An example of Japanese use of western technology. Japanese 7.7 mm ammunition Cutaways of the five types of ammunition produced in Japan.Japan produced a number of machine guns that were direct copies of the British Lewis and Vickers machine guns (Japanese Type 92 machine gun and Type 97 machine gun respectively) including the ammunition. These were primarily used in Navy aircraft. The 7.7mm cartridge used by the Japanese versions of the British guns is a direct copy of the .303 British (7.7x56R) rimmed cartridge and is distinctly different from the 7.7x58mm Arisaka rimless cartridge used in other Japanese machine guns and rifles.[15] Ball: 174 grains (11.3 g). CuNi jacket with a composite aluminium/lead core. Black primer. A.P.: brass jacket with a steel core. White primer. Tracer: 130 grains (8.4 g). CuNi jacket with a lead core. Red primer. Incendiary: 133 grains (8.6 g). Brass jacket with white phosphorus and lead core. Green primer. H.E.: a Copper jacket with a PETN and lead core. Purple primer. Note: standard Japanese ball ammunition was very similar to the British Mk 7 cartridge. Both had identical bullet weights and a "tail-heavy" design, as can be seen in the cut-away diagram
The Japanese had their own version of the Enigma machine but had not realised that the Americans had already broken the code even before Pearl Harbour happened. Had they used the technology available to them from other Axis powers and what they captured the war would have gone on a lot longer. The other reason they lost so quickly is the fact they over extended themselves. If they had kept to their original plan they would of been a lot harder to break down. Sniper
Spot on Sniper, a very well written 'brief' of the Japanese situation., The problem for the Japanese was they wanted the next island with a airfield before the other could get it or build one on a suitable island. As welll as they were fighting on too many fronts at once.
