Please Note: Images contained in this listing of the WWII Japanese Type 89 Grenade Discharger ("Knee Mortar") in action or in a diagrammatic sketch, the Arisaka Type 99 rifle, the Japanese Rising Sun Battle Flag or the partial image of the King & Country U.S. M4 Sherman Tank are for HISTORICAL PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE SALE OF THIS TYPE 89 MORTAR TEAM SET AND ANTI TANK SUICIDE BOMBER!
The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA;
大日本帝國陸軍 Dai-Nippon Teikoku
Rikugun; "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the official
ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was
controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry
of War, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor of Japan as
supreme commander of the army and the navy. Later an Inspectorate General of
Aviation became the third agency with oversight of the army. During wartime or
national emergencies, the nominal command functions of the emperor would be
centralized in an Imperial General Headquarter (IGHQ), an ad-hoc body
consisting of the chief and vice chief of the Army General Staff, the Minister
of War, the chief and vice chief of the Naval General Staff, the Inspector
General of Aviation, and the Inspector General of Military Training.
In 1941, the Imperial Japanese Army had 51 divisions and various
special-purpose artillery, cavalry, anti-aircraft, and armored units with a total
of 1,700,000 men. At the beginning of the Second World War, most of the
Japanese Army (27 divisions) was stationed in China. A further 13 divisions
defended the Mongolian border, due to concerns about a possible attack by the
Soviet Union. From 1942, soldiers were sent to Hong Kong (23rd Army), the
Philippines (14th Army), Thailand (15th Army), Burma (15th
Army), Dutch East Indies (16th Army), and Malaya (25th Army). By 1945, there
were 5.5 million men in the Imperial Japanese Army.
From 1943, Japanese troops suffered from a shortage of supplies,
especially food, medicine, munitions, and armaments, largely due to submarine interdiction
of supplies, and losses to Japanese shipping, which was worsened by a
longstanding rivalry with the Imperial Japanese Navy. The lack of supplies
caused large numbers of fighter aircraft to become unserviceable due to the
absence of spare parts. This lack of supplies also resulted in "as many as
two-thirds of Japan's total military deaths to be the result of illness or
starvation".
HISTORICAL NOTE CONTINUED: JAPANESE TYPE 89 GRENADE DISCHARGER "KNEE MORTAR"
The Type 89 Grenade Discharger (八九式重擲弾筒, Hachikyū-shiki jū-tekidantō), inaccurately and colloquially known as a knee mortar by Allied forces, is a Japanese grenade launcher or light mortar that was widely used by the Japanese Imperial Army in the Pacific Theater of World War II. It got the nickname the "knee mortar" because of an erroneous Allied belief that these launchers could be fired by propping its plate against the leg. However, anyone trying to fire it this way would receive a severe bruise (or sometimes a broken leg) from its hefty recoil.
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 rifled barrel. The Type 89 could fire two types of grenades or shells: the Type 91 Grenade, which was a normal infantry fragmentation grenade adapted to the Type 89 discharger, and the Type 89 50mm shell, which was an impact-detonated shell with considerably more explosive power.
Please Note: Images contained in this listing of the WWII Japanese Type 89 Grenade Discharger ("Knee Mortar") in action or in a diagrammatic sketch, the Arisaka Type 99 rifle, the Japanese Rising Sun Battle Flag or the partial image of the King & Country U.S. M4 Sherman Tank are for HISTORICAL PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE SALE OF THIS TYPE 89 MORTAR TEAM SET AND ANTI TANK SUICIDE BOMBER!
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Note: Although we have never visited Pearl Harbor nor any of the areas of the Pacific Theatre, we have visited the Normandy region on numerous occasions, including all five of the D-Day Landing Beaches and many of the towns inland. In addition, we have also visited London, England and have toured the Churchill War Rooms, Imperial War Museum and outside of London, the sprawling fields of IWM Duxford Air Field. Although sometimes not forefront in thoughts about WWII air wars, the winter of 1944-45, once the fog and heavy cloud cover had disappeared, proved a pivotal time during the Battle of the Bulge as Allied aircraft were able to attack German Armor and troops on the ground. In visiting the Bastogne area, including the Baugnez '44 Museum, the site of the Malmedy Massacre, their are references to the importance of the air war, especially in the latter stages of this decisive conflict. In addition, should you ever want to visit the area in and around London, Duxford, Cambridge, Normandy or Bastogne, we would be willing to share our experiences or trip itinerary with you, which may help to make your travel through the area easier and perhaps make the historical experience more valuable.
Please contact us for
information concerning other Retired and New King & Country sets. We have
been a successful retailer with King & Country since 1999, marketing their
line of connoisseur quality
military miniatures, vehicles and scenery pieces. We are listed on the King
& Country website as an authorized & licensed dealer and welcome your DIRECT CONTACT for any of these miniatures that are Not
Listed in Our eBay Store.
In addition, we also
offer a unique selection of WWII Militaria items; Original and Reproduction
WWII U.S. and German Helmets, Uniforms and Equipment/Gear and Museum
Quality Restored Original U.S. M-1 Helmets and Converted U.S. M-2 & M-1C
Paratrooper Helmets.
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