Type 95 Ha-Go light tank
Type 95 Ha-Gō | |
---|---|
Bell crank | |
Operational range | 209 kilometers[5] |
Maximum speed | 45 km/h (28 mph) on road[5] |
The Type 95 Ha-Gō (九五式軽戦車 ハ号, kyūgo-shiki kei-sensha Ha-Gō, also known as the Ke-Go making it the most numerous Japanese armoured fighting vehicle of the Second World War.
History and development
From early 1930s, the Japanese army began experimenting with a
The prototype of the tank was begun in 1933 and completed in June 1934 at the Army's Sagami Arsenal.[10] Initial tests were positive, but it was too heavy at 7.5 T (75,000 G) and was reworked to bring the weight down to 6.5 T (65,000 G).[11] Due to doubts by the infantry as to its capability for infantry support it was tested in Manchuria in the winter of 1934–1935.[10] The reports were favourable and a second prototype built, which was started in June and completed in November 1935.[12]
In 1935, at a meeting in the Army Technical Bureau, the Type 95 was proposed as the main tank for
The name was based on the year since the beginning of the Empire that the tank was produced; Type 2595. Sometimes a surname was used to supplement or replace the naming ideograms used for Japanese armored fighting vehicles. The Type 95 had the surname "Ha-Go" (third model) that was given by the designer of the tank, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.[16][17] Mitsubishi Heavy Industries started production of the tank in 1936. Mass production began in 1938 with the tank and parts made by several companies; besides Mitsubishi, that included, Niigata Tekkoshō, Dowa Jido Sho, Sagami Arsenal Kokura Rikugu Jiohei Sho and Ihesil.[18][19]
Design
The Type 95 was a 7.4-ton vehicle with a complement of 3 crewmen: a commander, a hull machine gunner, and a driver. Only the commander was seated in the turret, hence he was responsible for observation, loading, aiming, firing the main gun, as well as decision-making and commanding the crew.[5][20] The hand-operated turret was small and extremely cramped.
The primary armament of the most produced version was a Type 94 (1934) 37 mm tank gun (not to be confused with the Type 94 37 mm anti-tank gun introduced two years later) with a barrel length of 46.1[21] calibers. It elevated between −15 and +20 degrees. The tank carried two types of 37 mm ammunition, the high-explosive and armor-piercing. For the latter, muzzle velocity was 580 m/s (1,900 ft/s) and armor penetration was 36 mm (1.4 in) at a distance of 275 m (902 ft).[22]
Secondary armament was originally two 6.5 mm Type 91 machine guns, but these were replaced with two 7.7 mm
The most characteristic feature of the Type 95 tank was its simple
The Type 95 was fitted with a 120 hp (89.5 kW) Mitsubishi A6120VDe air-cooled 6-cylinder diesel engine. It was located in the rear compartment on the right side. The power unit gave it good mobility.[6] Some tanks were fitted with two reflectors in the front of the vehicle for night operations.
Variants
- Type 95 Ha-Go (early production)
- An early production version that differed from the most produced model by using less powerful armament: the main gun was 37 mm Type 94 with a barrel length of 36.7 calibers, muzzle velocity of 575 (1900 fps)[11][25]-600 m/s (2200 fps), and armor penetration[26] of 45 mm at 300 m (1.48 inches at 300 yards).[25] Secondary armament consisted of two Type 91 6.5 mm machine guns. Produced until 1937 with less than 100 made.[11] Used in Manchukuo and China. Of this variant, the very first production tanks used the older 110 hp (82 kW) Mitsubishi engine (as used in the Type 89 I-Go medium tank) and had a top speed of 25 mph (40 km/h).
