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Type 92 battalion gun

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70 mm Type 92 battalion gun
A Type 92, without shield, at the U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum, Ft. Sill, OK
TypeHowitzer
Place of origin Empire of Japan
Service history
In service1932–1945 (Japanese forces)
Used bySee Users
WarsSecond Sino-Japanese War
Soviet-Japanese Border Wars
World War II
Chinese Communist Revolution
First Indochina War
Indonesian National Revolution
Korean War (Limited)[citation needed]
Vietnam War
Production history
Produced1932-1945[1]
No. built2,876[2]
Specifications
Mass216 kg (476 lbs)
Length2,006 mm (6 ft 7 in)
Barrel length723 mm (2 ft 4 in)
Width914 mm (3 ft)
Height775 mm (2 ft 7 in)
Crew5
Shellseparate-loading
Caliber70mm (2.75 in)
Breechinterrupted thread, drop breechblock
RecoilHydro-spring
Carriagesplit-trail
Elevation-4° to +70°
Traverse45°
Rate of fire10 rpm
Muzzle velocity198 m/s (650 ft/s)
Effective firing range2,785 m (3,060 yards)
Type 92 battalion gun captured and used by USMC on Saipan
Type 92 battalion gun captured on Guadalcanal

The Type 92 battalion gun (九二式歩兵砲, Kyūni-shiki Hoheihō) was a 70mm (2.75 in) light howitzer used by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II.[3] Type 92 could be used in both direct and in-direct fire. Despite its odd appearance, the Type 92 was well-liked by the IJA. The Type 92 designation was for the year the gun was accepted, 2592 in the Japanese imperial year calendar, or 1932 in the Gregorian calendar.[4] Each infantry battalion included two Type 92 guns; therefore, the Type 92 was referred to as "battalion artillery" (大隊砲, Daitaihō).

History and development

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The Type 92 battalion gun was designed in response to issues with the Type 11 37 mm infantry gun and the Type 11 70 mm infantry mortar. Both lacked sufficient firepower and range, and infantry divisions did not like the fact that they had to carry two different types of weapons with different ammunition into combat. As a result, the army technical bureau developed a design which could be used either at low angle direct fire to take out fortified positions, machine gun nests and light armor, but also could be used at high angle indirect support fire. The caliber of the new weapon was increased to 70 mm to address the issue of inadequate firepower. The new design was available to front line divisions by 1932.[5]

Design

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Somewhat unusual in appearance, the Type 92 battalion gun had a short gun barrel with a split trail carriage. The barrel could be configured from a horizontal to near vertical position with a hand-crank. It had an interrupted thread type, drop breechblock mechanism. Lightweight and maneuverable, it was designed to be pulled by a single horse, although in practice teams of three horses were usually assigned. Its relativity small size and weight also allowed it to be manhandled by its crew for short distances. The wheels were originally wooden, but were changed to steel after troops complained that the noise from the squeaky wooden wheels was a threat.[6]

A 70mm hollow-charge anti-tank round was introduced in 1943 which could penetrate up to 90mm of armor. The Type 92 battalion guns curved trajectory and short barrel meant that tanks had to be engaged at relatively close-range. [7] U.S. tests in the Philippines with captured 70 mm HEAT rounds proved capable of puncturing the turret of a M4A3 Sherman tank and was rated at an excess of 70 mm of armor penetration. [8]

Combat record

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The Type 92 battalion gun was first used in combat during the Manchurian Incident, and was subsequently in heavy use throughout the invasion of Manchuria, the Battle of Nomonhan[citation needed] and subsequent Second Sino-Japanese War.[9] It later accompanied units assigned to the Pacific front and was used with considerable effectiveness against Allied forces throughout the South Seas Mandate and in Southeast Asia.

During the Indonesian National Revolution, Indonesian rebels used an estimated 50 Type 92 guns, but their use decreased as the war was going on.[10] Significant quantities of Type 92 guns were captured by Nationalist and Communist forces in China following the cessation of hostilities in 1945. The People's Liberation Army, which also manufactured ammunition for them, kept them in service in the 1950s.[9] Type 92s were still used, although more rarely than other guns, by the People's Liberation Armed Forces of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.[11]

Users

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Ammunition

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Type[12] Model Weight Filler
HE Type 92 4.48 kg (9.88 lb) 0.59 kg (1.30 lb) TNT
HEAT Type 37 Hollow Charge 2.8 kg (6.2 lb) 0.99 kg (2.18 lb) TNT/RDX mix
Illumination Type 95 Illuminating Projectile 4.2 kg (9.3 lb) Unknown (thought to be magnesium, aluminum, barium nitrate mix). 90,000 candlepower for 20 seconds

Performance

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Type[13] Armor penetration 90° Armor penetration 60°
Type 37 Hollow Charge 100mm 80mm

Surviving examples

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Type 92 gun at Dharma Wiratama Museum in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Two guns are preserved and on display in a small park on Main Street in Lakeport, California. One gun (on the southern side), with serial number 399, has unperforated sheet-metal wheels, while the wheels of the other gun (to the north) appear to have been restored with new material.[14]

Two guns are at the Marine Recruiting Depot Museum in San Diego, California, put on display outdoors.[citation needed]

Another is on display in front of VFW Post 7589 in Manassas, VA.[citation needed]

One gun is on display at the Redcliffe branch of the RSL in Queensland, Australia, reliably reported as coming from WWII operations on the Kokoda Trail against the Japanese in Papua New Guinea. One other example is located at Army Museum Bandiana, Victoria as part of their artillery display.

