The Eight Hundred

The Eight Hundred 八佰 English Movie Poster Country China Directed by Guan Hu Release Date 2020 Language Chinese Main Cast Character Actor Lao Hulu Huan Zhi-zhong Little Hubei Zhang Junyi Duan Wu Hao Hu Lao Tie Jiang Wu Lao Suanpan Zhang Yi

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:

WARNING! THIS PAGE CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Rifles and Carbine

Type Zhongzheng rifle

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.

Type Zhongzheng rifle - 7.92x57mm Mauser

Type Zhongzheng rifle with turned-down Kar98k style bolt handle - 7.92x57mm Mauser

Chinese deserters are used to carry numerous rifles in the warehouse.

In this scene, cloth-wrapped sticks have been inserted into the muzzles to prevent rainwater from entering the barrel.

During the night attack, Chinese soldiers push back Japanese troops. Some soldiers use their rifles with a flashlight in hand.

An officer firing at very close Japanese.

An approaching Japanese soldier is shot down.

A honor guard with fixed bayonets fires a salute into the air for their fallen fellow soldiers.

A Chinese sniper with his scoped rifle.

The turned-down bolt handle is clearly visible.

Hanyang 88

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.

Hanyang 88 - 7.92x57mm Mauser

A Chinese volunteer falls in front of a Japanese soldiers' funeral. He is carrying two rifles.

Sounding the alarm!

Arisaka Type 38

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.

Arisaka Type 38 rifle - 6.5x50mm Arisaka

Japanese soldier running with his Arisaka, fitted with a bayonet and a hinomaru yosegaki (a good luck flag).

Columns of Imperial soldiers storming the warehouse.

An NRA soldier reloading his captured rifle...

...and firing again at Japanese.

Japanese soldiers firing their Arisakas during the night attack.

Double Rifle

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.

Holland & Holland 'Royal' Double Rifle (Mfd. 1920) - .375 H&H Magnum (flanged)

The civilian loading his rifle.

And fire. Not sure that the soldiers realize that he is shooting at them. Note the high-profile rear sights typical of double-barreled rifles.

Mocked-up Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk III

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.

Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk III - .303 British

A soldier checks the papers of European and Chinese civilians fleeing the coming battle. Per the terms of neutrality the Shanghai International Settlement must abide by, Chinese soldiers are refused entry.

A British soldier aiming his rifle at very efficient Japanese snipers.

During the finale, a soldier commits an act of war by voluntarily firing at Japanese troops.

Machine guns

ZB-26

True to life, the principal support weapon used by the NRA troops is the ZB-26.

ZB26 Light Machine Gun - 7.92x57mm

The ZB-26 fires from the roof at approaching enemies.

Trying to shoot down planes.

The men of the 524th finally destroy a plane attacking their position. During the real battle, the Japanese launched several attempted bombing runs on the warehouse, but no bombs were actually dropped due to anti-aircraft fire from the defenders and fear of accidentally hitting the foreign concessions. Similarly, there is no record of any aircraft being shot down during the course of the siege.

Impressive muzzle flash during the final battle.

Type 11 Light Machine Gun

Imperial Japanese Army troops use the Type 11 light machine gun.

Type 11 Light Machine Gun - 6.5x50mm Arisaka.

Japanese gunners shooting at the Chinese with a Type 11.

Another Type 11.

Type 24 Heavy Machine Gun

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.

Type 24 Heavy Machine Gun - 7.92x57mm Mauser

Muzzle of the Type 24.

The Type 24 is used for AA duty.

Having suffered nearly unending sustained fire, the barrel explodes.

Pistols

Mauser C96

A Chinese officer uses a Mauser C96 to goad his own men to execute Japanese POWs.

Mauser C96 - 7.63x25mm Mauser

C96 Carbine

The oldest brother carries a Mauser C96 in a carbine configuration, but it is never seen fired.

Mauser C96 Carbine with slab-sided receiver and aperture rear sight - 7.63x25mm Mauser

Nambu Type 14

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.

Late Nambu Type 14 - 8x22mm Nambu

During a struggle underwater, a Japanese infiltrator kills his enemy with a Nambu Type 14.

A infiltrator kills an enemy before being shot down.

Grenades

Model 24 Stielhandgranate

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.

Model 24 Stielhandgranate high-explosive fragmentation hand grenade

A soldier receiving orders has his grenades affixed to his webbing.

A suicide bomber squad with a large number a grenade tied over their bodies stand ready to break the assault.

One suicide bomber asks for his comrade to tie the impressive bunch of grenades to his back. Note the German inscriptions.

A 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.

Type 97 Hand Grenade

A wounded Japanese sailor tries to kill an officer in a last stand with a Type 97 grenade.

A grenade pushed into a protection hole.

Gas Grenade

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.

The 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 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.

Type 93 Flamethrower

A Type 93/100 flamethrower. It is identified by the two lateral tanks, which is actually one complete tank.

The brothers take the smallest tank to make an improvised fire bomb.

The eccentric soldier takes the flamethrower.

Same soldier near the end. We can also see that he is carrying Type 97 hand grenade.

Type 97 Aircraft Machine Gun

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.

A Japanese pilot orients his A5M2 towards the warehouse in preparation of a strafing run.

Another pilot, having lost his composure, fires his guns at not just the soldiers, but also civilians on the other side of the creek.

Other

2 cm Flak 30

A 2cm FlaK 30 is stationed on the roof of the warehouse.

2 cm Flugabwehrkanone (FlaK 30) - 20x138mmB

NRA soldiers trying to shoot down an enemy Mitsubishi A5M fighter with a Flak 30.

A soldier manning the AA gun at the film conclusion.

Satchel bomb

Japanese soldiers attempt to destroy the warehouse with satchel bombs, but their attempt is halted by a suicide bomber.

A satchel bomb in position.

A pile of satchel bombs.