The largest gun in the Japanese arsenal was the Type 89 127 mm/40 caliber dual-purpose twin-mount antiaircraft gun. It was originally designed as a naval gun that was to be mounted on I.J.N. cruisers. On Betio the Japanese had emplaced four of these guns. Two guns were positioned on the north shore facing the lagoon and were located about four hundred yards east of the airfield. The second pair were facing the open sea on the southern beach, about five hundred yards east of the 8 inch "Singapore guns." During the invasion these guns were used with great effect firing horizontally at LVTs and Higgins Boats. For ammunition expenditure of these guns for the days before the invasion see Japanese Ammunition Expenditure table.
| Year Introduced : 1929 |
| Caliber : 127 mm |
| Barrel Length : 5 m (L40) |
| EL Angle of Fire : -8 to +90 Degrees |
| AZ Angle of Fire : ? |
| Shell Weight : 23 Kg |
| Muzzle Velocity : 720 m/sec |
| Weight : 20.3 ton |
| Range : 9,300 m |
This picture of gun crew drill was recovered from a Japanese
camera after the battle.
The southern two gun emplacements facing the ocean are
shown here in an aerial photo.
These two pictures are probably the lagoon side guns
emplacements.
This image shows a Type 89 emplacement before the invasion.
Click here for a larger image.
Here is front and side view of the deadly Type 89 AA gun.
Special thanks goes to Taki of the
Imperial Japanese Army Website for providing pictures and information.
Email - [email protected]
copyright 2000 Wheaton, Illinois
Created 19 March 2000 - Updated 22 July 2001
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