WesWorld

Iberian News Summary , January – June 1936

January
2nd – The Armada laid down a new class of aircraft carrier today. Refered to as a “Fleet Carrier”, the “Bilbao” is larger than any aircraft carrier built to date by the Armada, and will in fact the largest vessel in the fleet when she is finished.

11th – In an announcement from the Palace today, It has been revealed that His Majesty, King Enrique has declared his intention to abdicate the Throne, citing ill health as the reason behind his decision.
His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Fernando, will ascend to the Throne on July 1st.

31st – The battleship, “La Luna” commissions today as the first new battleship to join the Armada for many years. The class is designed to act as “Station Flagships” in the various far-flung ports of the Federation.


February
12th – Project Escudo completes phase 2 of its brief. ICE expect completion of the project by the end of this year, pending supply of the necessary materials from suppliers.


March
13th – ICE have commenced work on the newly formed Instituto Aeroespacial Ibérico headquarters facility, having surveyed the site during the initial searches conducted 2 years ago. Work is due to commence on the associated construction and test facilities later this year


April
13th – The first vessels of the BCS1 class of Anti –Submarine Warfare vessels commission today, at various shipyards around the Federation.


May
3rd – The “Los Estellas” commissions today, second of the “La Luna” class battleships.

4th – The battleship “El Sol” launches today, the last of the 3 “La Luna” class ships. When she completes her sea trials, it is expected that the 3 sister ships will conduct a world tour before deploying to their stations.

25th – The Ministry of Defence has issued an invitation to tender to all manufacturers of small arms for the supply of the following catagories of Infantry weapon.
1 -Infantry Rifle, preferably self-loading.
2 - Infantry Rifle, Match grade, as Sniper Rifles.
3 - Sub-Machine Gun or Machine Pistol.
4 - Light Machine Gun, man portable, as embedded platoon support.
5 - Medium Machine Gun, man portable, as dedicated infantry support.
6 - Heavy Machine Gun, vehicle mounted / dis-mountable.
7 - Pistol, Semi-automatic or Revolver, as Officer’s sidearm.
8 - Infantry Rifle, light weight, as second line personal weapon.
9 – Infantry Anti-Vehicle weapon, man portable, all ranged types considered
10 – Mortars, man portable.…
All entrants are requested to provide samples for testing no later than September 30th 1936.
Weapon caliber is flexible depending on performance during testing, although a level of commonality is desired. Therefore only weapons that can be made to specific calibers will be considered
(P.S. for NPC nations, could someone post on their behalf!)


June
1st – The Iberian Athletes departed today on a special train headed for Berlin for the XIth Summer Olympiad, due to start on August 1st. Over the last 2 months, athletes have been arriving from all over the Federation, preparing for their events.
César de Melo, the president of the Iberian Athletics Association commented that, while all the competitors going to Berlin were the cream of Iberia’s young men and women, particular hopes for medals lay with the Men’s Equestrian Team of José Beltrão and Biscuit, Domingos de Sousa and Merle Blan, and Luís Mena e Silva and Fossette; and in the sailing with Ernesto Vieira de Mendonça in the Monotype class, and Joaquim Mascarenhas de Fiúza and António Guedes de Herédia in the Star class.

Quoted

Originally posted by Commodore Green
1 -Infantry Rifle, preferably self-loading.

1. The Bulgarian Army ordnance and Swiss SIG manufacturing send engineer Ilia Radichkov to Iberia with the first production run of the STPR-36:



Caliber: 7.92x57 Mauser, 7.5x55 GP11 (Swiss), 7.62x54 Rimmed (Russian), .30 Alcyone (Atlantean), and .255 Nemesis (Atlantean)
Overall length: 1105 mm
Barrel length: 652 mm
Weight: 4.20 kg empty
Magazine capacity: 10 rounds
Accuracy: 1.45 MOA

This rifle is designed jointly by Derzhavna Voenna Fabrika and Swiss SIG, and has gained interest from the Bulgarian, Hungarian, and Lithuanian armies, also being pitched to the Swiss, Turkish, and Romanian armies. ((OOC: I'll be ordering a few thousand of these in an improved model and .255 Nemesis come 1937.))

