Minebea Type 65/66

     Notes: This was one of the first firearms produced by post-World War 2 Japan.  It appears to take design cues from several different weapons; the body looks very much like the Swedish M-45, as does the blowback operating system.  The safeties are very similar to those used by the Danish Madsen M-50, The rear pistol grip seems to be patterned after that of the British Sten Mark IV, the ejection port has a locking cover like that of the US M-3A1 Grease Gun, and the weapon is cocked in the same manner as the M3A1.  The Type 65 and 66 are identical, except that the cyclic rate for the Type 65 is 550 rounds per minute, while for the Type 66 it is 465 rounds per minute.  (While in real life, this makes the weapon slightly more controllable and less likely to wear out, it has no practical effect on game play.)  Only a small number of these weapons were produced between 1966 and 1967, and they are no longer in active use anywhere in the world.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: These weapons were refurbished and issued out to local militia forces on the Japanese Islands.

     Merc 2000 Notes: Most of these weapons were sold off to the Philippine Army. 

Nambu Type 1/2

     Notes: The Type 1 submachinegun, sometimes referred to as the Experimental Submachinegun Type 1 or (incorrectly) the Type 2A, was a limited production weapon developed in 1932 by General Kijiro Nambu (who had a hand in a number of small arms developments, most notably his sidearms). The Type 1 had an unusual feature (for the time) of its magazine being loaded into the grip, and a short forestock forming part of the trigger guard. Construction was largely of steel stampings except for the stock, which was removable (but not foldable; it breaks down to Bulk 2, but is awkward to fire without the stock), and formed of a large slab of wood with a steel cap where it joined to the receiver. The Imperial Army tested it, but it was rejected as being too complex and unreliable. Some small issues were made to the Imperial Navy Marines in China in 1937, and some of these lasted throughout World War 2; few, however, actually survived the War. The Type 1 is compact, but operation is more akin to a pistol capable of automatic fire than less complicated submachinegun designs of the same time period.  In addition, the chambering of Type 1 in 8mm Nambu seriously hampered the capabilities of the design, and did not always provide enough power to properly cycle the bolt.

     The Type 2, also known as the Experimental Submachinegun Type 2, attempted to solve some of the Type 1’s ergonomic problems.  What happened, however, is that the Type 1’s working parts were enclosed in awkward, lumpish wood furniture and a non-removable stock.  The Type 1’s 50-round curved magazine was dropped in favor of shorter but more ergonomic magazines, and the foregrip/magazine well was removed, though with the magazine being inserted through a slot in the underside of the forestock in the same place as the Type 1. (The Type 2 could still use the Type 1’s 50-round magazine, but that magazine was no longer being manufactured; the Type 1 could also take the Type 2’s magazines.) Estimates of the amount of Type 2s that were manufactured varied wildly; most estimates run from 50-100. The Type 2 was only issued to the most elite assault units.

     The Mukden Type 2 was a local modification by the Chinese Communist forces during the Chinese Civil War 1945-49. The were largely identical to the Nambu Type 2, but were rechambered for .45 ACP, a round which was easier to find in postwar China due to large amounts of captured US aid and some manufacture by the Chinese Communists.

Nambu Type 100

     Notes:  Despite the fact that the submachinegun is one of the most ideal weapons for jungle warfare, the Japanese were very slow to adopt one.  Though they bought a few MP-28s and EMPs from the Germans, it was 1940 before the Japanese made a submachinegun of their own for general issue.  The Type 100 is a very strong and well-built weapon, but the 8mm Nambu cartridge is not a very good one for submachinegun use.  Three versions were made: the standard wooden-stock version, a folding-stock paratrooper’s model, and a version in 1944 with nearly double the rate of fire and simplified construction; corners were heavily cut and the 1944 version is much less reliable.   Despite the utility of the Type 100, only about 10,000 of the original model, 7,500 of the paratrooper’s model, and 8,000 of the 1944 version were built.