Type 92 heavy machine gun

The Type 92 heavy machine gun (九二式重機関銃, Kyūni-shiki jū-kikanjū) is a Japanese heavy machine gun, related to the Hotchkiss machine gun series. It entered service in 1932 and was the standard Japanese heavy machine gun used during World War II. The Type 92 was similar in design to the earlier Type 3 heavy machine gun but chambered to fire the improved 7.7mm rimmed or semi-rimmed round. Known for its reliability,^[3] it was used after the war by various forces in East Asia. Designed by Kijiro Nambu and built by Hino Motors and Hitachi, its total production was about 45,000 guns.^[4] Type 92 refers to the Japanese Imperial year 2592 – 1932 in the Gregorian calendar – in which the gun entered service.^[5]

Type 92
Type 92 machine gun on display
Type	Heavy machine gun
Place of origin	Empire of Japan
Service history
In service	1932–1950s
Used by	See Users
Wars	Second Sino-Japanese War World War II Hukbalahap Rebellion Chinese Civil War Indonesian National Revolution First Indochina War Korean War Vietnam War
Production history
Designer	Kijiro Nambu
Designed	1932
Produced	1932–45 [1]
No. built	45,000
Specifications
Mass	55.3 kg (122 lb) w/ tripod
Length	1,156 mm (45.5 in)
Barrel length	721 mm (28.4 in)
Cartridge	7.7×58mm Type 92
Action	Gas-operated
Rate of fire	450–500 rounds per min[2]
Muzzle velocity	780 m/s (2,600 ft/s)[2]
Effective firing range	800 m (870 yd)
Maximum firing range	4,500 m (4,900 yd)
Feed system	30-round Hotchkiss-type metal strip

Design

The Type 92 was essentially a scaled-up version of the Type 3 heavy machine gun, with its calibre increased to 7.7 mm, and like the Type 3 was air cooled, ammo strip-fed, and based on the Hotchkiss M1914.^[6] It could use both a rimless and semi-rimmed 7.7×58mm Shiki round.^[7] A 7.7mm Arisaka round could be used if necessary or if other ammunition supplies dwindled.^[5] Rounds fired from the gun traveled at about 730 m/s (2,400 ft/s), and the rate of fire was about 450 rpm. It was sometimes used as a light anti-aircraft gun during the Pacific War. It was nicknamed "the woodpecker" by Western Allied soldiers because of the characteristic sound it made when fired due to its relatively low rate of fire, and the "chicken neck" (Chinese: 雞脖子) by Chinese soldiers due to its appearance.^[7] The Type 92 had a maximum range of 4,500 meters, but a practical range of 800 meters.

The gun was intended to be fired on a tripod with a team of three men. The tripod was designed with removable carry poles, so that the weapon could be transported fully assembled for quicker deployment.^[5]

An unusual characteristic of this gun was the placement of its iron sights – canted slightly to the right instead of the centre. A number of different sights were produced for the weapon, the Type 93 and Type 94 periscopic sights as well as the Type 96 telescopic sight. A ring-type anti-aircraft sight was also produced.

Problems with this weapon included the use of 30-round feed strips, which did not allow for as high a volume of fire as a belt-fed gun, and the oiler, which enabled better extraction in clean conditions but could bring dirt inside the gun in the field. The gun has an internal oil pump which is mechanically activated by the bolt. The oil pump dispenses a small amount of oil onto a brush, which then lubricates each cartridge as it is fed into the gun.^[8]

Combat history

The Type 92 was used extensively by the Imperial Japanese Army and collaborationist Chinese forces.^[7] Captured weapons were also used by Chinese troops against the Japanese during World War II,^[9] the Korean People's Army against the United Nations forces during the Korean War,^[7] the Viet Minh against the CEFEO forces during the First Indochina War,^[3] and the Indonesian Army against the Netherlands forces during the Indonesian National Revolution.^[10]

