Type 1 Ho-Ni II
In service 1943 - 1945
Based onType 1 Ho-Ni I (derived from)
A close-support version of the Ho-Ni carrying a 105 mm howitzer in place of the 75 mm field gun, built for bombardment rather than anti-tank work.
Built byHino Motors
Development history
Where the Ho-Ni I was a gun carriage, the Ho-Ni II was frank self-propelled artillery. The 105 mm Type 91 howitzer fired a much heavier shell on a higher trajectory, useful against bunkers and dug-in infantry in the island campaigns. The casemate was enlarged and given a slightly different shield profile to accommodate the shorter, fatter barrel and its recoil. Around fifty were built, making it the most numerous of the Ho-Ni family. Most were retained in Japan and Manchuria for the expected defence of the home islands and never fired a shot in anger; a handful saw action in the Philippines alongside Ho-Ni I vehicles.
Notable actions
- Philippines 1944-1945