Type 96 15 cm howitzer The was a 149 . 1 mm calibre howitzer used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II . It was intended to replace the Type 4 15 cm howitzer in front line combat units from 1937 , although it fired the same ammunition . The Type 96 designation was given to this gun as it was accepted in the year 2596 of the Japanese calendar ( 1936 ) . History and development . Work on developing a new field howitzer for the Japanese Army began in 1920 and continued for over a decade . The Japanese Army sent numerous military attaché s to Europe during World War I and observed the effectiveness of sustained artillery barrages against fixed defenses and opposing infantry . The final specifications to meet the Army ' s requirements called for a howitzer that could be elevated to 65 degrees , with a maximum range of 12 , 000 yards , which could be transported by a team of six horses . The new design was ready by 1934 , but Army Chief of Staff Kazushige Ugaki opposed its production until further tweaks were made . Production finally commenced in 1937 . A total of 440 units were produced . The revised Type 96 howitzer could be identified by a relatively short tube with muzzle only slightly forward of rectangular cradle , three demountable spade plates and demountable trail block for each trail end , wheel chocks and leaf springs above the axle . Design . The Type 96 15 cm howitzer was regarded by Allied military intelligence to be one of the most modern , well designed and effective weapons in the Japanese arsenal . Mounted on sturdy , rubber - shod , wooden wheels , the weapon was normally tractor drawn . One of its outstanding characteristics was its extreme elevation capability of 65° ( which could only be used when a deep loading pit was dug beneath the breech . Although the Type 96 ( 1936 ) 150 - mm howitzer has been made in considerable quantity since the time of its adoption , it has not yet completely replaced the Type 4 150 - mm howitzer in Japanese medium artillery units . The Type 96 , the last artillery weapon developed during the period of redesigning , is heavier than the Type 4 , has a somewhat greater range , and travels as a single load drawn by tractor . In travel , it is jacked up on a leaf spring . During firing , the spring is depressed so the piece fires off its axle . The Type 96 uses the same ammunition as the Type 4 . Ammunition used included high - explosive shells , as well as armor - piercing , Shrapnel , smoke and incendiary tracer shells . Combat record . The Type 96 15 cm howitzer was first used in combat in the Second Sino - Japanese War and was highly praised by its users . It was also used at the Nomonhan Incident in the Soviet - Japanese Border Wars . After the start of the Pacific War , it was assigned to Japanese units at the Battle of Bataan and Battle of Corregidor in the Philippines , as well as at the Battle of Guadalcanal . Many units were at the Battle of Okinawa . It continued to be used as the main howitzer of Japanese artillery units until the end of World War II . A surviving example is preserved at the Yushukan Museum at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo . An additional example ( complete with gun shield but without the breech block ) is in a parking lot in Bellevue , Washington , just east of 124th Ave . NE on the Bel - Red Road .