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jap mortar
- Thread starter steelshot
- Start date
Very nice looking 81mm mortar. It looks to be in very good shape! As is with most that came back out of the war, someone has put the incorrect fuze on it. That fuze wasn't used on mortar ammo. There are a number of postings/threads here on BOCN with photos of the proper fuze.
BOUGAINVILLE
Well-Known Member
Can you give length of mortar excluding the incorrect fuze. The reason that I ask is that without any idea on size and visible distinguishing markings it can be hard to tell a 90mm mortar apart from a 81mm mortar in a photo.
Can you take a photo of any markings, in particular the stamped markings giving date of manufacture and arsenal and I will interpret them for you.
Is there a filling mark at all? This would be a white circle with a Kana character inside and a few white stencilled numbers to the left. This will show date and place of filling which may and may not be the manufacturing arsenal.
Can you take a photo of any markings, in particular the stamped markings giving date of manufacture and arsenal and I will interpret them for you.
Is there a filling mark at all? This would be a white circle with a Kana character inside and a few white stencilled numbers to the left. This will show date and place of filling which may and may not be the manufacturing arsenal.
Agreed, it can be very difficult to tell without a point of reference, but in this case, based on the Type 88 fuze, I'd give it to Hazord. Cleaned the photo up a bit, blew it up and cropped it - the Type 88 is a touch over 31mm in diameter, the mortar in the photo is about 2 1/2 fuze diameters across. With that adapter I'd guess a Type 100?
will try different camera,fuse change must have been at point of discharge from service pop dudley was in a strange situation i believe he was navy but attached to the army caused a lot of veteran status trouble after war,he was old enough to have a son in law in service same time he volunteered.he passed just before i married his granddaughter,never got chance to ask about this.i know he was privy to war attrocities commited by the japs and had a hatred of them he carried long after war.my guess he wanted a trophy to bring home and this was available, besides pictures of half naked native girls lol.
@Robert & Jeff:
Here's an easy trick I use for "quick visual IDing" of 81mm mortar rounds, vs. the 90mm mortar rounds: check the holes in the tail; the 81mm ones I have seen all have 3 holes whereas my 90mm mortar round has 4 holes. Most often these holes are visible in pictures, as is the case here. I clearly see 3 holes, so I too am inclined to think this is an 81mm one.
Note: One doesn't get to see all that many 90mm mortar rounds, so I'm not sure if this trick is 100% bullet proof. There's of course always a possibility that some 90mm mortar rounds had 3 holes too...
Cheers,
Olafo
Here's an easy trick I use for "quick visual IDing" of 81mm mortar rounds, vs. the 90mm mortar rounds: check the holes in the tail; the 81mm ones I have seen all have 3 holes whereas my 90mm mortar round has 4 holes. Most often these holes are visible in pictures, as is the case here. I clearly see 3 holes, so I too am inclined to think this is an 81mm one.
Note: One doesn't get to see all that many 90mm mortar rounds, so I'm not sure if this trick is 100% bullet proof. There's of course always a possibility that some 90mm mortar rounds had 3 holes too...
Cheers,
Olafo
the body of round minus fuse assem is 11and 1/8"inches.
if the fuse is incorrect ,what does it belong to?maybe they were in a pile deactivated?and dudley picked through it to get complete looking mortar souvenir?the black parts are marked separately 1877 so he must have asked to have one emptied i don't think a guy on detail to deactivate would bother screwing them together just toss them,?there is no white line fill mark unless lost to time just scratches from removing powder.still has residue.
if the fuse is incorrect ,what does it belong to?maybe they were in a pile deactivated?and dudley picked through it to get complete looking mortar souvenir?the black parts are marked separately 1877 so he must have asked to have one emptied i don't think a guy on detail to deactivate would bother screwing them together just toss them,?there is no white line fill mark unless lost to time just scratches from removing powder.still has residue.
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BOUGAINVILLE
Well-Known Member
It is definitely a 81 mm mortar round. It was produced at the Osaka Army Arsenal in March 1943. The crossed cannons represent Osaka Arsenal, while the number 3 is March and the Kanji symbols read Showa 18 which is 1943. Below the crossed cannons there is also the Kanji symbol meaning Saka (mountain slope) which is the last syllables of Osaka. This is short for Osaka.
