Type 98 320 mm mortar

The 320 mm Type 98 mortar (Japanese: 九八式臼砲, Hepburn: kyūhachi-shiki-kyūhō, literally "nine eight type mortar"), known by the nickname "Ghost rockets", was an artillery weapon used by the Japanese military during World War II, especially during the Battle of Iwo Jima.[1]

Type 98 320 mm mortar
Japanese Type 98 320 mm mortar schema
TypeSpigot mortar
Place of origin Empire of Japan
Service history
In service1939–1945
Used byImperial Japanese Army
WarsWorld War II
Production history
Designed1937–1938
Specifications
Mass300 kg (660 lb) (projectile)
Caliber320 mm (12.6 in)

Specifications

The mortar consists of a steel tube closed at one end by a steel base-plate, which rests on a wooden platform. The 300 kg (660 lb), 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in), 330 mm (13 in) shells fit around and on top of the tube, instead of being dropped inside, making this a spigot mortar. The range of each shot was adjusted by adding different size powder charges at the base of the round. The barrels could only handle five or six shots apiece before becoming damaged and unusable. When used in large groups, as was often done, it produced a fearsome effect known as the "screaming missile" to U.S. Marines.[1] To absorb the massive recoil caused by firing their projectiles, the mortar tubes were almost always placed up against a mound of dirt.[2]

Use

During World War II, the Japanese Imperial Army deployed somewhere between one and two dozen 320 mm mortars on Iwo Jima, as well as two dozen on Bataan.[3][4] The weapon was also used on Okinawa.[5]

Iwo Jima

Japanese officers believed the 320 mm spigot mortar's most effective method of employment was to inflict psychological damage on the American troops instead of inflicting casualties. [5][6] The 300 kg (660 lb) shells left craters 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) deep and 4.5 m (15 ft) wide, but caused relatively few casualties due to minimal fragmentation.[5] The mortars were mainly operated by the 20th Independent Mortar Battalion.[1]

During the Iwo Jima campaign, many of the 12 to 24 launchers were placed inside the mouths of caves to protect them from American artillery bombardment, requiring the gun crews to live in the caves that housed their guns, like the infantry.[5] Due to the relative difficulty[2] involved in moving such a massive weapon system, their locations usually remained fixed during battles.

  • Japanese Type 98 mortar base-plate and 320 mm mortar shell (minus warhead) captured during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
  • A complete 320 mm mortar shell captured during the Battle of Iwo Jima.

References
  1. CLOSING IN: Marines in the Seizure of Iwo Jima
  2. Journal of the United States Artillery (1919:148)
  3. The High Cost of Faulty Intel
  4. Chapter IV: Where Is The Enemy
  5. Japanese Antitank Tactics
  6. HyperWar: Iwo Jima: Amphibious Epic [Chapter 4]

Bibliography
  • Alexander, Joseph. "CLOSING IN: Marines in the Seizure of Iwo Jima". Archived from the original on 24 January 2009. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
  • Journal of the United States Artillery. United States Coast Artillery Training Center, Fort Monroe, VA. 1919. p. 460.
  • "Japanese Antitank Tactics" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
  • "The High Cost of Faulty Intel -Page 2". Military.com. February 2005. p. 2. Archived from the original on 2 January 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  • Appleman, Roy E.; James M. Burns; Russell A. Gugeler; John Stevens. "Chapter IV: Where Is The Enemy". CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY, UNITED STATES ARMY. Archived from the original on 2 January 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  • Clancy, Patrick (1954). "HyperWar: Iwo Jima: Amphibious Epic (Chapter 4)". Hyper War. Archived from the original on 3 January 2009.
  • "History". Durr International. Archived from the original on 3 January 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2008.

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