Weapons

The world of Youjo Senki has, with the exception of the presence of magic, a lot of similarities to Europe during the time of the First World War. As such, numerous real-life weapons from the period appear in the anime and manga.

The following weapons are listed:

WEAPONRY
Empire=

=Small Arms=

Luger P08
Tanya is seen armed with a Luger P08 semi-automatic pistol in the ending sequence. It is a toggle-locked recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol. The design was patented by Georg J. Luger in 1898 and produced by German arms manufacturer Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken (DWM) starting in 1900 with other manufacturers; it was an evolution of the 1893 Hugo Borchardt–designed C-93. The Swiss army was the first to adopt the Luger in May 1900. The Luger was the standard issue pistol for the German Army in both world wars, and presumably plays a similar role for the Empire.

Mauser Gewehr 98
Regular infantrymen in the Imperial Army are armed with the Mauser Gewehr 1898. In real life, the Gewehr 1898 is a rifle that fires 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridges from a 5-round internal clip-loaded magazine that was the German service rifle from 1898 to 1935. As with most bolt-action rifles of its time, it was a powerful and accurate rifle with long range that was poorly suited for the close quarter fighting of trench warfare. The considerable length of the rifle and the minimum sight setting of 400 meters (far in excess of the typical range in trench battles) were particular handicaps.

Oddly though, many of the Gewehr 98 designs in the anime omitted the recognizeable rear v-notch quadrant (Lange-Visier) sights.

Mondragón Rifle
Mages in the Imperial Army use Mondragón rifles at their primary weapons, often firing magic rounds out of them. In real life, the Mondragón was a Mexican semi-automatic rifle of the early 1900s, the first such weapon to become standard issue in a national army. The Mondragón was sold to Germany in the First World War, but proved unreliable in the muddy conditions of the trenches, and was thus mostly used as an aircraft weapon until enough machine guns were available. The use of the weapon by mages somewhat mirrors it's real-life deployment in the First World War.

Gewehr 43 (Manga)
In the manga, mages of the Imperial Army use the anachronistic Gewehr 43 semi-automatic rifles instead of the Mondragón rifles. In real life, the Gewehr 43 did not exist until 1943. It was the result of Walther modifying the less successful Gewehr 41(W) through the incorporating of a short-stroke piston gas system that was similar to captured Soviet SVT-40 rifles. The weapon uses the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge, and is fed by a 10-round detachable box magazine.

In the story, all Gewehr 43 rifles are scoped, and unlike the real-life Gewehr 43, a bayonet can be attached to the rifle.

MG 34 (Manga)
The MG 34 is the other primary weapon used by Imperial Mages. In the Rhine Front, Tanya was wielding both weapons during her search and rescue mission. Overall, more mages are seen using the MG 34 than the Gewehr 43.

The MG 34 used by the mages received modifications that are not found in their real-life counterparts. They are modified to accept magazines instead of belts, and a forward grip has been added below the barrel sleeve so that the mages can hold the machine gun with two hands.

=Light Weapons & Explosives=

MG 08 Maxim
The Empire uses the Maschinengewehr 08, or MG 08, as their primary support weapon. In real life, the MG 08 was an adaptation of Hiram S. Maxim's original 1884 Maxim gun. In the anime, the MG 08 has a disk-shaped muzzle that is normally seen on Chinese-made Type 24 Maxims, which were not manufactured until 1935.

The gun used 250-round fabric belts of 7.92×57mm ammunition, and was water-cooled by using a jacket around the barrel that held approximately one gallon of water. Like the 1884 Maxim gun, the MG 08 operated on the basis of short barrel recoil and a toggle lock. Once cocked and fired the MG 08 would continue firing rounds until the trigger was released or until all available ammunition was expended. Its practical range was estimated at some 2,000 metres (2,200 yds) up to an extreme range of 3,600 metres (3,900 yds).

Stielhandgranate
The Stielhandgranate is the Imperial Army's standard issue grenade. In the anime, Tanya and the Imperial Mages used Stielhandgranates twice. First bombing the Dacian invasion forces, the second in downing the lead bomber of the Entente Alliance bomber formation. In the real world, it was the standard issue of the German Empire during World War I and World War II. The very distinctive appearance led to it being called a "stick grenade", or "potato masher" in British Army slang.

