Japanese equipment in WWII

[WTE_Galway]

The Aussies also had the Owens but that isn't really a HMG.

The japanese did have the new lighter version of the Juki:




Also don't forget the Japanese Mountain guns.


http://kokoda.commemoration.gov.au/j...-artillery.php
The Australians along the Kokoda track did entirely without artillery except for a few days from 21 September 1942. When the Japanese were on Ioribaiwa Ridge, at the limit of their advance, two 25lb guns of 14th Field Regiment were dragged up to Owers' Corner from where they were able to fire on the enemy.

The Japanese experience of war in China in the 1930s had taught them that in remote road-less regions the only artillery they would have was what they carried with them. On first landing in Papua they had 17 artillery pieces. These were of three types; 75mm mountain guns, 70mm infantry guns and 37mm guns which could fire an anti-tank or an anti-personnel round. All three could be taken apart and carried by horse or man. When the Japanese advanced into the Owen Stanley Range the carrying of the guns and their ammunition had to be done by men alone. One fifth of their force was needed to shoulder the burden of the disassembled guns and several thousand rounds of ammunition.

Below ... 23 November 1942. Oivi. A captured Japanese 70mm howitzer and Juki medium machine gun.

[Skoshi Tiger]

Both fired and unfired rounds of the larger type 94 Howitzer (Mountain gun) were also found at Iorabawa Ridge (the furthest point of the Japanese advance)





[caption
An Australian soldier inspects Japanese artillery rounds abandoned at Ioribaiwa. These rounds had been carried the length of the track by Japanese soldiers.]

Notice the shorter round for the 92 gun standing in the forground

Considering the Type 94 weighed a total of 500kg, It was amazing that they managed to get it so far.

[Daniël]

Maybe this does help a little. http://gunsight.jp/b/ You can find Army and Navy aircraft weapons, both fixed and flexible. Also instruments and control panels of Japanese planes and gunsights of several countries.

[Skoshi Tiger]

Well I found the War Diaries from my dads Battalion on Australian War Memorial web site and found an interesting entry for the 29th August '42.

This date is fairly famous for the Battle of Isurava where the 39 Militia and 2/14 AIF Battalions made a stand against the Japanese and where Kingsbury won his VC. (The recent Aussie film Kokoda based on the 39th Milita covered events here.)

It's not very well know that at the same time accross the valley at Abuari the 53rd Militia and the 2/16th AIF Battalions were having a pitched battle with the second prong of the Japanese attack that was attempting to flank the Australians and cut off the track behind Isuarva (My Dads company was waiting in reserve at the junction of the two tracks at this point during the battle)

The last entry on the page (1245) mentions "at least two .5 HMGs dug in and well protected".

Hmmm! If it was missidentification I guess it was more widespread than just my dad. But this battle was the first time they had encountered the Japanese and their equipment.



As an aside, just to get some indication of the conditions the battle was being fought in read the entry for 0900 hrs!


Crickey!



I took this photo in 2010 from Isurava looking accross the valley towards Abuari. We were going to do a side trip accross to Abuari but we were already a day behind our schedule and it was an eight hour walk. (supose it's a good excuse for a second trip! )