The Rise of the Empire

First of all, it needs to be explained that no matter how much you tout the 92MM infantry gun, this weapon is actually very useless in high-level battles. Some people boast that it weighs just over 200 kilograms. This weight is indeed light, but If you compare it with a mortar, it is much heavier. What is the concept of a 200 kilogram mortar? Historically, the combat weight of the Soviet M1938 107MM heavy mortar in World War II was only 170KG. The latter can shoot a 9-kilogram shell more than 6,000 meters away, while the Type 92 infantry gun can only shoot a 4-kilogram shell less than 3,000 meters away... In the case of curved fire, the projection volume, range and ballistics are completely inferior to the 107MM heavy mortar with a simpler structure.

Maybe someone said that the Type 92 Infantry Cannon can shoot directly into bunkers. Come on, the muzzle velocity of the Type 92 Infantry Cannon is less than 200 meters per second, and then it fires a shell of about 4KG. With this shell weight and speed, you want to penetrate it. How thick is the cover? You won't be able to penetrate a slightly stronger bunker! The ability to shoot horizontally can only be said to be almost non-existent! So this so-called artillery that is compatible with mortar and peaceful artillery requirements is actually really useless.

In the actual combat on New Ireland Island, the Japanese also quickly discovered this problem. In the complex terrain, the 92 infantry artillery hit the American mortars. After all, the latter had a longer range and projected The quantity is larger. In open terrain, the Type 92 infantry cannon with a maximum range of more than 2,000 meters was violently beaten by the American M1 75MM infantry cannon. The range gap was also too large. What's even more terrible is that the Japanese brigade-level troops are equipped with Type 92 infantry cannons. At the regiment level, the normal equipment is still the Type 92 infantry cannon. How can you put this kind of firepower into a regiment equivalent to a European regiment-level combat unit? ah!

Even in an army like Russia that is extremely lacking in heavy firepower, a regiment can still be supported by four M1909 76.2MM infantry cannons. This artillery weighs about 600 kilograms and can fire a 6 kilogram shell more than 8,000 meters away. It is already the lower limit of the European army. If it is higher, it will be similar to the French 75 rapid-fire gun and the German 77MM artillery.

As a large number of heavy mortars and 3-inch field guns entered the army, it also put a lot of pressure on the logistics and mobility of the army, so the Japanese would naturally consider installing these artillery pieces on tanks. As a result, the French Firefox half-track was developed by the Japanese into multiple versions including anti-tank destroyers, self-propelled mortars, self-propelled heavy infantry guns, and even later self-propelled anti-aircraft guns! It is equipped with a British 2-pounder gun!

As for the French 105MM howitzers, cannons and 155MM heavy howitzers, they are naturally the focus of the Japanese Army's procurement. After the fall of New Ireland, most of the heavy artillery deployed with great effort to the island was not withdrawn. A large number of artillery, including various long-range heavy artillery, were either destroyed or captured. And facing the large-scale land war that is about to start on the island of New Guinea. While the Japanese ordered large quantities of artillery, they also ordered some special artillery towing vehicles. Products from famous French automobile and arms manufacturers such as Renault, Schneider, and Peugeot are constantly arriving in Japan or the front line by shipping.

If we say in this plane,

If Japan completely follows France in artillery, armored vehicles and transport vehicles, then the Japanese will be more flexible in terms of light weapons. For example, the heavy machine gun with the largest number of equipment in the Japanese army is the Vickers machine gun. This kind of lightweight version of the Maxin machine gun performs very well on the battlefield, especially when there is an adequate supply of cooling water. The liquid-cooled machine gun actually has better firepower sustainability than a machine gun with a changed barrel. Therefore, a large number of heavy machine guns currently equipped by the Japanese are British.

And what about light machine guns? How to put it this way, the British Lewis machine gun is indeed good in terms of performance. The 47-round ammunition reserve and the air duct that can cool the barrel give this machine gun good firepower sustainability. If in the hands of experienced soldiers and properly maintained, this machine gun is definitely a weapon in the hands of soldiers, but it is obvious that this weapon has some problems in combat in tropical areas.

First of all, the drum of the Lewis machine gun is too complicated. The elastic force of the spring must be readjusted every time it is loaded. At the same time, due to the humid and sultry environment, the probability of drum failure is also higher. Secondly, the weight and center of gravity of the Lewis machine gun are not very suitable for use by Japanese soldiers. For British soldiers, a Lewis machine gun with full ammunition is quite convenient, but the Japanese's physique is somewhat worse, and because there are A huge extractor. So the center of gravity is a little forward.

Therefore, while equipping the Lewis machine gun, the Japanese were also looking for weapons with a simpler structure and higher reliability. At this time, another type of machine gun entered the Japanese field of vision. This kind of machine gun was equipped in large numbers by both sides during the war. Madsen machine gun. The latter has a simple structure and is easy to hold. Although the amount of ammunition is smaller, for Japan, which emphasizes burst attacks rather than strafing suppression, the problem of Madsen's low magazine capacity is tolerable, and if it really doesn't work, you can change it to a larger magazine.

In addition to ordering large quantities of weapons from France, the Japanese Army also began to once again send a large number of troops to the front lines of the Pacific Theater. This was naturally due to the huge pressure from the United States, and on the other hand it was also due to the weakness of Russia. The Japanese were previously worried The large-scale offensive launched by the Russian army after the weather got warmer did not occur. On the one hand, it was because Russia was still fighting internally, and the Denikin Army, which had received support from Germany and Austria, showed signs of resurgence. On the other hand, many Russian troops were transferred to other battlefields for reasons unknown to Japan.

According to information obtained by Japanese intelligence agencies, the Russians and Americans have reached a substantial alliance, and the Russians believe that in future wars, the United States can win, and thus use the treaty to allow Japan to withdraw its troops from the Pacific and the Russian Far East. , in this case, there is absolutely no need for Russia to use its precious manpower and few remaining materials to fight the Japanese to the death. After confirming that Russia will not launch an attack, at least more than 100,000 Japanese troops were Deployed from the Far East to the Pacific battlefield.

After some strengthening and supplementation, the Japanese Army finally had the power to fight the US military. While the sea war is about to begin, the land war has also entered a countdown. As Ruprecht said, the Pacific War is still far from over!

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