"Arms / Weapons in 20/30's China?" Topic

Gents, what sort of arms were used during the wars in China in the 1920's/30's? Were the stuff used left over WW1 gear or newer pre-WW2 gear? Who supplied it and where did it come from? I'm new to this era and am interested in the info for pulpish gun running fun.

Thanks All

Amalric

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Mauser rifles and broomhandle pistols in large numbers, Maxium Machine guns, and Thompson sub machine guns. They also made unlicenced copies of all the above. I belive the Brits and some other countries had an arms embargo aginst the warlords so you have a lot of gun running scenarios.

Until a few years ago, they were still very fond of C96 aka Broomhandle Mauser pistols, even going so far as to cut down AK47 barrels & fit them into old C96 actions. They also made copies in .45 Colt, something that Mauser never seems to have tried.

Lon will you be adding more to this range? I will be getting back into WW2 after the HBO series the Pacific comes out.

There were a lot of White Russian mercenaries in exile in China at the time, so one presumes there was a fair amount of Russian ordnance lying around. Also, a number of the warlord troops were armed with the Bergmann MP18, particularly some of the bodyguard types and special assault squads.

Mulligan

Don't forget the awesome might of the dadao:

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When you absolutely, positively want something cleaved in twain.

Basically anything and everything.

Lee-enfields, Mausers of varying types (Although a large percentage in 7.92MM/8X57MM, Lewis guns, Maxim machine guns.

Even black powder single shots and repeaters were used pretty late in the conflict.

As state above Mauser-96 Broomhandles were popular very late, Korean war period even.

Basically any weapon that was offered for sale or surplus and threw a slug was in use….

You can have alot of leeway without being historically in-accurate.

Foreign spheres of influence also affected armaments. Down south in Canton and Szechwan on the French Indo-china border, the warlords aquired Lebel rifles and other French weapons. In Manchuria, the Japanese fobbed off old Arisaka rifles on Marshall Chang Tso-lin. German weapons were always popular. The KMT armies adopted a license built version of the Mauser KAR 98 rifle, the 'Chiang Kai-shek rifle', as their standard long arm.

You might want to track down, maybe by inter-library loan, Anthony B. Chan Arming the Chinese/The Western Armaments Trade in Warlord China, 1920-1928, c.1982 The University of British Columbia, ISBN 0-7748-0157-3. This volume documents and analyzes major arms deals, including the establishment of weapons factories, between various western governments, corporations and private agents and the several warlord factions of the early Chinese Republic.

On the heavier side, using a stokes mortar and BAR's is the Sutton Skunk

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General Frank Sutton ("One Arm Sutton") designed this for his warlord boss, from a Great War Holt artillery tractor. Mortar fires out the back, so a skunk. Lewis or BAR fire out the front and sides. A must read for the Warlord era is Frank Sutton: General of Fortune
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Sutton is a good model for gun running,
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Copplestone make a figure of him
Go to BC20 European Advisors
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Thank you everyone for the great information.

Amalric

Amalric,

there are currently two volumes from the Osprey series covering Chinese Civil War Armies 1911-47 and The Chinese Army of WW2. Both are excellent sourcebooks with just the information you're looking for!

Hope this helps!

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

After reading this and the Lead Adventure Forum, just had to buy the film "The Good, The Bad, and The Weird' to get up inspiration at alater date for doing my hordes of unpainted lead for this time period