Type 92 battalion gun

70 mm Type 92 battalion gun
A Type 92, without shield, at the U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum, Ft. Sill, OK
Type	Howitzer
Place of origin	Empire of Japan
Service history
In service	1932-1945
Used by	Imperial Japanese Army United States Marine Corps(Captured) People's Liberation Army(Captured and copied) National Revolutionary Army(Captured)
Wars	Second Sino-Japanese War Soviet-Japanese Border Wars World War II Chinese Communist Revolution Korean War(Limited)
Specifications
Weight	216 kg (476 lbs)
Length	2,006 mm (6 ft 7 in)
Barrel length	723 mm (2 ft 4 in)
Width	914 mm (3 ft)
Height	775 mm (2 ft 7 in)
Crew	5

Shell	separate-loading
Caliber	70mm (2.75 in)
Breech	interrupted thread, drop breechblock
Recoil	hydro-spring
Carriage	split-trail
Elevation	-4° to +70°
Traverse	45°
Rate of fire	10 rpm
Muzzle velocity	198 m/s (650 ft/s)
Effective firing range	2,785 m (3,060 yards)

Type 92 battalion gun captured and used by USMC on Saipan

Type 92 battalion gun captured on Guadacanal

The Type 92 battalion gun (九二式歩兵砲, Kyūni-shiki Hoheihō) was a light howitzer used by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II.^[1] 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.^[2] 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

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.^[3]

Design

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. The wheel were originally wooden, but were changed to steel after troops complained that the noise from the squeaky wooden wheels was a threat.^[4]

The Type 92 battalion gun could fire high-explosive shells (3.795 kg (8.37 lb)), armor-piercing, and smoke rounds. The propellant was semi-fixed, and could be loaded in four increments to adjust range.^[5]

Combat record

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 and subsequent Second Sino-Japanese War. It later accompanied units assigned to the Pacific front and was used with considerable effectiveness against Allied forces throughout the South Pacific Mandate and in Southeast Asia.

Significant quantities of Type 92 guns remained in China following the cessation of hostilities in 1945, and were taken into service by the People's Liberation Army, which also manufactured ammunition for them, retaining the Type 92 nomenclature. US Department of the Army Pamphlet 381-12, "Recognition Guide of Ammunition Available to, or in Use by, the Viet Cong, dated May 1966, includes Chinese 70mm Type 92 ammunition.

Surviving examples

One gun is preserved and on display in a small park on Main Street in Lakeport, California. The southern gun serial number 399, has unperforated sheet metal wheels, while the wheels of the northern gun appear to have been restored with new material.

References

Bibliography

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

External links

Gallery

1932 model, Battery Randolf Museum, Hawaii
closeup of controls
Model 92 Howitzer side view
Model 92 Howitzer rear view
Gun Number 399 preserved in Lakeport, California
Gun number 30300 preserved at Lakeport, California
Spades together for transport
Model 92 Howitzer front view
A Type 92 battalion gun is drawn by its crew to a new firing position. Bataan, Philippines 1942

Notes

↑ Bishop, The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II
↑ War Department TM-E-30-480 Handbook on Japanese Military Forces September 1944 p 400
↑ McLean. Japanese Artillery; Weapons and Tactics
↑ Japanese Wikipedia article
↑ Chamberlain, Light and Medium Field Artillery

Imperial Japanese Army artillery

Anti-tank guns	Type 1 37 mm Anti-Tank Gun Type 1 47 mm Anti-Tank Gun Type 94 37 mm Anti-Tank Gun Type 97 20 mm Anti-Tank gun Experimental 75mm Anti-Tank Gun Experimental 105mm Anti-Tank Gun

Anti-aircraft guns	Type Ho 13mm AA Machine gun Type 2 20 mm AA Machine Cannon Type 3 80 mm AA Gun Type 3 12 cm AA Gun Type 4 75 mm AA Gun Type 5 15 cm AA Gun Type 10 120 mm AA Gun Type 11 75 mm AA Gun Type 14 10 cm AA Gun Type 88 75 mm AA Gun Type 98 20 mm AA Machine Cannon Type 99 88 mm AA Gun

Infantry guns	Type 11 37 mm Infantry Gun Type 92 Battalion Gun

Field guns	Type 1 47 mm gun Type 11 37 mm gun Type 31 75 mm Field gun Type 38 75 mm Field Gun Type 41 75 mm Cavalry Gun Type 90 75 mm Field Gun Type 94 37 mm gun Type 95 75 mm Field Gun

Mountain guns	7 cm Mountain Gun Type 31 75 mm Mountain Gun Type 41 75 mm Mountain Gun Type 94 75 mm Mountain Gun Type 99 10 cm Mountain Gun

Howitzers	Type 4 15 cm Howitzer Type 7 30 cm Howitzer Type 14 10 cm Howitzer Type 38 12 cm Howitzer Type 38 15 cm Howitzer Type 91 10 cm howitzer Type 92 70 mm Howitzer Type 96 15 cm howitzer

Guns	Type 14 10 cm Cannon Type 38 10 cm Cannon Type 89 15 cm Cannon Type 92 10 cm Cannon Type 96 15 cm Cannon

Dual purpose guns	Type 10 8 cm Dual purpose gun Type 10 12 cm Dual purpose gun Type 98 10 cm Dual purpose gun Type 89 127 mm Dual purpose gun

Grenade Dischargers	Type 10 50-mm Grenade Discharger Type 27 50-mm Grenade Discharger Type 89 50-mm Grenade Discharger

Mortars	Type 2 12 cm Mortar 25 cm Artillery Mortar 70 mm Barrage Mortar Type 3 81 mm Mortar Type 11 70 mm Infantry Mortar Type 93 15 cm Mortar Type 94 90 mm Infantry Mortar Type 95 15 cm Mortar Type 96 150 mm Infantry Mortar Type 97 81 mm infantry mortar Type 97 90 mm Infantry Mortar Type 97 15 cm Mortar Type 98 50 mm Mortar Type 98 320 mm mortar Type 99 81 mm mortar

Rocket mortars	Type 4 20 cm Rocket Launcher Type 4 40 cm Rocket Launcher

Siege artillery	28 cm Howitzer Type 45 24 cm Howitzer Type 7 30 cm Howitzer Type 96 24 cm Howitzer

Coastal artillery	28 cm Howitzer Experimental 41 cm Howitzer Type 3 12 cm Coast defense gun Type 11 12 cm Coast defense gun Type 38 12 cm Coast defense gun Type 3 12 cm Coast defense gun Type 33 15 cm Coast defense gun Type 38 20 cm Coast defense gun

Railroad artillery	Type 90 240 mm railway gun

Artillery of Japan

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