Type 96 25 Mm AT/AA Gun - Effectiveness

Effectiveness

In interviews conducted by the U.S. Naval Technical Mission to Japan after the end of the war, Japanese military personnel cited it as the most reliable Japanese anti-aircraft weapon, but second in effectiveness to the Type 98 100 mm anti-aircraft gun. The Type 96 was most effective when used at ranges of 1,000 meters or less. Japanese military estimated that it required an average of 1,500 rounds to down an aircraft at a height of 1,000 meters and a range of 2,000 meters and that fire beyond that range was completely ineffective. Later in the war when ammunition supply was restricted, firing was held until the targets were within 800 meters range this dropped to a low as seven rounds per aircraft according to Japanese sources.

The Japanese ranked in order of seriousness the problems with the gun as:

1. Elevation and traverse was too slow, even with powered mounts
2. The sights were ineffective against high speed targets
3. Firing the multiple mounts caused excessive vibration which reduced accuracy and prevented effective target tracking
4. Too little ammunition in each magazine resulted in a low overall rate of fire (the gun used 15 round self-contained magazines).

In Rapid Fire, Anthony Williams writes that the intermediate calibre weapons (including the US Navy's 1.1"/75 caliber gun") were relatively unsuccessful during World War II, the mounts were much heavier and more complex, but the shells lacked the range and hitting power of the larger 37 and 40 millimeter mounts. Certainly the Japanese ranked increasing the caliber of autocannons as the number one priority of research and development