Bataan Campaign

After the failure of the first attack against  Bataan, the Japanese GHQ sent strong artillery forces to the Philippines in order to smash the American fortifications. They had 190 guns and included some big guns like 150mm cannons or 240mm howitzers. Most noteworthy was the Type 96 240mm Howitzer, which was a very rare gun, this being its only known campaign. To command and control these artillery forces, the 1st Artillery HQ also moved to the Philippines. The HQ commander was Major Gen. Kineo Kitajima, who was a leader and authority of the IJA artillery.

On April 3rd, about 300 guns bombarded the American positions. It started from 9:00 and continued to 15:00. Synchronized with the bombardment, about 100 airplanes dropped more than 700 bombs. The land shook and the mountains were covered with the dust of explosions. Japanese commentators described it in terms of a volcano erupting. When the Japanese troops started the attack at 15:00, there was a little resistance. American defenders, shocked by heavy bombardment, and rendered  incapable of a strenuous resistance by months of low rations and endemic exhaustion,  collapsed. The Bataan Peninsula was occupied within a week.

The consumption of the shells during the battle of Bataan is as follows.

Type 41 75mm Mountain Guns - 1,389 rounds
Type 94 75mm Mountain Guns - 6,822 rounds
Type 38-improved 75mm Field Guns - 16,875 rounds
Type 91 100mm Howitzers - 2,908 rounds
Type 92 100mm Cannon - 4,595 rounds
Type 96 150mm Howitzers - 6,300 rounds
Type 89 150mm Cannon - 1,130 rounds
Type 45 240mm Howitzers - 1,047 rounds
Type 96 240mm Howitzers - 80 rounds
Type 98 320mm Spigot Mortars - 175 rounds

Artillery Unit

Commander

Artillery

4th Field Gun Regiment

Col. Inoue

16 Type 38-improved 75mm Field Guns
8 Type 91 10cm Howitzers

22nd Field Gun Regiment

Col. Itoh

24 Type 38-improved 75mm Field Guns
12 Type 91 10cm Howitzers

Field Gun Batteries/65th Brigade

 

12 Type 38 75mm Field Guns

3rd Battalion/51st Mountain Gun Regiment

Major Arima

12 Type 41 75mm Mountain Guns

1st Artillery HQ

Major Gen. Kitajima

 
 

1st Field Heavy Artillery Regiment

Col. Irie

24 Type 96 15cm Howitzers

 

8th Field Heavy Artillery Regiment

Lt. Col. Takahashi

16 Type 92 10cm Cannon

 

3rd Independent Mountain Gun Regiment

Lt. Col. Takamori

24 Type 41 75mm Mountain Guns

 

1st Heavy Artillery Regiment

Col. Hayakawa

8 Type 45 24cm Howitzers

 

9th Independent Heavy Artillery Battalion

Lt. Col. Sugai

8 Type 89 15cm Cannon

 

2nd Independent Heavy Artillery Company

Captain Shinoda

2 Type 96 15cm Cannon
2 Type 96 24cm Howitzers

 

2nd Independent Mortar Battalion

Lt. Col. Namimatsu

12 15cm Mortars

 

14th Independent Mortar Battalion

Major Tanaka

16 Type 98 32cm Spigot Mortars

 

15th Independent Mortar Battalion

Lt. Col. Yoshida

8 Type 98 32cm Spigot Mortars

 

Corregidor Campaign

In the battle of Corregidor, heavy artillery were used to destroy the batteries on the fortress islands. The Type 96 150mm cannon first saw action at this time. They bombarded Corregidor Is., Caballo Is,, Ft. Drum and Carabao Is. for over a month and silenced most of the American batteries. Though the mortars at Battery Geary were the last on Corregidor to fire, the artillery at Ft. Drum was never silenced - it being the only sizeable artillery in the Philippines utilizing armored turrets. On May 5th, Japanese ground forces landed on Corregidor Island, suffered horrific losses. Almost at the point of defeating the Japanese invasion, but not knowing it, the garrison was surrendered the next day.

The consumption of the shells during the battle of Corregidor was as follows.

Type 92 100mm Cannon - 7,246 rounds
Type 96 150mm Howitzers - 8,793 rounds
Type 89/96 150mm Cannon - 3,513 rounds
Type 45/96 240mm Howitzers - 2,915 rounds