Type 100 SMG (100 Shiki Kikan-tanju)

History

Despite their far-reaching strategic and tactical advances in the early days of World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army was slow on several technical fronts - one of which was the submachine gun. The British adopted their famous "Sten", the Americans had their "Tommy Guns" and "Grease Guns", the Germans perfected their MP38/MP40 range - even the Australians developed their own excellent "Owen" "series.

However, the only Japanese original submachine guns of note throughout the conflict were the "100" series, the others were sourced from foreign designs. Interestingly, the best place to use this melee weapon is the battlefield, aka the jungle, but the Japanese authorities seem content to conquer Southeast Asia and the Pacific with rifles, pistols, grenades and machine guns.

Japanese authorities finally recognized the value of submachine guns in modern warfare and eventually set about developing indigenous submachine gun designs. The Type 100 was created at the request of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), although it was not considered a very important project from the start and thus lacked attention, resources and development prior to front-line deployment.

The task of developing the new gun was entrusted to the legendary Southern Arms Manufacturing Company, and preliminary designs were carried out, leading to the completion of the prototype and subsequent testing. Since the Japanese lacked any formal experience in the design and manufacture of submachine guns, they benefited a lot from the large number of foreign models owned by the IJA. The finished IJA Type 100 combines several features of existing SMGs (including the German Bergman MP18 series, which shares some similarities), and is a design with similar features that is inexpensive to manufacture in large quantities and requires a minimum of on-site training and maintenance needs.

The first production versions of the Type 100/40 (100 Shiki Kikan-tanju) were not delivered to the IJA for combat use until 1942, and the weapon was used for its first combat operations during Japan's amphibious assault landings on neighboring China. - A country rich in natural resources needed by an increasingly powerful Japan. Interestingly, these early versions were used with bayonet lugs and bipods.

The first batch of an estimated 10,000 were made by the Kokura Army's arsenal.

However, the Model 100 also had some inherent design flaws that kept it from being as truly respected as its contemporaries. The Type 100's design focuses on the 8x22mm Nambu cartridge, which is nothing more than a Nambu pistol cartridge - a cartridge notorious for its low power and generally ineffective range. That's not to say the cartridge lacked human blocking capabilities, but there were other more interesting options at the time, including the Bergman MP18's original 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge. The sight is tilted to the left of the receiver, which is very troublesome in practice, especially for lefties. The Type 100 also uses a side-mounted magazine feeder, which makes the weapon somewhat difficult to maneuver - especially in tight spaces.

Additionally, the automatic fire-only mode means that overall accuracy may suffer, allowing 30 rounds of ammunition to burn out in seconds. The ammunition supply was also prone to failure on the battlefield due to the complexity of its design and the poor quality of the ammunition.

The Type 100 had an initial rate of fire of 450 rounds per minute, very low, and the bayonet and bipod were hardly practical for a submachine gun. All in all, the Type 100 is a viable submachine gun, but we still have a lot of work to do before perfecting the weapon.

In 1944, the Model 100/40 was modified to address the early dissatisfaction that gave rise to the "Type 100/44" designation. The rate of fire has been increased to 800 rounds per minute, and overall reliability for field use has been improved based on operational feedback.

Production was further simplified to match the deterioration of Japan's wartime resources (hence the Model 100/44 is sometimes referred to as the "simplified" Model 100). The length of the barrel was increased slightly, the sights were simplified by locking them in place, and the relatively useless bayonet attachment and bipod were completely eliminated - although the bayonet remained an integral part of the Type 100 design, although it is now Attached to the barrel itself.

About 8,000 examples of this version were made from the Nagoya Army arsenal. A dedicated development has also produced a "paratrooper-friendly" variant with a folding stock that allows for a smaller profile and operational weight.

In total, an estimated 6,000 to 7,500 pieces were made from the Nagoya Army's arsenal.

In early 1945, the Japanese war machine suffered heavy casualties. Daily bombing raids by the Allies would eventually reach the heart of Japanese manufacturing and erode much of the power the IJA enjoyed early in the war. Reduced production and lack of suitable resources meant that the mighty Japanese army would soon "starve" into submission.

As a result, many products are hastily assembled and shipped from factories without thorough integrity and quality control, resulting in some very crude weapons of desperation. The Type 100 was one such end product, and by the end of the war in August 1945, fewer than 30,000 submachine guns had been producedhardly enough to make a lasting impression in the defensive war Japan eventually faced. Despite the improvements, the Type 100 never proved to be a war-winning effort, although - to those lucky enough to receive it - it proved to be a formidable system worthy of the Japanese infantry.

War aside, the Model 100 was used with some North Vietnamese troops during the Korean War (1950-1953) and during World War I. Some can also be found in subsequent regional conflicts - albeit on a limited scale.

Specification

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Performance

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