Captured or copied military vehicles
From the Blogger archive: Captured or copied military vehicles
Picture: Harley Davidson motorcycle, Bren gun, Universal carrier and Chevrolet Truck?
Whilst researching the Japanese Army’s equipment I came across many photos and equipment which at 1st glance I thought they were captured allied equipment but at a closer look they are Japanese equipments. The Japanese concept of copying european designs came as early as they started their industrial revolution. From the Type 38 rifles (Mauser design) to their type 96 light machine gun (bren gun) you can almost see where the original forms came from. While the original designers took years to perfect their creations, the Japanese cleverly shortcut the whole process by copying what is already a very well tested design.