Users

•  Republic of China^[9]
•  People's Republic of China^[9]
•  Indonesia^[10]
•  Empire of Japan: Used by the IJA and various collaborationist forces.^[7]
•  North Korea^[11]
•  South Korea: Used by police
•  Manchukuo: intended to replace the Type 3 heavy machine gun but not provided in sufficient numbers^[12]
•  Philippines: used by Hukbalahap guerillas^[13]
•  Taiwan^[9]

• Viet Minh^[14] and Viet Cong^[15]

• West Papua National Liberation Army^[16]

See also

• Type 1 heavy machine gun

Gallery

• 
  Type 92 heavy machine gun at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.
• 
  In use during Battle of Changsha (1941).
• 
  Australian soldiers using a captured Type 92 machine gun.
• 
  A Japanese soldier aiming at a target through the telescopic sight of his Type 92 heavy machine gun during the Guadalcanal Campaign in 1942.
• 
  Type 92 heavy machine gun at the National Memorial in Bangkok.
• 
  Type 92 machine gun on display at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans.

References

1. Ness, Leland. Rikugun: Volume 2 - Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces (p. 21). Helion and Company.
2. Smith, Joseph E. (1969). Small Arms of the World (11 ed.). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: The Stackpole Company. p. 513. ISBN 9780811715669.
3. Ezell, Edward Clinton (1988). Personal firepower. The Illustrated history of the Vietnam War 15. Bantam Books. pp. 47-49. ISBN 9780553345490. OCLC 1036801376.
4. "Ground Guns". JapaneseWeapons.net. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
5. "Japanese Machine Guns". Nambu World. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
6. Weapons: An International Encyclopedia from 5000 B.C. to 2000 A.D. St. Martin's Press. 1991. ISBN 0-312-03950-6.
7. "Japanese 7.7mm Heavy Machine Gun Type 92". Korean War – Weapons & History. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
8. "Type 92 Japanese HMG". 9 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13 – via www.youtube.com.
9. "Mukden Arsenal after WWII". wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com. April 3, 2017.
10. Bloomfield, Lincoln P.; Leiss, Amelia Catherine (30 June 1967). The Control of local conflict : a design study on arms control and limited war in the developing areas (PDF). Vol. 3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for International Studies. p. 92. hdl:2027/uiug.30112064404368. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 4, 2020.
11. Kinard, Jeff (9 April 2010). "Machine guns". In Tucker, Spencer C.; Pierpaoli, Paul G. Jr. (eds.). The Encyclopedia of the Korean War: A Political, Social, and Military History. Vol. 1. A-L (2nd ed.). ABC-CLIO. p. 535. ISBN 978-1-85109-849-1.
12. Jowett, Philip S. (2010). Rays of the rising sun : armed forces of Japan's Asian allies, 1931–45. Vol. 1, China & Manchukuo. Helion. p. 15. ISBN 9781906033781.
13. "Cata-al World War II Museum". pinoyhelpdesk.com. August 21, 2017.
14. Christophe Dutrône (October 2009). "Le salaire de la peur: convois en Indochine". Batailles & Blindés Magazine (in French). No. 33. p. 15. ISSN 1765-0828.
15. "Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun". awm.gov.au. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
16. "#Indonesia 🇮🇩 / #WestPapua: A recently-posted photo of a West Papua National Liberation Army (#TPNPB) fighter displays a noteable machine gun. The fighter is posing with a historic Type 92 (九二式重機関銃) heavy machine gun; made by #Japan 🇯🇵 and chambered in 7.7x58mm. It was very likely taken from the old Indonesian Army stocks". X. November 27, 2024.

• Daugherty III, Leo J. (2002). Fighting Techniques of a Japanese Infantryman 1941–1945. Spellmount. ISBN 1-86227-162-3.
• Nakanishi, Ritta (1998). Japanese Infantry Arms in World War II. Dainipponkaiga.

External links

• US Army technical manual TM-E 30–480 at hyperwar
• "Shooting the Japanese Type 92 HMG in Arizona". Rob Rhodes (YouTube). 2009-04-22. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13.