"Petty Officer Matsuo Chuma manned a type 88 dual-purpose 75mm gun(anti-air/anti-boat) in a five sided parapet slightly west of Sugai's command post and just a few yards inland from the seawall. Chuma's platoon commander had posiyioned the four gun battery perfectly to interdict landing craft approaching the pier or the reef, and the guns were having a field day against American LVTs and boats at ranges up to a thousand yards. Few weapons on either side would prove so well served on D-Day." 1
"From the Pocket the crew lowered the barrel to its minimum angle, minus ten degrees. The weapon could fire 15,200 yards at this angle, at 300 to 1000 yards the crew could hardly miss. The type 88 fired high explosive shells with a muzzle velocity of 2,450 feet per second. Chuma's crew sought to maintain a firing rate of fifteen rounds a minute....Four guns made uo this battery. 2
For more detailed information see the Japanese Weapons Table.
Notes
1. Alexander, p. 6.
2. Ibid., p. 112.
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copyright 2001 Wheaton, Illinois
Created 21 October 2001
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