The Model 24 Stielhandgranate is used in the anime, which is correct as it first appeared in 1924. The main distinction between the Model 1924 and previous models is a slightly shorter charge head. Another very minor change in the design was a lengthening of the wooden handle. The intent of these design alterations was simply for mobility.

Wechselapparat
The Wechselapparat is the Imperial Army's main flamethrower. As part of the entrapment of the Republican forces at the Rhine theatre, the Empire deploys special troops with Wechselapparat units to wipe out trapped Republican forces. In real life, the Wechselapparat was introduced in the German army as a man-portable flamethrower that was smaller than the Kleinflammenwerfer. It had a doughnut-shaped backpack fuel container with a spherical propellant container in the middle.

=Artillery=

10 cm Kanone 14
The 10 cm Kanone 14 is an Imperial field gun that makes for the bulk of Imperial artillery units during the war. In the real world, 10 cm Kanone 14 is an heavily modified upgrade of the older 10 cm Kanone 04 built by Krupp. It was also designed to be able engage targets on the ground and in the air. However, modifications intended to provide the gun a dual role as an anti-aircraft gun proved to be a complete failure in that respect. Because the effective firing range (12,000+ meters) was deemed insufficient by the German military, the 10 cm Kanone 14 was upgraded in 1917 with a longer barrel under the designation 10 cm Kanone 17.

8.8 cm Flak 18
The 8.8 cm Flak 18 is the first of a series of guns that would be commonly called in real life as the eighty-eight. In the anime, the Flak 18 appears to fire standard artillery shells instead of anti-air shells. Its real-world version was originally built as an anti-aircraft gun, hence the origin of the term Flak, which is a contraction of German Flugzeugabwehrkanone ("aircraft-defense cannon").

=Armored Vehicles=

Panzer I (Manga)
Anachronistic Panzer I tanks were seen counterattacking the Legadonia forces that marched into Norden. In real life, the Panzer I was a light tank used by the German army between 1934 and 1945. Armed with just 2 machine guns, it was meant to be used for training, but saw service in the Spanish Civil War on the Nationalist side. By the outbreak of the Second World War, it was still the most widely used tank in the German army. Later, due to production shortages of newer tanks, Panzer I continued to see limited use throughout the war.

Panzer III
Unusually for the World War I-like setting of the anime, the tanks used by the Empire are identical to real-world Panzer III tanks used by Germany in World War II. The Panzer III was the primary German medium tank early in the war, armed initially with a 37 mm main gun. It was intended to fight other armoured fighting vehicles and serve alongside and support the Panzer IV. However as the Germans faced the formidable T-34,the Panzer III effectively became obsolete in the anti-tank role and was supplanted by the Panzer IV.

=Aircraft=

V-1
In the series, the V-1 is an acceleration booster rocket for long range deployment, and doesn't have an explosive charge. Imperial scientist Aldelheid von Schugel designed the V1 rocket as the best development in rocketry around 20 years before its real-life version appeared in a war situation. V-1 rockets are launched on a ramp that is pointed towards the intended destination. They fly too high and too fast to be intercepted by mages or planes. Tanya and her Mages used V-1 rockets to enter deep into Republican territory during Operation Shock and Awe.

The main difference between the anime and real-world versions of the V-1 is the presence of 5 boosters containing 5 hydrogen-fuelled engines instead of a single booster. As a result, the V-1 in the anime can break the sound barrier after the boosters are spent and ejected from the main compartment. Tanya refers to the V-1 as a "one-way transport to Hell".

=Warships=

Bayern-class Battleship
Just as in real life, the Bayern-class was a class of super dreadnought battleships built by the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy). The ships from that class were 180 metres long and 30 metres wide. Each ship had 3 Parsons turbines and 14 boilers. The ship's maximum speed was at 21 knots. Each Bayern-class ship had an armament consisting of 4 two-barrelled guns (38 cm), 16 one-barrelled guns (15 cm), 2 anti-aircraft guns (8.8 cm), and 5 torpedo tubes (60 cm). In both the anime and the manga, the Bayern super dreadnoughts were the central pieces of the Imperial Northern Fleet that shelled enemy positions beyond the Orse Fjord ahead of troop landings.

