Japanese INERT Mine Collection

[JCB99]

Hello everyone! I am new to this website but a long time collector. Japanese ordnance is my "addiction". Due to restrictions on image file size I am unable to post most of my pics on this board but I have included a link to another site where these pictures are posted. Please follow the link and check it out. It's taken me a long time to put this collection together!

I am always looking to buy!
Jim USA

All items are fully inert.


Some of the mines pictured: Massive Japanese booby trap "Headquarters" mine, Double horn navy Type 1 beach mine, Three single horn navy Type 2 beach mines, Ceramic experimental bounding mine, Yardstick mine, Wood box type 3b mine, Ceramic type 3a mines, Tapemeasure Type 93 mines, Magnetic Type 99 magnetic mines, Suicide anti-tank LUNGE mine.

http://www.castle-thunder.com/wforum/viewtopic.php?t=976

 

[leeski]

very nice exellent collection jcb

regards lee

 

[stecol]

Excellent items JCB !!

Do You have further info about the Massive Japanese booby trap mine and the Ceramic experimental bounding mine, please ?

stecol

 

[paul the grenade]

Great stuff Jim.
I dont suppose you have a good picture of the paper label that was glued to the type 99 grenade?:tinysmile_fatgrin_t
Cheers, Paul.

 

[JCB99]

Grenade label

Paul, I've visited your website a hundred times, I too find inert grenades very collectible. In addition to Japanese material, I find WWI vintage grenades interesting, especially Italian, AustroHungarian and Russian grenades. Quick question: German grenades, WWI era with red paint,- Are these reduced charge training grenades? I have a german ball grenade and egg grenade, both have original deep red paint. Original, no question.

The rifle grenade with the label is a rare Japanese Navy spigot Model 2. It uses a kiska style warhead with a different fuze. It's used with the late war Navy made spigot launcher. (Check out "Imperial Japanese Grenade rifles and lauchers". Authors: Babich & Keep- Great collector book) This Grenade has two paper labels intact, both better than 95%. Give me a few days and I will get you a picture. I will send it directly to you, I assume your email address is somewhere on your grenade site.

Jim B USA

 

[paul the grenade]

hi jim.
the german red grens are practice models. some have holes in them so i presume they had a small charge to simulate the explosion. however i have 2 red kugals and 2 discus that have no holes so they must have been for throwing practice only.
heres my email just in case you couldn't find it.
paul_spence1964@yahoo.co.uk
cheers, paul.

 

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

Japanese Ordnance;

Hi,
Those JE and JG and Pottery mines are in fantastic condition. Were the JGs found on Iwo Jima?
Regards,
John aka Bart

 

[JCB99]

Japanese mines and Reference materials

Mr. Bartleson,
The large JE mine (Type 1) has restored paint, I believe this came out of a museum at one time, I was told it came from Iwo. The three JG's (Type 2) all have restored paint, two I did myself, the third is an old museum repaint job. I don't know where these mines were originally found. It is very hard to find these in any condition. I believe in restoration only if there is NO original finish remaining. It seems the larger the ordnance, the more likely there will be little original paint remaining. The Type 92 15 kg bomb has original paint and the 150mm projectile also (Amazingly) has original paint. All the mortar shells except the 120mm are original paint. All the ceramic mines are original and not US training copies. The Large ceramic mine has some fractures and some chip damage but is holding together without any restoration. I can't tell you how rare these are. Some of this stuff I could never replace. As a collector I am luckly to have them, in any condition.

Stecol,
Reference on the Japanese Experimental bounding mine and the booby trap "headquarters mine" comes from one rare source. I own this manual, and I will post some pictures from pages that identify these two. Give me a day or two to post that reference. It comes from a rare US army mine manual. (that I bought from a frenchman who collects mines!)

Paul-
I don't have a good picture of a Kiska label. I don't own a Kiska that has a full label. There's a very good book that has good pictures of Kiska labels. "Imperial Japanese grenade rifles and lauchers" by Babich and Keep. This book is worth buying. The photographs are immaculate.

