Type 97 hand grenade
| Type 97 hand grenade | |
|---|---|
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| General Information | |
| Type: | Frag grenade |
| Country of origin: |
 Japan
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| Commissioning: | 1937 |
| Working time: | 1937 to 1945 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Combat weight: | 540 g |
| Charge: | 65 g TNT |
| Length: | 110 mm |
| Diameter: | 52 mm |
| Detonator: | Delay detonator |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Type 97 hand grenade ( Japanese 九七 式 手 榴 弾 , Kyūnana-shiki Teryūdan ) was the standard hand grenade of the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II .
History and Development
In 1937 (according to the Japanese calendar Kōki 2597) it was developed from its predecessor, the Type 91 hand grenade , which was mainly designed as ammunition for the Type 10 grenade launcher and the Type 89 grenade launcher . Due to the additional use as grenade launcher ammunition, this had a long delay time , making it only partially suitable for infantry use. In the Type 97 hand grenade, the time delay was reduced to 4–5 seconds, and the explosive charge could be increased somewhat, since a thread for the propellant charge cartridge was not required. Outwardly, it could hardly be distinguished from the Type 91, which is why paper labels warned of the shorter delay.
Like many models of the time, the Type 97 had a segmented metal body that shattered into splinters in the explosion . The standard impact fuse with delay could be replaced by a detonator or impact fuse without delay. From 1940 the type 100 rifle grenade launcher was used, with which this grenade could also be used as a rifle grenade . A special propellant charge was used for this because it did not have its own.
commitment
In order to arm the Type 97, the locking pin on the ring attached to it was first pulled out, causing the protective metal cap to fall off the firing pin protruding from the hand grenade. To activate the detonator, it was then hit on a hard object.
literature
- Leland Ness: Guide to Japanese Ground Forces 1937-1945: Volume 2: Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces. Helion & Company, 2014, ISBN 978-1-909982-75-8 .
- Will Fowler & Patrick Sweeney: The World Encyclopedia of Rifles and Machine Guns Hermes House, 2010, ISBN 978-1-84681-162-3 .
- Gordon L. Rottman: The Hand Grenade (Weapon) Osprey Publishing, 2015, ISBN 978-1-4728-0734-2 .
- David Miller: Fighting Men of World War II, Axis Forces . Uniforms, Equipment & Weapons of Axis Forces. 1st edition. Stackpole Books, 2007, ISBN 978-0-8117-0277-5 , Japan, p. 289.
Web links
Type 97 hand grenade WW2technik.de, accessed on December 11, 2016
Individual evidence
- ↑ David Harding (Ed.): Weapons Encyclopedia - 7000 years of weapons history . Motorbuch Verlag, ISBN 978-3-613-02894-4 , p. 89 .