I am working on a comprehensive handbook on Japanese explosive ordnance. I got tired of the inaccurate, incomplete and incredibly expensive and hard to find manuals, and decided to build my own. I began by photographing everything I could find in museums, progressed to EOD collections. I followed this with the US National Archives and now I’m working my way through private collectors. I am looking for ordnance to photgraph, wherever it may be found, or good clear photos. Thoughts?
Thanks, I photographed them when I was at the museum in May. Interestingly, the large red one (46cm) was designated as anti-aircraft. Still looking.
yes. there was an Fragmentation Anti-aircraft ammunition (sannshiki-散式or三式 I dont know which).
Unfortunately there is little information on much of the large caliber Japanese ammunition. In archive photos and physical examples we have found a number of designs that have proven quite difficult to reference. I’ve photographed four different models of 46cm projectile so far… Not a lot of information available. This is the same for much of the navy ordnance. Another area of difficulty is chemical. The data in most sources is very poor and does not match that of many of the pieces examined. After a while nearly all of the books become suspect - once you have looked at enough of them in many cases you can see the same photos reused over and over, with varied descriptions.
As far as I know the Yamato used two different APHE, a lighter AP with high HE load and a pure HE round. The Type 3 was a what we germans called a Brandschrapnel - an Incendiary shrapnel.
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What I have photographed so far is three different designs of AP projectiles and the Incendiary Shrapnel. I have also recovered a photo of a fourth variation of AP from a post war ONI document. I have had no luck yet finding any examples of straight HE (46cm) to photograph. Suggestions are welcome. The best information I have found yet is from the ONI document and an article done some years ago by Jim OBrien for the IAA Journal. Jim got most of his information from a former crewman.
Here is a pic from a museum (Russel military museum, Il. ) visit I made a year or so ago. Not certain of any nomenclature, but its a clear pic, You can also view it in a larger size if you go to the original thread. Visit to the Russell Military Museum.
Thanks for the reply - don’t see too much Japanese, but its good to know that there is a new collection to visit. The next time I am home I will see if I can get down and check it out.
Does anyone have anything on the Japanese Naval Short Mortars? This was apparently (?) a very rough modification of conventional Japanese mortars, removing the tail boom and welding the fins directly to the body. The flash holes were replaced with vertical slits about 4mm wide. Only one example is known of today, and there are very few references. One document that was printed in July of 45 was titled “Japanese Naval Short Mortars”. In this documents it mentions an 8cm, 12cm, 12.7cm and 15cm. I have only four pages, but included is a photo of the 15cm, which matches the known piece exactly. Beyond this I have found one Signal Corps photo showing an open case of two, with other cases visable, and a single rough photo which is included in the US Nvala Technical Mission to Japan Ordnance Target Report O-19, Japanese Projectiles, General Types. I was going to attach this photo, but I need to first learn how the attachment process works here.
The document is a little confusing, in that it describes the mortar as being intended to utilise surplus naval projectiles, but the photo attached is clearly of a modified mortar. It mentions the weapons being first captured at Mindinao, PI. It further mentions the mortar as produced at Kure Arsenal. The photos of the crated examples were taken at Sasebo Naval Base in late 1945 - early 1946. It seems possible that the photo was mistakenly attached to the report, but the pages matched, same size, same wear, etc. Does anyone have anything on this?