The TERA rifles () were special Japanese
takedown rifles developed for
paratrooper
A paratrooper or military parachutist is a soldier trained to conduct military operations by parachuting directly into an area of operations, usually as part of a large airborne forces unit. Traditionally paratroopers fight only as light infa ...
s of the
Imperial Japanese Army
The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
and
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...
. All designs were capable of either being broken down or folded into two parts and easily assembled or disassembled.
The Type 2 TERA rifle was officially adopted in 1943 by the IJA and saw use during the
Battle of Leyte
The Battle of Leyte (; ; ) in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the amphibious invasion of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American forces and Filipino guerrillas under the overall command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fou ...
, but by the time it entered production, significant paratrooper operations had largely ceased.
History and development
Before the
Pacific War
The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...
, Japanese paratroopers only carried a
Type 94 pistol and three hand grenades when jumping off their planes. The length of the
Type 38 and
Type 99 rifles made them impractical to be carried during deployment, so they were separately dropped in containers with their ammunition. The paratroopers often had difficulty locating and retrieving their rifles, forcing them to attack with only pistols, grenades, and whatever enemy weapons they could capture.
Development of dedicated paratrooper rifles were conducted by the 1st Laboratory of the 1st Army Technical Research Institute, which presented two different prototypes: the Type 100, which was designed to be carried broken down by a descending parachutist, and the Type 1 rifle, which could be carried with the buttstock folded.
While a handful of these prototypes were acquired by the IJA, neither were used during the
Battle of Palembang
The Battle of Palembang was a battle of the Pacific War, Pacific theatre of World War II. It occurred near Palembang, on Sumatra, on 13–15 February 1942. The Royal Dutch Shell oil refineries at nearby Plaju (then Pladjoe) were the major obje ...
, resulting in many rifles and heavier weapons of the IJA airborne forces being lost (a similar problem faced by
German paratroopers during the
Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete (, ), codenamed Operation Mercury (), was a major Axis Powers, Axis Airborne forces, airborne and amphibious assault, amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May ...
), and a renewed interest in developing a purpose-built paratrooper rifle.
In-mid 1942, the 1st Laboratory developed a practical take-down design based on the Type 100, but instead of using an interrupted screw, the detachable barrel was held in place with a tapered wedge. Tests conducted by the Futsu Proving Ground in October 1942 were satisfactory, and after a few tweaks, the Type 2 paratrooper rifle was officially adopted in May 1943.
The Toriimatsu factory of the
Nagoya Arsenal Nagoya Arsenal was a collection of five major military facilities located in and around Nagoya, Japan.名古屋陸軍工廠史・陸軍航空工廠史、昭和61年12月9日 Nagoya Army Arsenal History/Army Air Arsenal History It produced various J ...
built around 21,500 Type 2 rifles according to Ness, while Dabbs gives a figure of approximately 21,200 rifles.
On the other hand, Harriman gives a figure of roughly 19,000 rifles produced in total.
Some rifles were used during the
Battle of Leyte
The Battle of Leyte (; ; ) in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the amphibious invasion of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American forces and Filipino guerrillas under the overall command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fou ...
, though significant Japanese airborne operations ceased by the time the Type 2 entered production. Many, if not, most of the surviving TERA rifles today were captured by American forces in Leyte.
Variants
Type 100
The Type 100 was modified from the Type 99 rifle. The rifle features an interrupted screw between the barrel and the receiver, allowing both parts to be joined and separated by a 90° turn. The bolt handle was also detachable. The broken-down rifle could be carried in bags strapped to the paratrooper's legs. The rifle was not put into mass production due the locking mechanism being deemed as inadequate.
The Nagoya arsenal built a few hundred rifles for the IJA and
IJN airborne forces. According to Harriman, approximately 500 rifles were made in total.
Type 1
A
Type 38 carbine chambered for the
6.5×50mmSR Arisaka round with a hinged buttstock that could be folded behind the trigger guard, it could be easily readied for action at the drop zone. It was insufficiently robust enough for service and the IJA desired a 7.7 mm caliber rifle, resulting in the Type 1 being rejected. According to McCollum, the buttstocks had a tendency to wobble around while the hinge stud and wing nut used to keep the buttstock in place had a tendency of getting snagged on other things, damaging the locking system.
Around 500 rifles were made in total according to Harriman.
Type 2
Similar to the Type 100 rifle, the barrel and receiver are joined together by a tapered wedge instead of the interrupted screw. The paratrooper used a folding wire ring to tighten the wedge lock. A detachable bolt handle and folding bayonet were tested, but ultimately rejected. Most rifles were fitted with the anti-aircraft rear sights of the Type 99 rifle, despite their questionable effectiveness.
The Type 2 was carried broken-down either in a canvas chest bag or with each halves in two leg bags. These were lowered on a short rope after the parachute opened.
See also
*
Poacher's gun
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
External links
Nambu World: Arisaka Type 2 Paratroop Rifle*
{{Japanese WWII infantry weapons
Bolt-action rifles of Japan
Imperial Japanese Army
World War II infantry weapons of Japan