Type 89 Launcher
Country of Origin | Japan |
Type | Launcher |
Caliber | 50.000 mm |
Length | 610.000 mm |
Barrel Length | 254.000 mm |
Weight | 4.700 kg |
Ammunition Weight | 0.53 kg |
Rate of Fire | 25 rounds/min |
Range | 120.000 m |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseType 89 grenade launchers entered service with the Japanese Army in 1929 to extend the range of grenades. Initially, they fired Type 89 impact-detonated high explosive or incendiary shells; starting in 1932 the Type 91 fuse-delayed (about 7 to 8 seconds) grenades were also made available. The rifled barrels of the Type 89 grenade launchers had an effective range of 120 meters and a maximum range of 670 meters. Ideally, each launcher was manned by a crew of three, but they were designed so that they each could be operated by an individual. Their firing angle was fixed at 45 degrees. They first saw combat in China in 1937, and eventually were used throughout the entire China-Burma-India and Pacific theaters.Type 89 grenade launchers had curved base plates. When Allied servicemen studied captured examples, they misunderstood the design, thinking they were to be used against the thighs of kneeling infantrymen, thus arriving at the inaccurate nickname of "knee mortars" for these launchers. This inaccurate nickname led to a number of Allied servicemen attempting to fire them against their thighs, and severely bruising thighs or breaking bones from the recoil.
Source: Wikipedia ww2dbase
Last Major Revision: Jul 2011
Photographs
Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Share this article with your friends: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Change View
Desktop ViewSearch WW2DB
News
- » WW2DB's 19th Anniversary (29 Dec 2023)
- » Looted Painting "Madonna with Child" Returned to Poland (2 Jun 2023)
- » Wreck of USS Mannert L. Abele Found (29 May 2023)
- » Wreck of Montevideo Maru Found (25 Apr 2023)
- » Accidental Detonation of a WW2-Era Bomb in Great Yarmouth (10 Feb 2023)
- » See all news
Current Site Statistics
- » 1,146 biographies
- » 336 events
- » 43,422 timeline entries
- » 1,237 ships
- » 349 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 372 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 259 facilities
- » 468 book reviews
- » 28,395 photos
- » 432 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"With Germany arming at breakneck speed, England lost in a pacifist dream, France corrupt and torn by dissension, America remote and indifferent... do you not tremble for your children?"Winston Churchill, 1935