Type 92 Battalion Gun The was a light howitzer used by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino - Japanese War and World War II . The Type 92 number was designated for the year the gun was accepted , 2592 in the Japanese imperial year calendar , or 1932 in the Gregorian calendar . Each infantry battalion included two Type 92 guns ; therefore , the Type 92 was referred to as . History and development . The Type 92 Battalion Gun was designed in response to issues with the Type 11 37 mm Infantry Gun and the Type 11 70 mm Infantry Mortar . Both lacked sufficient firepower and range , and infantry division s did not like the fact that they had to carry two different types of weapons with different ammunition into combat . As a result , the Army Technical Bureau developed a design which could be used either at low angle direct fire to take out fortified positions , machine gun nests and light armor , but also could be used at high angle indirect support fire . The caliber of the new weapon was increased to 70 mm to address the issue of inadequate firepower . The new design was available to front line divisions by 1932 . Design . Somewhat unusual in appearance , the Type 92 Battalion Gun had a short gun barrel with a split trail carriage . The barrel could be configured from a horizontal to near vertical position with a hand - crank . It had an interrupted thread type , drop breechblock mechanism . Lightweight and maneuverable , it was designed to be pulled by a single horse , although in practice teams of three horses were usually assigned . The wheel were originally wooden , but were changed to steel after troops complained that the noise from the squeaky wooden wheels was a threat . The Type 92 Battalion Gun could fire high - explosive shells ( 3 . 795 kg ( 8 . 37 lb ) ) , armor - piercing , and smoke rounds . The propellant was semi - fixed , and could be loaded in four increments to adjust range . Combat record . The Type 92 Battalion Gun was first used in combat during the Manchurian Incident , and was subsequently in heavy use throughout the invasion of Manchuria , the Battle of Nomonhan and subsequent Second Sino - Japanese War . It later accompanied units assigned to the Pacific front and was used with considerable effectiveness against Allied forces throughout the South Pacific Mandate and in Southeast Asia . Significant quantities of Type 92 guns remained in China following the cessation of hostilities in 1945 , and were taken into service by the People ' s Liberation Army , which also manufactured ammunition for them , retaining the Type 92 nomenclature . US Department of the Army Pamphlet 381 - 12 , " Recognition Guide of Ammunition Available to , or in Use by , the Viet Cong , dated May 1966 , includes Chinese 70mm Type 92 ammunition . Surviving examples . Two guns are preserved on display in a small park on Main Street of Lakeport , California . The southern gun serial number 399 , has unperforated sheet metal wheels , while the wheels of the northern gun appear to have been restored with new material . Another gun displayed in front of the Veterans Hall in Arcata , California has serial number 136 and was made at the Osaka Infantry Armory .