The Type 96 and Type 97 were Japanese 150 mm caliber mortars used during the Second World War. The Type 96 designation was given to this mortar as it was accepted in the year 2596 of the Japanese calendar (1936).[1] It had a caliber of 150.5 mm. The Type 96 was used in Iwo Jima and China, but its performance is not known. In 1941 the weapon was developed into the more portable Type 97 150 mm Mortar, which simply has the recoil absorber removed. Approximately two hundred Type 96 and Type 97 heavy mortars were produced in total. [2]
| Designation | Type 96 | Type 96 long barrel |
Type 97 short barrel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number Built | 200 (90x Type 96 and 110x Type 97) | ||
| Barrel length | 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) | 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) | 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) |
| Elevation | +45° to +80° | ||
| Shell weight | Reported between 23.8–25.6 kg (52–56 lb) | ||
| Muzzle velocity | 214 m/s (700 ft/s) | ||
| Weight | 722 kg (1,592 lb) | 342 kg (754 lb) | 232.5 kg (513 lb) |
| Range | 3.9 km (2.4 mi) | ||
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