WThe AA mine discharger was a Japanese anti-aircraft weapon of the Second World War. The device was a simple tube like an infantry mortar of 70 mm or 81 mm caliber. Instead of a standard mortar bomb, the projectile was a tube containing seven individual mines, each approximately 11/16ths of an inch in diameter (18 mm) and 3 inches (76 mm) long. Each mine was equipped with its own parachute. When fired, the mortar threw the shell to a range of 3,000 to 4,000 feet and a maximum altitude of approximately 600 m. The shell ejected the mines at the top of its arc. They would then float down on their parachutes. They were fused to detonate on contact or after a fixed time period, damaging nearby aircraft. The projectile could alternatively be launched using a standard Type 11 70 mm infantry mortar.
WThe Type 2 12 cm mortar is a smooth bore, muzzle-loading type mortar which, except for the firing mechanism, closely resembles the conventional Stokes-Brandt 81 mm mortar. The bipod and cradle of the two types of mortars are identical, except for size and the fact that the bipod legs can be removed as a unit from the cradle of the 120 mm mortar. The large, ribbed base plate has only one socket for the spherical projection on the barrel. A Type 2 120 mm mortar was reported captured at Leyte.
WThe Type 11 70 mm infantry mortar, was a muzzle-loading, rifled bore infantry mortar used by the Japanese. The Type 11 designation was given to this gun as it was accepted in the 11th year of Emperor Taishō's reign (1922). It was first used in 1922 and was the first mortar to be introduced by the Imperial Japanese Army. The mortar was later replaced by the Type 92 battalion gun.
WThe Type 89 grenade discharger , inaccurately and colloquially known as a knee mortar by Allied forces, is a Japanese grenade launcher or light mortar that was widely used 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 from its hefty recoil.
WThe Type 93 150 mm infantry mortar was a medium infantry mortar used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. The Type 93 designation was given to this mortar as it was accepted in the year 2593 of the Japanese calendar (1933).
WThe Type 94 90 mm mortar was a 90 mm smoothbore infantry mortar, introduced in 1935, used by the Japanese in World War II. The Type 94 designation was given to this gun as it was accepted in the year 2594 of the Japanese calendar (1934).
WThe Type 96 and Type 97 were Japanese 150 mm calibre mortars used during the Second World War. The Type 96 designation was given to this mortar as it was accepted in the year 2596 of the Japanese calendar (1936). It had a caliber of 150.5 mm, and approximately 90 were produced. The Type 96 was used in Iwo Jima and China, but its performance is not known. In 1941 the weapon was developed into the more portable Type 97 150 mm Mortar, which simply has the recoil absorber removed.
WThe Type 97 81 mm infantry mortar was a Japanese mortar used primary by Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. The Type 97 designation was given to this gun as it was accepted in the year 2597 of the Japanese calendar (1937). It entered service in 1937. Japanese infantry units often are equipped with 81-mm mortars. The Type 97 81 mm mortar is very commonly used and is referred to by the Japanese as an "Infantry Gun", which breaks down into 3 sections for transport. The markings which appear on the base of the barrel read "97 model small trench mortar."
WThe Type 97 90 mm infantry mortar was a simplified version of the Japanese Type 94 90 mm Infantry Mortar. The Type 97 designation was given to this gun as it was accepted in the year 2597 of the Japanese calendar (1937).
WThe Type 98 50 mm mortar was a Japanese smooth-bore, muzzle-loading weapon of the mid 20th century. The Type 98 designation was given to this weapon because it was accepted in the year 2598 of the Japanese calendar (1938)
WThe Type 99 81 mm mortar was a Japanese mortar used primary by Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. The Type 99 designation was given to this mortar as it was accepted in the year 2599 of the Japanese calendar (1939). The Type 99 81 mm mortar is typical of the Stokes-Brandt type mortar. The Type 99 81 mm mortar differs from the Type 97 81 mm infantry mortar in the shortness of its tube and in the method of firing. The differences between the Type 99 and the US 81-mm mortar, M1 are pronounced.