Chinese weapons, pre and post WW2.

WW2. I found this list put together by another fellow over on the Axis
History Forum, and since it is so full of decent data I figured it should be shared here. This is NOT my work,
but his, and I was struck by the diversity and lack of any commonality at all in the weapons. Their AFVs are
not discussed but they only got a few light tanks and armored cars in Lend-Lease, they may have received a
small number of M4 Shermans late in the war, but not many that is for sure. Anyway here is the man's list
(how would you like to be Chiang's Quartermaster?):
It is a systematic attempt to bring order out of the chaos of Chinese weapons types, imports and
manufacture. Many contributed inadvertently to its creation, and I dipped into several dozen sources out of
my own library. I will be posting a proper bibliography at a later time, but I would like to thank all the
contributors to Axis History Forum and Overwalwagens, where this doc. is already posted (note to all, I
have done some more revisions to it since I posted it there).

I would especially like to mention Nuyt, Xingbake, Sturm 78, Cyril, Ralph Lovett et al. for their invaluable
insights and information on Chinese weapons imports. There is still much to be done with this document,
especially as I find new weapons to add to it and as I edit it further, and the Siamese section is entirely
incomplete and skeletal (I have not even started to write the section on her AFVs yet). Generally the
weapons are listed by order of caliber and then date of introduction (small arms are listed in standard
metric caliber notation ie: 7.92x57mm Mauser, then by their familiar name if any). Any contributions by
others on theis forum are appreciated. Here goes:

Armaments of China and Siam to 1949

by Wesley Thomas, Alexandria, VA, USA

China:

The various weapons listed in this study were used by all types of military formations in China, including
Imperial (to 1911), Nationalist, communist, the many and various Warlord (Tuchun, or local governor)
armies (Chiang Tso-Lin in Manchuria; Wu-Pei-fu, based principally in Beijing and Hebei Province; Chiang
Tsung chiang [the so-called "Dog Meat General"] in Shandong Province; Yen Hsi-shan, aka. "The Model
Governor", in Shansi Province; Long Yun in Yunnan etc), and the various collaborationist and puppet
forces of the Japanese, including most notably the Manchukoan army, the "Reformed Government" and
the so-called Nanjing Government armies, to mention just a few. Many of the weapons of the Warlord
armies were acquired either by pilfering local government arsenals, via the local manufacture of usually
unauthorized copies of foreign designs (ie. the many unauthorized copies of the Mauser C-96 pistol), or
from purchases from the many arms merchants plying their trade in China. Japanese trading houses also
played a major role in the sale of pistols inside China, and this after Japan had played a major role in
convincing the major powers to embargo the export of military rifles to China.

Equipment types used in China were extremely heterogeneous, and no real effort at standardization was
ever made, except that the German 7.92 x 57mm Mauser cartridge became the closest thing to a
standardized Chinese rifle and machine gun cartridge, largely due to wide-spread German influence in
Chinese military affairs. Despite the extremely varied collection of ordnance to be found in China, certain
weapons predominated in importance and quantity, notably the various Mauser type pistols and rifles; the
Madsen series of light machine guns; the Brno ZB-26 and ZB-30 light machine guns; the Type 24 Maxim
heavy machine gun (after 1935); the unauthorized Chinese copies of the Colt-Browning M-1919 heavy
water-cooled machine gun; and almost every major type of Japanese pistol, rifle and machine gun. From
late 1941 the United States Lend Lease Program became the primary source of armaments for China, by
which the Americans supplied largely surplus or refurbished First World War vintage equipment, notably
the Enfield M-1917 rifle (the U.K. P-14, but chambered for the U.S. .30-06 cartridge), and the Browning M-
1917A1 water-cooled heavy machine gun; the United States declined to provide weapons deemed too new,
too classified, or too essential to the United States own war effort, notably the M-1 Garand semi-
automatic rifle and the M-1918A2 Browning Automatic Rifle (there are no written or photographic records
of either of these weapons in use by Chinese troops).

Whatever the weapons used, their employment was generally poor or at best mediocre, with very little
comprehension of fire control and fire discipline, combined arms techniques, fire and maneuver, or
logistics. Leadership in the Nationalist army was, with a few notable exceptions, extremely poor, and the lot
of the common Chinese soldier was often execrable, with very little or no training, very little food, virtually
no personal hygiene or medical care, poor to non-existent pay, and subject to arbitrary and brutal
punishments, including summary execution for the slightest infractions. Corruption in the command
structure was endemic, and officers regularly stole the pay and rations of their units for personal gain,
keeping phantom or dead soldiers on the rosters to pad their incomes. Competence and leadership in
combat were not particularly valued or encouraged in subordinate commanders, lest they challenge the
leadership of Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-Shek). In most cases battle was scrupulously avoided, for fear of the
possible loss of face or prestige, as well as the possible loss of valuable weapons and equipment (men,
however, were expendable in their thousands). As a general rule more energy was expended by the
Nationalists in participation in graft and in attempting to quarantine the much feared Communists in
Yenan, than in fighting the Japanese invaders.
The use of artillery in the Chinese army was generally in penny packets, or in ones and twos, and guns were
usually hoarded to enhance the power and prestige of a commander, governor or warlord (the last two
were often one and the same). The mere presence on the battlefield of a single field gun could decide the
outcome of a confrontation without even having to fire a shot. Prior to the arrival of the first United States
Lend Lease supplies in October 1941, Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-Shek) insisted that most of Chinas artillery
inventory (some 800 guns) be hoarded for use as rewards to particularly loyal commanders or governors.
Most divisions lacked any artillery at all, and most came to rely on 81mm M-1917 Stokes or M-1927/31
Stokes-Brandt mortars (or local unauthorized copies of the same weapons) for fire support. The types and
calibers of Chinas artillery were as varied and heterogeneous as her small arms holdings, but was
predominantly made up of light mountain and field guns of around 75mm caliber, with a leavening of light
field howitzers in the 105mm and 120mm categories. There was very little in the way of medium and heavy
artillery, or of dedicated counter-battery long range guns as found in most other major armies. Most gun
types were acquired in small quantities; in most cases just a handful of batteries of a particular type of
artillery piece were in the inventory, and most of these equipments were hoarded away by commanders in
warehouses and depots, rarely, if ever, to be used for their intended purpose. Training of artillery crews
was cursory and rudimentary, and there was very little understanding of indirect fire, targeting and
observation, fire and maneuver, counter-battery fire, barrage fire or any other artillery technique
developed since the end of the muzzle-loading era.
The Chinese use of armored fighting vehicles prior to 1943 suffered from many of the same problems as
that of the artillery, and most of Chinas small inventory of AFVs were quickly lost in combat, or were simply
allowed to break down due to lack of maintenance and spare parts (by 1938 China had lost 48 of the 96
tanks she had started out with in 1937 due to the above cited reasons). Armor was not used en masse for
shock, but in penny packets in an infantry support role exclusively; tank against tank fighting with the
Japanese was never contemplated and never attempted. Indeed during the entire Sino-Japanese war from
1937-1945 there was not one single major tank on tank confrontation between Chinese and Japanese
armor.

