World War II Database

1.  Bill says:
25 Sep 2012 07:25:53 PM

LOOKS LIKE THESE NATIONALISTS TROOPS HAVE BEEN ISSUED THE Vz26 LIGHT MACHINE GUN.
THE UNIFORM LOOKS LIKE ITS THE QUILTED TYPE AND THE FIELD CAP HAS THE TWELVE-POINTED BLUE STAR OF THE NATIONALIST.

HOWEVER BOTH THE COMMUNISTS AND NATIONALISTS WORE THE SAME TYPE OF KHAKI UNIFORMS, SOME NATIONALISTS TROOPS WORE A BLUE-QUILTED WINTER UNIFORM.
ONCE THE JAPANESE WERE DEFEATED AND CIVIL WAR STARTED THE COMMUNISTS REPLACE THE ARMY FIELD CAP WITH THE "MAO CAP" W/FIVE-POINTED RED STAR.

2.  C. Peter Chen says:
26 Sep 2012 06:13:28 AM

Additional details as a follow up to Bill's "12-pointed star" note: Specifically, the "star" is the sun, and the 12 "points" are 12 rays of light. That symbol is the emblem of the Nationalist Party. If I recall my elementary school history lessons correctly, the white sun represents justice and the 12 rays represent progress.

3.  Bill says:
16 May 2013 09:05:28 PM

The Vz26 was a pre-war Czech design manufactured by CZ BRio, and was chambered in 7.92mm, it was later manufactured in two dozen countries the Vz26 was the forerunner of the famous British BREN
Light machine gun.
Did you know the word BREN came from the initials BRio and Enfield. The BREN Mk.2 was manufactured by Enfield chambered in .303 caliber and used a
20 or 30 detachable box magazine.

After WWII many of these weapons were used by both Allied, Nationalist and Communist Chinese forces. The Communist Chinese copied the Vz26 and were made in local arms work shops, and issued to Chi-Com forces.
The weapons were chambered in 7.92mm, but were later re-chambered to 7.62mm by the late 1950's and 60's the weapon were considered obsolete as a first-line weapon and later issued to local militia units.


C. Peter Chen thank you for the follow up info. n I'm always glad to read added comments here at ww2db...