Round for "knee" mortar.

[A. F Medic]

How not to fire a Japanese knee mortar.

Information

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[musketshooter]

It is amazing how common these rounds are. I see them at every gun show. Prices vary quite a bit.

[A. F Medic]

Not common at the smaller gun shows I attend. This one came from a rural auction and nobody knew what it was except me.. Most thought it was a grenade.

I believe that the fuze is dated but I will have to have it translated. Also, I understand that the round is a minature rocket that spins it for stability.

[Calif-Steve]

Very short ranged. Used to provide support for Infantry frontal (banzai) attacks. Very effective in China theatre, Americans were not too impressed. Japanese learned a bad lesson from China, as they used the frontal attack against Americans armed with Garands and excellent HMG's. The Americans chopped them up with their firepower.

[DRB]

Not really a rocket it has a booster charge in the base just like a rifle cartridge or any other morter it burns up in the barrel. Some Knee Morters were rifled some smoothbore.

[enbloc8]

Very short ranged. Used to provide support for Infantry frontal (banzai) attacks. Very effective in China theatre, Americans were not too impressed. Japanese learned a bad lesson from China, as they used the frontal attack against Americans armed with Garands and excellent HMG's. The Americans chopped them up with their firepower.

The 37th Division vet I know was certainly impressed by these little suckers! As to the banzai attacks, not so much.

Somewhere I read that this concept (the grenade discharger) was the genesis of what became the M79 grenade launcher of Vietnam fame.