Pistols were common in the Chinese army and somtimes served as a kind of rank insignia. The primary models were Japanese automatics firing the 8mm Nambu round (above), Russian and Japanese revolvers, and the Russian Tokarev pistols. Our Cal .45 M1911A1 automatic, the old holster stock Mauser, and various other pistols were also fairly common.

The 1904 Nambu was probably mis-named by Westerners because of a wrong interpretation of the Japanese system of chronology, the pistol's "04" designation probably referring to the fourth year of the Taisho reign -- 1915. The pistol exists in several types. The first version has a tiny cramped trigger guard and a magazine bottom of wood. All the first type pistols have a butt grooved for a telescoping wood/metal shoulder stock. The second version has a magazine, the bottom of which is aluminum, and a larger trigger guard. Designed by Kijiro Nambu, this pistol was never accepted as an issue weapon, although many were purchased by Japanese officers. The smaller Baby Nambu was issued to staff officers.

The Taisho 14 was an improved 1904 Nambu. That is, it was improved by simplifying the design to facilitate production, but did nothing to the striker spring which remained a potential source of misfires. It had double recoil springs, plus a magazine retaining spring on later models, which made removing the magazine difficult under combat conditions. The right-hand photo shows the enlarged trigger guard later added to permit gloved fingers. Its safety catch needed both hands to operate. Many officers, Japanese and doubtless some Chinese, were killed in action as a result of this poor design.

Whatever one may say of its design, "poor" weapons like these in the hands of determined soldiers defeated "good" weapons in the hands of the armies of the west, both at the start of WWII and when the CCF first entered the Korean War.

The Korean War was essentially an infantry war, and infantry wars are fought by small arms and men, not small arms alone.