Type 11 light machine gun
| Type 11 light machine gun | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| general information | |
| Military designation: | Type 11 |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Kijirō Nambu |
| Development year: | 1922 |
| Manufacturer country: |
 Japan
|
| Production time: | since 1922 |
| Model variants: | T-11 |
| Weapon Category: | light machine gun |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 1100 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 10.2 kg |
| Barrel length : | 443 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 6.5 × 50 mm rear |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 30 cartridges |
| Cadence : | 120-500 rounds / min |
| Fire types: | Continuous fire |
| Visor : | open sights |
| Closure : | Block closure |
| Charging principle: | Gas pressure charger |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Type 11 light machine gun ( Japanese 十 一年 式 軽 機関 銃 , jūichi nenshiki keikikanjū ) was introduced by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1922 after the Japanese government demanded a counterpart to the Russian Madsen light machine gun as a result of the Russo-Japanese War . It was the first machine gun to be built in Japan. The designation Type 11 indicates the year the troops were introduced, the 11th year of Emperor Taishō's rule or 1922 according to the Gregorian calendar.
technical features
Like the standard rifle of the Japanese infantry , the Arisaka T-38 , the MG fired 6.5 mm cartridges , albeit with a reduced charge. It even used the same charging strips. These were attached to the side of the barrel of the machine gun and stowed in a kind of "box" in six ammunition packs lying on top of one another and shot down.
This ammunition and reloading mechanism was unique, but it turned out to be very cumbersome in combat. The individual packs often stalled when fired, and dirt could easily get into the weapon; Load jams were therefore the order of the day. In addition, this arrangement made it impossible to reload the magazine in the event of sudden changes of position or assaults.
Because of the bad experiences with the Type 11 at the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War , the demand for a more effective machine gun quickly arose. After a few attempts to modify the Type 11, the decision was made in 1936 to use the prototype of the light machine gun Type 96 in caliber 6.5 × 50 mm HR and in 1939 the light machine gun Type 99 in caliber 7.7 × 58 mm Arisaka .
However, the plan to make the Type 99 the standard machine gun of the Japanese army failed for economic reasons. The Type 11 was one of those rifles that quickly appeared and disappeared. Even at the time of its use, the weapon was rather unknown.
literature
- Chris Bishop: The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II . Barnes & Nobel, New York NY 1998, ISBN 0-7607-1022-8 .
- SL Mayer, The Rise and Fall of Imperial Japan . The Military Press, New York NY 1984, ISBN 0-517-42313-8 .
- Maxim Popenker, Anthony G. Williams: Machine Gun. The Development of the Machine Gun from the Nineteenth Century to the Present Day . Crowood, Ramsbury 2008, ISBN 978-1-84797-030-5 .
- Gordon L. Rottman , Japanese Infantryman 1937-1945. Sword of the Empire . Osprey Publishing, Oxford 2005, ISBN 1-84176-818-9 , ( Warrior series 95).
- US Department of War: Handbook on Japanese Military Forces (1945) . Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge LA 1994, ISBN 0-8071-2013-8 ( accessible online )
- David Miller: Fighting Men of World War II, Axis Forces . Uniforms, Equipment & Weapons of Axis Forces. 1st edition. Stackpole Books, 2007, ISBN 978-0-8117-0277-5 , Japan, pp. 229 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chuck Hawks: 6.5x50mm SR Arisaka. (No longer available online.) In: milpas.cc. 2002, archived from the original on June 4, 2015 ; accessed on June 3, 2015 .
Web links
- Pictures and technical data (Taki private website)
- Ian McCollum: Type 11 Nambu LMG - Forgotten Weapons. In: forgottenweapons.com. Retrieved June 14, 2020 (English).
- Ian McCollum: Japanese Type 11 LMG Disassembly (Video 12.54 min, English)
- Japanese Type 11 LMG (Video 10.36 min, English)