Pistols and Revolvers:

7 x 20mm Nambu: Japanese "Baby" Nambu. This diminutive pistol would have been captured in small
quantities from captured Japanese officers.

7.63 x 25mm Mauser: Mauser C-96 "Broomhandle" pistol. Sales of Broomhandles to China in large
quantities started ca. 1922 when production of this pistol resumed at Oberndorf. Import by China of these
weapons was occasioned in large measure by a ban on imports of rifles imposed on China by the Great
Powers (in this case Great Britain, France, Japan, Italy, and the United States), with the particular
encouragement of the Japanese. Many of the pistols were supplied with detachable stocks to convert them
to pistol carbines. Sales continued through the 1930s with the introduction of the Model 1930, which was
characterized by its stepped barrel and improved safety.

7.63 x 25mm Mauser: Mauser Model 712 (Model 1932) "Schnellfeuer" pistol. Sales of this machine pistol
started in China in the summer of 1931.

7.63 x 25mm Mauser: Taku Naval Dockyard copy of the Mauser C-96 "Broomhandle" pistol. Approximately
6,000 of these locally made unauthorized copies of the C-96 were made.

7.63 x 25mm Mauser: Astra Model 900 series (Models 900, 901, 902, and 903) copies of the Mauser C-96
"Broomhandle" pistol. 9,050 Model 900, 1,015 Model 901, and 3,635 Model 902 pistols were sold to China
by Astra between 1928 and 1931. Several thousand more were doubtless sold to China between 1931 and
the start of the Spanish Civil war in 1936.

7.63 x 25mm Mauser: Beistegui Hermanos MM-31 series copies of the Mauser C-96 "Broomhandle" pistol,
aka. "Royal", "Azul", and "Super Azul" pistols. The majority of the total production of approximately 33,000
of these pistols were sold to China between ca. 1929 and 1934.

7.65 x 17mm Browning: FN Browning Model 1900 pistol. The Belgian government adopted this pistol as the
Pistolet Modle 1900 in July 1900, and ordered 20,000 of the pistols during that year from FN in Lige. The
Belgian government purchased many more of these pistols until production ended in 1911. The pistol was
also exported to the Netherlands and Russia for their militaries prior to 1912. Serbia seems also to have
been a customer for this pistol. Belgian police organizations also used these weapons in large quantities,
and after 1940, any captured by the Germans were designated "Pistole 620(b)". Many were exported to
China (usually via Japan) and were privately purchased and used as personal weapons by Chinese officers
and officials. Chinese arsenals made thousands of unauthorized copies of these pistols.

7.65 x 17mm and 9 x 17mm Browning: FN Model 1910 pistol. Used as a side arm primarily by Belgian
officers, the pistol was designated Pistolet Mle. 1910 in Belgian service. The weapons were exported
widely, primarily for police use, but some pistols saw military service, notably in China, Denmark, Japan, the
Netherlands, Peru, and Sweden. The weapon was also widely copied in Spain. The Germans used large
quantities of captured Mle. 1910s as the Pistole 621( , and any captured Danish or Dutch pistols would
have been designated respectively Pistole 621(d) and 621(h). In China, just as with the earlier M-1900,
many of these pistols were acquired privately by officers or officials, and many of them were imported via
Japanese trading houses. The M-1910 was the pattern for many unauthorized local arsenal and workshop
copies.

7.65 x 17mm and 9 x 17mm Browning: FN Model 1910/22 pistol. This pistol was more successful as a
military side arm than the Mle. 1910, and was adopted as a standard side arm in Yugoslavia in 1923. The
Yugoslavs purchased 60,000 Model 1910/22s in 9 x 17mm Browning (aka. .380 ACP) between 1923 and
1925, and several thousand more during the 1930s. Belgium bought large quantities of these pistols as the
Pistolet mle. 1910/22 for various police formations, some chambered for 7.65 x 17mm, but most were
chambered for the 9 x 17mm Browning cartridge. Czechoslovakia (police formations, 9 x 17mm), Denmark
(police formations, 7.65 x 17mm), France (police formations, 9 x 17mm), Greece (9 x 17mm), the
Netherlands (several thousand Pistool M.1925 no. 1 in 7.65 x 17mm and several tens of thousands of
Pistool M.1925 no. 2 in 9 x 17mm), Poland (9 x 17mm), Sweden (police formations, 9 x 17mm), and Turkey
(9 x 17mm) also used these pistols.
The Germans designated these pistols as Pistole 626(b) for those chambered for 7.65mm and Pistole
641(b) for those in 9 x 17mm Browning. Yugoslav pistols were designated Pistole 641(j), Danish pistols were
designated Pistole 626(d), Dutch pistols were designated Pistole 626(h) and 641(h), Greek pistols Pistole
641(g), and Polish pistols were designated Pistole 641(p). As with the earlier M-1900 and M1910 pistols,
some quantity of these pistols were imported into China via Japanese trading companies for private
purchase by officers and officials.

7.65 x 17mm Browning: Walther PP and PPK pistols. Introduced respectively in 1928 and 1929, the PP and
its smaller brother, the PPK, were acquired privately in some quantity as personal side arms by Chinese
officers and officials.

7.65 x 17mm Browning: Gabilondo y Compania ("Llama") Plus Ultra "Ruby" type pistol. Based on the "Ruby"
style pistols manufactured for France during the First World War, these pistols were manufactured
between 1928 and 1933, and were characterized by their 22 round magazines. Some were selective fire,
and the weapon was sold almost solely in China.

7.65 x 17mm: Gabilondo y Compania ("Llama") Model X pistol. A smaller pistol based on the Colt M-1911,
but characterized by a solid back-strap and lack of grip safety. This type of pistol was sold in China from
1935-ca. 1940.

8 x 21mm Nambu: Various Japanese 8mm Nambu type pistols, including the Type 4 (Model of 1915), and
Type 14 (model of 1925). These were captured pistols, and would have appeared in some quantity in the
hands of Chinese troops.

8 x 21mm Nambu: Japanese Type 94 (Model of 1934) pistol. This poorly made and dangerous pistol (there
was a long exposed sear bar on the left of the pistol, which could be inadvertently depressed if contacted,
thus discharging the weapon) was likely captured in some quantity, but due to its poor design and small
magazine capacity (only six rounds), was probably not popular amongst Chinese troops. All in all it should
be said that in quality and reliability China had a better collection of small arms than did the Japanese.

9mm Japanese revolver: Type 26 (Model of 1893) revolver. These revolvers were captured in some quantity
from the Japanese.

9 x 17mm Browning (aka. 9mm "Corto"): Gabilondo y Compania ("Llama") Model III pistol. This pistol was
based on the Colt M-1911, and was characterized by its solid backstrap and lack of a grip safety. The pistols
were sold to China from ca. 1935-1940.

