Type 90 75 mm field gun

The Type 90 75 mm field gun (九〇式野砲, Kyūmaru-shiki yahō) was a field gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War, Soviet-Japanese Border Wars and World War II. The Type 90 designation was given to this gun as it was accepted in the year 2590 of the Japanese calendar (1930). It was intended to replace the Type 38 75 mm field gun in front line combat units, but due to operational and budgetary constraints, the Type 38 continued to be used.

Type 90 75 mm field gun
Type 90 75 mm field gun (Motorized model) at the U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum, Ft. Sill, OK
Type	Field gun
Place of origin	Empire of Japan
Service history
In service	1932–1945
Used by	Imperial Japanese Army
Wars	Second Sino-Japanese War Soviet-Japanese Border Wars World War II
Production history
Unit cost	Motorized model: 18,000 yen ($4,837 USD) in August 1939
Produced	1932-1944
No. built	786
Specifications
Mass	1,400 kg (3,086 lb) (firing) 2,000 kg (4,409 lb) (travel)
Length	5.23 m (17 ft 2 in) (firing) 3.8712 m (12 ft 8.41 in) (traveling)
Barrel length	2.883 metres (9 ft 6 in) L/38.4
Width	1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) Track 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) Maximum
Height	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Shell	75 x 424mm R
Shell weight	6.56 kilograms (14.5 lb)
Caliber	75 mm (2.95 in)
Action	Manual
Breech	Horizontal sliding-block
Recoil	Hydro-pneumatic
Carriage	Split trail
Elevation	-8° to +43°
Traverse	25° left, 25° right
Rate of fire	2 minutes 15 rpm, 15 minutes 4 rpm Continuous 100-120 rph
Muzzle velocity	683 m/s (2,241 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	14,960 metres (16,360 yd)
Sights	panoramic

The Type 90 75 mm field gun was priortized in Manchuria due to its high muzzle velocity and excellent anti-tank capability. The western allies would encounter the Type 90 75 mm field during the Malaysian campaign of 1941 and 1942, but it would not be encountered again until 1945 in Luzon.

History and development

Prior to World War I, the Imperial Japanese Army was largely equipped with Krupp cannons from Germany. After the Versailles Treaty, the Japanese switched to the French Schneider company, and purchased numerous examples for test and evaluation. With an army rearmament program starting in 1931, a new 75 mm field gun loosely based on the French Schneider et Cie Canon de 85 mle 1927 built for Greece was introduced, and labeled the "Type 90".

However, few units were built, and the design never achieved its intended purpose of replacing the Type 38 75 mm field gun. The Schneider design was very complex and expensive to build, requiring very tight dimensional tolerances that were beyond the limits of Japanese industry at the time. In particular, the recoil system required a high amount of complex maintenance, which was difficult to sustain in front line combat service.

Design

The Type 90 75 mm field gun was unique among Japanese artillery pieces in that it had a muzzle brake. The carriage was of the split trail type. The Type 90 was built in two version: one with wooden wheels suitable for animal (horse) draft, and another with solid rubber tires and a stronger suspension for towing by motor vehicles. The latter variant was designated as the Motorized Type 90 75 mm field gun (機動九〇式野砲, Kidō Kyūmaru-shiki yahō) and weighed 200 kilograms (440 lb) more.

The Type 90 75 mm field gun was capable of firing high-explosive, armor-piercing, shrapnel, incendiary, smoke and illumination shells. Its range of 15,000 metres (16,000 yd) for a weight of 1,400 kilograms (3,100 lb) compared well with its contemporaries.

Combat record

The Type 90 75 mm field gun was issued primarily to units based in Manchukuo, and was rarely deployed to the Pacific theatre of operations. Its initial use in combat was against the Soviet Red Army at the Battle of Nomonhan. When deployed later against Allied forces, it was often used as an anti-tank gun, as its high speed shells were effective against armored vehicles. It was also used at the Battle of the Philippines, Battle of Iwo Jima and Battle of Okinawa, often deployed together with armored units. The Type 90 continued to be used as field artillery until the surrender of Japan.

The Type 90 75 mm field gun proved to be somewhat controversial in Imperial Japanese Army service due to weight and cost. This led to a production switch in the mid 1930s to the less advanced Type 95 75mm field gun. After the Battles of Khalkhin Gol, the Type 90 75 mm field gun would reenter production due to its superior range and penetration power.

Variants

The Type 90 formed the basis for the Type 3 75 mm tank gun used in the Type 3 Ho-Ni III Gun tank and Type 3 Chi-Nu medium tank.

References

Bibliography

• Bishop, Chris (eds). The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II, Barnes & Nobel, 1998, ISBN 0-7607-1022-8
• 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
• Tomczyk, Andrzej (2005). Japanese Armor Vol. 4. AJ Press. ISBN 978-8372371676.
• Tomczyk, Andrzej (2007). Japanese Armor Vol. 5. AJ Press. ISBN 978-8372371799.
• US Department of War Special Series No 25 Japanese Field Artillery October 1944
• US Department of War. TM 30-480, Handbook on Japanese Military Forces, Louisiana State University Press, 1994, ISBN 0-8071-2013-8
• "兵器臨時定価、予価、表送付の件 Military catalogue of the Japanese military". National Archives of Japan. Ministry of the Army.
• "Banking and Monetary Statistics, 1914-1941, Part I". Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.). January 1943 [1943].

Further reading

• 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

External links

• Type 90 on Taki's Imperial Japanese Army page