As regarding the miss matched fuze check out my post on this thread for a full explanation;
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/83980-Japanese-Type-100-valuation?highlight=Japanese+mortar
The fuze currently on the mortar is a Type 88 Instantaneous Fuze and was among the standard fuzes used on many of the artillery ammunition and needed centrifugal force to arm them.
Here is a correct Type 100 fuze;
http://www.bocn.co.uk/gallery/showimage.php?i=8067&c=736
And a correct Type 93 fuze;
http://www.bocn.co.uk/gallery/showimage.php?i=8068&c=736
And here is my 81 mm mortar that I repainted;
http://www.bocn.co.uk/gallery/showimage.php?i=7850&c=736
Cheers,
BOUGAINVILLE
As regarding the miss matched fuze check out my post on this thread for a full explanation;
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/83980-Japanese-Type-100-valuation?highlight=Japanese+mortar
The fuze currently on the mortar is a Type 88 Instantaneous Fuze and was among the standard fuzes used on many of the artillery ammunition and needed centrifugal force to arm them.
Here is a correct Type 100 fuze;
http://www.bocn.co.uk/gallery/showimage.php?i=8067&c=736
And a correct Type 93 fuze;
http://www.bocn.co.uk/gallery/showimage.php?i=8068&c=736
And here is my 81 mm mortar that I repainted;
http://www.bocn.co.uk/gallery/showimage.php?i=7850&c=736
Cheers,
BOUGAINVILLE
BOUGAINVILLE
Well-Known Member
Just remember that mortars don't have rifled barrels and are propelled forward from the barrel by the gas circulating around the gascheck rings on the bourrelet forming a seal. There is no rotating force as produced by drive bands on artillery projectiles being forced through a rifled barrel. This rotating force produced by rifled barrels produces a centrifugal which is not found in mortar ammunition with some exceptions such as the Japanese 50mm mortar which had a unique gas expanding drive band and fired from a rifled mortar discharger.
Here is an explanation of how the Type 88 fuze works.
Before loading the round into the gun the safety fork (1A-red) is withdrawn leaving the set-back ferrule (6-yellow) free to move. On firing, the ferrule (6-yellow) sets back over the stirrup spring (8-orange) while the four spring fingers on the stirup spring move out to engage it the internal angular groove in the ferrule. The ferrule is thereby in the rear position leaving the four centrifugal segments (7-grey) free to move outwards.
At the same time, however, the striker and the striker head set back onto the centrifugal segments holding them in position during acceleration up the bore. This retaining of the segments in position is assisted by serrations knurled on the underside of the striker head. On deceleration the striker spring causes the striker to rise slightly while at the same time centrifugal force causes the segments to fly out, thus feeing the striker which, on impact, is driven on to the detonator.
As you can see if the Type 88 fuze was used on a Mortar Round the centrifugal segments would stay in place as they need centrifugal force to cause them to fly out and free the path of the striker to be driven into the detonator.
I hope this explanation helps you to understand the processes involved.
Cheers,
BOUGAINVILLE
Here is an explanation of how the Type 88 fuze works.
Before loading the round into the gun the safety fork (1A-red) is withdrawn leaving the set-back ferrule (6-yellow) free to move. On firing, the ferrule (6-yellow) sets back over the stirrup spring (8-orange) while the four spring fingers on the stirup spring move out to engage it the internal angular groove in the ferrule. The ferrule is thereby in the rear position leaving the four centrifugal segments (7-grey) free to move outwards.
At the same time, however, the striker and the striker head set back onto the centrifugal segments holding them in position during acceleration up the bore. This retaining of the segments in position is assisted by serrations knurled on the underside of the striker head. On deceleration the striker spring causes the striker to rise slightly while at the same time centrifugal force causes the segments to fly out, thus feeing the striker which, on impact, is driven on to the detonator.
As you can see if the Type 88 fuze was used on a Mortar Round the centrifugal segments would stay in place as they need centrifugal force to cause them to fly out and free the path of the striker to be driven into the detonator.
I hope this explanation helps you to understand the processes involved.
Cheers,
BOUGAINVILLE
Attachments
i can see the engineering is quite impressive ,i never took the fuse assem that capures the alum striker apart to see all this,figured the spring would be hard to reassemble.but apparently the centrifugal parts have been removed because the firing pin can be seen when i push the alum striker down by hand.is it possible that at end of war the japs under loss of resupply gerry rigged these fuses to work on contact in mortars?i have a rifle type 99 my dad brought back last ditch wood butt plate etc.
