By: Graeylin
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Here is the diorama i built around the Type 3 I made. I used the Gurkha
figure, and he looks perfect as a machine gunner. The gun is the Taisho
Type 3 or model 97, AKA "Woodpecker".
This is a cut-out of a typical japanese island bunker. The real ones are made from Coconut palms, bamboo, etc., buried in the sand and hillsides along the island, and very well constructed. They have been known to withstand direct bomb drops. In some of the photos, you can see the "grenade slot". This is a deep trench dug at the front end of the bunker, into which any grenades that are dropped or thrown into the bunker are kicked. They drop about 4 feet below, and roll into soft sand which controls their detonation. This is why many bunkers were somewhat immune to our own grenade attacks. The defenders simply kicked the grenades into the pit, and they explode rather harmlessly. You can see the slit in the bunker under the front edge of the MG "tray", against the wall in some of the photos (4, 7, 8). Empty shell casings litter the right side of the bunker. Gourds hang from the wall, and fresh bananas sit in the rear on a fresh water keg. The Assistant gunner prepares his personal firearm for use when the machine gun runs out of ammunition. These two soldiers (Japanese Marines, from their SNLF) will not be captured alive. 30 round straight strip clips sit to the gunner's left, waiting to be put into the "woodpecker". His rifle waits to the right, along the wall. |
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