Type 88 75 mm AA gun
| Japanese Type 88 75mm AA Gun | |
|---|---|
 Type 88 75mm AA Gun at Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo | |
| Type | Anti-aircraft gun |
| Place of origin |  Empire of Japan |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1927–1945 |
| Used by |  Imperial Japanese Army |
| Wars | Second Sino-Japanese War, Soviet-Japanese Border Wars, World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1925-1926 |
| No. built | 2000+ |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 2,450 kg (5,400 lbs) |
| Barrel length | 3.212 m (10 ft) L/44 |
| Crew | 12 (min 4) |
| Caliber | 75 mm |
| Barrels | single |
| Elevation | -7 to +85 Degrees |
| Traverse | 360 Degrees |
| Rate of fire | 15–20 rounds/minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 720 m/s (2,400 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 9,100 m (29,900 ft) |
The Type 88 75 mm AA Gun (八八式七糎野戦高射砲, Hachi-hachi-shiki nana-senti Yasen Koshahō) was an anti-aircraft gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. It replaced the earlier Type 11 75 mm AA Gun in front line combat service, and at the time was equal in performances to any of its contemporaries in western armies[1] and was considered capable of handling any targets the Japanese army was likely to encounter on the Asian mainland. Although, it was soon overtaken by improvements in aircraft technology and was lately obsolete by 1941, it continued to be used on many fronts until the end of the war.
History and development
The Type 88 75 mm AA Gun was based on an exhaustive evaluation by the Army Technical Bureau of several existing overseas designs, amalgamating some of the best features from each design especially from the World War I-vintage British Vickers QF 3 inch 20 cwt AA gun into a new, Japanese design.[2] The Type 88 was superior to Type 11 in accuracy and range of fire.[3]
The Type 88 75 mm AA gun entered service between 1927 and 1928, and was deployed to virtually every anti-aircraft field artillery unit as protection against medium level aircraft attacks. Although it was difficult and expensive weapon for Japan to produce with its limited industrial infrastructure and production technology, it was produced in larger numbers than any other medium anti-aircraft weapon in the Japanese inventory. Over 2000 units completed by the time of the surrender of Japan.[4]
In the early phases of World War II, Allied military intelligence initially assumed that the Japanese Type 88 was a copy of the formidable German Flak 41 88 mm gun due to its name. However, despite some superficial resemblance (the German 88 is three times heavier), there is no connection between the two weapons. The confusion arose from the Japanese Army's nomenclature system. “Type 88” corresponds to the year 2588 in the Japanese imperial year calendar, or 1928 in the Gregorian calendar, and not to the caliber of the weapon.[5]
Design
The Type 88 75 mm AA gun had a single piece gun barrel with sliding breech, mounted on a central pedestal. The firing platform was supported by five legs, each of which (along with the central pedestal) had adjustable screwed foot for leveling. For transport each of the legs could be folded, and the barrel was also partially retractable.[6]
Combat record
Japanese combat forces during the invasion of Manchuria, Soviet-Japanese Border Wars and the Second Sino-Japanese War found the Type 88 to be an extremely versatile weapon, suitable for use also as an effective anti-tank weapon when mounted horizontally. At the Battle of Iwo Jima and Battle of Okinawa, with armor-piercing warheads, it was found to be powerful enough to stop the American M4 Sherman tank.
Towards the end of the war, many of the Type 88s were withdrawn from front line combat service and sent back to the home islands as part of the bolstering of Japan's defenses against Allied air raids and against the perceived threat of Allied invasion.[7] Assigned to civil defense units in major Japanese cities, it was used in vain against the USAAF B-29 Superfortress bombers, as its maximum effective vertical range of only 7250 meters was inadequate. Some units were also assigned to coastal defense batteries.
A variant was experimentally fitted to a Ki-109 bomber in an attempt to reach the B-29 Superfortress bombers. Another variant of the Type 88 gun was also used on the Type 4 Chi-To tank.
Notes
- ^ Mayer, the Rise and Fall of Imperial Japan. pp. 64
- ^ Bishop, The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. Pp.150
- ^ [1] Taki's Imperial Japanese Army
- ^ MacLean. Japanese Artillery; Weapons and Tactics
- ^ Mayer, the Rise and Fall of Imperial Japan. pp. 64
- ^ Bishop, The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. Pp.150
- ^ Chant, Artillery of World War II. Pp. 63
Ammunition
- Anti-aircraft
- Type 90 HE AA pointed Complete round: 8.94 kg, projectile: 6.52 kg with Type 89 AA fuse.
- High explosive
- Type 90 HE pointed Complete round: 8.55 kg, projectile: 6.35 with Type 88 impact or Type 88 delay.
- Armor piercing
- Type 95 APHE Complete round: 6.2 kg.
References
- Bishop, Chris (eds) The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. Barnes & Nobel. 1998. ISBN 0-7607-1022-8.
- 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.
- Mayer, S.L. The Rise and Fall of Imperial Japan. The Military Press, 1984. ISBN 0-517-42313-8
- U.S. 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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