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Type 99 (Grenade)

1939 WORLD WAR 2

History

Grenades originated in ancient history, when it was known that flammable contents could be packed in stone or ceramic boxes and thrown at the enemy thereby causing huge area damage and also in combat psychological factors. World War I (1914-1918) surpassed its use in infantry warfare, and by the time of World War II (1939-1945) the grenade had become the standard infantry-level weapon adopted by many countries leading the conflict.

The Empire of Japan used several different types of grenades during this period, some like the Type 10 developed after World War I, while the Type 91 and Type 97 were added between the two world wars. The Type 99 was subsequently introduced in 1939 to address the problems arising from the operational use of the Type 97. The Type 97 originated from the earlier Type 91, which had a considerable delay before detonating. The Type 97 was only a slightly improved form, as it had a shortened fuze timer, but not the destructive capabilities of the grenades used by the Allies.

It also cannot be fired from standard "grenade launchers" (such as the 100 series) - these weapons are the equivalent of personal mortar systems, but with far less lethality.

Following this emergence, the Type 99 itself emerged as a modification of the Type 97 and was assigned to units of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) and the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The design, directed by the Army Technical Directorate, has some changes from the earlier Type 97.

Its body no longer has the segmentation popular with war shells - the outer shell is smooth. Using a similar cylindrical mould, the filling consisted of 58 grams of cast pyroacid. A pyrotechnic delay of 4-5 seconds forms the detonation mechanism. In addition to the traditional manual throwing action, the Type 99 also has the inherent ability to be fired using the Type 100 series unloader or through an adapter for the muzzle of a standard Japanese military rifle.

The activation sequence on the Model 99 has also been simplified - the operator pulls the safety pin and hits the safety on a hard surface. Then throw grenades at the enemy in the usual way.

The Type 99 was in service from 1939 to 1945. They were first encountered by U.S. forces during the Battle of Kiska as part of the 1942-43 Aleutian Islands campaign. Because of this, the grenade is known as the "Kiska grenade" in American jargon.

Combat use ended more or less immediately with the surrender of Japan in August 1945.