BOUGAINVILLE
Well-Known Member
There will be some minor play in the striker but this would not be enough to strike the detonator. To remove the centrifugal segments which in reality is the only safety mechanism once the safety forks have been removed would create a dangerous situation with setback on firing causing premature detonation. If it was rigged it could create a suicidal situation.
One also has no idea on what previous owners have done, example dismantling it and reassembling without the misplaced segments. One of my Type 88 fuzes has had a plunger head glued where the original one had corroded, this doesn't mean that it was done by a Japanese Soldier.
Another point is that Japanese mortars, as with all Japanese artillery ammunition, were shipped in crates which also included the correct fuzes packed separately in tins.
There was a fuze for every round and in some cases extra fuzes. There would be no need to rig the fuze and thus create a dangerous situation unless it was intended as a expedient mine, but I have seen no references of this having been done, which doesn't mean to say that it wasn't tried.
The shortage of materials towards the end of the war meant that materials were substituted such as steel instead of brass for fuze bodies and shell cases or less zinc with the copper for the brass etc. They didn't compromise on fuze functioning or safety.
Have included here some interesting technical links for PDF files that will give you all of the information needed;
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/downloads.php?do=file&id=288 (JAPANESE TYPE 88 NOSE PERCUSSION FUZES)
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/downloads.php?do=file&id=336 (AMMUNITION FOR JAPANESE 81MM MORTARS)
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/downloads.php?do=file&id=338 (AMMUNITION FOR JAPANESE 81MM MORTARS)
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/downloads.php?do=file&id=337 (JAPANESE MORTAR FUZES)
Hope this is of help.
Cheers,
BOUGAINVILLE
One also has no idea on what previous owners have done, example dismantling it and reassembling without the misplaced segments. One of my Type 88 fuzes has had a plunger head glued where the original one had corroded, this doesn't mean that it was done by a Japanese Soldier.
Another point is that Japanese mortars, as with all Japanese artillery ammunition, were shipped in crates which also included the correct fuzes packed separately in tins.
There was a fuze for every round and in some cases extra fuzes. There would be no need to rig the fuze and thus create a dangerous situation unless it was intended as a expedient mine, but I have seen no references of this having been done, which doesn't mean to say that it wasn't tried.
The shortage of materials towards the end of the war meant that materials were substituted such as steel instead of brass for fuze bodies and shell cases or less zinc with the copper for the brass etc. They didn't compromise on fuze functioning or safety.
Have included here some interesting technical links for PDF files that will give you all of the information needed;
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/downloads.php?do=file&id=288 (JAPANESE TYPE 88 NOSE PERCUSSION FUZES)
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/downloads.php?do=file&id=336 (AMMUNITION FOR JAPANESE 81MM MORTARS)
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/downloads.php?do=file&id=338 (AMMUNITION FOR JAPANESE 81MM MORTARS)
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/downloads.php?do=file&id=337 (JAPANESE MORTAR FUZES)
Hope this is of help.
Cheers,
BOUGAINVILLE
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Hi again,
As for these fuzes: there has been much debate (part of it by me) about it. For a while I too thought that perhaps the Japanese found a way to 'alter' the T88 fuze so it would work on an 81mm mortar round.
I have a 1945 (!) manufactured mortar round that came with a T88 Instantaneous fuze; the pull wire on the safety fork appears to have snapped, leaving the fork in place. Both the mortar round as well as the fuze have clear ricochet marks. It came to me via-via. According to the 'via' I got it from, he obtained it from a vet who swore it was fired as such at him, and landed nearby, not exploding. Who's to tell if the Japanese rookies in the heat of the battle at times did or did not make mix ups or desperate attempts?!?
However, fact is: a T88 fuze will NOT arm in such a mortar, so even if the fork would have been pulled properly, it should not have armed the fuze. One would think that the Japanese would be well aware of that, so even though that puts the validity of the vet's story in great doubt, it's still most likely that (almost) ANY 81mm mortar round with a T88 fuze originates from an incorrectly put together mortar round and spare fuze.
Do note that T88 fuzes are ubiquitous. 81mm mortar rounds are not uncommon either, but for some reason the proper mortar fuzes are MUCH less often seen. Then, add the fact that a T88 fuze (especially the instantaneous kind) fits perfectly on the mortar round and looks proper, and there you go: a recipe for a common mix-up!