9 x 19mm Parabellum: FN Modle 1935 (GP-35 or "High-Power") pistol. Belgium adopted this revolutionary
semi-auto pistol in 1935 as the Pistolet Mle. 1935, and purchased some 40,000 of the weapons before May
1940. Peru also adopted the High Power in 1935, making it one of the first countries in the world, after
Belgium, to adopt this pistol. In addition China purchased 5000 FN made GP-35s before 1940, Estonia
(quantity purchased unclear), Finland 1,500, Latvia (quantity unclear), Lithuania 7000, Sweden 1000 (pistols
actually delivered; Sweden had ordered more, but the German takeover of Belgium cut short further
deliveries), and Romania. The pistol was also ordered by Denmark and the Netherlands before 1940, but
they would not enter service in these countries until after the war (in Denmark the pistol was known as the
M-1946). The Germans designated the weapon the Pistole 640(b. In February of 1944 the John Inglis
Company of Toronto, Canada started to produce the pistol as the No. 1 Mk. 1 and No. 1 Mk. 1* pistol
(which had various internal improvements over the Mk. 1) for Chinese Nationalist army contracts, later
producing the pistol as well for Canadian and British empire forces. 4000 Mk. 1 pistols were produced, with
approximately another 46,000 Mk. 1 *s being produced for China. Many Chinese contract pistols were
diverted to Canadian or British forces, so it is doubtful that China received more than 40-45,000 pistols in
total. Chinese contract pistols were patterned on the original FN contract pistols, characterized by their
tangent rear sights and their stock slots. Most British and Canadian pistols were No. 2 Mk. 1 and No. 2 Mk.
1* models with a fixed rear sight. Inglis produced a grand total of 151,816 High-Powers of all types.

9 x 19mm Parabellum: Gabilondo y Compania ("Llama") Model XI pistol (aka. "Modello Especial"). This
pistol was also based on the M-1911, but was characterized by its distinctive grip profile, and the lack of a
grip safety. Sales of this pistol to China began in ca. 1936 and would have continued until 1939 or 1940.

9 x 23mm Bergman-Bayard (aka. 9mm "Largo"): Gabilondo y Compania ("Llama") Model VII pistol. Design
based on Colt M-1911, but lacks grip safety and has a solid back-strap. Sales of these pistols to China
started around 1932, and continued through ca. 1939-1940, when Franco took over in Spain.

9 x 23mm Bergman-Bayard (aka. 9mm "Largo"): Gabilondo y Compania ("Llama") Model VIII pistol. Another
pistol based on the Colt M-1911, but this time with a grip safety. Introduced in 1939, sales of this pistol to
China were likely brief due to the Nationalist takeover in Spain.

9 x 29mmR: various U.S. made revolvers chambered for the .38 Special cartridge, including the Smith and
Wesson Military and Police revolver (including some "Victory Models" after 1942), Colt Army Special
revolvers and/or Official Police Models (this last model after 1927), Colt Police Positive Special models , and
the Colt Detective Special.

11.18mm (.44 S & W Russian): Smith and Wesson .44 Russian New Model No. 3 single action revolver.
These revolvers were acquired in some quantity by private individuals and by officers of the Imperial Army
after 1878.

11.18mm R (.44 S&W Special), along with other calibers: Colt New Service revolver. Some Chinese officers
and civilians privately purchased Colt New Service revolvers of differing versions.

11.43 x 23mm (.45 ACP): Shansi Arsenal copy of Mauser C-96 "Broomhandle" pistol in .45 ACP.
Approximately 8,000 of these unauthorized copies of the Mauser C-96 pistol were made at the Shansi
Arsenal in 1929.

11.43 x 23mm (.45 ACP): Smith and Wesson and Colt M-1917 revolvers. The U.S. Lend Lease program
provided a substantial quantity of these revolvers to the Chinese after 1942.

11.43 x 23mm (.45 ACP): Colt M-1911A1 pistol. Large quantities of these pistols were provided by the U.S.
Lend Lease Program.

Submachine guns:

9 x 19mm Parabellum: Bergmann MP-18I sub-machine gun. China acquired an unknown quantity of these
SMGs during the 1920s, likely from SIG Neuhausen in Switzerland. MP-18I and MP-28II series weapons
were also employed by Belgium, Bolivia, Cuba, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay (captured from Bolivians),
Venezuela, Spain (Civil War), and Japan.

9 x 19mm Parabellum or 11.43 x23mm (.45 ACP)?: Bergmann MP-28II sub-machine gun. These weapons
may have been of FN origin, designated Mitraillette Mle. 1934 by FN. China also acquired some improved
MP-18Is from SIG in Switzerland as well. MP-18 and MP-28 series weapons were also employed by
Argentina, Cuba, Bolivia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay (captured from Bolivians), Venezuela, Spain (Civil
War), and Japan.

9 x 19mm Parabellum: Sten Mk. II submachine gun. These submachine guns were provided by Britain to
Chinese forces based in India.

9 x 19mm Parabellum: Type 37 (Model of 1948) submachine gun: Chinese copy of the U.S. M-3A1
"Greasegun" submachine gun, but chambered for the 9 x 19mm Parabellum caliber.

11.43 x 23mm (.45 ACP): M-1921 Thompson submachine gun: A relatively small quantity of these Colt
manufactured SMGs were imported into China during the 1920s and 1930s. Original Colt M-1921
Thompson guns were never very common amongst Chinese troops. However, a substantial number of
unauthorized copies of this weapon were made in various Chinese arsenals. One example was listed by Colt
as having been imported into Shanghai ca. 1922, but it is likely that many of the guns whose destination is
left blank on company invoices were in fact destined for China.

11.43 x 23mm (.45 ACP): U.S. M-1928A1, M-1 and M-1A1 Thompson submachine guns. The United States
provided large numbers of Thompson SMGs as Lend Lease from late 1941 or early 1942.

11.43 x 23mm (.45 ACP): U.S. M-3A1 "Greasegun" submachine guns. M-3A1 SMGs figured in Lend Lease
shipments to China after ca. 1943.

11.43 x 23mm (.45 ACP): Type 36 (Model of 1947) submachine gun. Chinese copy of the U.S. M-3A1
"Greasegun" submachine gun.

Rifles:

14.65mm (appr.) (.577 caliber): Pattern 1853 or 1857 Enfield rifle muskets.

14.65mm (appr.) (.577 caliber): various surplus Snider conversions of the Pattern 1853, 1857, 1860
Sergeants Pattern etc Enfield rifle muskets, carbines, musketoons, and short rifles. Many surplus British
Snider conversions ended up in China after adoption in Britain of the Martini-Henry in 1875. Many other
Snider conversions were sold off to Japan (M-1877 Snider conversions were supplied by the Japanese to
some Chinese collaborationist units), and Portugal, and also served for many years in British India, long
after they were obsolete.

11mm combustible: M-1866 Chassepot rifles, musketoons and carbines. Surplus French rifles acquired
during the 1880s?

11 x 60mm: Mauser M-1871 rifle. China ordered 26,000 of these rifles in 1876. Additional surplus Imperial
German Army rifles were purchased circa 1906.

