Lunge mine

The Shitotsubakurai (Japanese: 刺突爆雷 lit. "Thrusting Depth Charge") or lunge mine was a suicidal anti-tank weapon developed and used by the Empire of Japan during World War II. It used a high-explosive anti-tank charge. It was used by the close-quarters battle units of the Imperial Japanese Army. The weapon was a conical hollow charge anti-tank mine, placed inside a metallic container and attached to the end of a wooden stick. The weapon was officially adopted by the Japanese Army in 1944, with the first noted combat use in Leyte in December 1944. During 1945, it caused additional victims in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, where it commonly saw action against American armour. Later that year, some Japanese Imperial Army manuals of the weapon were discovered by US troops.