
Specifications
Year: 1937
Manufacturer(s): State Factories - Imperial Japan
Roles: Area Effect;
Manufacturer(s): State Factories - Imperial Japan
Roles: Area Effect;
Action: Timed Fuse Explosive; Thrown
Caliber(s): Not Applicable
Sights: Not Applicable
Overall Length: 98 mm (3.86 in)
Weight (Unloaded): 0.99 lb (0.45 kg)
Caliber(s): Not Applicable
Sights: Not Applicable
Overall Length: 98 mm (3.86 in)
Weight (Unloaded): 0.99 lb (0.45 kg)
Operators: Imperial Japan
In practice, the Type 97 was not a complete anti-personnel solution for it lacked the inherent "punch" when compared to contemporaries of the day - primarily British and American hand grenades it faced in the Asia-Pacific Theater. The fuse was not a wholly sound mechanism and proven to be generally unreliable (and in some instances quite dangerous for the operator). Nevertheless, it remained the standard-issue fragmentation hand grenade for Japanese Army and Marine forces for the period spanning 1937 to the end of the war in 1945 due to its widespread availability. It saw further service in the Soviet-Japanese Border War (1932-1945) as well as the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945).
The Type 97 series was slightly improved in the upcoming "Type 99" model line which appeared in 1939 and was used until 1945. The Type 99 proved more versatile and did not require the operator to thread the firing pin into action. It became a standardized "rifle grenade" during the Second Sino-Japanese War and garnered the nickname of "Kiska Grenade" by the Allies.
Variants / Models
• Type 97 - Base Series Designation