It was something of a simplified, cost-effective continuation of the popular Type 38 first issued to Imperial forces in 1905.
Though seen in great numbers, the Type 99 sometimes referred to as the “Type 99 Arisaka,” was by no means a particularly revolutionary rifle. Despite these setbacks, Allied forces still found themselves facing an indomitable, if somewhat diminished, foe. Fit and finish suffered greatly, but the men and arms continued to soldier on. Wherever economies could be taken, they were.įor example, a once-proud arm such as the Type 99 Arisaka rifle was fitted with wooden buttplates, given simple non-adjustable peep rear sights and stripped of a number of its expendable features. Finish, amenities and overall workmanship suffered greatly. Rifles and handguns emerging from the armories were spartan in the extreme, nothing like the superb pieces issued to troops only a few years previously. Manufacturing, when accomplished at all, was catch as catch-can, and the institution of shortcuts and “make-do” (especially in the armament industry) became the norm. Raw supplies were waning, or in some instances, non-existent. These pivotal events, combined with the virtual destruction of its merchant fleet and bombing of the homeland, rightly caused many to think Japan’s fall was inevitable, but not to some in the stubborn Japanese hierarchy. Despite crushing defeats, drastic shortages and diminishing material, an intransigent Japanese military continued to present a dogged resistance.įor almost two years, Imperial forces had been on the defensive with the loss of the Philippines in February 1945, and disastrous earlier dire setbacks in the Marianas campaign. August 14, 2020, marks the 75th anniversary of V-J Day and the end of World War II.
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