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 |
|
22nd Field Gun Regiment |
Col. Itoh |
24 Type 38-improved 75mm Field Guns |
|
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 |
|
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 |
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