Type 3 grenade

Type 3 "Anti-tank" grenade
Type	Anti-tank grenade
Place of origin	Empire of Japan
Service history
In service	1943 - 1945
Used by	Imperial Japanese Army
Specifications
Weight	various
Length	various
Diameter	various

The Type 3 "Anti-Tank" Hand Grenade is a Japanese grenade produced from 1943 to 1945 during World War II. It was designed to destroy the Allies tanks. There are three variants (sub-types) of the weapon: Ko (Type A), Otsu (Type B), and Hei (Type C).

History

Throughout World War II, the U.S bombings gradually degraded the Japanese munition manufacturing base. Manufacturers were soon forced to find new, inexpensive and creative ways to produce grenades. Contrary to the Russians or Germans, the heavy armor threat was not very present, thus explaining the late development of the hollow charge. The type 3 had a simplistic design and was made from expendable materials. This made the weapon relatively easy to produce.

This Japanese grenade is extremely hard to find today.

Design

The Type 3 has an odd and cheap appearance. It has a tear drop-like shape. The grenade consists of a thin steel cone mounted on a wooden standoff head. The explosive is cast around the cone and covered by a cloth bag made of either silk or hemp twine. The upper extremity is made of a very basic impact firing mechanism. The hemp tail attached at the top serves as a stabilizer for when the grenade is in flight, thus ensuring that the target is struck successfully. When thrown, the type 3's twine seemed to create a tail-like skirt.

The grenade has a penetration power of 70 mm. This shows that it exceeds the penetration of the Type 99 Magnetic Grenade.

Sub-Types

There are three official variants of the Type 3 Hand Grenade.

Ko (Type A) This variant has a length of 17.3 cm, a diameter of 11 cm and a weight of 1270 grams. The explosive filling is RDX/TNA and has a weight of 853 grams. The color of the sack is either white or brown-yellow.

Otsu (Type B) This variant has a length of 14.8 cm, a diameter of 10 cm and a weight of 853 grams. The explosive filling is PETN & TNT and has a weight of 690 grams. The color of the sack is either white or brown-yellow.

Hei (Type C) This variant has a length of 15 cm, a diameter of 10 cm and a weight of 830 grams. The explosive filling is Picric Acid and has a weight of 690 grams. The color of the sack is yellow.

Sources

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