Mexico will send some Swiss-Mondragon Semi-Automatic Rifles (note: older Mondragons, not the newer rifles)

Quoted

Originally posted by Commodore Green

25th – The Ministry of Defence has issued an invitation to tender to all manufacturers of small arms for the supply of the following categories of Infantry weapon.

Belgium's Fabrique Nationale will present an array of weapons. Please note that FN can (and did) offer rifles and FN-bars in a variety of chamberings.

1. Self loading rifle
A prototype of the FN Self loading Rifle, which they are expecting to have ready for production in the fall of 1937 (i)

2. A sniper version of the FN Mauser.
caliber : 7.65 x 53 Mauser
action : bolt action
Length : 1.27m, 0.78m barrel
Weight : 3.85kg empty
magazine : 5 round stripper clip in integral box magazine.
MV : 620m/s
eff range : 2000m

3. Mitrailette Model 1931 by peiper
caliber : 9x19 parabellum
action : blowback operated, open bolt, selective fire
Length : 820mm
Weight : 4kg empty
magazine : 20 or 32 round side mounted box magazine.
MV : 350m/s
ROF : 550/min

4. Light machine gun
Fusil-mitrailleur 1930
FN-BAR
Caliber : 7.65 x 53 Mauser
action : automatic
Length : 1.06m
Weight : 9.65
magazine : 20 round clip
MV : 850m/s
ROF : 350 rpm long term, 600rpm max

5. none

6. Heavy machine gun
FN-Browning 13.2mm / L 75 HMG
Caliber : 13.2mm x 96
Action : automatic, selective fire
Weight : 37.5kg
Magazine : 30 round magazine or belt feed
MV : 800m/s
ROF : 450rpm, 30 round magazine or belt.
eff range : 2,500m
In an anti-vehicle role it fires an API round penetrating 20mm at 400m

7. Semi-auto pistol
9mm Browning P-35 Grand puissance (Browning hi-power)
caliber : 9x19 parabellum
action : single action, short recoil semi-automatic
Length : 197mm
Weight : 1.06kg loaded
magazine : 13 + 1
MV : 350m/s
ROF : 40/min

8. Light Rifle
7.65 mm FN-Mauser Model 1889 carabine
caliber : 7.65 x 53 Mauser
action : bolt action
Length : 1.03m, 0.56m barrel
Weight : 3.55kgkg empty
magazine : 5 round stripper clip in integral box magazine.
MV : 500m/s

9. None.

10. Light mortar
Lance Grenade de 50mm DBT
Light Mortar
Projectile : 0.76kg
MV : 75m/s
Range : 100-585m
Weight : 7.8kg
ROF : 20rpm

Belgian weapons are of course viewable here :
Belgian Army Equipment

(i) Several sites seem to indicate the Belgians were going to adopt the FN self loading rifle in 1940, but there was this invasion that derailed that. Some additional work was done in England to meet their specs, and some after the war when FN go going again, eventually a version became the FN49.

1 - Infantry Rifle, preferably self-loading.
Self-loading! (as in "the operator himself can load the weapon ) Japan unfortunately does not have self-loading weapons, but it was said "preferably" not "necessary".
Type 38 Rifle (6.5x50mm Arisaka)
Type 95 rifle (7.7x58mm Arisaka)

2 - Infantry Rifle, Match grade, as Sniper Rifles.
Type 88 Sniper Rifle (6.5x50mm Arisaka)

3 - Sub-Machine Gun or Machine Pistol.
Japan has the "borrowed" design of the Thompson M1921/M1923/M1928, but suggests to inquire with the Auto-Ordnance Company for The Real Deal.

4 - Light Machine Gun, man portable, as embedded platoon support.
Type 11 Light Machine Gun (6.5x50mm Arisaka)
Type 95 Light Machine Gun (6.5x50mm Arisaka)

6 - Heavy Machine Gun, vehicle mounted / dis-mountable.
Type 90 Heavy Machine Gun (7.7x58mm Arisaka)
There are plans to adopt the Type 90 Heavy Machine Gun (13.2x96mm), used by the Navy, for the Army as well so it would be an option too...

