Type 100 mag storage

I've been thinking the same thing personally.
I don't think they made special pouches for SMG mags - I only jave two images of Japanese soldiers with SMG's (Both SNLF, one with bergmann and one with type 100) - and one is wearing the standard webbing set with the breadbag and the other no webbing, but two bags on shoulder straps. From this i'd assume spare smg mags were kept in the bread bag.
The same problem applies for machine gun magazines as well of course - type 96 and 99 mags are bren mag sized and wouldn't fit in the normal leather pouches. The Loader must have kept spare magzines in some sort of shoulder bag.
The only other alternative i've seen is the grenade pouches for the type 89 mortar - but whether you could fit magazines in these I don't know, and I rather doubt it to be honest.
-Matt

Cool, glad I'm not the only one to be confused!

Any chance of putting those pics online? They sound rather interesting!

Yes indeed, and it seems i'm wrong, at least on one count:

This picture shows SNLF troops with Bergamann SMG's. Basically Mp-28's chambered in 7.63 mauser.

This shows the Tpe 96 mg. Underneath the barrel is the puch to go with it; Ihavn't seen one on a webbing set, although i'd guess it goes in place of the two forward rifle clip pouches.

Same thing, with the Taisho 11 mg. This time, you can just see the canvas pouches on the webbing.

And same again. This time, the pouches are clearer. Also just about visible are two men with Type 100 smg's flanking the officer. They don't appear to have any ammo pouches, which kind of suports my bread bag argument, although I suspect later in the war soldiers would have kept the smg mags in the longer type 96 mag pouches.
The type 100 wasn't exactly a common weapon - only 30,000 of both types were made and it's not clear how many were actually used in combat - although figures may be distorted by allied troops mistaking the type 100 for the bergmann, in the same way the Vickers-Berthier was often mistaken for the bren.
-Matt

Very interesting stuff... Does make it more feasible to use the type 100...

So from that does it look like most of the Type 100s weren't issued to standard infantry? Where did they go?

It would seem from the sources I have, the type 100/40 (the first version, with bayonet bar and 450rpm) was used at least once - during the parachute attack on the dutch oil fields in java, where it was reported to be highly effective.
Although the book mentions only one use, I doubt it's true. the Japanese wern't idiots, and I doubt they would have just stuck the guns back on the shelf, especially as manufacture continued. I'd imagine from then on they were issued to any elite units who might have needed them, and then as production continued i'd imagine examples would have found their ways into the hands of normal infantrymen.
There was a later version as well, the type 100/44 which was simplified and had a higher rate of fire. Again, i'd imagine these would have been issued, especially considering the severe lack of small arms the Japanese suffered from later in the war. I'd guess this later model would have turned up on Iwo Jima, Okinawa etc, in the hands of normal infantry.
I know in comparison to other small amrs, 30,000 isn't very many, but it's still a massive number and I find it fairly unbelieveable they were used only once.
-Matt

Heh, I suppose this means as a look a-like uniform I'm almost there... sten as a look-a-like Type 100. I have boots, putees and hat already. brit '03 belt looks like a jap one. I have a hat.

So uniform and bread bag is all I need to start.

Excellent, if you fancy holding on to tuesday i'll be producing a kit guide for a cheap and cheerful Japanese impression, complete with pictures.
For the bread bag, I suggest a pattern 37 gas mask bag with one of the cross straps from the main webbing set. Works a treat, and the same goes for the water bottle - just use the P37 one with a shoulder strap. Wear it at about chest height, in the centre or on the opposite side to your bread bag.
If you really want to go to town, condiser mounting your sten in a wooden stock. I'll be doing the same when I get mine, along witha nice new aluminium front end
Once i've done the basic kitlist, could you get the relevant parties to put it up the top with the other kit guides? I reckon the more publicity we get the better the chance of actually doing a Pacific game.
-Matt

Ah water bottle... I have an north vietnamese one that is almost identical to the jap ones.

I have also just got an NVA green uniform, which almost passes for jap.

I've got an NVA uniform also - add a couple of japanese insignia and Hirohiko's yer uncle

I might have to try this mishmash of odd bits and bobs on at some point and get some pics.

Oh... Matt, write up a guide in the style of the ones above and I'm sure Chomley will add it.

Note though the photos he took himself and want to be to absolute maximum detail levels.

Cheers mate, will do. My next door neighbour's garden looks like Vietnam, so we'll get the pics there.
My camera isn't massively high resolution but you'll be able to see each bit of kit in detail so it should be ok.
Cheers,
-Matt

excellent

In case you guys haven't seen it yet, here are pictures of some of my stuff. You can see
most of the basic Japanese kit, maybe it will help you to find substitutes (bottom of page):
viewtopic.php?f=120&t=8128

Here is a guide how to put the puttees on (done by a Japanese reenactor):

Ah, those only have the short tapes, so you can't do the cross on the front.

I had a lesson off Taichoh last year, the japanese chap who goes to detling and beltring each year... much the same thing as that to be honest.

Oh yeah, I know the bloke. He's the one who put me off slightly last year; I asked him where to get the kit from, and he told me the uniform he wears is his grandads!
I have to say, the tapes are the one thing that still stumps me; does anyone know of any substitutes? I've tried various straps from other things but nothing else seems long enough. If anyone knows of any cheap substitues, let me know.
Glenlivet45, as i'm doing the cheap and cheerful Japanese kitlist, and you have/have access too the real or replica stuff, would you be kind enough to do an authentic in-depth kit list for this website?
Cheers,
-Matt

Ah, those only have the short tapes, so you can't do the cross on the front.

It is quite easy to do the cross on the front. I will try to make some pictures of how it is done. I found it much harder
to get the puttees wrapped the correct way (sorry my english is not so great, hope you get what i want to say )

Glenlivet45, as i'm doing the cheap and cheerful Japanese kitlist, and you have/have access too the real or replica stuff, would you be kind enough to do an authentic in-depth kit list for this website?

I have been collecting Japanese WW2 things for quite some time, still i am learning something new every day.
Will try and find the time to do an in depth guide. Looking forward to your guide, i can add pictures of original items for comparison and so on

Ah, those only have the short tapes, so you can't do the cross on the front.

It is quite easy to do the cross on the front. I will try to make some pictures of how it is done. I found it much harder
to get the puttees wrapped the correct way (sorry my english is not so great, hope you get what i want to say )

Oh, I know how to do it. It's just that some putees don't have the long tapes to allow it to be done. Mine do.

I've just found a refernce to Type-100 mag pouches :
http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?t=88428
I can't get the pic to open sadly, but it means they're out there. I'd still imagine most people kept them in type 96 pouches though; I rember with P58 webbing they made specialist pouches for the sterling, but i've never seen any.
Also, i'm an idiot for not realising the leg wraps we're putties. Less than a minute on ebay and i've found 10 or sets for less than a tenner.
-Matt