11 x 60mm: Mauser M-1871 carbine. Small quantities of these carbines were acquired in 1876. An
additional 1000 surplus Imperial German Army carbines were acquired in 1906.

11 x 60mmR: Japanese Type 13 (Model of 1880) and Type 18 (model of 1885) Murata rifles. These were
single shot bolt rifles, the Type 18 being a slight improvement over the earlier Type 13. Some of these rifles
were supplied by the Japanese to rear echelon formations in various collaborationist forces.

11 x 59mmR Gras: M-1874 Gras single shot bolt action rifle. Surplus French army weapons acquired during
the 1880s or early 1890s.

11 x 58mmR Spanish: M-1882 Remington-Lee bolt-action rifle and carbine. Between 8000 and 10,000 of
these rifles and carbines were acquired from Remington in 1884 and 1885.

8 x 50mmR: M-1888 Mannlicher rifle. This was one of the first straight-pull Mannlichers, and was used not
only by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but was also exported to Bulgaria, Chile, Greece, Siam and
apparently, China. These rifles were supplied by Steyr (sterreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft), likely
during the early 1890s.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: M-1888 (Gew. 88) "Kommissions Gewehr": China acquired substantial quantities of
these rifles from Ludwig Loewe and Steyr (sterreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft) starting in 1894 to
arm her troops during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. China acquired additional surplus Gew. 88s in
1907.

8 x 53mmR: Japanese Type 22 (Model of 1889) Murata rifle. Some of these rifles were supplied to
collaborationist Chinese troops (notably in Manchukuo) by the Japanese.

7 x 57mm Mauser: M-1895 Mauser rifle. This weapon was based on the Chilean M-1895 rifle. China
acquired an unknown quantity of these rifles after 1896 from Waffenfabrik Mauser in Oberndorf.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: M-1904 Mannlicher rifle. Steyr (sterreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft) sold
these rifles to China in large quantities from 1904. These were turn-bolt rifles, not straight-pull weapons as
with earlier Mannlichers, and were largely based on the design of the Romanian M-1893 and the Dutch M-
1895 rifles.

7 x 57mm Mauser: M-1906 Mauser trials rifle. This was an M-1904 Mauser variant chambered for the 7mm
Mauser cartridge. China acquired small quantities of these rifles for field tests. This weapon was
subsequently adopted as the M-1907 rifle in the new 6.8mm cartridge.

6.8 x 57mm: M-1907 Mannlicher-Shnauer rifle. This was an experimental rifle acquired in some numbers
for trials in 1907 against a Mauser and a Haenel entry. The Mauser won, but some remaining Mannlicher-
Shnauers were later used in the fighting of the 1920s and 1930s. Some may have been re-chambered for
the standard 7.92 x 57mm during the teens or twenties. The 6.8mm cartridge was a variant of the 7 x
57mm Mauser.

6.8 x 57mm: M-1907 Mauser rifle. This was the winner of the competition with the Mannlicher-Shnauer.
This rifle was based upon the commercial M-1904 version of the Gew. 98 (rifles were exported to Brazil as
the M-1907, Chile as the M-1904, and Costa Rica and Venezuela as the M-1910), several thousand
examples were bought from both DWM and Mauser until the revolution of 1911 interrupted deliveries.
Enough undelivered rifles remained in 1914 to arm two Imperial German Army regiments, being re-
chambered in the meantime to use the standard German 7.92 x 57mm cartridge. Chinese arsenals (one was
apparently the Mukden Arsenal under Japanese control) subsequently made unlicensed copies of the rifles
from the early 1920s. Many of the Chinese rifles were later re-chambered for the standard 7.92 x 57mm
Mauser cartridge.

6.8 x 57mm: M-1907 Mauser carbine. This was characterized by a turned down bolt handle and a full stock
to the muzzle. This weapon was also later re-chambered to use the standard 7.92 x 57mm cartridge.

7 x 57mm Mauser: M-1912 Mauser rifle. An unknown, but likely small quantity (a few thousand?), of these
rifles were purchased between ca. 1912-1914 from Steyr (sterreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft). This
rifle was identical to rifles sold by Steyr to Chile, Colombia and Mexico.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: Hanyang Arsenal rifle. The Chinese loosely copied the Gewehr 88 "Kommissions
Gewehr", borrowing some influences from the Mannlicher M-1904 rifle, from ca. 1916 (the oft reported
designation of Type 88 is apparently erroneous, as it has no bearing on the actual production dates) in fairly
large, but unknown quantities, and was one of the most common rifles in China prior to 1935.

7.62 x 54mmR: various Mosin-Nagant rifles and carbines. An unknown quantity of Russian Mosin-Nagant
M-1891 rifles, M-1891 Dragoon rifles, and M-1907 (aka. "M-1910") carbines were used by various warlord
armies during the 1920s, as well as by White Russian mercenaries employed by them.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: ZB (Brno) vz. 98/22 rifle. China purchased around 70,000 vz. 98/22s from ca. 1923-
1930.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: ZB (Brno) ZH-29 semi-automatic rifle. This advanced rifle was designed by Emanuel
Holek ca. 1927-1928, allegedly to meet a Chinese requirement for a semi-auto rifle. China acquired 150 of
the rifles in 1929, and several hundred more were purchased through 1932, for a total of between 500 and
600 of these very well made rifles. This rifle was also exported in small quantities to Siam and Ethiopia, and
was tested in 1932 by both Romania and Turkey. Several undisclosed South American countries tested the
weapon as well. From photographic evidence it seems that Manchurian (later "Manchukouan") units
received a number of these weapons.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: FN M-1924 and M-1930 Mauser short rifles. Between 1930 and 1934 China
purchased 24,000 M-1924 and M-1930 short rifles, and then another 165,000 M-1930 short rifles between
1937 and 1939.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: Type 21 (Model of 1932) Mauser short rifle. This was a copy of the FN M-1930 short
rifle, made at the Guangdong arsenal between 1932 and 1937. The quality of manufacture was considered
poor by comparison with its FN counterpart. It is unclear how many of these rifles were made.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: Mukden Arsenal Mauser rifle. The Japanese controlled puppet government of
Manchuria ("Manchukuo") manufactured these rifles at the Mukden Arsenal under Japanese supervision
between 1933 and 1939. The weapon incorporated various features from both the Arisaka and Mauser 98
series rifles (ie. the sliding bolt cover and ovoid bolt knob as on the Arisaka, with the rifle itself resembling
the Steyr produced M-1912 Mauser rifle). Many captured rifles of this type saw service with the
Nationalists.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: ZB (Brno) vz. 24 Mauser short rifle. The Chinese government purchased 100,000 vz.
24 rifles in 1937 from Brno. One Chinese arsenal made a close copy of the vz. 24, which incorporated a
cannibalized Japanese Type 44 carbine folding bayonet.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: M-1933 Mauser "Standard Modell" short rifle. China acquired unknown quantities of
"Standard Modell" short rifles between 1935 and 1937 from Mauser in Oberndorf. This weapon served as
the model for the locally made "Jiang Jieshi" (aka. Chiang Kai-Shek) rifle.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: M-1933 Mauser "Standard Modell" carbine. These were supplied in some numbers
along with the short rifles.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: "Jiang Jieshi" (aka. Chiang Kai-Shek) short rifle. This Chinese arsenal direct copy of the
"Standard Modell" Mauser was made by the millions between 1936 and 1949, and would become the most
common rifle in Chinese service. Many of these weapons would later see service in Korea. Their general
quality of manufacture ranged from very good to execrable, but never approached that of the German
original.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: various surplus German Mauser rifles and carbines. There is some photographic
evidence that China took delivery of what look to be former Imperial German army Mauser rifles and
carbines during the 1920s and 1930s, including Gewehr 98 rifles and Kar. 98AZ carbines. These weapons
may have been acquired from both Belgium and Czechoslovakia, and possibly Poland as well, as they all
possessed large stocks of surplus Mauser rifles ceded by Germany as war reparations after 1919.

