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Type 96 cannon
The Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun was a machine cannon, which was used by the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II as an anti-aircraft gun. The designation type 96 means the year of the first development, the year Kōki 2596 or 1936 according to the Gregorian calendar. The weapon was an air-cooled gas operated loader, which shot with a theoretical firing sequence of 220 rounds per minute 25 mm bullets with a muzzle velocity of 900 meters per second.
After various problems with the water-cooled 40-mm Vickers QF 2-pounder naval guns became known, the Japanese Navy decided in 1935 to replace them with a gun based on the French 25 mm Hotchkiss AA gun. After studies on the weapon in France, some patterns were ordered with changes according to Japanese wishes at Hotchkiss. The weapon now reached with a 250 g (0,551 ib) heavy bullet a theoretical rate of fire of 180 to 200 rounds per minute. The Japanese made further changes and exchanged the muzzle-fire damper for a model based on a development by Rheinmetall and, to a lesser extent, the function of a muzzle brake. Furthermore, manufacturing was simplified by the use of castings in areas where previously forged parts had been used. The mass production of the weapon began after the trials in 1936 and the Type 96 was gradually introduced on all warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy as a standard weapon for air defense at close range. The weapon was mounted singly (1943), in groups of two (1936, first variant) or three (1941) on gun carriages.
The barrel was bolted to the gun and had to be replaced after about 6000 fired shots, as it was then worn down so that range and accuracy decreased rapidly. The change took about five minutes to complete. The gas pressure used to drive the cartridge reloading mechanism could be adjusted to change the number of grenades fired per minute. The theoretical firing order reached 200, 220 or 250 rounds per minute. The standard setting was 220. Due to the constantly necessary reloading of magazines, however, only around 110 rounds per minute were effectively achieved.
The recoil resulting from the firing of the projectiles was intercepted below the weapon via two hydraulic cylinders, each of which had a diameter of 6,7 cm and was about 43 cm long. The ammunition was supplied from about 7 kg (15,432 lb) steel magazines with 15 cartridges each, which were introduced vertically above the closure into the weapon. Empty cartridge cases were ejected on the underside of the weapon.
Specifications
(1936 - 1945)
- Weight: 785 kg (1,731 lb) (single barrel)
- Length: 4.08 m (13.38 ft)
- Barrel Length: 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) L/60
- Crew: 9, 7 or 3 depending on number of barrels
- Caliber: 25 mm (0.98 in)
- Elevation: -10° to +85°
- Traverse: 360°
- Rate of Fire: 200–260 rpm (cyclic), 110 rpm (practical)
- Muzzle Velocity: 820 m/s (2,700 ft/s)
- Feed System: 15-round box magazine
The Type 96 cannon and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storm over the Pacific | Japanese Navy soldiers | twin and triple mount | 1960 | |
| Hell in the Pacifc | twin mount | 1968 | ||
| Tora! Tora! Tora! | Japanese Navy soldiers | twin mount | 1970 | |
| Midway | Japanese Navy soldiers | twin and triple mount; some scenes taken from Storm over the Pacific | 1976 | |
| Yamato | Japanese Navy soldiers | triple mount | 2005 | |
| Letters from Iwo Jima | Japanese soldiers | single and twin mount | 2006 | |
| Midway | Japanese Navy soldiers | triple mount | 2019 |
Video Game
| Game Title | Appears as | Note | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forgotten Hope | twin mount | 2003 | |
| Medal of Honor: Rising Sun | Triple mount | 2003 | |
| Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault | Triple mount | 2004 | |
| The History Channel: Battle for the Pacific | twin mount; unusable | 2007 | |
| Call of Duty: World at War | "Triple25" | triple mount | 2008 |
| Call of Duty: World at War - Final Fronts | triple mount | 2008 | |
| Red Orchestra 2: Rising Storm | Unusable; triple mount | 2013 | |
| Yakuza 6: The Song of Life | Mounted on the fictitious Yamato Mark II | 2018 | |
| World of Warships: Legends | twin and triple mount; seen on ships | 2019 | |
| Call of Duty: Vanguard | Unusable; twin and triple mount | 2021 |
Anime
| Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strike Witches | Twin mounts on Akagi-class carrier, triple and single mounts on Kagerou-class destroyers | 2008 | |
| Strike Witches 2 | Triple mounts on Chitose-class carriers, I-400-class submarine, Yamato-class battleship, Takao-class cruisers, Akizuki-class and Kagerou-class destroyers, twin mounts on Akagi-class carrier and Takao-class cruisers | 2010 | |
| Strike Witches: The Movie | Twin mounts on Akagi-class carrier, triple mounts on Yamato-class battleship and Akizuki-class destroyers | 2012 | |
| Strike Witches: Operation Victory Arrow | Triple mounts on Yamato-class battleship | 2014-2015 | |
| In this Corner of the World | twin and triple mount, fitted on ships like the Yamato | 2016 | |
| Brave Witches | Triple mounts on Shoukaku-class carriers, Takao-class cruisers, Akizuki-class and Yuugumo-class destroyers; the Takaos also feature single mounts | 2016-2017 | |
| Strike Witches: Road to Berlin | Twin mounts on Akagi-class carrier | 2020 |