As for field improvisations, these are in fact known (in small amounts) I believe it was in the Philippines where improvised 60mm mortar rounds have been encountered, with (field) improvised T88 instantaneous fuzes of which the rotational arming mechanism has been removed. Surely dangerous to handle!
I think this is a rather obscure item though; it certainly doesn't explain away the vast majority of T88s seen on 81mm mortar rounds.
Cheers,
Olafo
As for these fuzes: there has been much debate (part of it by me) about it. For a while I too thought that perhaps the Japanese found a way to 'alter' the T88 fuze so it would work on an 81mm mortar round.
I have a 1945 (!) manufactured mortar round that came with a T88 Instantaneous fuze; the pull wire on the safety fork appears to have snapped, leaving the fork in place. Both the mortar round as well as the fuze have clear ricochet marks. It came to me via-via. According to the 'via' I got it from, he obtained it from a vet who swore it was fired as such at him, and landed nearby, not exploding. Who's to tell if the Japanese rookies in the heat of the battle at times did or did not make mix ups or desperate attempts?!?
However, fact is: a T88 fuze will NOT arm in such a mortar, so even if the fork would have been pulled properly, it should not have armed the fuze. One would think that the Japanese would be well aware of that, so even though that puts the validity of the vet's story in great doubt, it's still most likely that (almost) ANY 81mm mortar round with a T88 fuze originates from an incorrectly put together mortar round and spare fuze.
Do note that T88 fuzes are ubiquitous. 81mm mortar rounds are not uncommon either, but for some reason the proper mortar fuzes are MUCH less often seen. Then, add the fact that a T88 fuze (especially the instantaneous kind) fits perfectly on the mortar round and looks proper, and there you go: a recipe for a common mix-up!
As for field improvisations, these are in fact known (in small amounts) I believe it was in the Philippines where improvised 60mm mortar rounds have been encountered, with (field) improvised T88 instantaneous fuzes of which the rotational arming mechanism has been removed. Surely dangerous to handle!
I think this is a rather obscure item though; it certainly doesn't explain away the vast majority of T88s seen on 81mm mortar rounds.
Cheers,
Olafo
BOUGAINVILLE
Well-Known Member
Hi,
With regards to Olafo's 81 mm round with a Type 88 fuze complete with matching graze marks. A possible explanation could be that with a mounting casualty rate that non combatant personnel were seconded from other sections that weren't trained with mortar and artillery use and that in a moment of shear panic the chain of events lead to not only a miss matched fuze but also the safety fork still essentially in place. No mortar or artillery man would load a round with the safety fork incompletely removed let alone the wrong fuze.
Another point to remember is that allied troops also, when the need arose, used Japanese weapons, sometimes at their own peril. As was the case with the improperly named Knee Mortar (50mm Discharger) which was rested on a hard surface and held at the correct angle before firing. Some US soldier rested one on his knee to fire it and shattered his leg. Due to incidents like this the US printed material for their troops on how to use captured weapons and ordnance.
Stories can be stretched and sometimes memories are tricked etc. Last year I met a chap who showed me a Japanese scope and swore by the story that his friends father had taken the scope from the rifle of a Japanese sniper that he had shot in Borneo. He found it very hard to believe when I eventually managed to gather the evidence to show him that it was actually a scope from a machine gun and not a sniper rifle. What I'm showing here is that stories can get twisted and they still swear by them.
Interesting if one can find references to the improvised 81 mm Rounds in the Philippines or where ever. I would have it a fair guess that they were improvised to be used as mines or booby traps and not fired as mortars. For a person to improvise my reckoning would be that they would have a very good understanding of the functioning of fuzes etc. they therefore wouldn't be intending to fire them from a mortar tube unless they were meant for someone to capture and try to use. This was a common practice leaving altered ordnance with the hope that the enemy would attempt to use it. A good example is the shortening of mills grenade fuzes so that the person throwing it is the victim. In this case the persons firing the mortar are at risk.
Cheers,
BOUGAINVILLE
With regards to Olafo's 81 mm round with a Type 88 fuze complete with matching graze marks. A possible explanation could be that with a mounting casualty rate that non combatant personnel were seconded from other sections that weren't trained with mortar and artillery use and that in a moment of shear panic the chain of events lead to not only a miss matched fuze but also the safety fork still essentially in place. No mortar or artillery man would load a round with the safety fork incompletely removed let alone the wrong fuze.
