Type 98 grenade

The Type 98 hand grenade (九八式柄付手榴弾, Kyūhachi-shiki etsuki teryūdan) was a fragmentation hand grenade deployed by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. The explosive charge contained 3 oz (85 g) of picric acid (a cheaper and more powerful but less safe explosive than TNT).

Type 98 grenade

History

In 2015, Type 98s were documented to have been found in the Democratic Republic of Congo.^[1]

Design

The weapon operated identically to the Chinese versions of the German Model 24 stick grenade, which had been encountered in the Second Sino-Japanese War. It was based on these grenades, except that a pull ring was attached to the igniting cord, and the actual fuse delay itself was reduced to four to five seconds (varying from grenade to grenade).^[2]