A Type 92, without its shield, is displayed at the U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Its picture is attached here.

One Type 92, painted green, was formerly on display at Reflections at Bukit Chandu, a Singapore war museum dedicated to the Battle of Pasir Panjang during the Japanese invasion of the island in 1942. Following a recent renovation, the gun was removed and its current location is unknown.

A Type 92 gun is on display at the lobby entrance of Dharma Wiratama Museum, an Indonesian Army museum at Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The museum plaque mentioned that the gun was used during the Battle of Ambarawa in December 1945.[15]

References

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Bibliography

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  • War Department TM-E-30-480 Handbook on Japanese Military Forces September 1944
  • Bishop, Chris (eds) The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. Barnes & Nobel. 1998. ISBN 0-7607-1022-8
  • Chamberlain, Peter and Gander, Terry. Light and Medium Field Artillery. Macdonald and Jane's (1975). ISBN 0-356-08215-6
  • Chant, Chris. Artillery of World War II, Zenith Press, 2001, ISBN 0-7603-1172-2
  • McLean, Donald B. Japanese Artillery; Weapons and Tactics. Wickenburg, Ariz.: Normount Technical Publications 1973. ISBN 0-87947-157-3.
  • US Department of War, TM 30-480, Handbook on Japanese Military Forces, Louisiana State University Press, 1994. ISBN 0-8071-2013-8
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Type 92 Battalion Gun.
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  • 1932 model, Battery Randolf Museum, Hawaii
    1932 model, Battery Randolf Museum, Hawaii
  • closeup of controls
    closeup of controls
  • Model 92 Howitzer side view
    Model 92 Howitzer side view
  • Model 92 Howitzer rear view
    Model 92 Howitzer rear view
  • Gun Number 399 preserved in Lakeport, California
    Gun Number 399 preserved in Lakeport, California
  • Gun number 30300 preserved at Lakeport, California
    Gun number 30300 preserved at Lakeport, California
  • Spades together for transport
    Spades together for transport
  • Model 92 Howitzer front view
    Model 92 Howitzer front view
  • A Type 92 battalion gun is drawn by its crew to a new firing position. Bataan, Philippines 1942
    A Type 92 battalion gun is drawn by its crew to a new firing position. Bataan, Philippines 1942
  • Gun Number 400 displayed Greenville, Hunt County, Texas
    Gun Number 400 displayed Greenville, Hunt County, Texas

Notes

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  1. ^ Ness, Leland. Rikugun: Volume 2 - Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces (p. 86). Helion and Company.
  2. ^ Ness, Leland. Rikugun: Volume 2 - Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces (p. 86). Helion and Company.
  3. ^ Bishop, The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II
  4. ^ War Department TM-E-30-480 Handbook on Japanese Military Forces September 1944 p 400
  5. ^ McLean. Japanese Artillery; Weapons and Tactics
  6. ^ Japanese Wikipedia article
  7. ^ Ness, Leland. Rikugun: Volume 2 - Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces (p. 88). Helion and Company.
  8. ^ Ness, Leland. Rikugun: Volume 2 - Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces (p. 74).
  9. ^ a b Lai, Benjamin (18 Oct 2018). Chinese Soldier vs Japanese Soldier: China 1937–38. Combat 37. p. 22. ISBN 9781472828200.
  10. ^ Bloomfield, Lincoln P.; Leiss, Amelia Catherine (30 June 1967). The Control of local conflict : a design study on arms control and limited war in the developing areas (PDF). Vol. 3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for International Studies. pp. 92, 96. hdl:2027/uiug.30112064404368. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 4, 2020.
  11. ^ Ott, David Ewing (1995) [First published 1975]. Field artillery, 1954-1973 (PDF). Vietnam studies. Washington, D.C. : Dept. of the Army: United States Department of the Army. p. 13.
  12. ^ "Japanese Explosion Ordnance" (PDF). Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  13. ^ "Intelligence Bulletin" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-01-10. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  14. ^ Metz, Kaj. "Japanese Type 92 Battalion 70 mm Gun (ser. 30300)". Traces of War. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  15. ^ "MUSEUM DHARMA WIRATAMA". musmonpus-disjarahad.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 31 May 2022.
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