JAPANESE-CZECH LIGHT MACHINE GUNS
A Japanese copy of the
Czechoslovakian Light Machine Gun ZBvz26 in 6.5mm caliber, serial number
1001. This model produced in the
Hoten Zoheisho K.K, [Mukden Arsenal], Mukden Manchuria while
under Japanese occupation during World War II. There are both
similarities and differences when comparing it to the Czech and Chinese
manufactured weapons. NOTE the CURVED cartridge magazine which would
eventually become the pattern for the Japanese Type 96/99 series of light
machine guns.
The reputation and use of the
Czechoslovakian ZBvs26/30 light machine guns by China from the 1920’s
through World War II has been covered in some detail by documented
evidence along with production capabilities in expanded efforts during
their wars with Japan. Little is recorded however after the 1930’s
invasion by the Japanese and capture of ordnance facilities in both China
and Manchuria of the continuing production of the Czech light machine
guns. From the past there has been only speculation of the Japanese
manufacturing their own copies of the vs26 gun. The following presents an
accounting on the matter.
The Czechoslovakian ZBvs26/30 series
of light machine guns produced in the 1920’s were one of the most
efficient and popular of its decade. It began at the Prague Armory in
Vrsovice, Czechoslovakia in 1922 with a vision of two brothers, Emmanuel
and Vaclav Holek. Starting with an original design concept by Rudolf
Jelan, within a year samples of the prototypes were ready for preliminary
testing. It included features of the then current and tried machine gun
mechanisms from several known inventors such as Browning and Hotchkiss.
By 1924 an improved design included changing from a cartridge belt feed to
a magazine feed and was tested before the Czechoslovakia Ministry of
National Defense. Identified as the army’s new hand-held machine gun, it
was titled ‘Praga vz 24’. More improvements were needed in the
metallurgical make up and when finally resolved, it was accepted for
production at the Brno Arsenal. The final model would be was designated,
in short term, as ‘ZBvs26’. Use of a new cartridge design in 7.92x57mm
rimless configuration and based on a German development for their machine
guns, required additional changes. The final version was designated as
‘ZBvs30’.
Based on acceptance by the
Czechoslovakian government for production, and with some 18,000 delivered
by 1932, the company extended their marketing of the weapon on a worldwide
basis. Strategy on reputation paid off in dividends. A reliable and
effective automatic weapon with proven concepts, some 24 countries around
the world purchased the Czech weapon series and manufacturing contracts
were consummated with four separate countries including China. By 1938,
the company produced over 120,000 of the vz26/30 guns.
In the eastern Asian countries the
reputation of the ZBvz26 light machine gun influenced China’s Nationalist
Party Government who had ordered 5,000 of the weapons in the late 1920’s.
Although they were producing their own copy of the vz26 by 1927, they
entered into a formal contract with the Czech company in 1929.
The Chinese Taiyuan Arsenal in the
Shansi Province was a major producer of both the ZBvz26 light machine guns
and Thompson submachine guns. With its capture by the Japanese in 1939,
the Thompson weapon manufacture was discontinued, however, the vz26 gun
production continued but in the Japanese 6.5mm caliber cartridge instead
of the 7.92mm. Although several arsenals and private ordnance companies
throughout China were producing the Czech automatic weapons, little is
documented on the continued production after Japanese occupation.
The amount of the Japanese version of
vz26/30 weapons manufactured is unknown for reason that those quantities
were produced in captured territories and used on their eastern front
against the Chinese and Russians. The Manchurian company, Mukden Arsenal
Company Limited [Hoten Zoheisho Kabushiki Kaisha] did produce Japanese
design copies of the Czech weapons along with other major Japanese
ordnance as the Type 3 and Type 92 Heavy Machine Guns, and Types 11, 96,
and 99 Light Machine Guns.
The photos in this document are of
a Mukden produced weapon and its accessories. There are no inscriptions
or markings on the weapon other than the serial number. The caliber is of
Japanese 6.5mm with cartridges fed from a curved-style magazine. This
feature was continued for the series type 96/99 weapons due to the demand
of their cartridge design. Cartridge magazines are serial numbered to
match the gun and hyphenated to quantity number of issued spares. Its
Barrel length of 23.75 inches and overall length of 45.75 inches is within
size fractions of the original Czech and Chinese weapons. Stainless steel
materials are absent from the specimen, however some parts are brass. The
gas regulator assembly for the gas vent control is fixed and not the
flexible type. The finish on certain parts appear to be from a sulfurous
motor oil mixture while other parts are painted in a black configuration.
The front sight, although hooded, does not have the horizontal movement
feature for windage adjustment.
The Japanese had a certain policy
about identification of foreign weapons which they copied, [pirated],
without license or permission to manufacture. They did not designate an
official title to the weapon such as type or model or use any form of
dating procedure. Also absent from the guns were service inspection marks
which might identify arsenals or coded private firms. This was the case
in several automatic weapons including the Czech ZBvz26 series of light
machine guns. They did however identify the gun source either by origin
of country or the foreign manufacture. In certain cases where existing
Kanji characters were insufficient to identify the source, combinations or
abbreviations were used. In this instance the Kanji character chi
was abbreviation for Czechoslovakia.
From a close inspection of the
Japanese copy of the Czech vz26 series automatic weapon one can conclude
by comparison its influence on the birthing of the Japanese Type 96 light
machine gun series.
LEFT VIEW:
Magazine comparisons: On the left is Japanese copy for the Czech ZBvz26
Light Machine Gun. The right magazine fits Japanese Type 96 lmg. Both
are of 30 round capacities for 6.5mm ammunition. RIGHT VIEW: Magazine,
magazine loader for the ZBvz26 Japanese copied weapon and samples of
Japanese 6.5mm cartridge.
REFERENCES:
This works is adopted from the soon to be published book:
DRAGONS OF FIRE by william m.p. EASTERLY
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