How would the Type 89 grenade launcher fair in Europe?

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Right, as I said from all the PoWs at wars end up when Germany surrendered; that's not exactly combat casualties, that's losing the war and surrendering en masse in the millions.

Casualties are casualties, and that figure specifically removed those disarmed after the war.
 

trurle

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Up to 600m. Even 200m is better than rifle grenades and harder hitting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifle_grenade#Comparison_of_performance

I think an error was made during translation. The Japanese wikipedia page actually states:
1) 670m was the range for Type 10/Type91 800 gram fragmentation grenades (these can be launched also from older Type 10 launcher)
2) Later in the war, winged version of Type 91 increased the range to 800m
3) 200m was the range of heavy Type 89 HE bomb (1.46kg). Type 89 bomb was actually designed to match Type 92 Battalion Gun 70mm shell explosive strength to give a kill radius 10m.

The usage of light and heavy shells was different, of course. Light grenades to kill enemy infantry in open while heavy bombs are mostly against MG pillboxes. Actually, Japanese loved anti-pillbox mortar concept very much. Their 50mm combat engineer mortar (Type 98) were capable to hurl a 4.5kg bomb (larger than 8 cm Granatwerfer 34).

About operational effectiveness of Japanese Type 89 launcher:
*poor in OTL
*would be average if enough ammunition supplied
*would be very good if enough ammunition and a means to carry it are supplied

Japanese claimed to pick-off an US MG team at maximal range from first shot. Unfortunately, usually each launcher was supplied only with 8 light grenades. Heavy bombs were issued on special occasion. So given explosive filling of each grenade 0.3kg, low-caliber multiplier of 10 and basic high-angle fire efficiency 8 KIA/ton, the IJA division with 332 Type 89 launchers will be able to kill 0.0003*10*8*8*332=65 US or Chinese soldiers. Counting wounded, Japanese soldier with Type 89 launcher defending in ideal conditions can inflict to enemy 1:1 casualty before running out of ammunition. Actually, if rate of fire 25 rounds/minute can be sustained (need a reloader for this), and 2-line advance of US troops with average speed 1.5 m/s it would be most efficient to supply each launcher with 125 grenades to run out of ammo just before being overrun. But Japanese simply were not able to produce so much ammunition.. Also, if so much grenades were available, the team to carry and fire it will most likely include 8 men (Artillerist, reloader, reserve artillerist, reserve reloader, 4 ammunition porters). If such teams would be possible, the casualties ratio can be 2:1 in favour of Japanese.
So, conclusion: Japanese should have at least a motorbike (to carry ammunition) for each Type 89 launcher to be efficient. But given the pitiful state of their auto-mobile industry (as well as ammunition industry), it was plainly impossible.

Returning to original question: how about German Motorcycle Battalions in Europe armed with something like Type 89 mortar? They can roll off-road, smash light Soviet fortifications and hold it against 10-times amount of light infantry.
 
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The Type 89 wasn't only used against the Americans. Therefore the casualty rates of "2,000,000+ dead (1937–45)" stands.

And you posted "millions of casualties" as a response to my mention of the US military. Do you think these were all the responsibility of the Type 89, not Japan's decision to fight against several world powers simultaneously? Even then, Allied military deaths (including Chinese) were around 3 times higher than the IJA's.
 
And you posted "millions of casualties" as a response to my mention of the US military. Do you think these were all the responsibility of the Type 89, not Japan's decision to fight against several world powers simultaneously? Even then, Allied military deaths (including Chinese) were around 3 times higher than the IJA's.

Of course not. Did you really think I'd believe the Type 89 was the POD that could bring the entire Japanese empire from defeat.
Furthermore that leads me to understand then that the Marines all suffered so heavily because of the Type 89 - which I think both of us know isn't true.
 
Of course not. Did you really think I'd believe the Type 89 was the POD that could bring the entire Japanese empire from defeat.
Furthermore that leads me to understand then that the Marines all suffered so heavily because of the Type 89 - which I think both of us know isn't true.

The Type 89 was quite the thorn in the side for Allied commanders, and had the war gone on it would have been even worse:

From Giangreco (2009) pg. 166:

...As an example, production was already flying on the simple Type 89 grenade launcher - really a personal mortar - in the summer of 1945 because it had become apparent that the weapon, nicknamed "knee mortar," had been responsible for a high percentage of the American casualties on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Some 28,428 were available [in the Home Islands] at wars' end, and production of their ballistic grenades had far surpassed individual weapons needs as 51 million, or 1,796 per barrel, were turned over to the Americans.
 
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