7 - Pistol, Semi-automatic or Revolver, as Officer’s sidearm.
Type 14 Pistol (8x22mm Nambu)
Type 94 Pistol (8x22mm Nambu)

9 – Infantry Anti-Vehicle weapon, man portable, all ranged types considered
It's an an anti-tank weapon, so surely the Type 95 AT Rifle (20x124mm) should work as an anti-vehicle weapon as well...
Type 90 flamethrower could work too. Even if it does not stop the car, it would still be interesting to see it race around while it is in flames...

10 – Mortars, man portable....

Closest thing Japan has to portable is the Type 89 Grenade Discharger, but it is not really a mortar...


All weapons in the thread here could be available to Iberia...
... with exception of the Type 94 Sniper Rifle and the Fire Buster Mk.1 and Mk.2 (as these are unique one-of-a-kind weapons). Ekitai Hinote a.k.a. Giriku Faia (used in the Type 90 flame thrower) is also not available.

Quoted

Mexico will send some Swiss-Mondragon Semi-Automatic Rifles (note: older Mondragons, not the newer rifles)

The comments "Unreliable and inaccurate" don't bode well but that might be the point...



For Req.1 Italy offers up the new Breda P.G.2 which features a number of improvements over the previous M.31. A larger recoil spring and some changes are made to the mechanism internally and the stock is cut down. This has reduced weight somewhat but there are still problems with reliability and feeding the cartridges in automatic fire. It hasn't been adopted by the Regio Esercito yet and so lacks a year designation.

Calibre : 7.35x51 and 6.5x52
Muzzle velocity: 710m/s 128gr (7.35mm)
Loading technique: gas operated automatic/semi-automatic/burst
Total length: 1000mm Barrel length: 470mm
Weight: 4.75kg loaded
Max Range: 2000m
Effective range: 400m
Magazine: 25 rounds
Rate of fire: 600rpm

Offered to Req. 4 is the other one pictured, the Fucile Automatico. The mechanism is slightly changed, a longer barrel is used and a bipod is provided. Reliability is better, mostly from the stronger construction.

Calibre : 7.35x51 and 6.5x52
Muzzle velocity: 710m/s 128gr (7.35mm)
Loading technique: gas operated automatic
Total length: 1120mm Barrel length: 580mm
Weight: 6.9kg loaded
Max Range: 2500m
Effective range: 600m
Magazine: 25 rounds
Rate of fire: 600rpm

There are a few other things as well which I'll post.

Req. 3 for a submachine gun met by the new Beretta MAB. Currently in limited use by police units as a semi-automatic weapon, a fully automatic version is being tested. The long barrel and powerful cartridge give good accuracy at range.
Calibre: 9mm x 19 Fiocchi 147gr
Muzzle Velocity: 420m/s
Loading technique: blowback semi-automatic/automatic
Total length: 946mm Barrel length: 315mm
Weight: 4.2kg
Effective Range: 200m
Magazine: 10 or 20 or 40 rounds



Req.7 for a pistol met by the Beretta M.34. Its small, light and it works.
Caliber 9mm x 17 Corto
Muzzle velocity: 245m/s
Total Length 150 mm Barrel Length 86.5 mm Height 120.5mm
Weight 0.617 kg Max
Rate of Fire 40 Rounds Per Minute Ave Rate of Fire 14 Rounds Per Minute
Max Range 600 Meters Effective Range 25 Meters
Magazine 7 Rounds


Req.8 for a 2nd line rifle. The Carcano M35 Corto suits the bill being simple and lightweight whilst retaining good performances with the new 7.35mm cartridge.
Caliber 7.35x51
Muzzle velocity: 756m/s 128gr spitzer
Total Length 1020 mm Barrel Length 562 mm
Weight 3.2 kg
Rate of Fire 15rpm
Max Range 2000 Meters Effective Range 800 Meters
Magazine 6 Round Clip, 200m fixed sights.


Req. 8 for ant-tank rifle. Italian-made Solothurn S-1000 *hats not included
Barrel Length : 1,447 m
Total Weight : 54kg
Elevation : Free
Traverse : Free
Rate of Fire : 30rpm
Muzzle Velocity : 850m/s
Penetration : Up to 40mm