Type 99 88 mm AA gun

The Type 99 88 mm AA gun (九九式八糎高射砲, Kyūkyū-shiki hassenchi Koshahō) was an anti-aircraft gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. The Type 99's number was designated for the year the gun was accepted, 2599 in the Japanese imperial year calendar (1939 in the Gregorian calendar).[1]

Japanese Type 99 88mm AA gun
Type 99 88 mm AA gun
TypeAnti-aircraft gun
Place of origin Empire of Japan
Service history
In service1939-1945
Used byImperial Japanese Army
WarsWorld War II
Production history
Designed1938
No. builtapprox 1,000
Specifications
Mass6.5 tons
Barrel length3.959 m (12 ft 11.9 in), L/45
Caliber88 millimetres (3.5 in)
Barrelssingle
Elevation-11° to +80°
Traverse360°
Rate of fire15 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity800 m/s (2,600 ft/s)
Effective firing range10,420 m (34,190 ft)
Maximum firing range15,700 m (51,500 ft)

History and development

During the Battle of Nanjing in the Second Sino-Japanese War, Japanese forces captured a number of German-made SK C/30 anti-aircraft guns from the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China. These weapons were originally naval anti-aircraft weapons for the Third Reich's Kriegsmarine,[2] and should not be confused with the more famous FlaK 88 mm anti-aircraft gun.[3]

Quickly realizing the superiority of this design in terms of range and firepower over the domestic Type 88 75 mm AA gun, the Japanese Army Technical Bureau quickly reverse engineered it, and placed it into production. Approximately 1000 units were built.

Design

The Type 99 88 mm AA gun had a mono-block gun barrel, semi-automatic vertical sliding breech block, and hydro-pneumatic recoil mechanism. The firing platform was supported by five legs, each of which (along with the central pedestal) had adjustable screwed foot for leveling. The gun barrel could easily be removed from the breech end-piece, and the entire assembly could be broken down into six separate assemblies for ease of transportation. It fired a 9 kilograms (20 lb) high explosive projectile to an effective altitude of 10,420 metres (34,190 ft). Armor-piercing shells were also developed for potential anti-tank use.[4]

Projectiles

  • High-explosive –　9 kg (19 lb 13 oz)
  • Incendiary – 9.5 kg (20 lb 15 oz)
  • Armor-piercing – 10 kg (22 lb 1 oz)

Combat record

The Type 99 88 mm AA gun was primarily deployed in defense of the Japanese home islands against Allied air raids and against the perceived threat of Allied invasion.[5]

References

Notes
  1. War Department TM-E-30-480 Handbook on Japanese Military Forces September 1944 p 400
  2. Taki's Imperial Japanese Army
  3. Chant, Artillery of World War II.
  4. Bishop, The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II.
  5. Rottman, The Japanese Army in World War II. Pp.40

Bibliography
  • War Department TM-E-30-480 Handbook on Japanese Military Forces September 1944
  • Bishop, Chris (eds) The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. Barnes & Nobel. 1998. ISBN 0-7607-1022-8
  • Chant, Chris. Artillery of World War II, Zenith Press, 2001, ISBN 0-7603-1172-2
  • McLean, Donald B. Japanese Artillery; Weapons and Tactics. Wickenburg, Ariz.: Normount Technical Publications 1973. ISBN 0-87947-157-3.
  • Rottman, Gordon L. The Japanese Army in World War II. Osprey (2005) ISBN 1-84176-870-7
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