Type 14 10 cm AA Gun

Infobox Weapon
name= Japanese Type 14 10cm AA Gun


caption= Type 14 10 cm AA Gun
origin=flag|Empire of Japan
type= Anti-aircraft gun
is ranged=yes
is_artillery=yes
service= 1925-1945
used_by=
wars= Second Sino-Japanese War
designer=
design_date=1925
manufacturer=
unit_cost=
production_date=
number= 70
variants=
spec_label=
weight= 5.194 ton
length= 4.20 meter (L40) barrel
part_length=
width=
height=
diameter=
crew=
cartridge=
caliber=100 mm
barrels=single
action=
rate=
velocity= 700 m/s
range= 16,300 meters
max_range=
feed=
sights=
breech=
recoil=
carriage=
elevation=0° to +85°
traverse=360°The nihongo|Type 14 10 cm AA Gun|十四年式10cm高射砲|Jyūyonen-shiki jissenchi Koshahō was an anti-aircraft gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army after World War I. Only a small number were produced, and it was superseded by the Type 88 75 mm AA Gun in production before the start of World War II.

History and development

Due to combat experience at the Battle of Tsingtao against the German Luftwaffe’s fledgling squadron of combat aircraft, planners on the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff quickly realized that this new technology posed a threat which required countermeasures. This evaluation was further reinforced by reports from military observers on the European front in World War I.

After the introduction of the Type 11 75 mm AA Gun into front-line combat service, the Imperial Japanese Army quickly realized that it was underpowered and lacked the range necessary for civil defense of Japanese cities from enemy air raids. A larger version, designated the Type 14 10 cm AA Gun was placed into production in 1925. [MacLean. Japanese Artillery; Weapons and Tactics] However, it was expensive to produce and lacked both accuracy and range of fire. Only 70 units were completed before production was terminated. [ [http://www3.plala.or.jp/takihome/14aa.htm] Taki's Imperial Japanese Army]

Design

The Type 14 10 cm AA gun had a single piece gun barrel with sliding breech, mounted on a central pedestal. The firing platform was supported by five legs, each of which (along with the central pedestal) had adjustable screwed foot for leveling. It fired a 16 kilogram projectile to an effective altitude of 10,500 meters, which was a dramatic improvement over the Type 11 75 mm AA gun, but its rate of fire was still slow, and units were later retrofitted with an autoloader [Bishop, The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. ]

Combat record

All of the Type 14 10 cm AA guns were assigned to the IJA 4th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Division, based in Kyūshū during the Pacific War. Some units were based in Kyūshū cities for defense against American air raids, but most were based at the Yawata Steel Works in Kitakyūshū city. [Chant, Artillery of World War II. ]

References

* Bishop, Chris (eds) "The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II". Barnes & Nobel. 1998. ISBN 0760710228
* Chant, Chris. "Artillery of World War II", Zenith Press, 2001, ISBN 0760311722
* McLean, Donald B. "Japanese Artillery; Weapons and Tactics". Wickenburg, Ariz.: Normount Technical Publications 1973. ISBN 0-87947-157-3.

External links

* [http://www3.plala.or.jp/takihome/14aa.htm Taki's Imperial Japanese Army]

Notes