The Type 92 machine gun (Japanese: 九二式重機関銃 Kyū-ni shiki jū kikanjū) was a Japanese medium machine gun designed by Kijirō Nambu in 1932 and produced from 1932 to 1941 by Hino Motors, Tokyo Gas & Electric Engineering and Hitachi. Essentially a detail improvement of the Type 3 machine gun, the Type 92 served as the Imperial Japanese Army's mounted machine gun during World War II.
History[]
The Type 92 was a detail improvement of the existing Type 3, rechambered in the new 7.7×58mm Arisaka cartridge. It was developed in 1932 to replace the Type 3, and full production began in 1934, with 157 produced that year; production was managed by Hino Motors and Tokyo Gas & Electric Engineering (which was later merged into Hitachi in 1939; Hitachi later took over production of the weapon under the supervision of Kokura Arsenal).[1] The weapon was noted for its reliability in Japanese service,[2] and was often used as a mounted machine gun; on occasion, they would be used as a light anti-aircraft weapon. Due to the weapon's slow rate of fire, it produced a very distinctive stuttering-like cadence, leading to it being nicknamed the Woodpecker by Allied troops;[3] the weapon was also nicknamed the "chicken neck" by Chinese troops due to its appearance.[4]
Production ended in 1941 with some 45,000 produced.
Design Details[]
The Type 92, as with the Type 3, was a derivative of the Hotchkiss machine gun, using a very similar gas operation but a heavily modified feeding mechanism designed by Kijirō Nambu. The weapon could use both the standard 7.7×58mm Arisaka round and the similar 7.7×58mm Type 92 round, which was a semi-rimmed version of the same round.[5] The weapon feeds from Hotchkiss-type feed strips, but may also feed from a belt; however, feed strips were used in practice. The weapon feeds from the left hand side; as with most other Hotchkiss-type weapons, the empty feed strip would fall out the right of the weapon.
The Type 92 was meant to be used by a team of three soldiers per platoon, with the three men acting as firer, loader and ammunition bearer.[6] Along with the weapon, two crates of ammunition would be carried, along with a pouch to store the optic when it was not in use; one crate holding 540 rounds would be carried by the crew and another holding 720 rounds would be carried from the rear. Inside these boxes were pre-packed Hotchkiss-type ammunition strips fully loaded with 30 rounds. These strips would be packed in either cloth or paper sleeves.[7]
The Type 92 was designed to fit into a unique socketed tripod and locks into place using a pin and socket system. The legs of the tripod could be fitted with carrying poles, allowing the weapon to be carried around fully assembled for quicker deployment.[1] The carrying poles were attached into sockets on the ends of each leg of the tripod, with a lever being used to lock the poles into place on the rear leg and a locking notch on the front. Elevation changes are made using two knobs; a large knob on the front was used to raise and lower the gun while a circular knob on the left of the tripod was used to adjust the pitch. These were locked in place using two levers. The tripod also allows the weapon to traverse in a limited arc, with another lever located at the rear of the tripod locking it into place.[7]
As with most Japanese machine guns, the Type 92 featured a cartridge oiler to lubricate the cartridges as they are fed into the gun;[8] the oiler is activated by the bolt which dispenses some oil onto a brush which brushes onto the cartridges as they pass through the action.[9]
The weapon features large diameter cooling fins around the barrel, although the barrel rarely needed replacement due to the weapon's low rate of fire. The weapon's iron sights were mounted off to the right side, and the special Type 93 and 94 periscopic sights and Type 96 telescopic sight could be mounted on the weapon in place of using the normal sights. A ring-type anti-aircraft sight was also produced but this was rarely used. It could also be mounted on an anti-aircraft mount.[10]
A notable feature differentiating the Type 92 and Type 3 was the folding spade grips, which could fold upwards out of the way in the event the weapon was to be transported.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.nambuworld.com/machineguns.htm
- ↑ Ezell, Edward Clinton (1988). Personal firepower. The Illustrated history of the Vietnam War 15. Bantam Books. pp. 47–49. OCLC 1036801376.
- ↑ http://www.smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=1871
- ↑ https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/shooting-woodpecker-ww2-type-92-heavy-machine-gun-action-watch.html
- ↑ http://www.koreanwaronline.com/arms/japheavy.htm
- ↑ https://youtu.be/5bLRHaxoyQI?t=201
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kADNci-RGRo
- ↑ https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C236597
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgfYvC7LuBY
- ↑ https://weaponsandwarfare.com/japanese-small-arms/
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