- Type 95 Ha-Go (Hokuman version)
- Due to issues in Manchukuo with sorghum grass in fields getting trapped in the suspension/wheels, the wheel and suspension components were inverted with the addition of small wheels fitted to the bell-crank axis so the tanks could move freely through the grass. This modified version was used in the Battle for Nomohan. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Manchurian model".[27]
- Type 95 Ha-Go (later production)
- Among other improvements to the engine and main gun, the secondary armament was changed to two Type 97 7.7 mm machine guns, one in the rear section of the turret and one in the front hull.[6]
- Type 95 Ri-Ki crane vehicle
- The Type 95 Ri-Ki was a tracked engineering vehicle. At the rear of the chassis, it had a 3-ton 4.5 meter "boomed crane".[28]
- Type 95 So-Ki armored railroad car
- The Type 95 So-Ki was an
- Type 2 Ka-Mi amphibious tank
- This was the first amphibious tank produced in Japan and was intended for use by the Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces. The chassis was based on the Type 95 Ha-Go and its main armament was the same, a 37 mm tank gun. The pontoons were attached by a system of "small clips" with a release inside the tank, to be engaged once it landed for ground combat operations.[31] The Type 2 Ka-Mi was first used in combat on Guadalcanal in late 1942. Later they were encountered by the United States Marine Corps in the Marshall Islands and Mariana Islands, particularly on Saipan.[32] They were also used during the fighting on the Philippine island of Leyte in late 1944.[33] They were made in 1943–1944, with 182 completed.[34]
- Type 3 Ke-Ri prototype
- This was a proposed model with a Type 97 57 mm tank gun as the main armament in a modified turret. The chassis was the same as the Type 95 Ha-Go. The light tank had a weight of 7.4 tons and a crew of 3 men. It was determined that the turret was too cramped for the crewmen, once the main gun was installed. A small number of prototypes were produced, however, the design never got past the field-testing stage.[35]
- Type 4 Ke-Nu conversion
- A conversion that replaced the existing turret with the larger turret of
- Type 4 Ho-To prototype
- The Ho-To was a
- Type 5 Ho-Ru prototype
- The Ho-Ru was a light 47 mm main gun in a semi-enclosed casemate. The Type 5 Ho-Ru utilized the chassis of the Type 95 Ha-Go, but its suspension was enlarged to 350 mm track link width. There were two set rows of wheel guide pins, holding a road wheel between them. The sprocket of the driving wheel was the grating type to gear with the wheel guide pins like on the Soviet T-34. Development of the Type 5 Ho-Ru started in February 1945 with only one prototype being completed before the end of the war.[39][40]
Combat history
The tank was considered one of the best of its type in 1935, being armed with a 37 mm cannon, and powered by a diesel engine, a fuel considered by some to be superior due to its low volatility.[25][41][42][43][44] As with most armies in the 1930s the tank, and the light tank in particular, were used primarily to support infantry[45] or serve as cavalry reconnaissance and to a lesser extent, as raiding vehicles. Its speed was about 18 miles per hour (29 km/h) cross country, which was comparable to the M3 Stuart's 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) nearly six years later in 1941.[5][46] In armor, road speed, and weaponry, the Type 95 was far inferior to the (five years younger) American M3 Stuart light tanks, but the environment of the Philippines (where roads were sparse and tank engagements took place at near point blank range) largely minimized these disadvantages and allowed the Type 95 to be competitive, as its off-road speed and turret rotation were comparable.[34][47]
Type 95 proved sufficient against opposing infantry in campaigns in
Khalkhin Gol (Nomonhan) 1939
Under the mistaken belief that the
From the beginning of
On 2 July 1939, at approximately 6:10 pm, Col. Tamada's 4th Tank Regiment of more mobile Type 95 tanks
Japanese losses consisted of one Type 95 light tank, one officer and one enlisted man killed and eight wounded; the 4th Tank had expended approximately 1,100 37 mm and 129 57 mm tank shells, and 16,000 rounds of machine gun ammunition. After the action, the Soviet command acknowledged that 1st Tank Corps armor had reached the Soviet guns.[69]
Malaya, Burma and the Philippines, 1941 to 1942
The United States military had been operating in the Philippines since the
America's first clash of armor in World War II
On 6 June 1942, the Japanese 3rd
Against Australia
Two Type 95 tanks were deployed to support the Japanese landing at Milne Bay, New Guinea, in late August 1942. Initially, the tanks proved successful against the lightly armed Australian infantry, whose 'sticky bombs' failed to stick due to the humidity. Although the tanks had proved reliable in the tropical conditions of Malaya, they could not handle the volume of mud caused by intense, almost daily rainfall at Milne Bay. One tank was knocked out by a Boys anti-tank rifle and the other bogged down and was abandoned a few days after the landing.[80]
