The Type 94 90 mm mortar was a 90 mm

smoothbore A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. History Early firearms had smoothly bored barrels that fired projectiles without signi ...

infantry mortar, introduced in 1935, used by the Japanese in

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 ...

. The Type 94 designation was given to this gun as it was accepted in the year 2594 of the Japanese calendar (1934).War Department Special Series No 25 ''Japanese Field Artillery'' October 1944

Design

By giving the Type 94 an especially heavy and stable mount and bipod, a massive shock absorber group, a powerful projectile, and a lengthy tube and heavy powder charge capacity for long range, Japanese designers intended the weapon to serve as a substitute field or artillery piece that could be hauled in pieces to remote locations, a useful attribute for an army short on transport as well as modern towed large-caliber field howitzers and artillery. The Type 94 had a range of some 4000 yards.George, John B. (Lt. Col), ''Shots Fired In Anger'', NRA Press (1981), pp. 368-371

Combat record

The Type 94 was encountered throughout the war in China. In the Pacific campaign, it was first used against U.S. forces in the Philippines, and later at the

Battle of Guadalcanal The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the ...

. Because of its weight, it was normally employed in static siege or defense situations. Japanese forces sometimes went to great lengths to transport these heavy mortars to remote jungle locations when preparing defensive works.

References

Notes

Bibliography

TM E-30-480
at hyperwar.org * http://www3.plala.or.jp/takihome/ * War Department Special Series No 25 Japanese Field Artillery October 1944

External links

Shell diagram at Lonesentry.com
World War II infantry weapons of Japan Infantry mortars of Japan 90 mm artillery 9 Military equipment introduced in the 1930s {{Artillery-stub