6.5 x 50mmSR Arisaka: various Japanese Arisaka rifles and carbines. Various Japanese Arisaka rifles were
captured in some quantity during the Sino-Japanese War between 1931 and 1945, and even more were
acquired from surrendered stocks after Japans surrender in 1945. Japan also supplied a substantial
quantity of Arisakas to various Warlord armies (ie. that of Chiang Tso-Lin) in Manchuria during the 1920s.
The most common models were the Type 38 rifle, the Type 38 carbine and the Type 44 carbine, which was
characterized by its folding bayonet. Some earlier Type 30 (Model of 1897) and Type 35 (Model of 1902)
rifles and carbines may have been provided to Chinese collaborationist forces by the Japanese.

7.7 x 58mm Type 99 Arisaka: Type 99 Arisaka rifle and short rifle. These were from captured stocks of
Japanese rifles. Many of these rifles were re-chambered to take the standard 7.92 x 57mm Mauser
cartridge after 1946.

7.7 x 56mm R (.303 British): No. 4 Mk. I* Lee-Enfield rifle. From 1942 the United States provided China
some 40,000 No. 4 Mk. I* Lee-Enfield rifles manufactured by the Stevens-Savage Arms Company in
Massachusetts.

7.62 x 33mm: U.S. M-1 carbine. The United States Lend Lease program provided the Nationalist army with a
fairly large number of carbines after 1942.

7.62 x 63mm (.30-06): U.S. M-1903 and M-1903A3 Springfield rifles. The United States Lend Lease program
provided China substantial quantities of M-1903 series rifles from 1942 (mostly M-1903A3s).

7.62 x 63mm (.30-06): U.S. M-1917 Enfield rifle. The United States Lend Lease program provided the
Nationalist army with extremely large quantities of M-1917 rifles from late 1941 or early 1942; these
weapons vastly outnumbered the Springfield in Chinese service.

7.62 x 63mm (.30-06): Johnson M-1941 semi-automatic rifle. Apparently China took delivery of a relatively
small quantity (several hundred?) of Johnson semi-auto rifles during the Second World War (after 1942).
These may have been ex-Dutch contract rifles diverted to the Chinese after the fall of the Dutch East Indies.


Machine guns:

11 x 60mm Mauser or 11 x 58mm Spanish?: Gatling rotary machinegun, unknown model. China is known to
have acquired a number of Gatling guns at various times from the mid 1870s through the 1880s. One at the
Beijing Military Museum seems to be of mid-1870s pattern (a Model 1876?) in an unknown caliber. It is
possible that China acquired some Model 1883 Gatlings with the Accles feed as well.

7.7 x 56mm R (.303 British): Maxim-Nordenfeldt Maxim Model 1889 "World Standard" machine gun. China
acquired 151 of these early Maxim guns via Jardine and Matheson in Hong Kong between 1892 and 1895.
Later, China acquired five examples of the Vickers Maxim Model of 1901 between 1903 and 1906, as well
as one example of the Vickers Maxim M-1906 "New Light" commercial gun.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: DWM Maxim M-1909 commercial heavy machine gun. China is known to have
acquired sixteen of these Maxim guns in the first half of 1914, but exports by DWM to China seem to have
started sometime in 1912, which would mean that China may have acquired several dozen prior to 1914.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: Bergmann M-1910 heavy machine gun. China ordered around twenty or so of these
weapons for trials against the Maxim. It is known that China acquired six of these guns in 1911.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: Skoda M-1909 heavy machine gun. China ordered fifty of these water-cooled heavy
machineguns in 1910, but only about twenty were actually delivered before the 1911 revolution
intervened. The remainder served aboard Austro-Hungarian armored trains during the First World War.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: M-1916, M-1930 and M-1937 Madsen light machineguns. The Madsen was one of
the more common light machineguns employed by the Nationalist and various warlord armies. The
differences between the various "models" of Madsen guns was usually none to negligible, and usually
simply represented the dates the guns were ordered and manufactured more than any significant design or
detail change. However, there seems to have been a change during the mid to late 1920s in the design of
the flash hider/muzzle booster assembly, and the form of the stock (a pronounced angle in the butt stock
seems to have characterized weapons made after ca. 1923-1924).
8 x 50mmR or 7.92 x 57mm Mauser?: Hotchkiss M-1914 heavy machinegun. France provided China an
unknown quantity of these machineguns from ca. 1920. Some were mounted on Chinese Renault FT-18
light tanks.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: Colt-Browning M-1919 heavy machine gun. China made an unauthorized copy of the
Colt Commercial M-1919 heavy machinegun from 1921, which was essentially identical to the U.S. .30
caliber Browning M-1917 machine gun. The weapons were manufactured at various Chinese arsenals,
including the Hanyang and Shanghai arsenals, and were of inferior quality to the original pattern due to
being reverse engineered from a sample stolen from a Colt representative in 1920. Several thousand of
these weapons were manufactured; for example 144 were made in March 1931; 514 in 1940; and in 1945
alone 1,737 guns were made, most at the Hanyang arsenal.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: M-1922 or M-1926 Hotchkiss light machinegun. It has been reported that China
acquired an undisclosed quantity of these LMGs from France during the 1920s.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: Frrer M-1925 light machinegun. China is reported in some sources to have
purchased a small quantity of this Swiss LMG during the mid-1920s. The gun was characterized by its side
swinging toggle action, similar to that of the Luger (Parabellum) pistol.

7.7 x 56mm R (.303 British)? : Lewis light machine gun. China acquired an unknown quantity of British
surplus Lewis LMGs during the 1920s and 1930s for use by various warlord and paramilitary units, including
most notably the Shanghai Volunteer Corps. It is very likely that a quantity of Imperial Japanese Navy Type
92 Lewis Guns were captured from Japanese naval infantry; some Type 92 aircraft guns were also likely
captured. It is also likely some Japanese Army Type 89 (Model of 1929) Lewis aircraft guns were employed
as ground guns.

