World War 2 In Review: Japanese Type 94 37mm Anti-tank Gun

Type 94 37mm anti-tank gun at Royal Armouries at Fort Nelson, Hampshire, England.

The Type 94 37 mm anti-tank gun was an anti-tank gun developed by the Imperial Japanese Army and used in combat during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. The Type 94’s number was designated for the year the gun was accepted, 2594 in the Japanese imperial year calendar, or 1934 in the Gregorian calendar.

The Type 94 37-mm AT gun was introduced in 1936. The design originated as an improvement to the Type 11 37 mm infantry gun, which was also used as a primitive anti-tank weapon. However, its short bore, low muzzle velocity, short range and slow reloading time gave it a limited capacity against enemy armor. Development of a replacement began in July 1933 and was completed a year later. Initial testing indicated that a trained crew could fire up to 30 rounds per minute; however, Army planners felt that the initial design was too heavy. A modified design was tested in 1935, and actual production began in 1936; however, the weapon retained its original “Type 94” (imperial year 2594 = western year 1934) designation. Approximately 3,400 units were produced.

One of these few remaining units is on display at the Missouri Yacht Club, Lake Lotawana, Missouri.

As with many Japanese designs, it had a very low profile and was intended to be operated from a squat or prone position. The gun had a gun shield to protect the gunner and open carriage-style legs which could be spread to improve the stability. The breech had a semi-automatic cartridge case ejection system to improve reloading time. When the shell was loaded, the rear of the cartridge case tripped a catch closing the breechblock. The recoil action of firing opened the breech and extracted the cartridge case.

The carriage was equipped with either wooden spoke or perforated steel wheels, and the whole assembly could be broken down into four pack loads each weighing less than 100 kilograms to permit transport in four horse loads. Sighting was by a straight telescopic sight. The gun could fire either high-explosive or armor-piercing rounds.

The Type 94 37mm AT guns were typically assigned in groups of four to combat infantry regiments. Each weapon was manned by a squad of 11 personnel and was kept in contact with the regimental headquarters (typically up to 300 meters away) by field telephone or messenger runners. With the standard AP shell, it could penetrate 1.7 inches (43 mm) of armor at 500 yards (460 meters). The Army Technical Bureau continued to experiment with ways to increase muzzle velocity through 1941.

The Type 94 37mm AT gun was effective against Soviet lightly armored BT tanks in the Nomonhan Incident of 1939, but was considered obsolete against more advanced Allied tanks, such as the M4 Sherman, by the start of the Pacific War. However, it remained in service on most fronts in World War II for lack of a better replacement. The Type 1 47 mm Anti-Tank Gun was put into service starting in early 1942, and was intended to replace it, but was never available in large enough numbers to do so completely.

Type: Anti-tank gun

Place of origin: Empire of Japan

In service: 1936 - 1945

Used by: Imperial Japanese Army

Wars:

Second Sino-Japanese War

Soviet-Japanese Border Wars

World War II

Produced: 1936-1941

Number built: 3,400

Weight: 324 kg (714 lb) approx

Length: 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in)