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List of Japanese military equipment of World War II

The following is a list of Japanese military equipment of World War II which includes artillery, vehicles and vessels, and other support equipment of both the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), and Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) from operations conducted from start of Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 to the end of World War II in 1945.

The Empire of Japan forces conducted operations over a variety of geographical areas and climates from the frozen North of China bordering Russia during the Battle of Khalkin Gol (Nomonhan) to the tropical jungles of Indonesia. Japanese military equipment was researched and developed along two separate procurement processes, one for the IJA and one for the IJN. Until 1943, the IJN usually received a greater budget allocation, which allowed for the enormous Yamato-class battleships, advanced aircraft such as the Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" series, and the world's largest submarines. In addition, the IJN was given a higher priority as to the allocation of steel and raw materials for warship construction and airplane construction. It changed to a degree in 1944/45, when the Japanese home islands became increasingly under direct threat, but it was too late. Therefore, during the prior years the Imperial Japanese Army suffered by having a lower budget allocation and being given a lower priority as to raw materials, which eventually affected its use of equipment and tactics in engagements during World War II.

A majority of the materials used were cotton, wool, and silk for the fabrics, wood for weapon stocks, leather for ammunition pouches, belts, etc. But by 1943 material shortages caused much of the leather to be switched to cotton straps as a substitute.

Swords and bayonets

Small arms

Pistols and Revolvers (manual and semi-automatic)

Automatic pistols and submachine guns

Rifles

Grenades and grenade launchers

Flare guns

Recoilless rifles

Flamethrowers

Machine guns

Infantry and dual-purpose machine guns

Vehicle and aircraft machine guns

Training light machine guns

Artillery

Infantry mortars

Heavy mortars & rocket launchers

Field artillery

Fortress and siege guns

Infantry guns

Anti-tank guns

Anti-tank weapons (besides anti-tank guns)

Anti-aircraft weapons

Occasional anti-aircraft guns

Light anti-aircraft guns

Medium & heavy anti-aircraft guns

Vehicles

Tankettes

Amphibious tanks

Note: Amphibious tanks were used by the IJN.

Tanks and related vehicles

Self-propelled guns

Tank-based

Other

Armored cars

Armored carriers

Armored trains

Railroad vehicles

Wagons

  • Wagon-1 reconnaissance wagon
  • Wagon-1 protective wagon
  • Wagon-2 heavy canone wagon
  • Wagon-3 light canone wagon
  • Wagon-4 infantry wagon
  • Wagon-5 command wagon
  • Wagon-6 auxiliary tender
  • Wagon-7 materials wagon
  • Wagon-7 power supply wagon
  • Wagon-8 infantry wagon
  • Wagon-9 light canone wagon
  • Wagon-10 howitzer wagon
  • Wagon-11 protective wagon

Locomotives

Railroad cars

Japanese has used routinely road-railroad convertible automobiles. These are covered in "Armoured cars" section

Engineering and command

See List of Japanese Army military engineer vehicles of World War II

Trucks

Tractors & prime movers

  • Type 92 5 t prime mover "I-Ke" – Ko model (gasoline engine), introduced in 1931 and weighted 4.6 ton. Otsu model (diesel engine), introduced in 1936 and weighted 5.3 ton. A total of 422 were produced.
  • Type 92 8 t prime mover "Ni-Ku" – Ko model (gasoline engine), introduced in 1932 and weighted 8.0 ton. Otsu model (diesel engine), introduced in 1936 and weighted 8.35 ton. A total of 1,657 were produced.
  • Type 94 4 t prime mover "Yo-Ke" – introduced in 1934 and weighted 3.55 ton. A total of 133 were produced.
  • Type 95 13 t prime mover "Ho-Fu" – Ko model (gasoline engine), introduced in 1935 and weighted 13.0 ton. Otsu model (diesel engine), introduced in 1938 and weighted 13.64 ton. A total of 373 were produced.
  • Type 98 4 t prime mover "Shi-Ke" – introduced in 1938 and weighted 4.3 ton. A total of 781 were produced.
  • Type 98 6 t prime mover "Ro-Ke" – introduced in 1939 and designed successor of the Type 92 5 t prime mover "I-Ke". It weighted 6.9 ton and a total of 1,983 were produced.
  • Experimental 16 t tractor "Chi-Ke" – developed in 1940/1941, it was a heavy prime mover and intended as the designed successor of the Type 95 13 t prime mover "Ho-Fu". It was powered by a diesel engine and had a crane at the backend for light loads. It did not go into production.
  • Type 96 AA gun prime mover
  • Type 98 20 mm AA machine cannon carrier truck
  • Type 98 Ko-Hi half-track prime mover
  • Type 98 20 mm AA half-track vehicle

Passenger cars (not armoured)

