These Nine Types of 'Japanese Goods' Were the Most Precious Supplies in the Eyes of the Eighth Route Army

During the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Eighth Route Army operated under extremely difficult conditions. Unlike the Nationalist Army, which had large-scale arsenals capable of producing ammunition and some light weapons on their own, the Eighth Route Army could only manufacture items such as uniforms, footwear, and some hand grenades. Almost all other weapons, equipment, and supplies had to be obtained through battlefield captures. Over time, this gave rise to the popular saying: "No guns, no cannons - the enemy makes them for us."

Among the numerous Japanese war supplies captured on the battlefield during those years, nine items stood out as the most treasured "Japanese goods" in the eyes of the Eighth Route Army soldiers.

1. Radio Sets

During the War of Resistance Against Japan, radio communication equipment was regarded as one of the most vital supplies by both the Eighth Route Army and the Nationalist Army. However, while the Nationalist Army could acquire radios from Germany or the United States, the Eighth Route Army could only obtain them by capturing them from Japanese forces. Moreover, radios were not something encountered on every battlefield, as only Japanese units at the battalion level or above were equipped with them.

Radios were typically stationed at battalion or regional headquarters. Therefore, capturing a radio meant having to destroy an entire Japanese battalion or regiment-a formidable challenge for the Eighth Route Army, which was already lacking in advanced weaponry and equipment. For this reason, radios held an especially treasured significance in the eyes of the Eighth Route Army.

If a Japanese radio was captured in a major battle, it would be handed over directly to the professional communications department. Even a damaged radio had value, as technicians in the base areas would do their best to repair it.

These precious radios could only be issued to units at the brigade level or above within the Eighth Route Army. Units below the brigade level almost never had radios, unless they were certain directly affiliated independent units-for example, an independent regiment might be equipped with a radio.

2. Field Telephones

For the Eighth Route Army, Japanese field telephones were also among the most precious supplies. Like radios, field telephones were only available to Japanese units at the battalion level and above, and they were issued to specialized communications companies. Capturing a field telephone was just as difficult as capturing a radio-it required either annihilating an entire Japanese battalion or ambushing a Japanese communications unit to have a chance at seizing one.

During the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Japanese military used various types of field telephones, most of which were hand-cranked models. One commonly used military model was the Type 92 field telephone, also known as the Type 92 individual field telephone.

The telephone unit was typically housed in a small leather or wooden case. It was compact, lightweight, and did not require hand-cranking when in use.

During those years, the Japanese telephones captured by the Eighth Route Army were mostly of this model. However, due to their scarcity and great value, they were primarily issued to units at the brigade level and above.

3. Various Types of Bullets and Artillery Shells

For the Eighth Route Army, which was constantly short of ammunition, the various types of bullets and artillery shells captured in each battle were also extremely precious. At that time, the Japanese military commonly used three types of bullets: the first was the 6.5×50mm Arisaka cartridge, used by the Type 38 rifle and the Type 11 light machine gun; the second was the 7.7×58mm cartridge, used by the Type 92 heavy machine gun, the Type 99 light machine gun, and the Type 99 rifle; the third was the 8×22mm Nambu cartridge, used by the Type 14 pistol.

When Eighth Route Army soldiers swept the battlefield after an engagement, they would prioritize searching for these types of ammunition. The captured bullets would be gathered together and handed over to the higher command, which would then distribute them to individual soldiers according to the situation.

For the Eighth Route Army, the various types of Japanese artillery shells were perhaps even more precious than bullets. During combat, Japanese artillery units were typically positioned in the rear, and only battalion-level formations were equipped with artillery pieces, making them almost impossible to engage directly. As a result, capturing artillery shells was extremely difficult and only possible under special circumstances-such as ambushing Japanese ammunition transport vehicles or launching surprise attacks on artillery positions.

At the time, the Japanese military had many types of artillery pieces, but the most commonly encountered on the Chinese battlefield were the Type 92 infantry gun and the Type 41 mountain gun, which used 70mm and 75mm shells respectively.

4. Light and Heavy Machine Guns

Japanese light and heavy machine guns were also among the Eighth Route Army's favorite spoils of war, as the Eighth Route Army was severely lacking in automatic weapons like machine guns. For a main force unit, a company had only two light machine guns at most, and heavy machine guns were even rarer-typically only regiment-level units could have one or two heavy machine guns.

