Type 94 90mm infantry mortar

Type 94 90mm infantry mortar
General Information
Manufacturer designation:	九四 式 軽 迫 撃 砲
Manufacturer country:	Japan
Production time:	1934 to 1940
Number of pieces:	450
Weapon Category:	mortar
Technical specifications
Pipe length:	1.27 m
Caliber :	90.5 mm
Caliber length :	L / 14.1
Weight ready for use:	159 kg
Cadence :	20 rounds / min
Elevation range:	+ 45 ° to +80 degrees
Side straightening area:	Left 29 °, right 26 °
Furnishing
Ammunition supply:	individually

The Type 94 90 mm infantry mortar ( Japanese 九四 式 軽 迫 撃 砲 , Kyūyon-shiki keihakugekihō ) was a mortar that was used by the Imperial Japanese Army in the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War from 1934 to 1945. The designation Type 94 indicates the year the troops were introduced, the year Kōki 2594 or 1934 according to the Gregorian calendar.

history

Japanese soldiers fire their Type 94 90mm mortar, China, 1937

In 1922 the Japanese Army introduced the Type 11 70 mm infantry mortar as a close-fire support train for its infantry . Since the accuracy and range of the Type 11 were unsatisfactory, the revised design of the Stokes mortar (mortar barrel with bipod ) by Edgar Brandt aroused the interest of the army. It ordered two 81 mm models with 1000 rounds each from the Brandt company and carried out initial tests with them in the summer of 1932. These went well and in the spring of 1933 the army placed an order for 250 mortars with 1000 rounds each to replace their Type 11 mortars and Type 11 guns . The purchase did not go through because the Type 92 battalion gun replaced both weapons. Although the army acquired a license in August 1937 to manufacture the Brandt mortar, a similar mortar was introduced as the Type 94 90mm infantry mortar as early as 1934 . The type 94 differed from the Brandt model by a U-shaped recoil suspension. The elaborate construction brought the weight of the Type 94 to 159 kg, which made it unpopular with the troops because of the heavy load. For this reason, he was mainly deployed from permanent positions. Because of its high accuracy and the mortar ability to fight targets in the jungle in a high fire curve, the Type 94 proved itself not only in the Second Sino-Japanese War, but also in the Southeast Asian theater of war . The combat value of the Type 94 was supported by the type 94 HE ammunition used , which had a relatively high explosive force or fragmentation effect .

Between 450 and 518 Type 94s were produced between 1934 and 1940 and were mainly used in the Second Sino-Japanese War. As early as 1937, the Type 97 81 mm infantry mortar , based on the Brandt concept, was introduced and became the most widely produced mortar in the Japanese Army.

The Type 94 mortar remained in service until the end of the war in 1945.

technology

The Type 94 90 mm infantry mortar was a smooth barrel mortar that could fire high-explosive (HE) shells of the Type 94 HE with a weight of 5.2 kg up to 3700 meters in steep fire . The 11.2 kg heavy type 94 HE grenade could be fired from a distance of 1500 meters. It was armed with either explosives, smoke or a chemical incendiary device. An essential characteristic of the Type 94 was the tube suspension, which was held by a U-shaped recoil hanger. It had a hydropneumatic recoil mechanism and an additional spring-spring recoil mechanism. The U-shaped piece had a ball at the bottom that was inserted into the bottom plate. The Type 94 could be broken down into four loads (tube, tube suspension, bipod, base plate) for transport.

Technical specifications

• Caliber: 90.5 mm
• Gun length: 1.27 m
• Caliber length: L / 14.1
• Elevation range: + 45 ° to + 80 °
• Side straightening range: Left 29 °, right 26 °
• Gun weight: 159 kg
• Bullet weight: 5.3 kg or 11.2 kg
• Muzzle velocity V ₀ = 227 m / s
• Maximum range: 3800 m

literature

• Philip Jowett: "The Japanese Army 1931-45 (1): 1931-42", Osprey Publishing, 2002, ISBN 978-1-84176-353-8 .
• Leland Ness: Guide to Japanese Ground Forces 1937–1945: Volume 2: Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces Helion & Company, 2014, ISBN 978-1-909982-75-8 .
• John Norris: Infantry Mortars of World War II. Osprey Publishing, 2002, ISBN 978-1-84176-414-6 .

Web links

• Type 94 90 mm Infantry Mortar. Taki's homepage, accessed on July 15, 2016 (English). 
• Model 94 (1934) 90-mm mortar. HyerWar, accessed July 15, 2016 . 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Ness, p. 73.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Type 94 90 mm Infantry Mortar. Taki's homepage, accessed on July 15, 2016 (English). 
3. ^ The Type 94 90mm infantry mortar debuted with IJA forces in 1935. MilitaryFactory.com, accessed July 15, 2016 . 
4. ^ Ness, p. 76
5. ^ Ness, p. 86
6. ↑ Model 94 (1934) 90-mm mortar. HyerWar, accessed July 15, 2016 .