on Japanese Military Forces , October 1, 1944, p. 22. By comparison, the regiment would have had 112 light machine guns and 36 heavy machine guns. The Type 89 was extremely accurate in the hands of a skilled operator. The Japanese made about 120,000 of them. The “89” in Type 89 refers to their introduction in the Japanese year 25 89 , i.e. 1929. There is a serial number is at the base of the barrel and on all other parts except the base plate. It is number 382 read more

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