Another point to remember is that allied troops also, when the need arose, used Japanese weapons, sometimes at their own peril. As was the case with the improperly named Knee Mortar (50mm Discharger) which was rested on a hard surface and held at the correct angle before firing. Some US soldier rested one on his knee to fire it and shattered his leg. Due to incidents like this the US printed material for their troops on how to use captured weapons and ordnance.
Stories can be stretched and sometimes memories are tricked etc. Last year I met a chap who showed me a Japanese scope and swore by the story that his friends father had taken the scope from the rifle of a Japanese sniper that he had shot in Borneo. He found it very hard to believe when I eventually managed to gather the evidence to show him that it was actually a scope from a machine gun and not a sniper rifle. What I'm showing here is that stories can get twisted and they still swear by them.
Interesting if one can find references to the improvised 81 mm Rounds in the Philippines or where ever. I would have it a fair guess that they were improvised to be used as mines or booby traps and not fired as mortars. For a person to improvise my reckoning would be that they would have a very good understanding of the functioning of fuzes etc. they therefore wouldn't be intending to fire them from a mortar tube unless they were meant for someone to capture and try to use. This was a common practice leaving altered ordnance with the hope that the enemy would attempt to use it. A good example is the shortening of mills grenade fuzes so that the person throwing it is the victim. In this case the persons firing the mortar are at risk.
Cheers,
BOUGAINVILLE
Hi Robert,
Some further info on what you wrote: the concept of usage by US troops could indeed also explain it, but.. the vet did say it was fired AT him. But well, war stories can indeed 'stray' over the years, so it's always hard to tell for sure what went on and what did not.... The remark about the blatant errors in some such stories is obvious: I've seen modern era tank casings being offered as "vintage WW2" (when they didn't even exist yet!), then when confronting the seller with that, they often choose to ignore that inconvenient truth, in order to make a better sale. This doesn't always happen intentionally, of course, but sometimes it does. Same for blatant scams where all sorts of stuff supposedly all came from Iwo Jima (or other famous places), the only thing that lacks in those stories is that it was actually taken from the body of John Basilone himself, if you catch my drift.
As for the improvised mortars in the Philippines: I misremembered the calibre by a fraction; it's actually not 60mm but 58mm (not 81mm though!), and yes, by all means the ones who manufactured them would be *very* well trained in the functioning of the parts they were comprised off. The reference can be found a.o. in OpNav 30-3M, on page 165 (attached).
It would be my guess, that such weapons were only made in locations where regular provision had become a BIG problem, as it will have taken a lot of effort (and added danger) to fabricate these improvised rounds. Surely this was done in the later stages of the war, when supplies were heavily cut off...
Another possible explanation is that in some locations the Japanese will have had a lot of time with little to do, possibly causing them to become 'creative' in improvising weapons. There are certainly a great many documented types of Japanese made booby traps, made from just about anything (bombs and artillery rounds being the favourites). The improvised 58mm mortar round was definitely made 'to fly' though...
Cheers,
Olafo
Some further info on what you wrote: the concept of usage by US troops could indeed also explain it, but.. the vet did say it was fired AT him. But well, war stories can indeed 'stray' over the years, so it's always hard to tell for sure what went on and what did not.... The remark about the blatant errors in some such stories is obvious: I've seen modern era tank casings being offered as "vintage WW2" (when they didn't even exist yet!), then when confronting the seller with that, they often choose to ignore that inconvenient truth, in order to make a better sale. This doesn't always happen intentionally, of course, but sometimes it does. Same for blatant scams where all sorts of stuff supposedly all came from Iwo Jima (or other famous places), the only thing that lacks in those stories is that it was actually taken from the body of John Basilone himself, if you catch my drift.
As for the improvised mortars in the Philippines: I misremembered the calibre by a fraction; it's actually not 60mm but 58mm (not 81mm though!), and yes, by all means the ones who manufactured them would be *very* well trained in the functioning of the parts they were comprised off. The reference can be found a.o. in OpNav 30-3M, on page 165 (attached).
