History
Designed by KijirÅ Nambu, the pistol entered production in 1934 at the Nambu Rifle Manufacturing Company. Originally marketed commercially, it is sometimes said to have been developed as a compact pistol intended for pilots, air crews, and tank crews because it was thought that the Type 14 8 mm Nambu Pistol was too large. As such, it was meant to be replaced in IJA service. Indeed, the Type 14 was more than 14mm longer than Colt 1911 .45 ACP. The pistol, which had plastic grips rather than the horn or wood grips of the Type 14, was developed for cheap mass-production, but modifications increased its cost.
Large numbers of the Type 94 were produced for military use. Records were lost during World War II, but it is believed that over 72,000 Type 94 pistols were manufactured. As with most weapons produced by the Axis, quality diminished greatly during the last stages of the war.
Read more about this topic: Nambu Type 94 Pistol
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“In the history of the United States, there is no continuity at all. You can cut through it anywhere and nothing on this side of the cut has anything to do with anything on the other side.”
—Henry Brooks Adams (1838–1918)
“It may be well to remember that the highest level of moral aspiration recorded in history was reached by a few ancient Jews—Micah, Isaiah, and the rest—who took no count whatever of what might not happen to them after death. It is not obvious to me why the same point should not by and by be reached by the Gentiles.”
—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95)
“[Men say:] “Don’t you know that we are your natural protectors?” But what is a woman afraid of on a lonely road after dark? The bears and wolves are all gone; there is nothing to be afraid of now but our natural protectors.”
—Frances A. Griffin, U.S. suffragist. As quoted in History of Woman Suffrage, vol. 4, ch. 19, by Susan B. Anthony and Ida Husted Harper (1902)