submarines in twin and triple geared mounts. Type 96 Model 6 - Used on land on single gun twin wheel carriages. Type 96 Model 8 - Used on land on single gun twin wheel carriages. Type 96 Model 10 - Used on torpedo boats on a ring mounting with geared elevation in single gun mounts. Combat record The Type 96 was the standard Japanese medium anti-aircraft weapon of the Imperial Japanese Navy, being mounted aboard practically every ship in the fleet. The gun was also used in land bases in the Japanese Empire and in the Japanese overseas combat fronts. These weapons were also used as anti-tank guns in some defensive actions in Pacific theaters and against land objectives in southeast Asia/Chinese mainland during the Pacific War. The gun was used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. It was also used by the Bougainville Revolutionary Army during the Bougainville Civil War which lasted from 1988-1998. Effectiveness In interviews conducted by the U.S. Naval Technical Mission to Japan after the end of the war, Japanese military personnel said it was the most reliable Japanese anti-aircraft weapon, but second in effectiveness to the Type 98 anti-aircraft gun. The Type 96 was most effective when used at ranges of 1,000 meters or less. The Japanese military estimated that it required an average of 1,500 rounds to shoot down an aircraft at a height of 1,000 meters and a range of 2,000 meters, and that fire beyond that range was completely ineffective. Later in the war, when ammunition supply was restricted, firing was held until the targets were within 800 meters range, dropping this ratio to as low as seven rounds per aircraft. The Type 96 was a mediocre weapon compared to its contemporaries in other navies. It was hampered by slow training and elevating speeds (even in power-operated triple mounts), excessive vibration and muzzle flash, and that the ammunition feed was via a 15-round fixed magazine, which necessitated ceasing fire every time the magazine had to be changed. According to "US Naval Technical Mission to Japan report O-47(N)-2", all magazines had to be loaded by hand as no specialized loading equipment was ever developed. Overall, it was more comparable to the 20 mm Oerlikon, though vastly inferior to the 40mm Bofors weapons used by the US and allies in every respect except rate of fire (and only barely in that respect: