Chinese weapons for Japanese: ZB vz.26, Hanyang Type 88, Chiang Kai-shek Rifle and grenades

[aizenns]

As well known, Japanese used lots of Chinese weapons. How do you think about them in game?
Unfortunately it is difficult to add Chinese function, but their weapons are very attractive so it will be good addition for game!

Light Machine Gun

Czech-Type Machine Gun (ZB vz. 26)

It is very popular Chinese weapon for Japanese arsenal.
At the start of war, ZB vz.26 was superior to other Japanese 11th Year Type light machine gun or 3rd Year Type heavy machine gun, so it was a very big threat.
Because of it they adopted captured this weapon as “Czech-Type 7.9mm machine gun”(チ式七粍九軽機関銃) after they captured Chinese arsenal.
In addition they mass-produced copy of its ammunition, “Type 98 cartridge” for it. Finally, about twenty thousands of this gun were used in Japanese army.

Due to its high reliability and performance, it was often called “無故障機関銃 / failure-free machine gun” or “我軍新鋭機銃 / Our army’s newest machine gun”.

If you have interest, you can see IJA’s document about ZB vz.26 and Mauser C96 here: Ministry of Army, 1939, “About adoption of Type Chi 7.9mm LMG and Type Mo large pistol” (Japanese national archive)

Mauser-Type Rifle

Japanese called Chinese Mauser series rifles as “モ式小銃/ Mauser-Type rifle”.
It used large 7.92x57mm rifle cartridge so it was powerful than Japanese one. Especially, armor-piercing cartridges could penetrate Japanese light armored car’s armor so it was serious problem.

Different to ZB vz.26, captured Chinese rifles were not used a lot in Japanese army. However, lots of army and navy garrisons in Chinese continent often equipped such things. (mostly called as “中国式小銃 / Chinese rifle” in weapons ledger)

Hanyang Type 88 rifle (漢陽八八式步槍)

Hanyang Type 88 rifle, commonly known as Hanyang-maid (漢陽造) is popular Chinese rifle since the end of Qing Dynasty.
It was a bit old rifle, but during Chino-Japanese war Chinese mass-produced this rifle in evacuated factories.

Chiang Kai-shek Rifle (中正式步槍)

It was standard weapon of Chinese army before Chino-Japanese war. It was mostly based upon Mauser M24 and replaced other multiple rifles to standardize it.

After Japanese captured Chinese factories, puppet Nanjing regime mass-produced this weapon for them. Also, Japanese army’s unit formed at the late of war in Manchuria used this rifle because of lack of Japanese rifles.

Hand Grenade

Technically it is not a captured weapon, but Japanese mass-produced copy of Chinese hand grenade with handle.

Type 98 hand grenade with handle / 九八式柄付手榴弾

It was copy of Chinese Stielhandgranate adopted in 1939.
Compare to original Japanese grenade, it is easy to throw and powerful. (Type 97 hand grenade: 65g TNT / Type 98 hand grenade: 80g picric acid)
However, it was heavier and larger than other grenades so it was not useful during a move.

Mostly used by Kwantung army at Chinese continent or Japanese mainland garrisons at the late of war.

[SzepWaxweiler]

You could also add General liu rifle which is semi-auto and can be also bolt action

• General liu rifle

[aizenns]

Sorry, but I focused to famous and popular Chinese weapons in Japanese army.

[Debayan001]

What about this beauty? (P.S. I don’t know how commonly it was used by the Japanese. But I am basing my argument off the FN Model 1930.)

[SzepWaxweiler]

I think I heard someone say that Japanese puppets in China used them take it with a grain of salt

[Debayan001]

Nice. Damn! If only we could get the Second Sino-Japanese War as an actual campaign. But you know REASONS!

[aizenns]

Well, to be honest I don’t know about it.
I can only say that the “Czech Machine Gun” is very popular among not only Chinese but also Japanese, so it was symbolic weapon of 2nd Sino-Japanese war.

