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Type 10 Flare Pistol


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  • 2 months later...

The type 10 is actually the most common army flare pistol. The holster is the rare item!

http://www.nambuworld.com/fgtype10pix.htm This is a link to a web site run by a Canadian history professor. She had researched the archives in Japan and has not found the Japanese files on this. In her research no documentation exists as to who exactly used this other than it was Army issue. She was of the opinion it was used by the Japanese Army Air on air fields. I came across an after action report from Guadalcanal that documented how they were used in that campaign by the Japanese. The history professor has never seen a period photograph of a Japanese soldier holding this. I have only seen one photo of two GI's, each holding one. I recon you can say it is the most common Army flare pistol as they only had this one, but by the numbers many more IJN flare pistols were made and information is known about them, not so much the type 10. .About 8,300 were ever made over a 40 year production run. That is very small compaired to all types of IJN flare guns.

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Perhaps the most commonly encountered flare pistol then? Both Japanese pistol " bibles" reference books go into extensive details. Far more info then on Terry's site. The holster is earlier variation with spare firing pin holder on exterior

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I contacted Terry about these. She went to Japan to search for primary source information. Most of that information was destroyed. Her own investigation into the Japanese archives has turned up the very little beyond what has already been stated. As to the source of that information...I don't know. It looks like rehashed info handed down over time. We are talking very basic information like who they were issued to. The Guadalcanal after action report gives the best summary of how front line IJA used them on Guadalcanal. The Marine after action report states the IJA used them to confuse US forces. IJA groups had there own color codes for the meaning of any one color at any one time. In the old war movies you see flares go up before an attack. The truth is they sent flares up all the time that had no meaning. They were only used to confuse US forces. On a given time the different IJA groups would launch a flare with a color that the group would understand the meaning of IE a white flare before a green flare might mean stand down and two green flares might mean go forward. The fact that the only real information found on how these were used is only found in an after action report says something about how little is known. IJN flare guns are more common and more is known. Every capital ship, ship, transport, supply ship, port, landing force had them. They came with one, two or three barrels. Lots of period photographs of them can be found. Show me one period photograph of an IJA soldier using the type 10...show me a pre war photo. Show me the ammo holder that held the flares or a photo of one being used at the time. My understanding is spent Type 10 flare shells go for 300 USD each. You can find examples of all of these things for the IJN flare guns. Not these. Do a google search of IJN flare guns and see how many pop up then do the same with this. If this is the most common flare pistol why then do you not see them on line in the numbers seen for IJN?

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When I got this I had no idea what it was...not a clue. I had to do my due diligence and figure it out based on the little information I could find. That is why I contacted Terry in the first place. She told me what she knew to be true and what the others had said. The fact she could not find the same information the others had stated does not mean that they are off in anyway. It only means she was unable to independently confirm the the information. As for me, I am more prone to give weight to someone who is trying to teach me something than to someone who is trying to sell me something.

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