Type 1936-class Destroyer
Also unusual for the World War I-like setting of the anime, the Type 1936-class destroyer is used by the Imperial Navy as the class of ships most widely used by the Northern Fleet. In real life, the Type 1936 destroyers saw service during World War II for the Kriegsmarine. The most probable explanation behind their appearance in the anime is the fact that Type 1936 destroyers took part in the 1940 Battles of Narvik, in which all but one were either sunk or scuttled.

Francois Republic=

=Small Arms=

Model 1892 Revolver
The Modèle 1892 is the standard issue revolver of Republican Army officers. In the real world, the Modèle 1892 is a solid frame revolver with the cylinder on a separate frame swinging right for manual reloading. The Modèle 1892 was first fielded in 1893 and was prominent among French military officers during the First World War, and later the French police until the mid-1960s. A mechanically tight and very well finished handgun, the Modèle 1892 fires 8mm rounds with a striking power equivalent to that of a .32 ACP round. It also features a smaller calibre than many other military revolvers of that time period.

Lebel Model 1886
Analogous to troops from the real-life French Third Republic, regular infantrymen from the Francois Republic are equipped with the Lebel Model 1886 rifle. The rifle itself revolutionized infantry small-arms by being the first service rifle to fire a smokeless cartridge, which dramatically increased the rifles effective range as well as better concealing the soldier.

The Lebel M1886 was the main French infantry rifle during the First World War, but it was already outclassed in other areas by its competitors. The Lebel was one of the longest and heaviest of the standard infantry rifles of WW1, making it less suitable for combat in trenches. it featured an unusual tubular magazine under the barrel, which provided a large capacity of 9+1 bullets, but it also meant that the Lebel was slower to reload than its stripper clip-fed competitors.

RSC M1917
Mages in the Francois Republic's Army use the RSC M1917 rifles as their primary weapons, often firing magic rounds out of them. In real life, the Fusil Automatique Modèle 1917 is a semi-automatic infantry rifle that was used by the French Army during World War I. The acronym RSC stands for the names of the weapon's 3 designers - Ribeyrolles, Sutter, and Chauchat. Developed in 1917 and produced until the end of World War I, it went into service with the French Army near the end of the war. The rifle was chambered in the same cartridge as the Lebel Model 1886, with which it shared some parts. With 86,000 rifles manufactured before production ended in 1918, the RSC 1917 was one of the first semi-automatic rifles to be adopted on such a large scale.

=Light Weapons=

Vickers Machine Gun
The Vickers Machine Gun is used by the Francois Republic Army as their primary support weapon. However in real-life, only the French Air Service (precursor to the current French Air Force) used the Vickers while French infantry used the Hotchkiss M1914 as the standard machine gun. During World War I, the Vickers gun was the British Army's standard machine gun since 1912. Based on the successful Maxim gun, Vickers improved the design of the Maxim gun after the Maxim company was bought by Vickers. Improvements include a reduced weight by lightening and simplifying the action, and substituted components made with high strength alloys. A muzzle booster was also added.

=Artillery=

Canon de 155mm GPF
The Francois Republic Army uses the Canon de 155 Grande Puissance Filloux (GPF) mle.1917 as its main heavy field gun. During the first half of the 20th Century, the gun was designed during World War I by Colonel Louis Filloux to meet France's urgent need for modern heavy artillery, and became the standard heavy field gun of the French Army from 1917 until World War II. It was also adopted by the United States as the M1917, and a close derivative of it was made in and used by the US as the M1918 through World War II.

=Aircraft=

Potez 650
Anachronistic Potez 650 planes were sent by the Francois Republic to airdrop Mages in assisting Republican partisans in the city of Arene. In the real world, the high-wing twin-engine Potez 650 was a French-built military transport monoplane that saw service in World War II. Derived from the Potez 62 airliner, the 650 was specifically built for paratrooper units. Neither the Potez 62 nor the Potez 650 were built until 1935 and 1937 respectively. The French military high-command did not have grandiose plans for paratroopers, hence only two paratrooper companies were formed, and only 15 Potez 650s were manufactured.