7.92x57mm Mauser: M-1926 Breda-SAFAT light machinegun. This was a development of the M-1914 Fiat-
Revelli, and is reported to have been used in Chinas CV-33 tankettes.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: ZB (Brno) vz. 26 light machine gun. China acquired several thousand examples of the
ZB vz. 26 from 1927, and it along with the improved vz. 30, would become the most common LMG in
Chinese service by the mid-1930s.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: ZB (Brno) vz. 30 light machine gun. China supplemented its vz. 26 LMGs with large
quantities of vz. 30s from the early 1930s. The vz. 30 differed from the earlier vz. 26, in that the barrel
locking nut and the bolt were redesigned, the gas piston was strengthened, and a gas regulator was fitted.
These changes were largely internal, and the two models are therefore difficult to tell apart.

7.62 x 54mmR: Degtyarev DP M-1928 light machine gun, DT armor machine gun, and DA aircraft gun. The
Soviet Union provided an unknown quantity of these LMGs to the Nationalists during the early to mid-
1930s. DT armor machine guns were provided along with the T-26 light tanks, and the various armored cars
supplied to China.

7.62 x 54mmR: Maxim PV-1 aircraft gun. This was a lighter, air-cooled aircraft version of the Soviet M-1910
Maxim gun, and was used on Soviet aircraft from 1926. They would have been found on most Soviet
aircraft supplied to China.

7.7 x 56mm R (.303 British) and 7.92 x 57mm Mauser: Vickers Class "C" heavy machine gun. China acquired
32 of these water-cooled HMGs from Vickers between 1929 and 1934, 16 of them in 7.92mm. Some
Japanese Class "C" guns (including a very small number of the later Japanese Type 98 copy) may also have
been captured between 1931 and 1945.

7.7 x 56mm R (.303 British) and 7.92 x 57mm Mauser: Vickers Class "E" and "F" aircraft machine gun. China
acquired 70 Class "E" aircraft guns between 1929 and 1933, seven of which were supplied in 7.92mm. China
acquired an additional nine Class "F" flexible aircraft guns, one in 7.92mm, during the same period. Some
Japanese Navy and Army Class "E" aircraft guns, as well as Army Type 89 (Model of 1929), and Imperial
Japanese Navy Type 97 (Model of 1937) aircraft guns (both copies of the Class "E") were likely captured as
well.

7.92 x 54mm Mauser: Vickers Class "C/T" tank machine gun. China acquired 37 of these armor
machineguns to arm the 29 Carden-Loyd M-1931 and four Carden-Loyd M-1936 light tanks supplied in 1935
and 1936.

8x59mm Breda: M-1914/35 Fiat-Revelli machine gun. This was the M-1914 Fiat-Revelli heavy machinegun
converted to belt feed and air-cooling. These weapons have been reported to have been mounted in
Chinas CV-33 tankettes.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: FN Modle 1930 BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle). China purchased 4,148 Mle. 1930
BARs from FN between June 1933 and December 1935. These weapons seem to have been delivered
concurrent with deliveries of the later Modle D BAR cited below.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: FN Modle D BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle). It has been reported in some sources
that China took delivery of around 2,000 Mle. D BARs during the mid to late 1930s. Another report on
machinegun deliveries from FN to China states that 3,022 BARs of an unspecified model were reportedly
sold to China between July 1934 and June 1936, a period which overlaps with the period of Mle. 1930
deliveries cited above. It is entirely possible that many, if not all, of these 3,022 BARs were in fact Modle
Ds, a quantity of weapons above and beyond the some 4,150 Mle. 1930s cited above, as the production
run of the Modle D started in 1932 and continued through May 1940 with the fall of Belgium.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: Model 1926 Lahti Saloranta light machine gun. Finland delivered China 1,200 of these
LMGs in 1937. China had originally placed an order for 30,000 of the guns, but the order was cut short after
the Japanese put pressure on the Finnish government to cease deliveries of the guns. China was the only
export customer for this weapon.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: SIG Neuhausen KE-7 light machine gun. China purchased an undetermined quantity-
one report states that "several thousand" KE-7s were delivered- of this commercial light machinegun
designed by Pal Kiraly from Switzerland during the mid-1930s.

7.62 x 63mm (.30-06) and 7.92 x 57mm Mauser: Colt-Browning MG-40 aircraft machine gun. This weapon
was the Colt commercial version of the U.S. .30-06 (7.62 x 63mm) M-2 aircraft gun. China acquired
hundreds of these weapons between 1930 and 1940, usually via the aircraft companies that mounted the
weapons on the aircraft they sold to China. The machineguns were sold to China in both .30 caliber and in
7.92mm. Specifically the Curtiss-Wright aircraft company sold China 105 MG-40 aircraft guns in .30 caliber
between February and March 1934, with one additional gun delivered in May 1935. Possible, but
unconfirmed, additional Curtiss deliveries of MG-40s to China were as follows: one in July 1930; two in May
1932 plus eight additional in November of the same year; 24 guns in March 1933; one in July of 1933; 44
guns in August 1934; three more in September 1934; 30 in 1935; 188 in 1936; and 12 in 1937. Curtiss is
known to have delivered 10 guns in 7.92mm in 1938, with 7 more in 1939 and 424 in 1940, all in 7.92mm.
Boeing delivered 24 .30 caliber guns between July 1934 and May 1935, and Douglas delivered 75 .30 caliber
MG-40s between April 1934 and June 1934. North American Aviation delivered 77 .30 caliber MG-40s in
1938, and Ryan Aeronautical delivered two in 7.92mm in 1940.

7.62 x 63mm (.30-06) or 7.92 x 57mm Mauser?: Colt-Browning MG-38T tank machinegun. This was likely
the machinegun which was used on Chinas Marmon-Herrington CTLS series light tanks.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: FN Browning Modle 1932 aircraft machine gun. Records at FN state that China
purchased 410 Mle. 1932 aircraft guns between 1935 and 1936, and then acquired another 201 guns
between 1937 and 1938. Another report states that between July 1934 and June 1936, China took delivery
of a total of 1285 FN Mle. 1932 aircraft machineguns, which may mean that between 1934 and the middle
of 1935 alone China took delivery of 875 FN Mle. 1932 aircraft guns.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: MG-13 light machine gun. These were acquired along with the small number of
PzKpfw I light tanks and the Sd. Kfz. 221 and Sd. Kfz. 222 armored cars exported to China by Germany in
1936; the total delivered probably did not exceed 100 guns.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: Japanese Army Type 98 (Model of 1938), and Navy Type 1 (Model of 1941) aircraft
machine guns. These were Japanese copies of the German MG-15 (Solothurn Model T-6-220) flexible
aircraft machine gun; some were likely captured by the Chinese and put to use against their former owners.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: Type 24 (Model of 1935) Maxim heavy machine gun. In 1935 the German military
advisory commission, which worked in China from 1932 to 1938, set up a Maxim gun production line at
Arsenal 21with the help of some former DWM technicians. The Type 24 Maxim gun was largely based on
the earlier DWM Maxim M-1909 commercial gun. Some 36,032 of these machineguns were built between
1935 and the summer of 1937, when Japan invaded the rest of China. The weapon would become one of
the most common automatic weapons in Chinese service prior to 1950. A relatively small quantity of these
guns were manufactured as air cooled weapons instead of being made in the more usual water cooled
configuration.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: ZB (Brno) Model 53 (vz. 37) heavy machine gun. China acquired an undetermined
quantity of these heavy machineguns from Brno between ca. 1936 and 1939.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: Colt-Browning MG-38 heavy machine gun. China first acquired one of these weapons
in March 1935 via the Hong Kong Sporting Arms store, with an additional six acquired directly from Colt in
1938, and another 200 guns from Colt in 1939. The MG-38 was a commercial Colt manufactured water-
cooled machinegun essentially identical to the U.S. .30 caliber Browning M-1917 machine gun. Colt made
several variations of these machineguns during the inter-war period including the M-1919, M-1924, M-
1928 and the MG-38 (if equipped with a pistol grip as on the M-1917) and MG-38B (equipped with spade
grips). They all differed from the M-1917 essentially in having several minor internal modifications. The
MG-38 models had improved bolt handles.

