Type 90 240 mm railway gun
Encyclopedia
The was a large caliber
railroad gun acquired by the Imperial Japanese Army
from the French arms manufacturer Schneider in 1930. It was the only railroad gun in Japanese service.
s since the Russo-Japanese War
, and Japanese military advisors
in Europe during World War I had noted the development of railway guns, whereby extremely large caliber weapons, such as previously found only on battleship
s, could be made mobile and could be rapidly deployed to front-line combat areas.
However, despite this interest, other projects had higher priority, and nothing was done until funding was found to purchase a single sample unit from Schneider
in France in 1930. Only the cannon itself was purchased from Schneider, and the railway carriage and auxiliary equipment was all produced locally in Japan. The completed assembly was designated as the Type 90 240mm railway gun.
battery at Futtsu, Chiba
, as part of the defenses guarding the entrance to Tokyo Bay
. It was redeployed to Manchukuo in 1941, and based in the Hulin
area of Heilongjiang
, as part of the defenses against the Soviet Union, where it remained for the duration of World War II. When the Soviet Union invaded Manchukuo in the closing days of the war, the gun was destroyed by retreating Kwangtung Army forces and abandoned.
Caliber
In guns including firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel in relation to the diameter of the projectile used in it....
railroad gun acquired by the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
from the French arms manufacturer Schneider in 1930. It was the only railroad gun in Japanese service.
History and development
The Imperial Japanese army had made extensive use of armoured trainArmoured train
An armoured train is a train protected with armour. They are usually equipped with railroad cars armed with artillery and machine guns. They were mostly used during the late 19th and early 20th century, when they offered an innovative way to quickly move large amounts of firepower...
s since the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
, and Japanese military advisors
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
in Europe during World War I had noted the development of railway guns, whereby extremely large caliber weapons, such as previously found only on battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s, could be made mobile and could be rapidly deployed to front-line combat areas.
However, despite this interest, other projects had higher priority, and nothing was done until funding was found to purchase a single sample unit from Schneider
Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric is a French global company. It was founded in 1836 by two brothers, Eugène and Adolphe Schneider.In the first part of the 20th century, Schneider et Cie associated itself with Westinghouse Systems, a major international electrical group at the time. The group began manufacturing...
in France in 1930. Only the cannon itself was purchased from Schneider, and the railway carriage and auxiliary equipment was all produced locally in Japan. The completed assembly was designated as the Type 90 240mm railway gun.
Combat record
The Type 90 240mm Railway Gun was initially deployed as a coastal artilleryCoastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications....
battery at Futtsu, Chiba
Futtsu, Chiba
is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of September 2010, the city had an estimated population of 47,705 and the population density of 232 persons per km²...
, as part of the defenses guarding the entrance to Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
. It was redeployed to Manchukuo in 1941, and based in the Hulin
Hulin
Hulin is a city on the Muling River in southeastern Heilongjiang province, Northeast China. With a population of around 200,000, it is under the administration of Jixi. Nearby are Khanka Lake, to the southwest, the Usuri River, which forms the Russian border to the east...
area of Heilongjiang
Heilongjiang
For the river known in Mandarin as Heilong Jiang, see Amur River' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is 黑...
, as part of the defenses against the Soviet Union, where it remained for the duration of World War II. When the Soviet Union invaded Manchukuo in the closing days of the war, the gun was destroyed by retreating Kwangtung Army forces and abandoned.