World War 2 In Review: 03/28/25

Japanese Type 5 Experimental 75mm Anti-tank Gun

Type 5 Experimental 75mm Anti-tank Gun.

Japanese Experimental 57mm Anti-tank Gun

Experimental 57mm Anti-tank Gun.

Japanese Type 97 Experimental 47mm Anti-tank Gun

Type 97 Experimental 47mm Anti-tank Gun.

Japanese Type 1 47mm Anti-tank Gun

Type 1 47mm Anti-tank Gun.

The Type 1 47 mm anti-tank gun was an anti-tank gun developed by the Imperial Japanese Army and used in combat during World War II. The Type 1 number was designated for the year the gun was accepted, 2601 in the Japanese imperial year calendar, or 1941 in the Gregorian calendar.

The Type 1 47 mm anti-tank gun was accepted into service in 1942. The design originated as an improvement to the prototype “Experimental Type 97 (1937) 47 mm anti-tank gun,” which was tested between 1938 and 1939. The prototype weighed 567 kilograms with a barrel length of 2,515 mm, a traverse range of ±50 degrees and an elevation range of between minus 10 and plus 20 degrees, and a muzzle velocity of 730 m/s. The prototype was not accepted into service because it was considered to not have sufficient performance.

After the Nomonhan Incident, the Imperial Japanese Army started the development of a new anti-tank gun, considering that the Type 94 37 mm anti-tank gun would likely be ineffective against the new Soviet tanks. The design was the first completely indigenous anti-tank gun design completed in Japan, and production was assigned to the army’s Osaka Arsenal. In terms of performance, the design was still somewhat inferior to advanced contemporary designs in western nations but was considered suitable by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff due to the anticipated lack of armor by the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China, and by the belief that Japan would face only light tanks fielded by the Allied nations in case of a more general war. The Type 1 47 mm AT Gun was introduced in 1942, and approximately 2,300 were produced.

The Type 1 47 mm AT gun was a relative modern design compared to other Japanese Second World war designs, being relatively light and easy to handle. As with many Japanese designs, it had a very low profile and was intended to be operated from a kneeling or prone position. The gun had a gun shield to protect the gunner. The carriage appears to have adopted a number of design features from the Soviet ZIK 45 mm anti-tank gun, a number of examples of which were captured by the Japanese during the Battle of Khalkhin Gol (Nomonhan) in 1939. It used a semi-automatic breech block with a horizontal sliding wedge. When the gun was fired the spent shell casing was automatically ejected, and upon loading a fresh shell, the breech block closed automatically. A hydrospring recoil mechanism was housed under the barrel. The weapon had a split trail which opened to an angle of 60 degrees for firing to improve stability. Transport was by towing behind a truck or horse, via two steel disc wheels fitted with sponge rubber filled tires.

The Type 1 fired six types of shells:

Type 1 APHE Shell

The APHE shell weighed 3.37 pounds (1.53 kg) and used a Mark 2 base fuse, the complete round weighing 6.1 pounds (2.8 kg). It had a small explosive charge of 0.04 pounds (18 g) consisting of RDX phlegmatized with 10% paraffin. The round also had a tracer.

Armor Penetration of Type 1 APHE shell
Range	Penetration at 0°	Penetration at 30°
250 yards (230 m)	3 inches (76 mm)	2.25 inches (57 mm)
500 yards (460 m)	2.75 inches (70 mm)	2 inches (51 mm)
750 yards (690 m)	2.45 inches (62 mm)	1.7 inches (43 mm)
1,000 yards (910 m)	2 inches (51 mm)	1.4 inches (36 mm)
1,500 yards (1,400 m)	1.6 inches (41 mm)	1.2 inches (30 mm)

Type 1 HE Shell

The HE shell weighed 3.08 pounds (1.40 kg) and used the Type 88 instantaneous or short delay fuse with a complete round weighing 5.4 pounds (2.4 kg). It contained 0.2 pounds (91 g) of explosive, consisting of a small block of picric acid and a larger block of TNT.

The Type 1 47 mm AT gun was introduced to combat service only in 1941, with the intent of it replacing the Type 94 37 mm (1.5 in) anti-tank gun. It was very effective for its role, with American personnel calling it “an excellent weapon, with mechanized carriage and a high muzzle-velocity” that “proved most effective in combat,” though it was not always available in sufficient numbers. It had a high rate of fire and with AP shells was capable of perforating the front armor of the M4A6 (a slightly more heavily armored variant of the M4 medium tank) at 800 yards (730 m), though standard doctrine was to wait until tanks got closer if possible to ensure good shot placement. The weaker APHE shell, while incapable of penetrating the M4 Medium’s 93 mm (3.7 in) of effective front armor, could still penetrate the tank’s side (38–45 mm (1.5–1.8 in) of vertical armor), the most likely part of the tank to get hit, at a distance of more than a kilometer. It was issued to armored units as well as independent anti-tank units, and was fielded in a wide variety of areas, but most notably the Philippines and Okinawa, and continued to be used with diminishing effectiveness until the end of World War II.

After World War II the Type 1 47 mm AT gun was used in the Indonesian National Revolution by the Indonesian Army. In the Battle of Surabaya Dutch forces and British forces suffered moderate casualties among their convoy which consisted M3 Stuarts and M4 Shermans.

Type: Anti-tank gun

Place of origin: Japan

In service: 1942 - 1945

Used by: Imperial Japanese Army

Wars: Second World War

Designed: circa 1939

Number built: 2,300

Variants: Main gun on the Type 97 Shinhoto Chi-Ha, Type 1 Chi-He and Type 3 Ka-Chi

Weight: 753 kg (1,660 lb)

Barrel length: 2.53 m (8 ft 4 in) L/53.7

Shell: 47×285 mm. R

Shell weight: 1.4 kg (3 lb 1 oz)

Caliber: 47 mm (1.85 in)

Action: Breech loading

Carriage: Split-trail

Elevation: -11° to +18°

Traverse: 60°

Muzzle velocity: 840 m/s (2,723 ft/s)

Maximum firing range: 6,900 m (7,546 yds)

Sights: Straight telescope

Type 1 47mm Anti-tank Gun.

Japanese Experimental 37mm Anti-tank Guns

Experimental 37mm Anti-tank Gun.

Experimental 37mm Anti-tank Gun.

Experimental 37mm Anti-tank Gun in shipping container.

Experimental 37mm Anti-tank Gun.

Japanese Type 97 Ra 37mm Anti-tank Gun

Type 97 Ra 37mm Anti-tank Gun.

Japanese Type 97 37mm Anti-tank Gun

Type 97 37mm Anti-tank Gun.

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)