6.5 x 50mmSR Arisaka: Various Japanese 6.5mm machine guns including: M-1897 Hotchkiss heavy
machinegun; Type 3 (Model of 1914) heavy machinegun; Type 11 (Model of 1922) light machine gun; Type
91 (Model of 1931) armor machine gun; Type 96 (Model of 1936) light machine gun. These weapons were
captured from the Japanese during the period 1931 to 1945.

7.7 x 58mmSR Type 92: various Japanese 7.7mm machine guns including: Type 92 (Model 1932) heavy
machine gun (a modified Type 3 HMG, which could also chamber the later rimless Type 99 Arisaka
cartridge); Type 97 (Model of 1937) armor machine gun. These weapons were captured from the Japanese,
or acquired from stocks of abandoned Japanese weapons after Japans surrender in September 1945.

7.7 x 58mm Type 99 Arisaka: various Japanese machine guns including: Type 99 (Model of 1939) light
machine gun; Type 1 (Model of 1941) heavy machine gun. These weapons were captured from the
Japanese; however the Type 1, a substantially modified Type 92, was likely very uncommon in comparison
with the more numerous Type 92 HMG.

7.62 x 63mm (.30-06): U.S. Browning M-1917A1 heavy machine gun. The United States supplied 3,363 M-
1917A1s to China between late 1941 or early 1942 and 1949.

7.62 x 63mm (.30-06): U.S. Browning M-1919A4 medium machinegun, and M-1919A6 light machine gun.
The United States supplied 1218 M-1919A4 and M-1919A6 Browning machineguns to China after 1942.

7.62 x 63mm (.30-06): U.S. Browning M-1919A5 armor machine gun. The United States supplied 1,640 M-
1919A5s from 1943, ostensibly to equip Chinas M-3A3 light tanks; however since China never had more
than a few dozen M-3A3 light tanks it is likely that many of these weapons were employed as ground guns.

7.62 x 63mm (.30-06): U.S. Browning M-2 aircraft machine gun. The United States supplied China 5,098 M-2
aircraft guns after 1941.

7.7 x 56mm R (.303 British): Bren Mk. IM, Mk. II/I, and Mk. II light machineguns. The Chinese army in India
and Burma seems to have received a substantial quantity of standard British Commonwealth .303 Bren
guns, primarily of the Mk. IM, and the Mk. II/I (a transitional model, using parts from both the Mk. I and
Mk. II Bren guns); but, by far the most commonly used Bren by Chinese forces was the Mk. II. The weapons
seem to have been made primarily by the John Inglis Company in Toronto, Canada.

7.92 x 57mm Mauser: Bren Mk. II light machine gun. The John Inglis company in Canada made 39,300 of
these guns for the Nationalists in the standard Chinese 7.92mm caliber between January 1944 and the
middle of 1945. These weapons would supplement the earlier .303 Brens supplied to the Chinese forces in
the India/Burma theater. It would subsequently become the standard Chinese squad automatic weapon on
the northern Burma front.

.577/.450 (.45 M.H.) Martini Henry: Maxim-Nordenfeldt Model 1887 Maxim "World Standard" machine
gun. China acquired ten of these guns along with the above cited .303 Maxims in 1895 from H.M. Schultz in
Shanghai.

12.7 x 81mm (.50 caliber Vickers): Vickers water-cooled heavy machine gun. These were possibly identical
to the British Mk. III Naval Pattern introduced into Royal Navy service in July 1932. China acquired 19 of
these weapons in 1931 and 1932 for use by its Maritime Customs service.

12.7 x 99mm (.50 caliber): U.S. Browning M-2 HB heavy machine gun. The United States provided China
with 501 M-2 HBs from late 1941 or early 1942. China also received a quantity of water-cooled .50 caliber
M-2 heavy machineguns for anti-aircraft use.

12.7 x 99mm (.50 caliber): U.S. Browning M-2 fixed and flexible aircraft machine gun. The United States
provided China with 460 .50 cal M-2 aircraft guns from 1941.

12.7 x 120mmSR (.50 caliber Vickers): Vickers Class "D" High Velocity heavy machine gun. China acquired
twenty of these guns as anti-aircraft weapons in 1932 via Jardine-Matheson in Hong Kong. Siam acquired
24 of the guns as well, and Japan acquired the balance of 56.

13.2 x 99mm: M-1930 Hotchkiss heavy machinegun. An undisclosed quantity of this weapon has been
reported to have been purchased by China from France during the 1930s. There are photos of this weapon
in use in China dating from 1937 or 1938. It is also possible that some of the pictured weapons were
actually Japanese Type 93 (Model of 1933) copies of the same weapon. Japanese Type 93s were captured
from the Japanese by the Chinese in relatively small quantities. The 13.2mm M-1930 HMG was used to arm
some of Chinas Renault AMR ZB light tanks.

Mortars:

50mm: Japanese Type 10 (Model of 1921) grenade launcher. This light mortar was a standard Japanese
infantry support weapon, and was captured in some quantity by the Chinese.

50mm: Japanese Type 89 (Model of 1929) grenade launcher. This was essentially a modified Type 10
grenade launcher, which was characterized by a moveable firing pin and a rifled barrel, which provided a
substantial increase in range over its predecessor. This weapon was captured in some quantity from the
Japanese.

60mm: Stokes-Brandt M-1935 mortar. China seems to have purchased a quantity of these weapons from
France ca. 1938-1940. It was copied in China as the Type 31 (Model of 1942), and was characterized by its
longer barrel than the French original.

60mm: U.S. M-2 mortar. The U.S. Lend Lease program supplied large numbers of these mortars from 1942.

70mm: Japanese Type 11 (Model of 1922) mortar. This mortar was the standard Japanese infantry support
mortar prior to the adoption of the 81mm Stokes pattern during the late 1920s, and was captured in some
quantity by the Chinese. Copies of these mortars were manufactured at various Chinese arsenals.