It would be my guess, that such weapons were only made in locations where regular provision had become a BIG problem, as it will have taken a lot of effort (and added danger) to fabricate these improvised rounds. Surely this was done in the later stages of the war, when supplies were heavily cut off...
Another possible explanation is that in some locations the Japanese will have had a lot of time with little to do, possibly causing them to become 'creative' in improvising weapons. There are certainly a great many documented types of Japanese made booby traps, made from just about anything (bombs and artillery rounds being the favourites). The improvised 58mm mortar round was definitely made 'to fly' though...
Cheers,
Olafo
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BOUGAINVILLE
Well-Known Member
Interesting to note that in the cited reference to a improvised 58 mm mortar round in the Philippines is that the whole mortar round was an expedient fabrication of available items and not a regular service round which are always shipped with the correct fuzes. Also the fact that there were no evidence of their effective use. If used there would be a risk factor but then they were desperate times.
Cheers,
BOUGAINVILLE
Cheers,
BOUGAINVILLE
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Pea Shooter
Well-Known Member
Hello;
I just got back from our annual get together of members of Banzai. It is a group of Japanese Militaria Collectors. They came from around the US and from Japan and Australia and New Zealand. After reading the posts above I was able to find another Type-81 round with what I believe is the right fuse or tip. Below is a picture of my old round on the right with the wrong tip. Also a friend came from Australia and brought me a few of the booster charges that go in the fins. I was also able to pick up a charging round that fits in the tail. It is dated 17.10 or Oct. 1942. I have seen several bases of the firing rounds, But never the cardboard top, as it usually is rotted away. Also I have another fuse tip that is next to the one on my old 81 round. It has the same markings as the pointy tip except it is written horizontally, and on the pointy 88 tip it is written up and down, laterally. Does anyone know what it is? Thank you, Vaughn
I just got back from our annual get together of members of Banzai. It is a group of Japanese Militaria Collectors. They came from around the US and from Japan and Australia and New Zealand. After reading the posts above I was able to find another Type-81 round with what I believe is the right fuse or tip. Below is a picture of my old round on the right with the wrong tip. Also a friend came from Australia and brought me a few of the booster charges that go in the fins. I was also able to pick up a charging round that fits in the tail. It is dated 17.10 or Oct. 1942. I have seen several bases of the firing rounds, But never the cardboard top, as it usually is rotted away. Also I have another fuse tip that is next to the one on my old 81 round. It has the same markings as the pointy tip except it is written horizontally, and on the pointy 88 tip it is written up and down, laterally. Does anyone know what it is? Thank you, Vaughn
Hi Vaughn,
Great items! I love the propelling cartridge: I don't have that!
Some comments:
The leftmost round has the right fuze (Type 100).
Of the fuzes, the leftmost one is the Type 88 Short Delay kind with it's fuze threads cut off; surely it was at one point in time part of the 'typical' trench art 'small bombs' (made from a T88 SD and T88 Instantaneous fuze; glued together after the threads have been cut off). The markings seen in the pic read 'Type 88' and 'Field Mountain Gun', making it the kinds requiring stronger set back than the ones marked 'Howitzer Mortar'. The other fuze is the Type 88 Instantaneous. The seen markings are the manufacture ones (Osaka arsenal and the date). Both Type 88 fuzes are incorrect for the mortar rounds; they are artillery fuzes.
Cheers,
Olafo
Great items! I love the propelling cartridge: I don't have that!
Some comments:
The leftmost round has the right fuze (Type 100).
Of the fuzes, the leftmost one is the Type 88 Short Delay kind with it's fuze threads cut off; surely it was at one point in time part of the 'typical' trench art 'small bombs' (made from a T88 SD and T88 Instantaneous fuze; glued together after the threads have been cut off). The markings seen in the pic read 'Type 88' and 'Field Mountain Gun', making it the kinds requiring stronger set back than the ones marked 'Howitzer Mortar'. The other fuze is the Type 88 Instantaneous. The seen markings are the manufacture ones (Osaka arsenal and the date). Both Type 88 fuzes are incorrect for the mortar rounds; they are artillery fuzes.
Cheers,
Olafo
i have talked to the veteran's daughter [my wifes grandmother]and he was based in the figi islands,he was army assigned to a small vessel unlikely to be a threat [to jap forces]that was used to ferry essential material anywhere needed.it came home after he was discharged with this fuse as was given to her as a souvenir.any miss match happened before it hit the states.