Long Description:
County of Display: San Diego County.
Location of Display: Hochmuth Ave., James L. Day Hall Museum,
MCRD.
MCRD: Marine Corps Recruit Depot.
Plaque Text:
Japanese Model 94 (1934)
37mm Anti-Tank Gun
This weapon is referred to by the Japanese as the "Infantry rapid
fire gun". It is an infantry close support weapon firing both high
explosive and armor piercing ammunition. It has a semi-automatic,
horizontal sliding type breechblock. When the shell is loaded, the
rear of the cartridge case trips the catch that closes the
breechblock. Recoil action of firing opens the breech and extracts
the cartridge case. Sighting is by a straight telescopic
sight.
CHARACTERISTICS:
CALIBER
LENGTH (Overall in Traveling Position)
WIDTH
WEIGHT
TRAVERSE
ELEVATION
MAXIMUM RANGE
MUZZLE VELOCITY
|
37MM (1.46 inches)
114 Inches
47 Inches
714 Lbs.
1062 MILS
+480 MILS
5000 Yards
2300 Feet Per Second |
Combat record of this gun:
The Type 94 37mm AT guns were typically assigned in groups of four
to combat infantry regiments. Each weapon was manned by a squad of
11 personnel, and was kept in contact with the regimental
headquarters (typically up to 300 meters) away by field telephone
or messenger runners. The Army claimed a penetration capability of
20 mm of armor at a distance of 1000 meters, and penetration of up
to 40 mm at shorter distances. However, it appears unlikely that
this performance was achieved in actual combat, as the Army
Technical Bureau continued to experiment with ways to increase
muzzle velocity through 1941.
The Type 94 37mm AT gun was effective against Soviet light armor
in the Nomonhan Incident of 1939, but was considered obsolete
against more advanced Allied tanks, such as the M4 Sherman by the
start of the Pacific War. However, it remained in service on most
fronts in World War II for lack of a better replacement.
Design:
The Type 94 37 mm AT gun was based on a German (Rheinmetal-Borsig)
quick fire design, the 3.7 cm PaK 37, some examples of which had
previously been received by the Army Technical Bureau for testing.
As with many Japanese designs, it had a very low profile and was
intended to be operated from a squat or prone position. The gun had
a gun shield to protect the gunner and open carriage-style legs
which could be spread to improve the stability. The breech had a
semi-automatic exhaust system to improve reloading time. When the
shell was loaded, the rear of the cartridge case tripped a catch
closing the breechblock. The recoil action of firing opened the
breech and extracted the cartridge case.
The carriage was equipped with either wooden spoke or perforated
steel wheels, and the whole assembly could be broken down into four
pack loads each weighing less than 100 kilograms to permit
transport in four horse loads. Sighting was by a straight
telescopic sight. The gun could fire either high explosive or armor
piercing rounds.
History and Development:
The Type 94 37 mm anti-tank gun (Kyuyon-shiki sanjyunana-miri
sokushaho) was an anti-tank gun developed by the Imperial Japanese
Army, and used in combat during the Second Sino-Japanese War and
World War II.
The Type 94 37-mm AT gun was introduced in 1936. The design
originated as an improvement to the Type 11 37 mm Infantry Gun,
which was also used as a primitive anti-tank weapon. However, its
short bore, low muzzle velocity, short range and slow reloading
time gave it only a limited capacity against enemy armor.
Development of a replacement began in July 1933 and was completed a
year later. Initial testing indicated that a trained crew could
fire up to 30 rounds per minute; however, Army planners felt that
the initial design was too heavy. A modified design was tested in
1935, and actual production began in 1936; however, the weapon
retained its original “Type 94” (imperial year 2594 = western year
1934) designation. Approximately 3,400 units were produced.
More information on Japanese weapons can be found here:
Japanese Weapons
MCRD Base Phone numbers that can provide additional assistance are
here: Base
Information