81mm: M-1917 ("3 inch" Mk. I -which see below) Stokes mortar. These weapons were provided to China
during the 1920s, likely by Great Britain or France.

81mm: Stokes-Brandt Mle.1927/31 mortar. This weapon was acquired from the early 1930s from France.
The Japanese direct copy of this weapon, the Type 3 (Model of 1928), was also captured in some quantity
from the Japanese. There is an indication in one source that the Chinese designated the Stokes-Brandt Mle.
1927/1931 the "Type 20" (model of 1931).

81mm: 8cm sGrW-34 mortar. It has been reported in a Chinese source that the Germans supplied China
with an undisclosed quantity of these mortars ca. 1936-1938. The sGrW-34 was a German development of
the Stokes-Brandt Mle.1927/31 81mm mortar. These weapons were distinguished by the heavy machined
reinforce at the muzzle (the original French weapon had an un-reinforced muzzle), their distinctive forged
aluminum elevation and cross leveling knobs instead of the foldable cranks of the original, the form of the
barrel yoke on the mount, and the form of the base-plate.

81mm: Japanese Type 97 (Model of 1937) mortar. This was the standard Japanese infantry mortar from the
late 1930s until 1945, and large quantities were captured by the Chinese. It was a further development of
the Type 3 (Model of 1928) 81mm mortar, which was a Japanese direct copy of the Brandt Mle. 1927/31.

81mm: Japanese Type 99 (Model of 1939) mortar. This was a lighter and shorter version of the earlier Type
97, with a barrel about half as long as that of the earlier weapon and a much lighter and shorter bipod. This
weapon supplemented the Type 97 in Japanese service, and large quantities were captured and used by the
Chinese.

81mm: U.S. M-1 81mm mortar. This was the U.S. version of the Stokes-Brandt M-1927/31 mortar. The U.S.
Lend Lease program provided a substantial quantity of these weapons to the Chinese from late 1941.

81mm: British "3 inch" Mk. I, Mk. IA, Mk. II, Mk. IV, and Mk.V mortars on Mounts Mk. III and Mk. V. These
weapons differed in the design of their tubes, particularly in the design of their breech pieces and strikers,
with the Mk. V model being capable of firing captured Axis bombs. The Mk. II and Mk. V weapons were the
most common variants in Burma (the Mk. V was a lightened version allegedly designed for use by British
troops in the Far East). According to one Chinese source Britain supplied an unknown quantity of Canadian
made "3 inch" mortars to the Chinese forces in the India/Burma Theater.

82mm: Soviet PM-36 (M-1936) and/or PM-37 (M-1937) mortars. The Soviet Union supplied the Nationalists
with an unknown quantity of 82mm PM-36/PM-37 mortars ca. 1938-1939 as part of their aid program.
These weapons were essentially Soviet copies of the French 81mm Stokes-Brandt Mle.1927/31 mortar. The
PM-37 had a distinctive round base plate instead of the more conventional rectangular one of the PM-36.

90mm: Japanese Type 94 (Model of 1934) mortar. This was the standard heavy mortar of the Japanese
artillery, and was usually used in a static role or as a barrage weapon. It was characterized by heavy twin
recoil cylinders in a "u"-shaped frame and its reinforced breech piece. It is unlikely that many of these
weapons were captured and then employed against their former owners, as they were extremely heavy
and unwieldy.

90mm: Japanese Type 97 (Model of 1937) mortar. This replaced the earlier Type 94 in service, and was built
on the Stokes pattern; however, it retained the heavier base plate and the bipod of the earlier weapon.
Captured examples of this mortar were more commonly employed by Chinese troops as it was easier to
break down and transport than its predecessor.

107mm: U.S. 4.2 inch M-2 mortar. The U.S. Lend Lease program supplied China a quantity of these mortars
after 1942.

150mm: Japanese Type 97 (Model of 1937) mortar. This extremely large Stokes pattern mortar was not
employed by the Japanese in large quantities, therefore its capture and subsequent use by the Chinese is
doubtful. However, the Chinese manufactured a very rough copy of this weapon, capable of firing captured
Japanese 150mm mortar ammunition. The barrel was characterized by having extremely thick walls, as the
metallurgy was not up to contemporary standards.

152mm: 6 inch Newton mortar. A number of these weapons, possibly surplus British weapons, seem to
have been used in China during the 1920s by some of the warlord armies. They seem to have been
mounted on locally produced local carriages. They would have been among the heaviest artillery weapons
in China at that time.

Anti-Tank Weapons:

20 x 125mm: Japanese Type 97 (Model of 1937) anti-tank rifle. This weapon, which used a system largely
based on that of the Hispano-Suiza HS-404 20mm cannon, was a large and extremely heavy (over 105
pounds with a shield) semi-automatic cannon. Some of these weapons were likely captured by the Chinese
and turned against their former owners.

37mm: 3.7cm PaK 35/36 anti-tank gun. 124 of these weapons are reported to have been supplied to China
during the time of the German advisory group between 1936 and 1938. Originally designed in 1925 by
Rheinmetall, the weapon entered service with the Reichswehr in 1928 as the 3.7cm TaK, and was
characterized by its wooden artillery wheels. Weapons manufactured from 1934 received disk wheels with
pneumatics, and the gun received its final designation of PaK 35/36 in 1936. This weapon was widely
exported during the inter-war period, notably to Czechoslovakia (for tests?), Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland,
Greece, Hungary, Italy (Cannone contracarro da 37/45)- made under license at Breda, Japan (Type 97
[Model of 1937]), Mexico (Breda guns from Italy), the Netherlands, the Soviet Union (Model 1930), Spain,
and Turkey (with an L/50 barrel). The Soviets are reported to have provided China with a small quantity of
their own M-1930 37mm AT gun during the 1930s. It has been reported in "Early 1900s Chinese
Ammunition Manufacture" that direct copies of these guns were made in China at an undisclosed arsenal
with an L/50 caliber ordnance.

37mm: U.S. M-3A1 anti-tank gun. The U.S Lend Lease program supplied China some of these weapons after
1942.

37mm: Japanese Type 94 (Model of 1934) infantry/anti-tank gun. Examples of this weapon were captured
from the Japanese, and were used frequently for direct support of infantry as well as an anti-tank gun.

45mm: Soviet M-1932 anti-tank gun. These anti-tank guns were based upon the design of the German
Rheinmetall PaK 35/36, but were chambered for the larger and more powerful Soviet 45mm round. The
Soviets provided China an unknown quantity of these weapons during the 1930s.

47mm: 4.7cm Bhler M-1935 anti-tank gun. China received a few of these weapons from Bhlers Italian
licensee, Breda, during the late 1930s. The Bhler gun was used by several countries, including Austria (K.n.
36), Finland (12 guns from Breda), Italy (Cannone da 47/32 Modello 1935), Lithuania, the Netherlands
(Kanon van 4.7), Romania (165 guns from Breda between 1939 and 1942), the Soviet Union (ex-Lithuanian
guns?), Spain (Breda guns), Switzerland, and Yugoslavia (44 ex-Spanish pieces).