|
The Type 3 81 mm mortar is a smooth bore, muzzle-loading infantry weapon used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. The Type 3 designation was given to this gun as it was accepted in the 3rd year of Emperor Taishō's reign (1914).〔War Department Special Series No 25 ''Japanese Field Artillery'' October 1944〕 ==Design== Two specimens of the Type 3 81 mm mortar were captured in the Marshall Islands during the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign which occurred between late 1943 and early 1944. They are marked "Type 3 81 mm Trench mortar made in 1943, Yokosuka Navy Arsenal". Despite the Type designation, the mortar was believed to be a forerunner of the Type 97 81 mm infantry mortar, the base plate of which can be used with the Type 3. 〔War Department Special Series No 30 ''Japanese Mortars and Grenade Dischargers'' 1945〕 The general appearance of the Type 3 is identical with that of the Type 97 90 mm Infantry Mortar which was accepted by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1937, (year 2597 on the Japanese calendar). The tube of the Type 3 has the same length as that of the Type 97, but on the former there are two collars machined on the forward portion of the barrel for securing the bipod clamp. The bipod of the Type 3 is constructed of light-weight tubing, and there is no cross-leveling device. Rough cross-leveling adjustment could be made, however, by breaking the bipod support and moving the leg on the low side inward.〔 The threads of the traversing and elevating mechanisms are of the square type, rather than of the efficient buttress type utilized in the Type 97. No sight has been reported for the Type 3, and the sight for the Type 97 will not fit. The sight mount of the Type 3 is considered unstable. The total weight of the Type 3 is . The tube weighs , the bipod , and the base plate .〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Type 3 81 mm Mortar」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|