JAPAN - 1942

ARMY

Individual weapons

Pistols: Hino Kamuro caliber 7.65 mm, Type 4th Year (a), Type 14th Year and Type 94, all of caliber 8 mm

Revolvers: Type 26th Year caliber 9 mm

Rifles: Type 35th Year and Type 38th Year, Type 44th Year (b), Type 97 and Type 1, all of caliber 6.5 mm

Hand bombs: Type 10th Year (c), Type 91 (c) and Type 97 (c), Type 99 (d), Type 3 (e), plus several models of incendiary and smoke grenades

Automatic weapons

Submachine guns: Type 100 caliber 8 mm

Automatic and semiautomatic rifles: Type 11th Year and Type 96 caliber 6.5 mm, Type 99 caliber 7.7 mm

Machine guns: Type 3 caliber 6.5 mm, Type 92 and Type 1 caliber 7.7 mm, Type 91 caliber 6.5 mm (f), Type 97 caliber 7.7 mm (f), Type 89 (g) and Type 98 (g) caliber 7.7 mm

Mortars

Type 89 grenade launcher caliber 50 mm, mortars Type 10th Year caliber 50 mm, Type 11th Year caliber 50 mm, Type 94 caliber 90 mm, Type 97 caliber 81 mm, Type 97 caliber 90 mm and Type 98 caliber 50 mm

Antitank weapons

Light: Type 97 antitank carbine caliber 20 mm, Type 93 machine gun caliber 13.2 mm, Type 1 cannon caliber 47 mm

Heavy: Type 41th Year cannon caliber 75 mm

Self-propelled: At the outbreak of the war Japan did not have antitank self-propelled pieces in service

Artillery

Cannons: Type 11th Year caliber 37 mm, Type 94 caliber 37 mm, Type 88 caliber 75 mm (h), Type 10th Year caliber 80 mm (h), Type 91 caliber 105 mm

Howitzers: Type 92 caliber 70 mm, Type 92 caliber 75 mm, Type 91 caliber 105 mm, Type 4 caliber 150 mm

Armored vehicles

Type 47 of 4.5 t, Type 95 of 7.4 t, Type 98 of 9 t, Type 1 of 17 t

Chemical weapons

Flamethrowers: Type 93 and Type 100

Bombs: Poisonous bombs Type 172B-K of hydrocyanic acid and 172C-K of terbium (i)

(a) The denomination of Japanese weapons is, for western people, very difficult; in fact, while some times it refers to the weapon model other times it refers to the year of manufacture according to the Japanese calendar. For example, the expression "Type 14th Year" indicates that the weapon began to be produced in 1925; less frequent is the purely technical denomination. Rarely it was mentioned the name of the designer or the manufacturer.

(b) Cavalry rifle.

(c) Defensive.

(d) Offensive.

(e) For rifle.

(f) For armored vehicles.

(g) For aviation.

(h) Antiaircraft.

(i) Rather than true bombs, they were vessels generally made of glass, without a fuze or any other kind of detonation mechanism, which carried out their offensive action through the simple liberation of the gas contained in their interior.

NAVY

Battleships

4 Kongo class of 31720 t (a), 2 Fuso class of 34700 t, 2 Ise class of 35800 t (b), 2 Nagato class of 39130 t, 1 Yamato class of 64170 t (c)

Aircraft carriers

1 Hosho class of 7470 t, 1 Akagi class of 36500 t, 1 Kaga class of 38200 t, 1 Ryujo class of 10600 t, 2 Soryu class of 15900 t (d), 2 Shokaku class of 25675 t, 2 Shoho class of 11262 t

Heavy cruisers

2 Furutaka class of 9150 t, 2 Aoba class of 9380 t, 4 Haguro class of 13380 t, 4 Atago class of 13160 t, 4 Mogami class of 12400 t, 2 Tone class of 11215 t

Light cruisers

2 Tenryu class of 3230 t, 4 Kuma class of 5100 t, 4 Nagara class of 5170 t, 1 Yubari class of 2890 t, 3 Sendai class of 5195 t, 4 Katori class of 5890 t, 2 class Ioshima of 2461 t (e)

Destroyers

13 Minekaze class of 1215 t, 5 Wakatake class of 820 t, 9 Kamikaze class of 1270 t, 12 Mutsuki class of 1313 t, 20 Fubuki class of 2090 t, 4 Akatsuki class of 2090 t, 6 Hatsuharu class of 1715 t, 10 Shiratsuyu class of 1580 t, 10 Asashio class of 1961 t, 18 Kagero class of 2033 t, some units of the Yugumo class of 2077 t (probably 7)

Submarines

3 RO 57 class, 4 RO 29 class, 9 RO 60 class, 4 I 1 class, 9 I 153 class, 4 I 121 class, 3 I 64 class, 3 I 165 class, 1 I 5 class, 6 I 168 class, 1 I 16 class , 3 I 9 class, some of the I 15 class (probably 16); all for a total of 73 units

(a) Kirishima of 31980 t.

(b) Hyuga of 36000 t.

(c) All the Japanese battleships entered service between 1914 and 1921 and they had been successively modernized with exception of the Yamato, which entered service in 1941.

(d) Hiryu of 17300 t.

(e) Captured from the Chinese during war operations.

