# material help between Japan and the other Axis powers. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 24, 2014, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/material-help-between-japan-and-the-other-axis-powers/705519 "2014-11-24T20:47:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pdunderhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4bbf92/32.png) [@pdunderhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdunderhill)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/material-help-between-japan-and-the-other-axis-powers/705519/1 "2014-11-24T20:47:10Z")
Hello good people, to what extent did the major European Axis powers assist Japan during the Second World War, and vice-versa. It seems to me that distance and an over reliance on identical commodities, (Oil, Rubber Steel etc), would have prevented either side of the World being able to provide anything other than research help and the diversion of Allied efforts. So what did the Axis do to help itself? Peter ---
**Author:** ![pdunderhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4bbf92/32.png) [@pdunderhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdunderhill)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/material-help-between-japan-and-the-other-axis-powers/705519/2 "2014-11-24T21:23:21Z")
Quick recce through my brain turned up the story of U864, > **[German submarine U-864](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_submarine_U-864)** > > German submarine U-864 was a Type IXD2 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine in World War II. On 9 February 1945, she became the only submarine in history to be sunk by an enemy submarine while both were submerged. U-864 was sunk by the British submarine HMS Venturer, and all 73 men on board died. > German Type IXD2 submarines were considerably larger than the original Type IXs. U-864 had a displacement of 1,610 t (1,580 long tons) when at the surface and 1,799 t (1,771 long tons) while submerge... I sure this boat wasn’t the last, although it is the only example of one Submarine sinking another using a torpedo whilst both submerged, I digress. Peter ---
**Author:** ![Stinky\_Pete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Stinky\_Pete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stinky_Pete)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/material-help-between-japan-and-the-other-axis-powers/705519/3 "2014-11-25T00:51:20Z")
Japan and Germany/Italy did very little material support between each other. As you surmised in your post, the distances and risks made transfer of materials across the long distances very impractical. Right from the start Germany and Italy were blockaded by the very superior British navy from entering to the Atlantic Ocean. What could have helped the Japanese would have been Germany giving the plans for the manufacture of the excellent weapons they had. But still, retooling and converting the Japanese factories to new weapons may not have been practical in many cases. Also the consideration of national pride might have stalled Japan from switching over to foreign designs. Examples of weapons that were highly inferior in Japan would be their light machine guns and sub machine guns and anti-tank guns. Also the Japanese could really have used the German versions of the boozoka (panzerfaust and/or panzerschreck). Certainly by 1944 and even before that no surface ship had any real chance of travelling from Japan to German or vice versa. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Milton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6bbea6/32.png) [@Mr.Milton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Milton)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/material-help-between-japan-and-the-other-axis-powers/705519/4 "2014-11-25T17:04:27Z")
A number of submarines passed back and forth with very high value items, especially blueprints and technical samples. There were also a number of flights using German aircraft to Japan, but these were complicatred by the Japanese not wanting them to overfly the USSR, with whom they had (until the last days of the war) a non-agression treaty that, as the war went on, they could less and less afford to have abrogated. Before the war there were, as you would expect, some exchanges of material goods bertween Japan and the other Axis nations via normal shipping. Between September 1, 1939 (Germany attacks Poland, France and the UK declare war) and December 7, 1941 (Japan commences active hostilities against the western Allies), Japan could and was able to access German goods, even if it had to be through third parties. The Japanese Ki-61 was originally thought to be an Italian aircraft that had been somehow imported in quantity, hence the code name “Tony”. It did use a license built Daimler DB601 inline engine, like the Me109. Some in Alllied intelligence also thought them to be either imported or license built 109s. Certianly, many Ki-61s were armed with German made 20mm Mauser cannons. The fact that Allied intelligence intially believed the aircraft to be either German or Italian made says that it was believed that commerce between the two poles of the axis could take place. The Japanese also produced a close copy of the Me163 Komet rocket powered interceptor for both their Army and Navy right at the war’s end. ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/material-help-between-japan-and-the-other-axis-powers/705519/5 "2014-11-25T17:19:15Z")
Well, there was one [very fine Stradivarius violin!](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/arts/music/nejiko-suwa-and-joseph-goebbelss-gift.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0) ---
**Author:** ![pdunderhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4bbf92/32.png) [@pdunderhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdunderhill)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/material-help-between-japan-and-the-other-axis-powers/705519/6 "2014-11-25T22:06:25Z")
Thank you all, elucidation is ever at hand from the Dope, I’d always assumed a convergent but isolated weapons design between Japan and the other major Axis powers . A quickie if I may, what possible use could the Japanese have made of the ‘large’ quantity, according to Wiki, of Mercury intended for them. Peter ---
**Author:** ![pdunderhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4bbf92/32.png) [@pdunderhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdunderhill)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/material-help-between-japan-and-the-other-axis-powers/705519/7 "2014-11-25T22:15:42Z")
Meant to add to previous, an historical oddity is that the pre '45 Japanese Embassy in Berlin was located on Hiroshima Strasse, scratches head and gets coat! Peter