Type 38 75 mm field gun
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| Type 38 75 mm field gun | |
|---|---|
| Name | Type 38 75 mm field gun |
| Type | Field gun |
| Origin | Empire of Japan |
| Service | 1905–1945 |
| Used by | Imperial Japanese Army, Manchukuo Imperial Army, Wang Jingwei regime |
| Wars | Russo-Japanese War, World War I, Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II |
| Designer | Krupp |
| Manufacturer | Nippon Seikosho, Kijiro Nambu |
| Production date | 1905–1935 |
| Weight | 1,100–1,200 kg |
| Part length | 2.286 m (L/30.5) |
| Cartridge | 75 × 185 mm R |
| Caliber | 75 mm |
| Velocity | 510–546 m/s |
| Range | 8,000–8,700 m |
| Breech | Interrupted screw |
| Recoil | Hydro-spring |
| Carriage | Pole trail |
Type 38 75 mm field gun The Type 38 75 mm field gun was an early 20th-century artillery piece adopted by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Meiji era and used through the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. Derived from European designs acquired after the Russo-Japanese War, it became a standard divisional gun in Japanese service and influenced later Japanese ordnance development. The weapon saw deployment across East Asia and the Pacific and remained in secondary roles into the late stages of World War II.
Design and development
The Type 38 originated from post-Russo-Japanese War efforts by the Imperial Japanese Army to modernize following engagements such as the Siege of Port Arthur and the Battle of Mukden. Japanese procurement teams negotiated with European firms including Krupp, Schneider and observed designs used by the German Empire and the French Third Republic. Early trials at the military arsenals in Tokyo and the Army Technical Bureau led to adoption in 1905 (38th year of Emperor Meiji's reign). Production was undertaken by Japanese firms such as Nippon Seikosho and influenced engineers including Kijiro Nambu and technicians trained at the Imperial Japanese Army Academy.
Design features reflected contemporary continental practice exemplified by the Krupp 7.5 cm Model 1903 and the Canon de 75 modèle 1897 with a conventional interrupted-screw breech and hydro-spring recoil system similar to systems tested by the British Royal Artillery and the French Army. The carriage adopted a pole trail layout used by many pre-World War I field guns in the Russian Empire and Austro-Hungarian Army. The Type 38's ammunition and chamber dimensions were standardized to align with Japanese logistics doctrine developed at the Army Ordnance Bureau.
Technical specifications
The gun fired a 75 mm projectile from a 75 × 185 mm R cartridge case using an interrupted-screw breech derived from German practice similar to that on Mauser ordinance. Barrel length was approximately 2.286 m (L/30.5), producing muzzle velocities between 510 and 546 m/s, comparable to contemporary pieces used by the United States Army and the British Indian Army. Maximum effective range was about 8,000–8,700 m; direct fire and indirect fire tables were produced by the Army Gunnery School.
Recoil was managed by a hydro-spring mechanism akin to systems evaluated by the Royal Navy and the Imperial German Navy; elevation ranged from −8° to +16°, and traverse was limited by the pole trail to several degrees, mirroring constraints seen in guns of the Ottoman Army and the Greek Army. Weight and mobility allowed horse-drawn limbering within divisions organized under doctrines influenced by the Prussian General Staff and the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office.
Service history
Adopted in 1905, Type 38 pieces were issued across infantry divisions and cavalry units during the pre-World War I period and saw use in colonial policing actions in Korea and Taiwan (Formosa). During World War I, Japan's limited continental deployments used the Type 38 alongside heavier coastal batteries coordinated with the Imperial Japanese Navy. The gun formed a core of Japanese artillery during the Second Sino-Japanese War, notably in campaigns tied to the Marco Polo Bridge Incident and battles around Shanghai and Nanjing.
By World War II, many Type 38 guns had been relegated to reserve, training, and coastal defense roles, supporting units in Manchuria under the Kwantung Army and in occupied territories administered by the Wang Jingwei regime and the Manchukuo Imperial Army. Captured examples were used by Chinese Nationalist forces during the Chinese Civil War and by various guerrilla groups interacting with the Soviet Red Army in border clashes. The longevity of the Type 38 paralleled other long-serving models such as the Type 89 155 mm gun and reflected interwar industrial capacity limits confronted by the Ministry of the Army.
Variants and modifications
Several modifications extended the Type 38's service life. Rebarreled or relined barrels addressed wear, a practice also applied to French and British artillery after prolonged use. Some guns received updated recoil buffers and strengthened carriages analogous to alterations made to the QF 18-pounder in the British Army. Naval-adapted mounts and anti-aircraft improvised conversions appeared in coastal defenses under Chrysanthemum Fleet coordination with the Imperial Japanese Navy arsenals. Exported or seized pieces underwent local modification by forces in Manchuria, China, and in various Pacific islands, paralleling field modifications seen in captured Soviet and German materiel.
Combat performance and evaluations
Contemporary evaluations by Japanese staff officers compared the Type 38 unfavorably in mobility and range to newer models such as the Type 90 75 mm field gun and artillery exploited by the United States Army in the Pacific. However, against poorly equipped adversaries in early 20th-century East Asia and in colonial policing actions, the Type 38's reliability and logistical commonality provided operational value akin to earlier patterns seen with the Canon de 75 modèle 1897 in colonial campaigns. Battlefield reports from engagements around Shanghai and Nanjing documented effective direct-fire support, while later encounters in the Pacific highlighted deficiencies in traverse, elevation, and anti-armor performance relative to Soviet 76 mm divisional guns and newer Allied pieces.
Postwar analyses by military historians at institutions like the National Defense Academy of Japan and comparative studies referencing the U.S. Army Field Artillery School and the Royal Artillery Institution note the Type 38 as representative of transitional pre–World War I designs that remained in service due to industrial and doctrinal factors rather than technical parity with interwar and World War II-era artillery.