The , inaccurately and colloquially known as a knee mortar by Allied forces, is a Japanese grenade launcher or light mortar that was widely used in the Pacific Theater of World War II.

Background

The Japanese Army, noting that grenades 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 grenades, rifle grenades, 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, by 1932, the Japanese Army had adopted a set of fragmentation grenades with almost universal adaptability.

The Type 91 fragmentation grenade could be thrown by hand, fired from a spigot-type launcher, or used in a mortar-like grenade discharger, the Type 89.

Design

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 longer rifled barrel.

The Type 89 could fire two types of high explosive grenades or shells: the Type 91 grenade, which was a normal infantry fragmentation grenade adapted to the Type 89 discharger, and the 0.91 kg (~2 lb) Type 89 50 mm shell, which was an impact-detonated shell with considerably more explosive power.

Like its predecessor, the Type 10 grenade launcher, the Type 89 grenade launcher was also used as a signal flare device.

Operation

To fire a shell, it was dropped base-down into the discharger's tube. The aiming direction was checked using a line on the barrel. The range was not changed by raising or lowering the barrel like other mortars. The discharger is set at a fixed angle of 45 degrees, as indicated by a bubble level indicator. The range to the target was adjusted by turning a dial that altered the volume of the gas chamber by moving the firing pin, along with the trigger assembly, up and down. The trigger was then pulled to fire the weapon.

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 by a crew of three, enabling it to reach a rate of fire of about 25 rounds per minute.

Ammunition

The Type 89 could be used with the following ammunitions:

  • Type 89 50 mm HE (high explosive) mortar shell (fitted with impact detonator) [Weight: ~2.00 lb (0.91 kg)]
  • 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

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.

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. However, anyone trying to fire it this way would receive a severe bruise (or sometimes a broken femur) from its hefty recoil.

Combat use

The Imperial Japanese Army issued three Type 89s per platoon, making it their most widely used infantry fire support weapon.

The Type 89 discharger saw service at the Battle of Khalkhin Gol in Manchuria during the Second Sino-Japanese War. During World War II, the weapon was used effectively against the Allied defenders in the Battle of Corregidor 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. with copies of the weapon manufactured in Demakijo, Yogyakarta. Others were used by Communist forces during Chinese Civil War and Korean War. and by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War.

  • : Indonesian National Army