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TYPE 89 HEAVY GRENADE DISCHARGER - a short ranged mortar desired to be fired braced on the ground, the "knee mortar" gave the Japanese infantryman a huge advantage in short-range firepower. The best an average GI might throw a grenade is around 100 feet, 35 yards. The Type 89 could place a grenade up to twenty times that distance. They were cheap, light, simple, not primitive, extremely dangerous and utterly ubiquitous.  The 503d had a mortar platoon in each Company, normally with three 60mm mortars. The  Japanese would have a 50mm mortar launcher in each squad. The US standard launcher weighed in at about 43 lbs, whereas the Type 89 weighed in at 12 lbs. They were easy to use, robust, and amazingly accurate. It was initially called a "leg mortar" because it was carried strapped to the leg. In captured documents, "leg mortar" was mistranslated as "knee mortar".   It was fired by a toggle string, not by dropping the mortar round down the weapon's barrel. How many allied servicemen broke their thigh using trophy examples of this weapon is unknown,  so hopefully this is not a photograph of an idiot about to get himself a self-inflicted wound. The 'trooper has been identified as Dodson.

� 2009 Doyle Wester & 503d PRCT Heritage Bn - all rights reserved