10-year-old warhorse
The Type 95 first began to show its vulnerability during later battles against British/Commonwealth forces, where the tank's 37 mm gun could not penetrate the armor of the British
In August 1942, the US launched its first counter-offensive against Japan, when it
During the
China-Burma-India theater of operations
In 1942 the IJA pushed through Southeast Asia, through Thailand and into
In the Battle of Hukawng Valley, Type 95s of the 18th Division were joined by remnants of the 14th Tank Division. They were met with the offensive launched by the India-based Nationalist Chinese Army but the Japanese troops were virtually annihilated with the rest of the division as only 1,700 out of the 12,000 strong Chrysanthemum Division managed to break out.[89]
When the M4 Sherman became available for the British to use in the North Africa campaign, they were able to transfer their M3 Medium tanks to India and Burma,[90] which by then had become obsolete in the fighting in Europe, but the Type 95 was outclassed by these M3 tanks. When the war ended in 1945 and Japan capitulated, many Type 95s were left behind in China. They were used on both the Nationalist and Communist sides during the Chinese Civil War. After the Communists' victory in 1949, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) continued to use them in their inventory.[91][92]
Manchuria and the Kuril Islands
Although tank brigades equipped with the Type 95 were present during the 1945 Soviet invasion of Manchuria, the war ended before the Red Army had engaged their main formations. The only use of the Type 95 in any numbers against Soviet forces was at the Battle of Shumshu during the Invasion of the Kuril Islands, when shortly before the Japanese surrender had been finalized, they formed part of an armored force which unsuccessfully attacked the Soviet beach head but was defeated by their anti-tank guns.[93]
Usage after the war
Survivors
-
Type 95 Ha-Go on display at the now-defunctUnited States Army Ordnance Museum
-
The Australian War Memorial's Type 95 during restoration in 2012
-
Type 95 on display at the Battery Randolf US Army Museum, Honolulu
A number of Type 95 Ha-Go tanks have been preserved at museums around the world. In 2007, the Oregon Military Museum sponsored the complete reconstruction of a Type 95 light tank. The tank is no longer operational, however, as the original engine encountered mechanical issues and lost oil pressure during a test drive. A second running Type-95 recovered from a Pacific island and restored largely in Poland is currently on loan to the Tank Museum at Bovington UK by its private owner. Following restoration and public debut at Bovington Tankfest 2019 this vehicle has been sold to a Japanese buyer and will be returned to Japan for presentation and public display once the COVID-19 situation permits.[94]
- Australian War Memorial, Australia[95][96]
- Cavalry Tank Museum, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India[97]
- Central Armed Forces Museum, Moscow, Russia
- Two at Patriot Park, Moscow, Russia
- Museum of the Great Patriotic War, Moscow, Russia
- Adisorn Cavalry Centre, Saraburi, Thailand
- The National Memorial, Bangkok, Thailand
- Reserve Affairs Center, Thailand
- Surasakmontree Army Camp, Lampang, Thailand
- Australian Armour and Artillery Museum, Australia
- The Tank Museum, Bovington, United Kingdom[98]
- Indiana Military Museum, United States
- National Armor & Cavalry Museum, Fort Benning, United States
- One intact vehicle and one wreck at the Oregon Military Museum, United States
- U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii, United States
- United States Army Ordnance Museum, United States
- Vadim Zadorozhny Museum of Technology, Moscow Oblast, Russia
- Sakhalin Regional Museum, Sakhalin Island, Russia
- Cavalry Tank Museum, Maharashtra, India
- National Defence Studies Institute, Bangkok, Thailand
- Reserves Training Center Territorial Defense Department, Bangkok, Thailand
- 4th Cavalry Regiment Phichai Dab Hak Camp, Uttaradit, Thailand
- Phitsanulok Airport, Phitsanulok, Thailand
- Weerathai Monument, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand
- National Museum Of The Pacific War, Texas, United States
- Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum, Washington, United States
- Type 95 Ri-Ki at Kubinka Tank Museum, Russia
- Two hulls at Kokopo War Museum, Rabaul, Papua New Guinea
In addition to the examples detailed above, a replica of the Type 95 is exhibited at the National Museum of Singapore. The model was originally one of four models constructed for Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's 2010 mini-series, The Pacific.[99]
Operators
- The primary operator, with both the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) and the Imperial Japanese Navy.
