Type 92 70mm Battalion Gun

The Type 92 Battalion Gun was a light howitzer introduced in 1932 (2592 in the Japanese imperial year, from where it takes its type "92"). Since every infantry battalion was equipped with two Type 92 guns, it was named Battalion Artillery (Daitaihō), and therefore a triangular division as the IJA 23th Division was equipped with eighteen Type 92 guns.

Type 92 70mm gun (www.historicalfireamrs.info)

In the late 1920s, both the Type 11 37mm infantry gun and the Type 11 70mm infantry mortar lacked sufficient firepower and range. Furthermore, infantry divisions were not satisfied with carrying two types of weapons with different ammunition into combat. In response, the Type 92 was developed. It could be used in direct fire against fortified positions, machine gun nests and light armor, and it could also be used in indirect fire as a mortar.

Type 92 in indirect fire position, caputred by US Marine Corps somewhere in the Pacific (WWII Wiki).

The Type 92 gun had a direct fire maximum range of 2800 m with a muzzle velocity of 198 m/s. Its elevation ranged from -4 to +70 degrees, which gave it the dual functionality for direct/indirect fire, and a transverse range of 45 degrees. 

Type 92 70mm gun (www3.pala.or.jp)

It fired 70 mm rounds at a maximum rate of 10 rounds per minute. It could fire high-explosive (HE) shells which weighted around 3.7 kg and had a kill radius of 22 meters, smoke and armor-piercing rounds.

Type 92 gun with crew (pinterest).

The Type 92 gun required a minimum crew of 5 and an optimal crew of 10 and it was designed to be pulled by a single horse. Due to its light weight (around 215 kg) and its easily disassembling and assembling process, it was possible to bring the guns into difficult terrain as the jungles in the pacific. It originally had wooden wheels, but they were later changed to steel because the troops complained that the wooden ones were too noisy and could give away their position.

Type 92 captured by Soviet troops in Nomonhan 1939 (pinterest).

Type 92 guns were available in the front in 1932. They first saw combat in the Mukden Incident in Manchuria and were used in the invasion of Manchuria, the Nomonhan Incident and the Second Sino-Japanese War. It later was used  throughout the Pacific War. Due to its mobility, it was very effective in jungle combat and became one of the most successful Japanese artillery pieces of World War II. 

Type 92 in China (pinterest).

Sources:

- Wikipedia

- World-war-2.wikia.com

- Flames of War, Rising Sun