Hello everyone,
The “2483 Reenactment Group” community from Facebook kindly provided photos from the Ordnance Museum in Bangkok.
Among the exhibits, I noticed an unusual light machine gun that strongly resembles the Type 11.
Upon closer investigation, I have concluded that this is an experimental Japanese LMG dating back to 1918-1919. The weight of this specimen is approximately 8 kg. Most notably, it is fed via rigid feed strips, similar to those used in the Type 3 Heavy Machine Gun, rather than the hopper system found on the standard production Type 11.
I have managed to reconstruct a timeline of events thanks to documents from the JACAR archives:
- Document C03022548200: Mentions an order placed by Taihei Kumiai (泰平組合) for one light machine gun on April 14, 1921.
- May 18, 1921: Captain Kawakami, an officer of the Imperial Japanese Engineering Corps, brought a light machine gun and new rifles to the Ministry of Defense to conduct a lecture for Thai army officers. This event is documented in Sena Suksa lae Phae Witthayasat (เสนาศึกษาและแผ่วิทยาศาสตร์), Vol. 5, Issue 8.
- Document C03011722900: By June 9, 1922, Taihei Kumiai ordered an 8mm version of the machine gun chambered for the Siamese cartridge.
Based on this evidence, I believe that the exhibit currently held at the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy Museum is indeed the 8mm version of this experimental Japanese LMG.
I hope this research proves useful to all fellow Japanese firearms enthusiasts!