[Debayan001]

I see. Thanks for the heads up. Appreciate it.

[Killerwolf1024]

Its really a shame we most likely won’t see China as their front has a lot to offer (not least because basically no popular FPS in this setting exist).

But anyways, I want to add a few other similar weapons that might be cool to see as well.

@aizenns

Hanyang Type 88 rifle (漢陽八八式步槍)

Might be cool to see one of these bayonet converted rifles (even if they were mostly just for training).

Vickers Class F

IJN 1st Boat Force practice land warfare in the mountains along the Yangtze River, circa 1939-40
(Soldier on the top right)

Most likely captured from the Chinese and converted into ground use.

North China Type 30

Carbine made for Chinese puppet nations still using 8mm Mauser ammunition. The more logical choice would be the North China Type 19 carbine but the 6.5 caliber makes it a bit unremarkable when compared to the Type 38 carbine we already have ingame.

(North China Type 19)

Some other Chinese-used-by-Japan options would be the C96 which was used as Type MO and the Tsingtao SMG which was a Chinese copy of the Sig M1920 with a vertical magazine and a buffer mechanism (reducing the rate of fire), but I don’t think these would be too interesting considering we already have similar guns ingame.

Sources:
-Bayonet converted Hanyang 88: Chinas Small Arms of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) by Bin Shih
-Vickers Class F: First picture by Austin Adachi (this tweet). Second picture was sent to me by a friend.
-North China Type 30: North China Type 30
-North China Type 19: North China Type 19

[Sharkzy64]

@aizenns

Unfortunately it is difficult to add Chinese function, but their weapons are very attractive so it will be good addition for game!

I completely agree. Chinese firearms would make for some great unique gold order weapons; something that Japan has been lacking recently.

[Sharkzy64]

The SIG KE7 is fair game in my eyes; Japan captured a lot of Chinese weapons given the nature of the conflict slaughter. Although, a lot of captured weapons were used in the conflict with China rather than in the Pacific. But I would be okay with that since Japan’s arms industry was comparatively small and there aren’t many other options.

[Sharkzy64]

@Killerwolf1024

as their front has a lot to offer

I disagree or the following reasons:

• Practically all of their equipment was outsourced which would result in an unremarkable tech tree
• They would only fight against Japan, making China an unpopular nation to play (Japan at least has potential to fight the Soviet Union)
• No late game equipment, resulting in a very short tech tree

[Kriegerfaust007]

such a cute grenade

[Gef019]

were the ZB-26 used in island defences or only in mainland china? it is kind of sad how there is very little info about weapons used by the Japanese outside their most famous one.

[aizenns]

Generally speaking, Czech machine guns and Mauser rifles were used in Chinese continent.
In case of Southern campaigns, they mostly used M1903 Springfield, M1 Carbine and M1 Garand. (Especially Springfield is very popular in Philippines)

Type 98 Grenade is used not only Chinese campaign but also defense of mainland Japan.

However, to be honest, ZB 26 is far better than FN M1930 in game: it is captured in China, and it is unpopular than others, so it is more unlikely that it was used in Southern islands.

[Tester188]

Here are some photos of machine guns captured and used by the Japanese.

Japanese soldiers use FN M1930 captured in China. This captured BAR was used by the Japanese Army as a security auxiliary weapon for communications and rear duty units. The Japanese liked the reliability of the Browning design.

Japanese soldiers use Czech Type light machine guns. The ZB vz. 26 and 30 were heavily used by the NRA, and the Japanese Army captured this reliable machine gun, called the Czech Type light machine gun, during the Mukden Incident in 1931.

Source

• Machine guns and cannons of the Japanese Army (日本陸軍の機関銃砲) . Written by Noboru Takahashi. September 2017. ISBN-13: 978-4769830313. pp. 173-179
• https://dl.ndl.go.jp/en/pid/8342297/1/10
• https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/388922672

[Debayan001]

Thanks for the information. Appreciate it.