Type 31 75 mm mountain gun

The Type 31 75 mm quick-firing gun (三十一年式速山砲, Sanjūichinen-shiki Sokusanhō) was the main field gun deployed by the Imperial Japanese Army in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905.

Type 31 75 mm quick-firing gun
Type 31 75 mm quick-firing at the Hämeenlinna military museum
TypeField gun
mountain gun
Place of origin Empire of Japan
Service history
Used byImperial Japanese Army
WarsRusso Japanese War
World War II
Production history
DesignerArisaka Nariakira
Produced1898
No. builtApproximately 620
Specifications
Mass.330 tonnes (730 lb)
Barrel length1.06 m (3 ft 6 in) L/13.3

Shell6 kilograms (13 lb)
Caliber75 millimetres (3.0 in)
RecoilSemi-rigid cable/spring system
CarriagePole trail
Elevation-5° to +38°
Rate of fire2-3 rounds/minute
Muzzle velocity487 m/s (1,600 ft/s)
Maximum firing range6,500 m (7,100 yd)

Description

The Type 31 was introduced in 1898, with the "Type 31" designation indicating that the gun was developed in 31st year of reign of Emperor Meiji.[1] Designed by Colonel Arisaka Nariakira, it had a barrel made of steel, which improved the range and accuracy of the gun over the earlier 7 cm mountain gun, which had a bronze barrel. The Type 31 used smokeless powder cartridge shots, and had a semi-rigid recoil system using cables connected to a set of springs. It had a range of approximately 7,800 meters, using a 6 kilogram explosive shot. The Type 31 also came in a lighter mountain gun version, which had a shorter range (4,300 meters). Approximately 620 were produced and deployment to combat units was completed by 1902. The gun remained in service to the end of World War II.

Foreign users

About one hundred Type 31 guns were sold to the Russian Empire in 1916. About 50 of these later surfaced in the Red Army during Finnish Civil War, and ultimately 44 guns were appropriated by Finland when the hostilities ceased. These guns were designated 75 VK 98. Forty-two of these guns, together with 28,000 shells, were sold again in 1937 to republican Spain in the ongoing Spanish Civil War. The chartered Estonian transport Yorbrook, carrying guns and ammunition, was intercepted in the Bay of Biscay by the Spanish cruiser ''Canarias'' shortly before the Battle of Cape Machichaco on 5 March 1937. During the battle, the Yorbrook was escorted by republican forces to enter the port of Bermeo, but it is unknown if the guns were dumped at sea or offloaded in Bermeo.[2]

References

  • War Department TM-E-30-480 Handbook on Japanese Military Forces September 1944
  • Kowner, Rotem (2006). Historical Dictionary of the Russo-Japanese War. The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-4927-5.

Notes

  1. War Department TM-E-30-480 Handbook on Japanese Military Forces September 1944 p 400
  2. Jaeger platoon site - infantry guns of Finland


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