All Chinese TOE thinking was triangular. A divison has a maximum number of 9529 men (almost 2/3 rds the number of a full Japanese division.) However most divsions had a typical strength of 6/7,000 - which represents about half the numbers of a Japanese division. A Division had 3 regiments, a regiment 3 battalions, a battalion had 3 infantry companies with one weapons company, a company had 3 sections/platoons, and a section/platoon had 3 squads. A Division has 36 MMG and 30 trench mortars ( all maximum available ). A division has no other heavy weapons at all !!!! All Chinese artillery (800 pieces ) was held at GHQ level, and dished out piecemeal. The majority was held in reserve to protect Chang Kai Shek along with his 30 division strong bodyguard. Chinese 'Rapid Fire' * battalion Status - Militia. Battalion HQ CO plus 3 figures 3 Companies each with 8 figures 1 weapons company with 1 MMG and 2 crew** and 1 76.2 mm or 81mm mortar with 2 crew*** *- Wargame rules used - ' Rapid Fire '. ** rounded up, this is however accounted for by the 2 instead of 3 crew. Basically the Chinese are going to have weak battalions, but lots of them !!!!!!. One in ten Divisions would be Regular ( Changs bodyguard ). Although the Chinese had been fighting since 1911, the typical infantryman was poorly trained and equipped. Moreover, their officers were of low quality. They had relied on foreign advisors, which soon withdrew after the Japanese invasion in 1937. Chinese armour 200th mechanised division ; 1st tank regt - 87/88 T26 tanks ( 1938/39 ) recce company ; small number of FAI a/cars and BA6 a/cars. ( China had been sold other tanks, 36 FT17's in 1932, 12 Vickers carden lloyd MG carriers, 10 PZ1a, 30 Sdkfz 221 and 222, 20 CV33 tankettes, 20 Vickers 6 ton E tanks, 33 Vickers VCL light tanks, a few Renault ZB light tanks. However 50 of these tanks were lost in the battles around Shanghai in 1937. By 1939 only a few were in operation, however spares were short and their value was limited. ) October 1941 - first US shipment of 36 M3 scout cars, followed by 35 M4a4 shermans and 44 M5/M3A3 light tanks from mid 1943. Chinese artillery (a) Mortars 40mm Type 27 grenade launcher (Chinese 1938) 45mm Brixia (Italian imported) 5cm leGrW 36 (German imported) 50mm obr 38 (Russian imported by Nationalists and Communists) Type 89 heavy grenade launcher (captured Japanese) U.S M2 60mm mortar (1238 supplied to X Force and about 810 to Y-Force in Burma) 60mm mle 35 Brandt ( French ) 60mm Type 31 (Chinese 1942 copy of Brandt c 5150 made by mid 1945) 3in Stokes mortar (produced in China from 1925) 8cm GrW34 (imported and locally produced) 81mm mle 27/31 ( french ) 82mm BM obr 37 (imported and locally produced) (Italian ) Mortaio 81/14 ( Italian ) U.S. M1 81mm (used by X Force in Burma) U.S. M2 4.2" (used by X Force in Burma) captured Japanese mortars unidentified 150mm mortar (either local or captured) (b) AT guns German 3.7cm PAK 35/36 (imported and locally produced; std AT gun) U.S. 37mm M3A1 (X and Y Force divisions) (c) Artillery 37mm PP obr 15R (WW1 Russian) Cannone 70/15 (pre WW1 Italian moutain gun) Various other antique artillery pieces! 7.5cm Krupp M08 mountain gun ( German ) Obice 75/13 ( Itlalian ) 76mm 00/02P (Russian) Canone 75/13 (Italian mountain gun) Canone 75/27 (Italian) some captured Japanese weapons 7.7cm C96 nA (German) Bofors M34 mountain gun 7.5cm leIG18 (German) 76.2mm PP obr 27 (Russian) captured Japanese 70/75mm infantry guns M1A1 75mm pack howitzer (Chinese 5th Army, X Force and Y Force units) 7.7cm FK16 ( German ) 76.2mm 00/02 ( Russian ) 18 pdr QF (few) ( British ) Canon de 75 mle 1897 ( French ) 75mm Siderius (Dutch) captured Japanese field guns 10.5cm leFH16 (German) 10.5cm M1898/09 FH (German) 10.5cm leFH18 (German) 10cm K18 (German, few) Canonne 105/28 (Italian) M2A1 105mm howitzer (X Force) 107mm m10/30 ( Russian ) Cannone 100/17 (Italian) some captured 105mm Japanese howitzers 122mm G obr 10/30 (Soviet) 122mm G obr 38 (Soviet) Obice da 149/13 ( Italian ) Krupp sFH13 ( German ) M1918 155mm ( French ) Japanese Year 4 150mm howitzers 152mm guns/howwitzers (Soviet - few) (d) Anti Aircraft 20mm Oerlikon ( Swiss ) Cannone mitragliera da 20/65 ( Italian ) 2cm Flak 30 ( German ) 20mm Madsen M35 ( Danish ) also AA MG in 12.7-13.2mm from France, USSR, USA. 3.7cm Flak36 37 ( German ) Bofors 40mm L60 ( Sweden ) static Vickers 40mm ( British ) Bofors 75mm M29 ( Sweden ) 8.8cm Flak 18 ( Germany ) Vickers 75mm AA ( Britain ) Soviet 76mm AA Czech 90mm AA Back to Frontline Vol. 2 Iss. 3 Table of Contents Back to Frontline List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2002 by Rolfe Hedges This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com