At the time, the light machine guns used by the Japanese military included the common Type 11, also known as the "crooked stock" light machine gun. In the 1940s, they also equipped the Type 96 and Type 99 light machine guns, commonly referred to as the "bent stock."

There were two types of heavy machine guns: the early Type 3 6.5mm heavy machine gun, and the later Type 92 7.7mm heavy machine gun. The latter was especially common during the War of Resistance Against Japan and was jokingly referred to by the Eighth Route Army as the "pheasant neck."

Although the Japanese light and heavy machine guns of that time were not the best-some light machine guns were even considered outdated compared to their Western counterparts-for the Eighth Route Army, which was desperately short of automatic weapons, being able to capture any machine gun on the battlefield was already a significant achievement.

5. Artillery Pieces

In addition to Japanese light and heavy machine guns, the various types of Japanese artillery pieces were also among the most precious "Japanese goods" in the eyes of the Eighth Route Army-especially some 75mm mountain guns, which were regarded as veritable "treasures."

Artillery pieces were even scarcer in the Eighth Route Army than machine guns. Not to mention the main force brigades-even an entire division had only a few artillery pieces at most.

Moreover, not every Japanese unit was equipped with artillery pieces. Only units at the battalion level or above were issued infantry guns, while units at the regiment level or above had mountain guns or field guns of 75mm or larger caliber.

Therefore, it was only in major battles-when Japanese units of battalion level or above were annihilated-that there was an opportunity to capture artillery pieces.

6. Warhorses

The warhorses used by the Japanese military during the War of Resistance Against Japan were also an important resource for the Eighth Route Army's cavalry units.

During the War of Resistance, the Japanese military made extensive use of "Kiso horses" from their homeland. These were typically issued to cavalry units or assigned for use by senior officers.

The so-called Kiso horses were actually crossbreeds developed from European, American, and Arabian horses. They were tall, had strong endurance, and possessed excellent physical qualities, making them ideal as warhorses.

During those years, a considerable number of Kiso horses were captured by the Eighth Route Army on the battlefield. Most were allocated to cavalry units, while a small portion were given to commanders at the regiment level and above for transportation purposes.

7. Various Types of Field Rations

In addition to the various weapons and equipment mentioned above, the Japanese military's field rations were also among the most prized spoils of war for Eighth Route Army soldiers.

Although most Japanese soldiers at the time were short in stature, their physiques were much stronger than those of our soldiers. The reason was their superior diet.

Especially in some Japanese field units, in addition to meals provided by the cooking squad, each soldier would typically carry various types of field rations during combat, including beef罐头 (canned beef), canned rice, canned fruit, and other easy-to-carry dry staples.

These various rations carried by Japanese soldiers were often captured by Eighth Route Army soldiers on the battlefield. Although in the later stages of the war, the Japanese began cutting corners on their canned beef and the quality deteriorated, for Eighth Route Army soldiers who were short on food, being able to eat captured Japanese canned goods was already a rare treat.

8. Binoculars of Commanders at Various Levels

The binoculars used by Japanese commanders at various levels were also among the important military supplies in the eyes of the Eighth Route Army. Since the Eighth Route Army lacked the capability to produce or import military binoculars, the binoculars used by their commanders were all captured from the Japanese military.

There were various types of Japanese binoculars, including the Type 93 4× binoculars used by non-commissioned officers and junior officers, as well as the Type 13 6× and Type 97 7× binoculars used by senior officers.

Among these, the Type 94 and Type 13 were the most common. The Type 13 was especially favored by Eighth Route Army commanders at the regimental level and above.

9. Type 93 Observation Scope

In addition to binoculars, the Type 93 observation scope used by senior Japanese commanders was also one of the Eighth Route Army's favorite pieces of equipment. This item was even rarer than standard binoculars, as observation scopes were only placed at the headquarters of senior officers and in forward positions.

During those years, the Eighth Route Army did capture some Japanese Type 93 observation scopes on the battlefield, but they were very few in number. These were typically sent for use at the brigade or division headquarters of the Eighth Route Army.