Type 96 Light Machine Gun

Infobox Weapon
name= Type 96 Light Machine Gun
|

caption=Type 96 Light Machine Gun without the 30 round magazine
origin=flagcountry|Empire of Japan
type=Light machine gun
is_ranged=yes
service=1936-1945
used_by=
wars=Second Sino-Japanese War Soviet-Japanese Border Wars World War II
designer=Kijiro Nambu
design_date=1936
manufacturer=
production_date=1936-1945
number=
variants=
weight= 9 kg
length= 1,070 mm
part_length= 550 mm
width=
height=
crew=
cartridge=6.5x50mm Arisaka
caliber=
action=Gas-operated
rate= 550 rounds/min
velocity=735 m/s (2,400 ft/s)
range=
max_range=
feed=30 round detachable box magazine
sights=

The nihongo|Type 96 Light Machine Gun|九六式軽機関銃|Kyūroku-shiki Kei-kikanjū was a light machine gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army in the interwar period and in World War II. [Bishop, The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II ]

History and development

Combat experience in the Manchurian Incident of 1931 and subsequent actions in Manchuria and northern China reaffirmed the Japanese army of the utility of machine guns to provide covering fire for advancing infantry. [Meyer, The Rise and Fall of Imperial Japan. pg.53. ] The earlier Type 11 Light Machine Gun was a lightweight machine gun, which could be easily transportable by an infantry squad into combat. However, the open hopper design of the Type 11 allowed dust and grit to enter into the gun, which was liable to jam in muddy or dirty conditions due to issues with poor dimensional tolerances. This gave the weapon a bad reputation with Japanese troops, and led to calls for its redesign. [Meyer, The Rise and Fall of Imperial Japan. pg.55 ] The Army’s Kokura Arsenal tested Czech ZB vz. 26 machine gun, samples of which had been captured from the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China, and (after borrowing certain elements) issued a new design, designated the Type 96 light machine gun, in 1936.

Design

Type 96 Light Machine Gun was almost identical in construction to the Type 11 in that it was an was an air-cooled, gas-operated design based on the French Hotchkiss machine gun. As with the Type 11, it continued to use the same 6.5x50mm Arisaka cartridges as the Type 38 rifle infantry rifle, [ [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/Japan/IJA/HB/HB-9.html#III] TM-E 30-480 (1945) ] although the more powerful 7.7x58mm Arisaka round had already been adopted and was starting to enter into service with front line combat units.

The major difference with the Type 11 was the top-mounted curved detachable box magazine holding 30 rounds, which somewhat increased reliability, and slightly lessened the weight of the gun. The finned gun barrel could also be rapidly changed to avoid overheating. The Type 96 had a blade front sight and a leaf rear sight, with graduations from 200 to 1,500 meters, with a wind adjustment. A 2.5X telescopic sight with a 10 degree field of view could be attached at the right side of the gun. [ [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/Japan/IJA/HB/HB-9.html#III] TM-E 30-480 (1945) ]

The Type 96 also had a folding bipod attached to the gas block, and could be fitted with the standard infantry bayonet, which could be attached to the gas block below the barrel. The gun was capable of automatic fire only, although it was possible to fire single shots by briefly pulling the trigger. [ [http://world.guns.ru/machine/mg54-e.htm] Modern Firearms ]

However, on the demerit side, arms designer Kijiro Nambu did nothing to address the dimensional tolerance issue between the bolt and gun barrel, which led to frequent failures when fired cases became stuck in the chamber. In order to ensure reliable feeding (theoretically), Nambu resorted to oiling the cartridges via an oil pump in the magazine loader. In practice, the tended to worsen the problem further, as the greased cartridges tended to become coated with dust and sand. [Morse, "Japanese Small Arms of WW2; Light Machine Guns Models 11, 96, 99 97 & 92" ]

Combat record

The Type 96 came into active service in 1936 and was intended to replace the older Type 11; however the Type 11 had already been produced in large quantities, and both weapons remained in service until the end of the war. The Type 96 was regarded as rugged and reliable, but its 6.5 mm bullets lacked stopping power, and the design was supplemented by the more powerful Type 99 light machine gun with the larger 7.7 mm bullet in 1937.

See also

*Lahti-Saloranta M/26

References

*cite book|author= Bishop, Chris (eds) |title= The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II |publisher= Barnes & Nobel |year=1998|id= ISBN 0760710228
*cite book|author= Mayer, S.L. |title= The Rise and Fall of Imperial Japan |publisher= The Military Press |year=1984|id= ISBN 0517423138
*cite book|author=Morse, D.R. |title=Japanese Small Arms of WW2; Light Machine Guns Models 11, 96, 99 97 & 92 |publisher=Firing Pin Enterprizes |year=1996|id= ASIN: B000KFVGSU
*cite book|author=Popenker, Maxim |title=Machine Gun: The Development of the Machine Gun from the Nineteenth Century to the Present Day|publisher=Crowood |year=2008|id= ISBN 1847970303
*cite book|author=Rottman, Gordon L. |title=Japanese Infantryman 1937-1945|publisher=Osprey Publishing |year=2005|id= ISBN 1841768189
*

External links

* [http://world.guns.ru/machine/mg54-e.htm Modern Firearms]
* [http://www3.plala.or.jp/takihome/mg.htm Taki’s Imperial Japanese Army page]
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/Japan/IJA/HB/HB-9.html#III US Technical Manual E 30-480]

Notes