George, John B. Shots Fired in Anger. 2nd edition. National Rifle Association of America, 1981. Pages 357–358.This line between the knee-mortar’s use as a grenade launcher and a mortar is thinly drawn. Different people have different ideas on the subject. My concept of a grenade launcher has always been that it must be fired directly, with the gunner observing the target and aiming right at it, and that it also must be fired with grenades for ammunition. When so used, the weapon is merely serving to increase the distance of grenade projection beyond the limits of hand-throwing and perhaps to also increase the accuracy of the throw.
A mortar, on the other hand, is used to increase the weight of the missile as well as the range, throwing a heavier charge a greater distance and performing a mission beyond the capabilities of any mere grenade launcher. A mortar is also habitually fired from defilade and aimed indirectly more often than not. So when the Japanese 50mm rifled grenade launcher, knee-mortar, or whatnot is fired with its heavier shells I prefer to call it a mortar. It fills the same job with this heavier shell as own 60mm weapon which our books refer to as a mortar.
The real benefits of the Japanese knee-mortar are derived from its extreme lightness and portability, which make its support available to the very smallest units. Its employment allows a group of four or five men to actually attack or hold with the ready support of a reliable, curved-trajectory weapon. In Japanese book tactics the platoon was the unit which utilized the weapon in coordinated support with one of its squads firing four such weapons to keep the enemy pinned down while the remainder of the platoon’s squads maneuvered in the attack or held in defense. Such employment, under a platoon leader’s control, is very similar to the role of our own light mortars.
Kiipu
George, John B. Shots Fired in Anger. 2nd edition. National Rifle Association of America, 1981. Pages 357–358.
It is worthy of note that the Japanese called the Type 10 a grenade discharger (GD) 擲彈筒 while the Type 89 was called a heavy grenade discharger (HGD) 重擲彈筒. The Type 10 was employed initially as a grenade launcher but with the advent of the Type 89 HGD was relegated to headquarters for signalling purposes.
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