Type 96 and Type 97 150 mm infantry mortar
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The Type 96 and Type 97 were Japanese 150 mm caliber mortars used during the Second World War. The Type 96 designation was given to this mortar as it was accepted in the year 2596 of the Japanese calendar (1936).[1]
Japanese 90mm, 120mm, and 150mm mortars were labeled as "trench mortars" and were effectively controlled by Imperial Japanese Army artillery units instead of infantry units. Initially Japanese trench mortars where primarily developed as chemical-delivery weapons, but would mainly see service in conventional roles during the Greater East Asia War.
Design
The Imperial Japanese Army initially designed a 150mm trench mortar in the late 1920s which was accepted as the Type 90 150mm trench mortar. Production never commenced outside of two units in 1932. [2]
The Type 97 150mm mortar was essentially the Type 96 mortar but with the recoil mechanism eliminated. [3] Both models where produced side-by-side as the Type 97 mortar proved to be lighter but less stable than the slightly older Type 96 mortar. [4] A short barrel 150mm mortar, the Type 99 experimental short trench mortar was trialed, but range was considered to be unsatisfactory at 220 meters.
The Type 96 150mm mortar was never encountered by American or British troops, although it was used in China. The Type 97 150mm mortar was notably used in both Iwo Jima and China. Both types were produced from 1937 to late 1943, with records indicating a total of 201 units delivered to the Imperial Japanese Army. [5]. Both types were nominally replaced by the lighter and more portable Type 2 120mm trench mortar. [6]
Specifications
Designation | Type 96 | Type 97 | |
---|---|---|---|
Number Built | 201 (mix of Type 96 and Type 97) | ||
Barrel length | 8.6 cal | 8.6 cal | |
Elevation | +45° to +80° | ||
Shell weight | Reported between 23.8–25.6 kg (52–56 lb) | ||
Muzzle velocity | 214 m/s (700 ft/s) | ||
Weight | 722 kg (1,592 lb) | 342 kg (754 lb) | |
Range | 3.9 km (2.4 mi) |
References
Notes
- ^ War Department Special Series No 30 Japanese Mortars and Grenade Dischargers 1945
- ^ Ness, Leland. Rikugun: Volume 2 - Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces (p. 53). Helion and Company.
- ^ Ness, Leland. Rikugun: Volume 2 - Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces (p. 64). Helion and Company.
- ^ Ness, Leland. Rikugun: Volume 2 - Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces (p. 64). Helion and Company.
- ^ Ness, Leland. Rikugun: Volume 2 - Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces (p. 53). Helion and Company.
- ^ Ness, Leland. Rikugun: Volume 2 - Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces (p. 54).
Bibliography
- US War Department Special Series No 30 Japanese Mortars and Grenade Dischargers 1945
External links
- http://www3.plala.or.jp/takihome/mortar.htm#96
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- Type 1 37 mm anti-tank gun
- Type 1 47 mm anti-tank gun
- Type 94 37 mm anti-tank gun
- Type 97 automatic cannon
- 28 cm howitzer
- Type 41 8 cm coast defense gun
- Type 11 12 cm coast defense gun
- Type 3 12 cm coast defense gun
- Type 41 15 cm/40 coast defense gun
- Type 41 15 cm/45 coast defense gun
- Type 41 15 cm/50 coast defense gun
- Type 45 15 cm cannon
- Type 41 12 cm coast defense gun
- Type 3 14 cm coast defense gun
- Type 41 20 cm coast defense gun
- 25 cm artillery mortar
- 70 mm barrage mortar
- Type 11 70 mm infantry mortar
- Type 2 12 cm mortar
- Type 3 81 mm mortar
- Type 93 150 mm infantry mortar
- Type 94 90 mm infantry mortar
- Type 95 15 cm mortar
- Type 96 and Type 97 150 mm infantry mortar
- Type 97 81 mm infantry mortar
- Type 97 90 mm infantry mortar
- Type 98 320 mm mortar
- Type 98 50 mm mortar
- Type 99 81 mm mortar
- 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
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