Type 10 Grenade - History and Development

History and Development

After the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, the Japanese army experimented with a variety of grenades; however, no design reached mass production. Japanese military observers in the European front of World War I noted the technical development and tactical application of hand grenades as infantry support weapons with considerable interest, and the Army Technical Bureau was tasked with a project to develop a grenade launcher that could be used in combination with the Type 38 rifle, the Japanese Army's standard infantry weapon. The project failed for a variety of reasons, including too small a bore, too long a gun barrel and difficulties with a propellant. The Technical Bureau then turned to a World War I-vintage German design for a small signal mortar, which was developed into the stand-alone Type 10 Grenade Discharger. The Type 10 grenade was designed for use with this grenade launcher when attached to a base containing a primer and propelling charge. It could also be thrown by hand, or fired from a rifle grenade launcher with a tail assembly added.