Motorcycles

  • Type 97 motorcycle (licensed Harley-Davidson, Rikuo production)
  • Type 1 motorcycle with side car (trike)

Miscellaneous vehicles

  • Type 94 ambulance
  • Type 94 repair vehicle

Army vessels

River-crossing crafts

  • Type 95 collapsible boat
  • Type 99 pontoon bridge
  • Rubber rafts

Landing craft

Motorboats

  • Speedboat model Ko
  • Speedboat model Otsu
  • Suicide-Attack motorboat "Maru-Re"

Gun boats

  • Armored boat "AB-Tei"
  • Submarine-chaser "Karo-Tei"

IJA Landing craft/aircraft carriers

  • Hei-class landing craft carrier "Shinshu Maru"
  • Hei-class landing craft/aircraft carrier "Akitsu Maru"
  • Hei-class landing craft/aircraft carrier "Kumano Maru"
  • Ko-class landing craft carrier "Mayasan Maru"
  • Ko-class landing craft carrier "Kibitsu Maru"
  • Ko-class landing craft carrier "Tamatsu Maru"
  • Ko-class landing craft carrier "Hyuga Maru"
  • Ko-class landing craft carrier "Settsu Maru"
  • Otsu-class landing craft carrier "Takatsu Maru"

Transport vessels

Navy ships and war vessels

Aircraft

Secret weapons

Army secret weapons

  • Remote-control special vehicle "I-Go"
  • Unmanned miniature special vehicle "Ya-I"
  • Remote-control special working cable car
  • Experimental mortar weapon "Ite-Go"
  • Remote-control boat "Isu-Go"
  • Rocket cannon "Ro-Go"
  • Nuclear project "Mishina"
  • Engine stopcock "Ha-Go"
  • Radio signal jamming device "Ho-Go"
  • Electromagnetic anti-tank weapon "To-Go"
  • VHF wave application research "Chi-Go"
  • High voltage weapon "Ka-Go"
  • High voltage obstacle-destroying weapon "Kaha-Go"
  • High voltage conductive wire obstacles "Kake-Go"
  • High voltage conductive wire net launching rocket "Kate-Go"
  • Infrared ray detecting device "Ne-Go"
  • Mine-detecting sonar for landing operations "Ra-Go"
  • Remote radio-control device "Mu-Go"
  • Radio-controlled boat with remote sonar and depth charge deployment device "Musu-Go"
  • Device to cause artificial lightning flashes through ray-scattering "U-Go"
  • Night vision system "No-Go"
  • Microwave heat ray "Ku-Go" (developed at the No. 9 Special Warfare Army Laboratory)
  • Infrared homing bomb "Ke-Go"
  • Intercontinental balloon bomb "Fu-Go"
  • Optical communication device "Ko-Go"
  • Rope-launching rocket system "Te-Go"
  • Blinding light ray device "Ki-Go"
  • Propaganda transmission device "Se-Go"
  • Advanced sonar system "Su-Go"
  • Anti-tank explosive spear suicide weapon "Shitotsubakurai"
  • Experimental armour for machine gunner
  • Experimental reconnaissance aircraft "Te-Go"
  • Reconnaissance autogyro "Ka-Go"
  • Defoliant bacteria bomb
  • Ceramic flea-dispersal bomb for plague propagation
  • Plan to collapse Chinese economy through introduction of counterfeit yuan

Navy secret weapons

  • I-Go 14 Type Ko-Kai 2 modified A Type 2 I-Go 14 aircraft submarine
  • I-Go 15 Type Otsu Type B I-Go 26 aircraft submarine
  • I-Go 54 Type Otsu-Kai 2 modified B Type 2 I-Go 54 aircraft submarine
  • I-Go 400 Type I-Go 402 aircraft submarine
  • Aichi M6A1 Seiran torpedo-bomber (carried in submarines)
  • Suicide Attack Diver "Fukuryu"
  • "Kaiten" Type 1 suicide attack midget submarine
  • "Kairyu" midget submarine
  • Nuclear project "F-Go"
  • Aircraft battleship class "Ise"

Radars

Imperial Japanese Army radars

Ground-based radar

  • Ta-Chi 1 ground-based target tracking radar Model 1
  • Ta-Chi 2 ground-based target tracking radar Model 2
  • Ta-Chi 3 ground-based target tracking radar Model 3
  • Ta-Chi 4 ground-based target tracking radar Model 4
  • TypeA Bi-static doppler interface detector (high frequency warning device "Ko")
  • Ta-Chi 6 Type B fixed early warning device (fixed early warning device "Otsu")
  • Ta-Chi 7 Type B mobile early warning device (mobile early warning device "Otsu")
  • Ta-Chi 13 aircraft guidance system
  • Ta-Chi 18 Type B portable early warning device (portable early warning device "Otsu")
  • Ta-Chi 20 fixed early warning device receiver (for Ta-Chi 6)
  • Ta-Chi 24 mobile anti-aircraft radar (Japanese Wurzburg radar)
  • Ta-Chi 28 aircraft guidance device
  • Ta-Chi 31 ground-based target tracking radar Model 4 modified