- Kingdom of Thailand
- In 1940, the Royal Thai Army acquired approximately 50 Type 95s from Japan. A number of them spearheaded the Thai invasionof Burma's Shan states during the Second World War, at the time when Thailand was aligned with Japan. Following World War II, these tanks continued service with Thailand until decommissioned.
- Some Type 95s were used for training from 1943 to 1945.[100]
- Captured from Japan and used by National Revolutionary Army (NRA) in the Chinese Civil War (from 1946 to 1949).
- People's Republic of China
- The
- Using leftover Japanese military equipment from the Japanese invasion of French Indochina, an ad-hoc unit of French and Japanese armour called the 'Commando Blindé du Cambodge' was created and this unit participated in the early stages of the First Indochina War.[101]
Notes
- ^ Hunnicutt states that the British M3s were destroyed (to prevent enemy use) during the British retreat, however the photo on page 397 shows them intact. Likewise, Zaloga states that some were ultimately "re-used" by the enemy.
Citations
- ^ "兵器臨時定価、予価、表送付の件 Military catalogue of the Japanese military". National Archives of Japan. Ministry of the Army.
- ^ "Banking and Monetary Statistics, 1914-1941, Part I". Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.). January 1943 [1943].
- ^ a b c Zaloga 2007, pp. 10, 17.
- ^ a b c d Tomczyk 2002, p. 74.
- ^ a b c d e f g Zaloga 2007, p. chart D.
- ^ a b c d e Tomczyk 2002, p. 67.
- ^ Tomczyk 2002, p. 64.
- ^ Zaloga 2008, pp. 16, 18.
- ^ Taki's Imperial Japanese Army: The Development of Imperial Japanese Tanks: "Type 95 Light Tank"
- ^ a b Hara 1973, p. 7.
- ^ a b c History of War: Type 95 Ha-Go Light Tank
- ^ Hara 1973, p. 8.
- ^ Zaloga 2007, p. 7.
- ^ Coox 1985, pp. 154, 157.
- ^ Report on Type 92 from September 1945 issue of Intelligence Bulletin
- ^ Tomczyk 2002, pp. 19, 64.
- ^ Hara 1972, pp. 22–24.
- ^ Zaloga 2007, pp. 9, 10.
- ^ Tomczyk 2002, pp. 64, 66.
- ^ Tomczyk 2002, pp. 67, 74.
- ^ "Type 95 Ha-Go5, Type 95 Ke-Go5, Type 3 Ke-Ri, Type 4 Ke-Nu, Type 5 Ke-Ho". WWII Vehicles.com.
- ^ US Department of War. Japanese Tank and Anti-Tank Warfare (PDF). Washington D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. p. 80. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-11-16.
- ^ Hara 1972, pp. 15–17.
- ^ U.S. War Department "Japanese Light Tank" Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 31, August 12, 1943.
- ^ a b c d War Department, TM-E 30-480 pp. IX-183, 184
- ^ a b Coox 1985, p. 433.
- ^ Tomczyk 2002, pp. 67, 71–72.
- ^ Taki’s Imperial Japanese Army: Type 95 Crane Vehicle "Ri-Ki"
- ^ Zaloga 2008b, p. 24.
- ^ Taki’s Imperial Japanese Army: Type 95 Armored Railroad Car "So-Ki"
- ^ Zaloga 2007, p. 23.
- ^ Tomczyk 2003, pp. 29, 30.
- ^ Tomczyk 2003, p. 30.
- ^ a b Zaloga 2007, p. 17.
- ^ History of War: Type 3 Ke-Ri
- ^ History of War: Type 4 Ke-Nu
- ^ Taki’s Imperial Japanese Army: Type 4 Light Tank "Ke-Nu"
- ^ Zaloga 2007, p. 20.
- ^ Zaloga 2007, pp. 19, 20.
- ^ Taki’s Imperial Japanese Army: Type 5 47mm SP Gun "Ho-Ru"
- ^ a b Zaloga 2007, p. 3.
- ^ Coox 1985, pp. 437, 993.
- ^ a b Goldman p. 123
- ^ Zaloga 1999, p. 40.
- ^ Zaloga 2008, pp. 15, 16, 18.
- ^ Zaloga 1999, p. chart D.
