I wouldn’t want to run into this guy in a dark alley…
Vintage Saturday: A Modern-Day Samurai
Submachine Guns
Vintage Saturday: (not) SNLF
Japanese SNLF marines Chinese troops with SIG M1920 submachine guns. The SIG M1920 was a licensed copy of the German MP18/I, and SIG sold them to Japan in 7.63mm Mauser caliber. They were used by […]
Submachine Guns
Japanese Contract Steyr-Solothurn S1-100 (aka MP34)
In order to circumvent Versailles Treaty restrictions on arms manufacture, the German Rheinmetall firm purchased a small Swiss company called Solothurn Waffenfabrik in 1929, allowing it to route its business through Switzerland instead of Germany. […]
Vintage photo
Vintage Saturday: Japanese Holdouts on Mars!
Okay, it’s actually from 1940, at the Battle of Zaoyang Yichang in central China. Note the funky hopper-fed Type 11 LMG.
Isn’t that a Steyr mp 34 (Solothurn SI 100)?
Not according to my new copy of Max Popenker and Tony William’s book. The Japanese bought a Swiss-made Bergmann with a side cocking handle and bayonet lug – looks exactly like the one in this photo.
Well they bought Bergmann 1920’s, but this has a hooded/protected front sight and although both the si 100 and bergmann have a left side magazine this pic shows the gun with a cilinder shaped ” thingy” on top of the barrel just before the magazine housing and there is that hole in the housing for recharging a magazine.
I don’t want to run into him in a well lit alley!
No way a Bergmann, not with this perpendicular hinge across the upper receiver. There were as many as three MP 34s in Germany: EMP 34 (a factory designation), MP 34/I Bgm (a factory designation) and MP 34 o(official captured materiel designation), the latter being a Steyr S1-100. Maxim isn’t the first author to mix all three 🙂 Steyrs were exported to China – where this one was probably captured by the samurais.
I defer to Leszek’s subgun expertise, and have changed the caption. Thanks!