The was a type of

landing craft Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. Pr ...

used by the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

from 1937 to 1945, in the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It was designated the "Type A" landing craft by the United States.

History

Daihatsu-class Landing Craft (大発動艇, Daihatsudōtei, translated: Large Powered Boat) was a landing craft of the Imperial Japanese Army, originally developed in 1924, further refined later on and also adopted to the Imperial Japanese Navy service. Boats were first used in combat on 29 February 1932, during the Shanghai incident landing IJA's 11th Division behind enemy lines blocking enemy from receiving supplies and reinforcements that led to a withdrawal of the Chinese 19th Route Army. This operation was studied carefully by USMC

Victor Krulak Victor Harold Krulak (January 7, 1913 – December 29, 2008) was a decorated United States Marine Corps officer who saw action in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Krulak, considered a visionary by fellow Marines, was the author of ''First to Figh ...

, with photographs of the boats provided to

Andrew Higgins Andrew Jackson Higgins (28 August 1886 – 1 August 1952) was an American businessman and boatbuilder who founded Higgins Industries, the New Orleans-based manufacturer of "Higgins boats" (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel, or LCVPs) during W ...

who copied the design into LCVP. Landing craft were built till the end of World War 2, with one of the last reported combat uses being a supply delivery on the Kaladan River. It took place on 10 May 1944, as a part of the U-Go offensive, where boats were camouflaged with bushes and armed with Type 92 heavy machine guns. An estimated 6000 boats were built for both the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. It had a bow ramp that was lowered to disembark cargo upon riding up onto a beach. After reviewing photos of a Daihatsu landing craft, this was adopted by American landing craft designer

in developing the Landing Craft, Personnel (Large) (

LCP(L) The Landing Craft Personnel (Large) or LCP (L) was a landing craft used extensively in the Second World War. Its primary purpose was to ferry troops from transport ships to attack enemy-held shores. The craft derived from a prototype designed by t ...

) into the Landing Craft, Personnel (Ramped) (

LCP(R) The landing craft, vehicle, personnel (LCVP) or Higgins boat was a landing craft used extensively by the Allied forces in amphibious landings in World War II. Typically constructed from plywood, this shallow-draft, barge-like boat could ferry ...

) and later the Landing Craft, Vehicle and Personnel ( LCVP). However, the Daihatsu landing craft was more seaworthy than an LCVP due to its hull design. It was constructed of a metal hull and powered by a

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

. The landing craft could be modified to carry weapons of up to 37 mm (1.46 inch) caliber as armament and could be uparmoured against 40 mm fire. The 17 meter

Toku Daihatsu-class landing craft The Toku Daihatsu Class or 17m landing craft was a type of landing craft, used by the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. It was designated the "Super Type A" landing craft by the United States. History It was a larger design of the Daiha ...

was a lengthened version that was capable of carrying a medium-sized tank or two eight ton tanks.

Gallery

Image:Milne Bay 026639.jpg, alt=Four shirtless men in a large barge moored at a river bank. The barge has a ramp at the front of a catamaran hull., An example captured at the

Battle of Milne Bay The Battle of Milne Bay (25 August – 7 September 1942), also known as Operation RE or the Battle of Rabi (ラビの戦い) by the Japanese, was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Japanese marines, known as ''Kaigun Tokubet ...

Image:IJA-ship-pioneers-with-Daihatsu-landing-craft.jpg, Imperial Japanese Army practicing landings with the Daihatsu landing craft, 1935.

References

*Jentschura, Hansgeorg; Jung, Dieter; and Mickel, Peter. Translated by Brown, J.D. 1977. Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. Naval Institute Press. . *Morison, Samuel Eliot. 1950. History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Volume VI: Breaking the Bismarck Barrier, 22 July 1942 – 1 May 1942. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company. *Parillo, Mark P. 1993. The Japanese Merchant Marine in World War II. Naval Institute Press. {{WWII Japanese ships Landing craft Ships of the Imperial Japanese Army Amphibious warfare vessels of Japan Japanese inventions