Airborne radar

  • Ta-Ki 1 Model 1 airborne surveillance radar
  • Ta-Ki 1 Model 2 airborne surveillance radar
  • Ta-Ki 1 Model 3 airborne surveillance radar
  • Ta-Ki 11 ECM device
  • Ta-Ki 15 aircraft guidance device receiver (for Tachi 13)

Shipborne radar

  • Ta-Se 1 anti-surface radar
  • Ta-Se 2 anti-surface radar

Imperial Japanese Navy radars

Land-based radar

  • Type 2 Mark 1 Model 1 early warning radar ("11-Go" early warning radar)
  • Type 2 Mark 1 Model 1 modify 1 early warning radar ("11-Go" Model 1 early warning radar)
  • Type 2 Mark 1 Model 1 modify 2 early warning radar ("11-Go" Model 2 early warning radar)
  • Type 2 Mark 1 Model 1 modify 3 early warning radar ("11-Go" Model 3 early warning radar)
  • Type 2 Mark 1 Model 2 mobile early warning radar ("12-Go" mobile early warning radar)
  • Type 2 Mark 1 Model 2 modify 2 mobile early warning radar ("12-Go" modify 2 mobile early warning radar)
  • Type 2 Mark 1 Model 2 modify 3 mobile early warning radar ("12-Go" modify 3 mobile early warning radar)
  • Type 3 Mark 1 Model 1 early warning radar ("11-Go" modified early warning radar)
  • Type 3 Mark 1 Model 3 small size early warning radar ("13-Go" small size early warning radar)
  • Type 3 Mark 1 Model 4 long-range air search radar ("14-Go" long-range air search radar)
  • Type 2 Mark 4 Model 1 anti-aircraft fire-control radar (Japanese SCR-268)
  • Type 2 Mark 4 Model 2 anti-aircraft fire-control radar (Japanese SCR-268) (S24 anti-aircraft fire-control radar)

Airborne radar

  • Type 3 air Mark 6 Model 4 airborne ship-search radar (H6 airborne ship-search radar) (N6 airborne ship-search radar)
  • Type 5 Model 1 radio location night vision device

Shipborne radar

  • Type 2 Mark 2 Model 1 air search radar ("21-Go" air search radar)
  • Type 2 Mark 2 Model 2 modify 3 anti-surface, fire assisting radar for submarine ("21-Go" modify 3 anti-surface, fire-assisting Radar)
  • Type 2 Mark 2 Model 2 modify 4 Anti-Surface, Fire-assisting Radar for Ship ("21-Go" Modify 4 Anti-Surface, Fire-assisting Radar)
  • Type 2 Mark 3 Model 1 anti-surface fire-control radar ("31-Go" anti-surface fire-control radar)
  • Type 2 Mark 3 Model 2 anti-surface fire-control radar ("32-Go" anti-surface fire-control radar)
  • Type 2 Mark 3 Model 3 anti-surface fire-control radar ("33-Go" anti-surface fire-control radar)

Missiles & bombs

Unclear IJA bombs

  • Type Ro-3
  • Type Ro-5
  • Type Ro-7

Unclear IJN bombs

  • Type 3 No.1 28-go bomb Type 2
  • Type 3 No.1 28-go bomb Type 2 modify 1
  • Type 3 No.1 28-go bomb Type 2 modify 2
  • Type 3 No.1 28-go bomb "Maru-Sen"
  • No. 6 27-go bomb
  • Type 3 No.25 4-go bomb Type 1
  • Type 3 No.50 4-go bomb

Unclear bomb

  • Type 4456 100 kg Skipping bomb

Cartridges and shells

Cartridges

High explosive anti-tank (HEAT) shells

Among them, the HEAT of Type 41 mountain gun was used in action and destroyed several Allied tanks in Burma and other places. The use of the HEAT for other guns is not known.

Other HEAT shell was the projectile of Type 94 mountain gun. The HEAT of Type 94 mountain gun was not produced though it was developed.

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

  • Bishop, Chris (eds) The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. Barnes & Nobel. 1998.
  • Chamberlain, Peter and Gander, Terry. Light and Medium Field Artillery. Macdonald and Jane's (1975).
  • Chant, Chris. Artillery of World War II, Zenith Press, 2001,
  • McLean, Donald B. Japanese Artillery; Weapons and Tactics. Wickenburg, Ariz.: Normount Technical Publications 1973. .
  • US Department of War, TM 30-480, Handbook On Japanese Military Forces, Louisiana State University Press, 1994.

External links