A bit on the weapons of the Japanese Military and on 'typical' units sizes/composition, etc. Quick note for other history buffs like me...while the info on the weapons is pretty accurate, I have taken some liberties with IJA/SNLF oraganaztion, etc.....making it a bit simpler/'neat' for gaming purposes.....so please don't PM me with "ACTUALLY, a typical Japanese Company had blah, blah, blah'....
'Typical' IJA/SNLF Infantry Unit Size/Composition:
Squad: 12 troops with 1 Leader (2 SGTs and 1 LT in a standard platoon) typically armed with a Type 44 Carbine and Sword (SGT) or Nambu Pistol and Sword (LT); 1 Gunner with Type 96 LMG; 1 Marskman with Type 97 Arisaka Rifle (a Type 38 Rifle with a Scope mounted); 1 Heavy Weapons Support with Type 44 Carbine and Type 89 'Knee Mortar'; 8 Rifleman (including 1 CPL who serves as an Assistant Leader, 1 Assistant Gunner who carries extra ammo and a spare barrel for the Type 96 LMG and 2 Assistant Mortarmen who carry extra rounds for the Type 89) all armed with Type 38 Arisaka Rifles.
Platoon: 36 Troops (3 Squads, 1 HQ Squad with LT and Senior SGT; 2 'Standard' Squads led by SGTs) equipped as above save the LT's squad has the extra NCO and has 2 Riflemen dedicated as Runners to convey orders.
Company: 180 Troops (5 Platoons, 1 HQ/Support Platoon, 1 Weapons Platoon with 2 Heavy MG squads with Type 92 HMGs and 1 Mortar Squad with two 81mm Mortars and 3 'Standard' Infantry Platoons); Company is led by a Captain and has a 1st LT as an X.O. and typically has a Couple of Medics assigned to the HQ/Platoon Squad.
Battalion: 900 Troops (5 Companies with 1 HQ/Support Company with Trucks or Personnel tasked for carrying heavy supplies such as food, ammo, etc.; 1 Heavy Weapons Company with 2 Type 92 70 mm ‘Battalion Guns' Howitzers and 2 Type 1 47mm Anti-Tank Guns; 3 'Standard' Infantry Companies. Battalion is led by a Lieutenant Colonel with a Major as an XO.
Brigade: 4,500 Troops (5 Battalions with 1 HQ/Support Battalion, 1 Artillery Battalion with 105mm Artillery and AA Guns, etc., and 3 'Standard' Infantry Battalions; led by a Colonel
Divison: 13,500 Troops (3 Brigades) led by a Major General (there are no Brigadier Generals in the IJA)
Army: 27,000 Troops (2 Divisions) led by a LT General (Equivalent to a Corps in US Military terms)
Area Army: Typically 54,000 or 81,000 troops (2 or 3 Armies); equivalent to a Field Army in US Military terms; led by a Field Marshal.
Arsenal (with typical name given by the US/Commonwealth forces in quotes...i.e. if I use this term, THIS is what it means)
-Type 38 'Arisaka' Rifle: The standard weapon of the Japanese solider for over 30 years, the Arisaka 6.5 mm bolt action rifle is a very long weapon with little recoil or muzzle flash, which can make it hard to detect when fired from far away. It holds 5 rounds in its internal magazine, fed by stripper clips and is a solid weapon, though one that hits a little lighter than its Western Counterparts. It is frequently equipped with a long, deadly bayonet carried by all Japanese troops.
-Type 44 'Carbine': A shortened version of the Arisaka Rifle that fires the same 6.5mm bullet and is bolt-action and fed by the same 5 round charger clips. It has much less range, but is also much lighter and the shorter length of the weapon makes it much more easily maneuvered than its larger brother. It is used by Cavalry troops, rear-echelon troops, mortar men and frequently, NCOs. It is also distinguished by its built-in, foldable 'spike' type bayonet.
-Type 96 'Nambu LMG' Light Machine-gun: The standard support weapon of the IJA and SNLF, the Type 96 fires the same 6.5mm bullets as the Arisaka Rifle, but in full-auto mode and from a 30 round, detachable magazine that is slotted in on top of the weapon like the BREN. It has a built in bi-pod and a quick detachable barrel and is a tidy weapon that is the equivalent of a BAR or Johnson, though like the Arisaka, it hits a bit lighter than its Western equivalent.
-Type 14 'Nambu Pistol': The standard Handgun of Japanese Officers or NCOs, the Nambu has a distinct 'Lugar-like' shape, but fires a low-powered 8mm round from an 8 shot clip. They are highly valued as a 'prize' by Allied Soldiers.
-Type 92 'Woodpecker' Heavy Machine-gun: Really the equivalent of a Medium Machine-gun, the Type 92 is a 7.7mm (.30 caliber) weapon that fires from a tripod mount with twin spade-grips and uses a 30 round metal strip of rounds making a distinctive 'woodpecker' sound when fired. Nothing particularly special about the weapon save that it is quite rugged, hardy and has a novel system of poles being used in the bottom of the tripod legs for quicker transport.
-Type 89 'Knee Mortar' Grenade Discharger: A small 'mortar' that fires grenades (A special type of grenade is carried by IJA/SNLF troops that serves as both a thrown weapon AND as a shell that can be fired by this 50mm weapon) from 50 to 300 yards and is light enough to be carried by a single soldier giving the Japanese Squad some indirect fire support.
-Type 97 'Heavy Mortar' 81mm Mortar: The standard 'heavy' mortar in Japanese Infantry Units; the Type 97 is very similar to the U.S. weapon of the same size in terms of capabilities.
-Type 1 'AT Gun' 47mm Anti-Tank Gun: A brand new, modern weapon the IJA/SNLF have adapted after lessons learned in the short conflict with the USSR in '39 showed them that they needed a more powerful anti-tank weapon than their existing 37mm weapon. The Type 41 is very low to the ground, has a built in gun-shield to help protect the crew and its 'legs' are split very wide for greater stability to help recoil when in use.
Type 92 'Battalion Gun' 70mm Howitzer: A unique weapon that can serves as a lightweight Artillery weapon to Imperial Japanese Army Battalions, the Type 92 70mm gun is fairly light weight for its size and has a very short-barrel, allowing it to be maneuvered fairly easily to many different types of battlegrounds. In addition, the weapon can be tilted back to fire high, indirect shells for fire support or lowered straight to fire in a direct fire way at bunkers, light vehicles, etc.