=Warships=

Bretagne-class Battleship
In real life, the Bretagne-class battleships were the first "super-dreadnoughts" built for the French Navy during the First World War. The ships from that class were 166 metres long and 26.9 metres wide at the beam. Each ship had a propulsion system made of steam turbines and 4 shafts. The ship's maximum speed was at 20 knots. Each Bretagne-class ship had an armament consisting of 10 Model 1912 guns (340 mm), 22 Model 1910 guns (138.6 mm), 4 QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss guns (47 mm), and 4 torpedo tubes (450 mm).

In the anime, a battleship of the Bretagne class is seen in the port of Brest, assisting in the evacuation of Republican soldiers and of the exiled government towards the colony of Malgeria. Notice that the battleship here is depicted in its original configuration before modifications were made during the real-life interwar period.

Allied Kingdom=

=Small Arms=

M1 Garand
The Entente Alliance mages use the M1 Garand rifle, an American rifle that saw service in the Second World War. This weapon is, along with a few others, do not fit the World War I theme of the anime. In real life, the M1 Garand is a .30 caliber semi-automatic rifle that was the standard U.S. service rifle during World War II and the Korean War and also saw limited service during the Vietnam War. Most M1 rifles were issued to U.S. forces, though many hundreds of thousands were also provided as foreign aid to American allies. The Garand is still used by drill teams and military honor guards.

M1897 Trench Gun
Anson Sioux uses an M1897 Trench Gun, a pump-action shotgun modified for military service. In real life, the trench gun saw use by the US military as a trench assault weapon during World War I. Interestingly, Tanya notes that the use of the weapon is a treaty violation. It's a reference to the real-world German protests that the gun caused unnecessary suffering because of the multiple pellets, even going as far as threatening to execute any American prisoners captured with the weapon. The Model 1897 Trench was a modification from an existing design to allow troops to have greater close-range firepower in trench warfare. The pre-existing Winchester Model 1897 was modified by adding a perforated steel heat shield over the barrel which protected the hand of the user from the barrel when it became over-heated, and an adapter with bayonet lug for affixing an M1917 bayonet. Unlike most modern pump-action shotguns, the Winchester Model 1897 fired each time the action closed with the trigger depressed (that is, it lacks a trigger disconnector). Because of its effectiveness, troops referred to it as a "trench sweeper".

Entente Alliance=

=Small Arms=

Swedish Mauser
Regular Entente Alliance infantrymen use Swedish Mauser rifles as their primary weapons. In real life, "Swedish Mausers" are a family of bolt-action rifles based on an improved variant of Mauser's earlier Model 1893, but using the 6.5×55mm cartridge, and incorporating unique design elements as requested by Sweden. All Swedish Mausers, whether built in Germany or Sweden, were fabricated using a Swedish-supplied high grade tool steel alloyed with nickel, copper, and vanadium, a product than noted for its strength and corrosion resistance.

M1 Garand
The Entente Alliance mages use the M1 Garand rifle, an American rifle that saw service in the Second World War. This weapon is, along with a few others, do not fit the World War I theme of the anime. In real life, the M1 Garand is a .30 caliber semi-automatic rifle that was the standard U.S. service rifle during World War II and the Korean War and also saw limited service during the Vietnam War. Most M1 rifles were issued to U.S. forces, though many hundreds of thousands were also provided as foreign aid to American allies. The Garand is still used by drill teams and military honor guards.

SIG MKMS
Anson Sioux is gifted a SIG MKMS submachine gun as an early Christmas present from his daughter, Mary Sioux. Tanya ends up taking it after defeating Anson over the fjord, and later uses it against her enemies. In real life, the SIG MKMS is a straight blowback action version of the SIG MKMO. The SIG MKMO was designed for the Swiss military. Only 1,228 of these guns were produced. It saw limited adoption by Swiss police departments and the Swiss Guard at the Vatican. Finland purchased approximately 282 of the original MKMO variant, which were used by several Finnish forces during the Continuation War.

