The
Initial tank procurement
Near the end of World War I, the IJA showed an interest in armored warfare and tanks and obtained a variety of models from foreign sources. These models included one British Heavy Mk IV and six
Trials with these vehicles were successful, and the IJA decided to establish an armored force in 1925, planning to form three light tank
The IJA also purchased several
Doctrine
Having adopted the French-designed tanks, Japan was also influenced by French doctrine in armor design and employment, just as the Americans and Italians had been before them. As with many other nations, the Japanese viewed the tank as a tool largely used to directly support infantry units, and were rarely allowed independent action. During the
With their defeat by the
In addition, the terrain of
Japanese designs
For both security and logistical reasons, many engineers in the Japanese Army Technical Bureau during the early 1920s were adamant that future tanks should be made in Japan. General Suzuki (chief of the Technical Bureau) protested the Ministry of War decision to purchase foreign designs, which ultimately led to that decision being reversed.
However, indigenous design and production of armored vehicles would prove to be difficult, due to minimal experience with military motor vehicle design (the engineers had only designed several types of
Type 87 Chi-I medium tank
Development of the first Japanese-designed tank began in June 1925. A team of four engineers in the motorcar group of the Technical Bureau participated in the development, including a young army officer,
Hara designed a bell crank scissors suspension which paired the bogie wheels and connected them to a coil spring mounted horizontally outside the hull. This suspension became standard on the majority of Japanese tanks and can be seen on the Type 89 medium tank.
The design was completed in May 1926 and production was ordered to begin at the
Along with the Osaka Army Arsenal, Sagami Army Arsenal was also assigned to oversee the design and manufacture of assorted types of armored vehicles and tanks.
Type 89 Chi-Ro medium tank
The IJA decided that the Type 87 was too heavy at 18 tons and too slow to be used as its main tank, and the Type 89 Chi-Ro was developed to overcome these shortcomings. The new design weighed 12.8 tons and used stronger and lighter steel plate instead of the Type 87's iron armor. Armament was a Type 90 57 mm gun, along with one (later two) Type 91 6.5 mm
Type 95 Ha-Go light tank
The Type 95 Ha-Go was a replacement for the Type 89 medium tank which was considered too slow for mechanized warfare. The prototypes were built by Mitsubishi and production was started in 1935, with over 2000 completed by the end of the war. It was armed with a 37 mm main gun and two 7.7 mm (0.303 inch) machine guns, one in the turret rear and the other hull-mounted. The Type 95 weighed 7.4 tons and had three crewmen. It served throughout the Pacific Theater, including China and on many Pacific islands, such as Guadalcanal, the Marianas, and Iwo Jima. Several variants were built, among them the Type 3 Ke-Ri, which mounted a 57 mm Model 97 gun, the Ta-Se, an anti-aircraft tank which mounted a 20mm AA gun, and the Type 5 Ho-Ru, a self-propelled gun similar to the German
Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tank
Some 3,000 examples of the Type 97 Chi-Ha were produced by Mitsubishi, including several types of specialized tanks. Initial versions were armed with a low-velocity 57 mm gun, but from 1942 onwards, the Model 97 was armed with a high-velocity 47 mm cannon, mounted in a larger turret taken from the Type 1 Chi-He medium tank (see below). This version was designated Shinhoto Chi-Ha ("new turret") and is considered by many to be one of the best Japanese tank designs of the war.
Type 1 Chi-He medium tank
The Type 1 Chi-He was developed in 1942 to replace the Type 97. The newer tank proved to be superior to the Type 97 in both speed and armor protection, but due to the rapid pace of events, the Japanese Army had shown little interest in this new tank. The turret and 47 mm gun of the Type 1 could be mounted on the hull of the Type 97 (creating the Shinhoto Chi-Ha version) and the factories were already mass-producing the older tank. Production of the Chi-He started in 1944, but was discontinued after less than one year in favor of the Type 3 Chi-Nu medium tank.
Type 3 Chi-Nu medium tank
The Type 3 Chi-Nu medium tank was urgently developed to counter the American
O-I superheavy tank
The O-I experimental superheavy tank had three turrets and weighed 120 tons, and required a crew of 11 men. It was 10 meters long by 4.2 meters wide with an overall height of 4 meters. The armor was 200 mm at its maximum, and the tank had a top speed of 25 km/h. This version had two gasoline engines, and was armed with 1 x 105 mm cannon, 1 x Type 1 37 mm (in a forward-mounted sub-turret), and 3 x Type 97 7.7 mm machine guns (one mounted in a forward sub-turret) while an ultraheavy version also mounted a Type 1 37 mm in a rear-facing sub-turret. It has been reported the one copy of the O-I was manufactured before the end of the war and was shipped to Manchuria, according to an engineer concerned with the project. [ [http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/japan/japan-exp.html Tanks! Armored Warfare Prior to 1946] ] No images of the O-I have been found, only some drawings are known to exist.
Amphibious tanks
Japan produced several amphibious tank designs, including the Type 1 Mi-Sha,
Overall production
In the period between 1931 and 1938 the Japanese built nearly 1,700 new tanks, making them the 4th largest tank producer in the world at that time.Fact|date=February 2007 The peak of Japanese tank production was in 1942, but declined afterwards owing to war material priorities. By 1937, Japan fielded 1,060 tanks in 8 regiments. Japan developed many experimental and operative armored vehicles and tank types throughout the war.
German-influenced variants
Throughout the war Germany supplied blueprints, technological support, and some examples of their tanks to Japan in accordance with the
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References
Books
*cite book|last=Steven J. Zaloga|first=Peter Bull|title=Japanese Tanks 1939-45|publisher=Osprey Publishing|year=2007|id=ISBN 1846030919
Notes
External Links
* [http://www3.plala.or.jp/takihome/yi-go.htm Imperial Japanese Army Page - Akira Takizawa]
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