Were Arisaka Type 99 Widely Used During WWII?

GoodDoomguy

GoodDoomguy

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
25   0   0
Hello fellows, had been interested in the Arisaka Type 99s for a while now, so I did some online research but cannot find many contemporary WWII pictures of Japanese soldiers actually armed with the said rifle. From all the photos of the war I only see the Type 38s in soldiers hands, but no Type 99s. Can anyone tell me why? Were T38s still the main issued rifles back in the day, or did the T99s arrive too late in the war? I'm really green on the subject so please enlighten me with your expert explanations, thanks in advance!
 
Basically what happened was Japan sent the Type 99s to fight the Americans and the Type 38s to stay in China. That being said both ended up on both theatres, they just tried to limit them to those specific theatres due to ammunition concerns. Doing a quick google search 'Type 99 Rifle' I found two photos of them in use by the Japanese. You also have to remember they were produced from 1939 onward, so it did take a little bit of time to get in the hands of the troops but that being said, it still got there in the end.
 
Several million Type 99s were produced -- over 1 million by the Nagoya arsenal alone -- to replace the Type 38. Numbers vary because most of the records were lost but anywhere from 2.5 to 3.5 million. were made by seven arsenals. As Eaglelord stated, they were mostly used in the Pacific theatre while the Type 38s were consigned to Manchuria. Additionally the Type 38s were sometimes supplied to friendly governments (i.e., countries taken over by Imperial Japan).
 
Eaglelord17 - Thank you sir, duly noted! It's just that I bought a few books on the China theatre and the Pacific, but most of them Japanese soldiers were carrying the T38s. Don't see many T99 in the books. Guess yes the rifles, although mass produced, came kind of late in the war.

GunsNotPuns - Yes I do know that the IJA and IJN tried to arm their soldiers with two different rifles. But I'm reading books on the Battle/Fall of Singapore, as well as later WWII Pacific conflicts, and the soldiers in the photos are all using T38s and not the T99s. I'll do more research.
 
Also depending on who is fighting could also have a effect on what weapons are being used. Much like the US, certain types of units would have had priority as to who had what. I can't say specifically who had priority (likely the Army units) as I haven't researched it, but different organizations within the Japanese military would be doing different things.

For example the Japanese Navy ordered the Type 'I' rifles (sometimes referred to as the Japanese Carcanos), and also had the 'Naval Special' Arisakas (which used a cast iron receiver and a bolt that locked into the barrel instead of the receiver).
 
See "Shots Fired in Anger" George a first hand account of the US campaign on Guadalcanal where G mentions they first encountered the T99 in late 1942.
 
Eaglelord17 - Much obliged good sir, always learn so much from you! Notes taken, thank you!

green - Thank you, will buy the book off Amazon, cheers!
 
George lists Japanese rifles in use on Guadalcanal as T30, T38, T99 Arisakas as well as " large numbers of British Enfields, Dutch Steyrs, American M1917 Enfields, Mausers and Krags" ,"with ample evidence that their use was not the idea of individuals but rather the carrying out a directive of a higher authority".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom