The nproblem with the Japanese and Radar was, that they viewed it as 'Defensive',a warning device as opposed to an 'Offensive' search device.

They eventually figured it out,but far too late.

That's a good point. Much the same attitude prevailed regarding sonar operators early on. The general attitude was such that it was more manly to be a gun loader than it was to search for and locate an enemy to actually shoot at. They did change that song though and eventually turned out some very good sonar operators. I'm sure glad they didn't get hedge-hog...

Yeah,a Japanese 'USS England" would not have been pleasant!

Didn't some Japanese escorts (like the Kaikobans) have some form of forward firing ASW mortar?

Roger that!

I'm not positive on the Kaikobans having ahead thrown weapons--I don't think they did (although I could also be wrong). But they did have K-guns all over the deck and carried 120 dc's or more... Slow little guys though. That's one of the reasons US skippers preferred the surface attack late in the war. They knew they could out-run many of the escorts...

I beleive some Japanese escorts had 'Depth Charge Throwers',at leat according to CombinedFleet.com.

I'll check that out. Sometimes though K-guns are called depth charge throwers as that's what they did. K-guns threw them out to the sides though. But you've given me something to look up and an opportunity to learn something I didn't know! :up:

This is the item I was thinking of...from navweaps.com

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WAMJAP_ASW.htm

Couldn't have been too effective. You don't hear much about them.

True,I have never heard much about these sort of weapons in the IJN inventory. it all comes back to the Japanese Military mindset,defensive measures were deemed less than 'Samurai' to them,and took a poor second place to offensive weapons/tactics.