AIR FORCE

Fighter aircraft

Mitsubishi Ki-51 (a), A5M and A6M, Nakajima A6M2-N (b), Ki-27 and Ki-43, Kawanishi Ki-45

Bomber aircraft

Mitsubishi Ki-21, G3M and G4M, Kawasaki Ki-32 and Ki-48, Aichi D3A (c), Nakajima Ki-49 and B5N (d)

Reconnaissance aircraft

Yokosuka K5Y (e) and E14Y (f), Nakajima E8 (g), Mitsubishi K3M (e), Ki-46, C5M and F1M (g), Aichi E13A (g), Kawanishi H6K (h)

Transport aircraft

Nakajima G5M (i), Tachikawa Ki-54, Kawasaki Ki-56

(a) Attack fighter.

(b) Seaborne fighter seaplane.

(c) Dive bomber.

(d) Seaborne torpedo bomber.

(e) Training aircraft.

(f) Carried onboard submarines.

(g) Seaborne.

(h) Seaplane.

(i) Four-engine bomber used as transport aircraft.

JAPAN - 1945

ARMY

Individual weapons

Pistols: Type 1 caliber 7.65 mm and Type 2 caliber 8 mm

Rifles: Type 99 long and short, Type 99 for selected shooters, replacement of the Type 99, Type 100, Type 2, all of caliber 7.7 mm, Type 1 caliber 8 mm

Hand bombs: Type 3 antitank bomb (a), Type 88 hand bomb (b), plus several incendiary and smoke models

Automatic weapons

Submachine guns: Type 100 Model 44 caliber 8 mm

Automatic rifles: Type 5 caliber 7.7 mm (c)

Machine guns: Type 4 (d), Type 1 Model 1, Type 1 Model 2A (e), Type 1 Model 3 (f), Type 1 heavy model, all of caliber 7.7 mm, Type 100 (g) and Type 1 (g) caliber 7.9 mm

Mortars

Type 99 and Type 3 caliber 81 mm, several models of caliber 120 mm and 150 mm, one model of caliber 320 mm

Antitank weapons

Light: Type 98 fast-firing cannon caliber 20 mm, Type 96 cannon caliber 25 mm

Heavy: Several antiaircraft pieces used as antitank, but not originally designed for this purpose

Self-propelled: During the war, Japan did not build self-propelled pieces specifically designed for antitank role

Artillery

Cannons: Type 14 caliber 105 mm, Type 89 caliber 150 mm (h)

Armored vehicles

Type 2 of 12 (i) and 17 t, Type 3 of 18.8 t, Type 4 of 30 t (j), Type 5 of 37 t (k)

(a) In two models.

(b) With case made of clay.

(c) Copy of the American Garand.

(d) Installed in tanks.

(e) Modified Type 92.

(f) Modified Type 97.

(g) Installed in aircraft.

(h) In field and self-propelled versions.

(i) Amphibious.

(j) Produced in six exemplars only.

(k) At prototype stage only.

NAVY

Battleships

Musashi of 64170 t

Aircraft carriers

Shinano of 64800 t (a), Unryu, Amagi and Katsuragi, of 17150, 17460 and 17260 t respectively, Otakisan Maru and Shimane Maru of 11800 t (b) and Yamashio Maru of 10100 t (b)

Light cruisers

4 Agano class of 6652 t, Oyodo of 8164 t

Destroyers

13 Yugumo class of 2077 t, 12 Akitsuki class of 2071 t, Shimakaze of 2567 t, 33 Matsu class of 1262 t

Submarines

4 I 15 class, 18 RO 100 class, 10 L 176 class, 18 RO 35 class, 6 L 40 class (c), 1 I 12 class (c), 3 I 46 class, 3 I 52 class, 3 I 54 class (c), 12 I 351 class (d), 2 I 13 class (e), 2 I 373 class (d), 5 I 400 class (f), 4 I 201 class, 9 Ha 101 class (d), 10 Ha 201 class, an undefined number of Yu-class transport submersibles belonging to the Army, of pocket submarines and of Kaiten suicide submersibles (g)

(a) Obtained from conversion of the hull of a Yamato class battleship; sunk during sea trials.

(b) Did not enter service because she was sunk while docked, due to war reasons, during her armament.

(c) Able to transport one aircraft.

(d) For transport.

(e) Able to transport two aircraft.

(f) Able to transport three aircraft.

(g) They have not been counted six submarines granted by Germany between 1941 and 1943, and two Italian submarines (Capellini and Torelli) interned after the 8th September 1943.

AIR FORCE

Fighter aircraft

Kawanishi N1K1 and N1K2, Kawasaki Ki 61, Ki 100 (a) and Ki 102, Nakajima Ki 44 and Ki 84, Mitsubishi J2M, Ki 83, J8M (a) and A7M (a), Kyushu J7W (a)

Bomber aircraft

Nakajima Ki 49, B6N (b) and G8N (a), Yokosuka D4Y and P1Y, Mitsubishi Ki 67, Aichi B7A (c)

Reconnaissance aircraft

Nakajima J1N (d) and C6N (e), Kokusai Ki 76 (f), Kawanishi H8K (g), Kyushu K 11 and Q1W, Aichi E 16 (h)

Transport aircraft

Mitsubishi Ki 57

Suicide aircraft

Yokosuka MXY7 (i), Nakajima Kitsuka (a)(j) and Ki 115 (k)

(a) Discontinued at prototype or preseries stage due to war reasons.

(b) Seaborne torpedo bomber.

(c) Seaborne torpedo bomber used from land bases only.

(d) Converted into night fighter.

(e) Seaborne.

(f) Liaison aircraft.

(g) Antisubmarine seaplane.

(h) Seaplane.

(i) Rocket propelled.

(j) Turbojet propelled.

(k) Did not have operational use.