Weapons

For this task, I have researched the different weapons that would have been used during the attack on pearl harbor, to give me a deeper understanding into the realities of this war, allowing me to create the most realistic Special effects makeup look possible, for my Unit 9 Final assessment.

The Japanese

The attack on Pearl Harbor, was a surprise aerial attack, carried out by the Japanese Air force. Therefore, the weapons used by the Japanese were all aircraft based.

The most numerous plane used by the Japanese, during this attack, was the B5N2 Bomber. 

This aircraft carried 30 caliber machine guns on its tail,  and during wave one was used to drop either; Type 1, Model 2 Torpedoes (1847lb) or Type 99, Model 5, Ordinary (anti-ship) bombs (1763lb). During the second wave, these planes dropped; Type 98 land bombs (551lb), or type 97 land bombs (132lb).

The second plane they used was the AICHI D3AI, which carried 20 mm cannons onboard.

These planes were used to drop Type 98 land bombs (551lb) during the first wave, and; Type 99, Model 1 Ordinary (Anti-ship) bombs (551lb), during the second.

The A6M21 Zero was also flown, in much smaller quantities.

Americans

As this attack was a complete surprise to the American military forces present at Pearl Harbor, most of the weapons used were fired from the ground. By the time anyone may have made it to an airfield, if they hadn’t already been killed or injured on their way, would have found most of the aircraft had already been damaged or destroyed by the Japanese aerial attack. Therefore, men had to use rifles, machine guns, and any heavier artillery they could find, to fight back as best they could.

Rifles

At the time, the standard issue weapon for the American Army and Marines was the rifle. The three most popular were all 30 caliber rifles; the Springfield bolt-action rifle, the Semi-automatic model 1 (M1-Grand), and the lightweight M1 Carbine.

The Springfield bolt-action rifle was the hardest to operate, and had to be reloaded after every shot, which was highly un-useful in a large scale battle, like Pearl Harbor.

However, the M1-Grand was very easy to operate, and consisted of a 15 round magazine, allowing it to fire a shower of bullets upon its target. This was the first ever standard issue, semi-automatic, military rifle.

Additionally, the M1 carbine was also easy to fire, and was made in 15-30 round models.

Machine guns

The Thompson sub machine gun (the Tommy Gun), was the first ever fully automatic gun, that shot up to 500 rounds per minute.

The M3A1 Automatic machine gun (the grease gun) had a short barrel, was light weight, and was .45 caliber.

The Browning Automatic rifle (the B.A.R) shot 30 caliber bullets, which could penetrate through armor. These were rare as they were very light weight (only 40lb).

Artillery

The 2.36 inch Shoulder fired rocket launcher (the Bazooka) was among the few weapons that could have been used to target airplanes directly, rather than trying to take out the pilots.

Additionally, the Howitzer was a short range, lightweight cannon that could have been easily broken down – allowing groups of men to carry it.
Furthermore, the 31 tonne, 120mm cannon, was a truck towed anti-aircraft gun that could be used to identify and attack targets up to 60,000 feet away.