=Light Weapons=

Lewis Gun Mk III
The bombers operated by the Allied Kingdom unit sent to support the Norden rebels are armed with twin Lewis Mk III machine guns in a forward turret for defensive armament, which they use to shoot down several mages. In real life, the Lewis Gun was a weapon widely used in the First World War by the British Commonwealth, both on land and as an aircraft armament, much like how it is depicted in the anime. The Mk III is the purpose built aircraft version of the Lewis. The cooling fins were omitted to save weight, and the protective shroud around the barrel was removed. The wooden stock was removed and replaced with a "spade" grip, which resembled the handle of a garden spade. A 97-round drum magazine was introduced which required a larger magazine spigot on the body of the gun.

=Artillery=

28 cm (11.0 in) Krupp cannon
The Entente Alliance set up a total of twenty 28 cm Krupp cannons to defend the Orse Fjord. Until the intervention of the Empire's 203rd Air Mage Battalion, the cannons alongside the narrow fjord, numerous islands, and the steep cliffs made up for a perfect defence against any navy. In real life, Norwegian forces used those cannons during the Battle of Drøbak Sound in April 1940 to protect Oscarborg Fortress, which was a natural point for the naval defence of Oslo. The gun battery and the torpedo battery at Oscarborg Fortress contributed to the sinking the German heavy cruiser Blücher on April 9, 1940.

=Aircraft=

Blériot 127
The Entente Alliance employed a squadron of Blériot 127. These bombers are of a twin-engine monoplane design, equipped with a forward twin Lewis Gun turret, as well as two turrets on the rear of the aircraft for engaging enemy fighters or mages. The aircraft also carries a large bomb load. In real life, the Blériot 127 was a French bomber used from 1929-1934. It was a large monoplane of conventional configuration that featured open gunner's positions in its nose and at the rear of its two underwing engine nacelles. The wing airfoil was of sufficient thickness that these latter positions could be accessed from the fuselage in flight.

Dakia Grand Duchy=

=Small Arms=

Roth–Steyr M1907
The Dakian officer who attempts fire on Tanya and her unit carries a Roth-Steyr M1907. In real life, the Roth-Steyr M1907 was an Austrian cavalry side-arm. The defining features of this pistol, designed by Karel Krnka, include the bulky barrel frame (the barrel must be fully enclosed as the pistol operates on long-recoil action principle), the oversized iron sights, the stripper-clip-fed fixed internal magazine (detachable magazines DO NOT HAVE LANYARD SLOTS), and the large tubular bolt handle where one would usually expect a firing hammer. Sadly, it appears that the Dakian officer hasn't realized that it takes more than 5 rounds of 8x18 Roth-Steyr to break through a magical ballistic barrier!

Mannlicher M1893
Dakian infantrymen use Mannlicher M1893 rifles as their primary weapons. In real life, it was the standard service rifle of the Kingdom of Romania from 1893 to 1938. The rifle (and its 1892 predecessor) were the first repeating rifles to be widely issued in the Romanian military. However unlike the Austrian-issued Mannlicher M1886, M1888, and M1895 straight-pull bolt-action rifles, the Romanian rifle had a conventional turn-bolt.

Rus Union=

=Artillery=

1938 Railway Gun TM-3-12
In episode 12, the Rus Union military deployed an anachronistic 1938 Railway Gun TM-3-12 on their Western border in anticipation of a war against the Empire. In real life, three TM-3-12 units were built by using Obukhovskii 12"/52 Pattern 1907 guns from the sunken battleship Imperatritsa Mariya. They were used in the Soviet-Finnish war in 1939-1940, especially in the defense of the Soviet naval base on Finland's Hanko peninsula. The guns were disabled by Soviet seamen when the base was evacuated, and were later restored by Finnish specialists using guns from the withdrawn Russian battleship Imperator Aleksandr III. After the war, these were handed over to the Soviet Union, which were maintained in operational condition until 1991. Withdrawn from service in 1999, they were the last Obukhov pieces still operational in the world.