The PLA Goes Gun Shopping
Type 56: The Story of China's Army
42,552 views
Chinese troops went into Korea carrying the strangest collections of small arms ever: Japanese rifles, Chinese Mausers, American Springfields and carbines, Thompsons and grease guns, Czech light machine guns, British Brens and Enfields, and more.
So suppose you’re a Chinese infantryman who has just overrun an enemy position. There are American weapons lying around, and they’re free. What do you take?
In this episode, we go gun shopping with the PLA, in the enemies' stores. The M1 and M2 carbines were light, handy, and well suited to close fighting. Thompsons offered terrific short-range firepower until the .45 ammunition ran out. BARs, Brens, Enfields, and other captured weapons all had to pass the same test.
Because the "best" gun for the PLA wasn't the best gun, it was the gun most suited for fighting on foot in Korean mountains, with dodgy logistics, and trying to create quick fights at close range.
Support *Type 56: The Story of China’s Army( on Patreon as a PLAtron: Patreon: type56
Type 56 explores the history of the People’s Liberation Army through its weapons, people, institutions, and ideas.
20 Comments
The M1 Carbine was his absolute favorite. It was lightweight, had less recoil than bolt-action rifles, and offered better accuracy and range than submachine guns. Plus, the wooden stock and handguard felt very comfortable in the winter cold, and its effective range was perfectly adequate for the engagement distances his unit typically faced.
And the food! Instead of rice you delivered 5,000 quilted winter jackets and it’s late spring!
I picked the M1 carbine and I was CORRECT. I mean a light rifle (because submachine guns are icky for the PLA) with a large magazine and the potential for a drop in upgrade to be fully automatic for a bunch of light infantry? Total no brainer.
Your always faithful former VPA militiamen.
The PLA Goes Gun Shopping
Type 56: The Story of China's Army
42,552 views
Chinese troops went into Korea carrying the strangest collections of small arms ever: Japanese rifles, Chinese Mausers, American Springfields and carbines, Thompsons and grease guns, Czech light machine guns, British Brens and Enfields, and more.
So suppose you’re a Chinese infantryman who has just overrun an enemy position. There are American weapons lying around, and they’re free. What do you take?
In this episode, we go gun shopping with the PLA, in the enemies' stores. The M1 and M2 carbines were light, handy, and well suited to close fighting. Thompsons offered terrific short-range firepower until the .45 ammunition ran out. BARs, Brens, Enfields, and other captured weapons all had to pass the same test.
Because the "best" gun for the PLA wasn't the best gun, it was the gun most suited for fighting on foot in Korean mountains, with dodgy logistics, and trying to create quick fights at close range.
Support *Type 56: The Story of China’s Army( on Patreon as a PLAtron: Patreon: type56
Type 56 explores the history of the People’s Liberation Army through its weapons, people, institutions, and ideas.