Type 97 81 mm infantry mortar
| Type 97 81 mm infantry mortar | |
|---|---|
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| General Information | |
| Manufacturer designation: | 九七 式 曲 射 歩 兵 砲 |
| Manufacturer country: |
 Japan
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| Production time: | 1937 to 1945 |
| Weapon Category: | mortar |
| Technical specifications | |
| Pipe length: | 1.269 m |
| Caliber : |
81.4 mm |
| Caliber length : | L / 15.6 |
| Weight ready for use: | 67 kg |
| Elevation range: | + 45 ° to +85 degrees |
| Furnishing | |
| Ammunition supply: | individually |
The Type 97 81-mm infantry mortar ( Japanese 九七 式 曲 射 歩 兵 砲 , Kyūnana-shiki kyokusha Hoheihō ) was a mortar used by the Imperial Japanese Army in the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War from 1937 to 1945 . The designation Type 97 indicates the year the troops were introduced, the year Kōki 2597 or 1937 according to the Gregorian calendar.
history
The Type 97 81 mm infantry mortar was a smooth barrel mortar that could fire grenades weighing 3.33 kg up to 2900 meters in steep fire. It was very similar to the American M1 mortar and could even fire American M43 81-mm light grenades . The type 97 had a collimator - visor , which was heavier and more complex than its American counterpart , the M1. The grenades could be fired with impact or delay fuses.
The Type 97 81 mm infantry mortar was the most widely used mortar in the army and was used until the end of the war in 1945.
ammunition
The Type 97 could fire Japanese Type 100 high-explosive shells with the Type 100 impact fuse. The grenade weighed about 3.33 kg. Since there were weight deviations in the manufacture of the ammunition, this affected the range of the grenades, as lighter projectiles flew further and heavier ones hit shorter. For this reason, one of the following five markings was put on the grenades: "++", "+", "+/−", "-", "−−", with "+/−" standing for normal weight. “++” meant that the grenade was 1.5% to 2.5% “overweight” and “+” meant a weight gain of 0.5% to 1.5%. Conversely, the same was true, only negative (lighter), for grenades marked with “-” or “−−”. Based on the markings, the gun operator knew whether or not they had to adjust the barrel angle in order to hit the same target with differently marked shells.
Technical specifications
- Caliber: 81.4 mm
- Caliber length: L / 15.6
- Gun length: 1.269 m
- Elevation range: + 45 ° to + 85 °
- Gun weight: 67 kg
- Bullet weight: 3.33 kg
- Muzzle velocity V 0 = 196 m / s
- Maximum range: 2900 m
variants
The ground forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy used the Type 97 mortar under the designation Type 3 Mortar .
literature
- Philip Jowett: "The Japanese Army 1931-45 (1): 1931-42", Osprey Publishing, 2002, ISBN 978-1-84176-353-8 .
Web links
- Type 97 81 mm Infantry Mortar. Taki's homepage, accessed January 5, 2015 .
- Model 97 (1937) 81-mm mortar. HyerWar, accessed April 13, 2015 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Type 97 81 mm Infantry Mortar. Taki's homepage, accessed January 5, 2015 .
- ↑ a b Model 97 (1937) 81-mm mortar. HyerWar, accessed April 13, 2015 .
- ↑ a b 81 mm Type 100 HE Mortar Round. Inert Ord, accessed April 13, 2015 .