Japanese Rifles Of World War Ii

Japanese small arms, while less sophiscated than those of her adversaries in World War II, still served their intended purposes well. Japanese Rifles of World War II is a sweeping view of the rifles and carbines that made up Japan's arsenal during that conflict. Chapters include Arisaka development and Japanese rifle markings; the Type 38 rifle, carbine and cavalry rifle; the Type 44 carbine; the Type I rifle, the Type 99 rifle and long rifle; the Type 2 paratroop rifle; and Concentric Circle rifles. Additional chapters deal with sniper rifles, the Naval Special Type 99 rifle, the Type 02/45 rifle, the North China Type 19 carbine, training rifles, bayonets and slings. The book contains 81 photographs and numerous illustrations. Contact Excalibur Publications, PO Box 35369, Tucson, AZ 85740-5369. Voice: (520) 575-9068. Fax: (520) 575-9068.

Entering service in 1897, the Arisaka family of bolt-action rifles armed Japanese troops and others through two world wars and many other conflicts, including the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05. Issued in long and short versions – the latter for cavalry and specialists – the Type 30 was the first main Arisaka model, arming Imperial Japan's forces during the Russo-Japanese War, though after the war it was refined into the Type 38, which would still be in use in 1945. The main Arisaka rifle of World War II though was the Type 99. Lighter and more rugged than the US M1903 Springfield rifle it would face in the initial battles in the Pacific, it was produced in four main variants, including a sniping model and a take-down parachutist's rifle. Featuring full-colour artwork as well as archive and close-up photographs, this is the absorbing story of the rifles arming Imperial Japan's forces, from the trenches of Mukden in 1905 to the beaches of Okinawa 40 years later.

This first volume of Fighting Men of World War II offers a comprehensive, full-color look at the clothing (such as boots, pants, helmet, tunic, greatcoat, camouflage, and badges), equipment, weapons, vehicles, and rations of Axis soldiers. Also included are popular items, such as lighters, that were carried by many troops but were not standard issue. The accompanying text describes the items and also compares them to those of other armies. The result is a complete picture of the daily life and conditions of the fighting men of all countries. It is an essential reference work for all military historians, collectors, and general readers.

In the eyes of history, Japanese intelligence in World War II has fared very poorly. However, these historians have most often concentrated on the later years of the war, when Japan was fighting a multi-front war against numerous opponents. In this groundbreaking new study, Japanese scholar Ken Kotani re-examines the Japanese Intelligence department, beginning with the early phase of the war. He points out that without the intelligence gathered by the Japanese Army and Navy they would have been unable to achieve their long string of victories against the forces of Russia, China, and Great Britain. Notable in these early campaigns were the successful strikes against both Singapore and Pearl Harbor. Yet as these victories expanded the sphere of Japanese control, they also made it harder for the intelligence services to gather accurate information about their growing list of adversaries. At the battle of Midway in 1942, Japanese intelligence suffered its worst mishap when the Americans broke their code and tricked the Japanese into revealing the target of their attack. It was a mistake from which they would never recover. As the military might of Japan was forced to retreat and her forces deteriorated, so too did her intelligence services.

The encyclopedia of weapns of world war II is the most detailed and authoritative compendium of the weapons of mankind's greatesst conflict ever published. It is a must for the military, enthusiast, and all those interested in World War II.

"Rikugun: Guide to Japanese Ground Forces 1937-1945" is the first nuts-and-bolts handbook to utilize both the voluminous raw allied intelligence documents and postwar Japanese documentation as primary sources. This second volume covers the armament of the ground forces. It takes advantage not only of postwar Japanese research, but also the extensive technical intelligence efforts of the Allies near the end of the war, and the postwar investigations that have heretofore generally been ignored to provide a complete examination of wartime Japanese armament. The book is divided into twenty-three sections covering all categories including not only the standard arms, such as machine guns and coast artillery, but also more esoteric items such as bridging, chemical weapons and assault equipment. Each section provides both production and technical data, as well as a discussion of the unique characteristics of each weapon and its place in the force structure, accompanied by over 300 photographs and numerous data tables.

This is the first comprehensive work, in either English or Italian, to address Italian small arms used during World War I and World War II. It describes each weapon and covers the developmental history and use of all Italian designed and produced pistols, rifles, submachine guns and machine guns used during both conflicts, as well as prototype weapons and foreign weapons used by the Italians. Other appendices cover bayonets, accoutrements, markings, ammunition, small arms manufacturing facilities, Italian small arms designers, production summaries, and collector's notes. It includes many previously unpublished photographs and background information on small arms producers, ammunition production facilities, and designers. In addition to the new material, it also corrects previously published errors about Italian weapons. AUTHOR: Ralph Riccio spent twenty years as a U.S. Army military intelligence officer. He has written numerous magazine articles, many in Italian, as well as having authored several books dealing with Italian and Irish military equipment and history. His native Italian fluency has enabled him to develop extensive contacts with Italian military history experts and to delve deeply into research on Italian weapons and history. This latest book on Italian military small arms is the culmination of years of research on the subject. ILLUSTRATIONS: 608 b/w and colour photographs

This book describes the weapons and vehicles of all the countries that fought in World War II in a clear and comprehensive manner. It offers an excellent overview of the divers weaponry used by both the Axis Powers and the Allies, with everything you might want to know about the development and deployment of each type of weapon along with the relevant technical specifications.