- ^ Zaloga 1999, p. 41.
- ^ Zaloga 2007, p. 12.
- ^ Zaloga 2007, pp. 16, 18.
- ^ Zaloga 2007, pp. 15, 33.
- ^ Coox 1985, pp. 287, 353, 368, 369.
- ^ Coox 1985, p. 353.
- ^ Coox 1985, p. 350.
- ^ Coox 1985, p. 251.
- ^ a b Coox 1985, p. 641, notation #23.
- ^ Coox 1985, p. 1089.
- ^ Coox 1985, p. 318.
- ^ Coox 1985, p. 309.
- ^ Coox 1985, p. 437.
- ^ Coox 1985, p. 362.
- ^ Coox 1985, p. 370.
- ^ Coox 1985, p. 371.
- ^ Coox 1985, p. 381.
- ^ Coox 1985, p. 383.
- ^ Coox 1985, p. 385.
- ^ Coox 1985, p. 394.
- ^ Coox 1985, p. 386.
- ^ Coox 1985, p. 387.
- ^ Coox 1985, p. 395.
- ^ Horner, David (1995). "The Gunners: A History of Australian Artillery". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942.
- ^ Zaloga 2007, pp. 15, 17.
- ^ a b Zaloga 2007, p. 15.
- ^ Zaloga 2007, pp. 16, 17.
- ^ Zaloga 2007, pp. 15, 16.
- ^ a b Foss 2003a.
- ^ Hunnicutt 1992, p. 395.
- ^ Hunnicutt 1992, p. 478.
- ^ Zaloga 2008, pp. 229, 230.
- ISBN 1875560157.
- ^ Zaloga 1999, p. 15.
- ^ Hunnicutt 1992, p. 475.
- ^ Zaloga 2007, p. 34.
- ^ Zaloga 2007, pp. 34, 35.
- ^ Zaloga 2007, p. 35.
- ^ Zaloga 2007, pp. 34–40.
- ^ Hunnicutt 1992, p. 396.
- ^ Zaloga 2007, p. 40.
- ^ 1937 China
- ^ Zaloga 2008, pp. 30, 31.
- ^ a b c Zaloga 2007, p. 42.
- ^ a b Tomczyk 2007, pp. 19, 22.
- ^ Zaloga 2007, p. 41.
- ^ "RARE WW2 JAPANESE TANK TO RUN AT TANKFEST 2019". The Tank Museum. Retrieved 2019-03-14.
- ^ Australian War Memorial Japanese Ha-Go Tank conservation
- ^ Australian War Memorial Japanese Ha-Go tank conservation - Part two
- ^ Museum-Inventory
- ^ "Type 95 Light Tank HA-GO (E1951.41)"
- ^ "The National Museum of S'pore opens revamped permanent galleries this weekend". TODAYonline. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
- ISSN 1765-0828.
- ^ Dunstan, Vietnam Tracks: Armor in Battle 1945-1975, pp. 10–11.
References
- ISBN 0-8047-1160-7.
- Foss, Christopher (2003a). Great Book of Tanks: The World's Most Important Tanks from World War I to the Present Day. Zenith Press. ISBN 0-7603-1475-6.
- Foss, Christopher (2003b). Tanks: The 500. Crestline. ISBN 0-7603-1500-0.
- Goldman, Stuart D. (2012). Nomonhan, 1939; The Red Army's Victory That Shaped World War II. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-329-1.
- Hara, Tomio (1972). Japanese Medium Tanks. AFV Weapons Profiles No. 49. Profile Publications Limited.
- Hara, Tomio (1973). Japanese Combat Cars, Light Tanks, and Tankettes. AFV Weapons Profile No. 54. Profile Publications Limited.
- Hunnicutt, Richard (1992). Stuart, A History of the American Light Tank Volume 1. Novato, California: Presidio Press. ISBN 0-89141-462-2.
- Handbook on Japanese Military Forces, TM-E 30-480 (1945). TM-E 30-480. War Department.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - L, Klemen (2000). "Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942".
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- Tomczyk, Andrzej (2007) [2002]. Japanese Armor Vol. 2. AJ Press. ISBN 978-8372371119.
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- Zaloga, Steven J. (2007). Japanese Tanks 1939–45. Osprey. ISBN 978-1-8460-3091-8.
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