The Eight Hundred (Chinese: 八佰, Bābǎi) is a 2020 Chinese war movie, a dramatization of the Defense of Sihang Warehouse during the Battle of Shanghai between Chinese National Revolutionary Army and Japanese invasion forces in 1937.
At the climax of the three-month long Battle of Shanghai in November 1937, 452 Chinese soldiers of the 524th Regiment, 88th Division under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Xie Jinyuan are assigned to a rearguard defensive action as the National Revolutionary Army begins to withdraw from urban Shanghai. Opposing them are an estimated 20,000 Japanese soldiers. What follows is four days of brutal fighting and an epic defense that delivered a much-needed morale boost to the Chinese forces during some of the darkest days of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
The following weapons were used in the film The Eight Hundred:
The main rifle of National Revolutionary Army soldiers is the Type Zhongzheng Rifle. At least one soldier uses a scoped rifle with a turned-down bolt handle.
Chinese volunteers decimated by the Japanese at the film's beginning use Hanyang 88 rifles. This weapon is visible throughout the movie, but it is clearly not the most used.
Imperial Japanese Army soldiers and sailors use the famous Arisaka Type 38, often seen fitted with bayonets and dust covers covering the bolt during combat. Some NRA soldiers use captured rifles as well.
A Chinese civilian uselessly shoots at Japanese machine guns with a double rifle with exposed hammers when Chinese troops are under fire. Alas, his weapon lacks the effective range to harm or at the very least suppress the Japanese gunners. It may possibly be a Holland & Holland Double Rifle.
British soldiers protecting the British concession area carry the Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk III, but the rifles are clearly mock-ups probably made from a Mauser-type rifle, judging by the straight bolt handle and the breech which is not characteristic for a real Lee-Enfield, along with the uncharacteristic stock.
The Type 24 Heavy Machine Gun is used by the Chinese to defend the warehouse from planes. But the soldiers don't cool the barrel, which finally explodes. During the real battle, a total of four Type 24s were available to the defenders- which ended up being the only heavy weapons they had at their disposal after a promised mortar platoon never materialized.
The Nambu Type 14 is briefly seen in the hands of Japanese infiltrators during the night raid. The large trigger guard denotes this is a post-1939 production model, therefore making the mode anachronistic by almost two years.
The Model 24 Stielhandgranate is widely used against the Japanese. When the situation becomes desperate, many NRA soldiers commit suicide attacks with many grenades tied to them.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingModel 24 Stielhandgranate high-explosive fragmentation hand grenadeError creating thumbnail: File missingA soldier receiving orders has his grenades affixed to his webbing.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA suicide bomber squad with a large number a grenade tied over their bodies stand ready to break the assault.Error creating thumbnail: File missingOne suicide bomber asks for his comrade to tie the impressive bunch of grenades to his back. Note the German inscriptions.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA Chinese soldier closes his eyes as his grenades prepares to go off, incinerating himself and several Japanese soldiers attempting to breach the warehouse in the proximity. During the actual battle, a Chinese soldier (usually attributed to Chen Shusheng, a second-in-command of a machine gun company) killed twenty Japanese soldiers in exchange for his own life with a similar configuration depicted in the movie.
Type 97 Hand Grenade
Type 97 hand grenade is obviously used by the Imperial Japanese Army. To protect from the explosions, the Chinese soldiers dig holes to push live grenades into. An NRA soldier is seen carrying some grenades.
Fired from mortars, the Imperial Japanese Army use this unknown model of grenade against NRA troops. It diffuses gas into the warehouse and Chinese soldiers refer to it as mustard gas, but as the foreign concessions are close, it is more probable that it's tear gas or something similar.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe soldiers react in terror when they see gas grenade enter the warehouse. The grenade quickly rotates on itself to diffuse a yellowish gas.
Flamethrower
Type 93/100 Flamethrower
The Type 93 / 100 Flamethrower. The brothers use the tank of a captured Japanese Type 93/100 flamethrower to destroy an improvised armored vehicle. Later, another soldier uses it briefly against Japanese soldiers.
A pair of Type 97 machine guns are mounted on Mitsubishi A5M fighters to strafe both Chinese soldiers and in a pilot's fit of rage, against civilians in the International Zone.