Jim USA
JapaneseOrdnance(at)yahoo.com

 

[Madbomber31]

Very nice collection there Jim :tinysmile_fatgrin_t

 

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

Japanese JGs;

As a note of interest to collectors of Japanese anti-invasion beach mines, after Iwo Jima finally fell to our troops,Mobile Explosive Investigative Unit Four (MEIU#4) out of Pearl sent a team of Mine and Bomb Disposalmen (now EOD) to Iwo Jima and they founds hundreds of JG and JE beach mines. Some were found armed, turned upside down and the chemical horns were crushed and buried. The HSS were even wired backwards and if the spindle was retracted it would detonate. JGs were even found buried 'piggybacked" and booby-trapped. PD fuzed artillery projectiles were also buried nose up and lightly covered with sand. Torpedo warheads were booby-trapped and covered.
Just a little trivia.
Regards,
John aka Bart

 

[US-Subs]

Absolutely correct John. The lengths that the Japanese used improvisation is hard to believe, efforts to hamper landing forces throughout the Pacific were impressive. Bombs were frequently pressed into service as mines on the beaches, arming the bomb fuzes manually and burying them at an angle toward incoming landing craft. Certain types of bomb fuzes were modified to allow electric firing (hardwired) so that bombs could be command detonated in buildings and as roadside bombs (everything old is new again). Here are a few photos.

 

[stecol]

Stecol,
Reference on the Japanese Experimental bounding mine and the booby trap "headquarters mine" comes from one rare source. I own this manual, and I will post some pictures from pages that identify these two. Give me a day or two to post that reference. It comes from a rare US army mine manual. (that I bought from a frenchman who collects mines!)

Ok, Thank You Jim.

 

[JCB99]

Headquarters mine, experimental bounding mine reference

Stecol, here it is........The manual is called (don't laugh..):

Oriental and European (except British, French, German, Italian and Soviet) Mine Warfare Equipment. TM 5-223B Department of the Army, Nov. 1953

I love the name of this manual, it's a real mouthfull....

The experimental bounding mine is described on Page 33 and the Headquarters mine is on page 34. Below are a few pictures from this manual. I hope everybody can read the text. The bounding mine was identified by a Mine collector in france who sold me this manual. I thank everyone who has helped me in identification.

This is interesting stuff.

I'll soon be posting some information about a very unusual Japanese experimental mine called the Mark 4. This same manual has diagrams of the Mark 4 mine. Unbelievably, I found actual picture of a Mark 4 in a museum collection website. It uses two ceramic type 3 mines internally as the main charge. I'll start a new thread on this one. It has a very odd design. No, I don't have one of these........................yet............!!

JO, Nice pictures! I have a couple pics of Mines discovered on Iwo. I'll try to get them posted.

 

[US-Subs]

Jim,
I've found some really cool pictures of mine recovery, but I'm saving some of them for the Handbook. I'll show you next time I'm back home - will you be around in Dec? I need to photograph the HQ mine. JO

 

[stecol]

Wow, nice docs JCB !!
Many Thanks
stecol

 

[JCB99]

Ordnance photography meeting

JO, I will be around but I'm not sure I can travel in December. December is a crazy busy time of year for me and everyone else. I have several new goodies I don't think you photographed before. Japanese 58mm improvised mortar round (this is a great piece) , 120mm Mortar shell, Navy bomb tail, Type 3b wood box mine (!!!), a double labeled model 2 spigot rifle grenade with kiska style warhead, a Japanese navy 76.2mm artillery projectile with original red and green paint and a demolition Pull igniter. We will work something out. Interested in seeing those pictures!

Jim
JapaneseOrdnance(at)yahoo.com

 

[JCB99]

Double horn beach mines found on Iwo.

Here's a picture of three Japanese double horn type 1 beach mines found on Iwo. I'm sure these were taken out to see and dumped!....................."Tears"....

The second period image shows a pile of Japanese ordnance including knee mortar shells, tapemeasure mines, Single horn beach mine, molotov grenade and a rare conical type 3 anti-tank grenade.



Jim

 

[US-Subs]

Jim,
depending on the work situation, while home I may take another run for a week or so back to the Nat Archive. If so, I could swing by your place for a couple of hours or so on the way home if you were around. I'll let you know more about my plans in a couple of weeks. JO

 

[JCB99]

no problem

JO, Let me know, you are always welcome to stop by when passing through. Jim

 

[tigbrand]

150mm

Hi Jim, Your collection is impressive to say the least. You could not obtain most of the items you have in the UK, no matter how much money you have. My question is, could you post a few close up pics of the 150mm projectile you have please,and any info you have on this? Or other projectiles used. Were these based on a european design as per a lot of japanese items? I believe my 150mm case is for the type 38 How and was made at the Osaka arsenal. I never had any response on BOCN for info on Projectiles at all so any help appreciated. Cheers Tony.:tinysmile_fatgrin_t