In many film and television dramas on the theme of the Anti-Japanese War, you can see the figure of the grenadier, who invented this ultra-light mortar, there is no way to investigate, but the Japanese army in World War II is equipped with the most grenadiers, and each squad of 50 to 70 people is equipped with a grenadier team.
At the beginning of World War II, each group had two grenadier canisters, which were carried by individual soldiers because of their light weight, less than 3 kilograms. The launch of the grenadier is also very simple, first by the shooter first pull the firing rod, and then load the ammunition from the barrel mouth, hold the launch canister with the left hand, turn the handle according to the target distance to adjust the rod to reach the corresponding length, the shooter through the aiming line for general aiming, pull the belt on the firing machine, hit the bottom of the fire explosive to shoot the grenade out.
The grenadier canister is not small, the caliber is generally less than 50 mm, but its power is not small. This kind of ** has the characteristics of large firing angle, short launch preparation time, convenient operation and ballistic bending, etc., and is specially designed to kill and injure targets hiding behind fortifications or concealment. The killing radius of the grenadier is about 5 to 8 meters, and if a grenade falls in a densely populated place, it can kill and injure dozens of people, which is quite powerful for a 50 mm caliber **.
The Japanese army used Taisho 10-type and **-type grenadiers in World War II, and their ranges were 175 meters and 500 meters, respectively. During the Battle of Songhu in 1937, the Japanese army used a large number of grenadiers, causing a large number of grenadiers to the resisting squadrons. A brigade under the 18th Army of the National Revolutionary Army was equipped with 36 light and heavy machine guns, and under the fire of Japanese grenadiers and light artillery, there were still 4 that could be used. In the Battle of Wuhan in 1938, in order to break through the stubborn resistance, the Japanese army used a grenadier to launch a highly toxic and erosive poisonous gas mustard gas, causing a large number of our anti-Japanese soldiers and civilians.
The grenadier also has the advantage of being cheaper. Before World War II, Japan was the most advanced industrial country in Asia, and the manufacture of grenadiers was easy for Japan, which had a mature military industry, so the cost of mass production of grenadiers was very low. According to the records of the Japanese Army Ordnance Headquarters in 1941, in the provisional table of weapons adjusted in December of the same year, the 38 type infantry rifle called the 38 type infantry gun was 90 yen each, while the Taisho 10-style grenadier was only 97 yen. Such a cheap ** is simply too cost-effective compared to the good record of the grenadier.
Due to its great power and cheapness, the Japanese army was equipped with about 120,000 grenadiers of various types before and after World War II. This kind of front-line support, which belongs to the platoon level, can carry out tactical strikes in a timely manner according to the needs of the battlefield, and it is very convenient to use.