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Light Tanks in Japanese Service
Type 92 Heavy Combat Car, "Ju-Sokosha"
The Type 92 Heavy Combat Car owes its existence to a loophole in Japanese
military law. During the First World War, armored cars in the IJA had been
assigned to the command and control of the cavalry, while tanks had been
assigned to the control of the infantry.
As a result, when Japan began to seriously investigate the possibility of
acquiring a large tank fleet in the late nineteen-twenties, a feud developed
among the generals of the infantry and cavalry branches regarding whom
would control the new armor formations. The Imperial Cavalry, usually the loser
when it came to allocating new equipment, decided that it would circumvent
the debate all-together by producing a new tank classified as a "heavy combat
car" by means of a retractable set of road wheels with removable tracks which
would, technically, fit it into the category of "armored car" rather than as a tank.
The result was a fast tank developed to support the cavalry formations, the
Type 92 Heavy Combat Car, or "Ju-Sokosha". By 1932, when the Ju-Sokosha
was first ready for field service, it had undergone a number of modifications
effectively removing the retractable road wheels entirely, but the classification
stuck, and the cavalry had its own light tank.
The first examples of the Type 92, complete with new Hara suspensions, saw
field service in 1933. They were equipped with one hull mounted LMG and one
turret mounted MMG, and crewed by three. Armor protection was light, but it
was in fact superior to the Type 89 Chi-Ro, simultaneously being developed, in
possessing an all-welded construction. It was, in fact, one of the first such
vehicles to have an all-welded construction, and gained international acclaim for
this reason.
While not well suited to service against other armored vehicles owing to a lack
of armor penetration, the Type 92 was quite helpful to the cavalry. Only one
serious problem developed, an unreliable drive train, which was soon stripped
out and replaced with a more efficient model which gave no further trouble. The
two versions can be distinguished in that the second version had large, spoked,
rubber-tired road wheels. It served with remarkable resilience in China, and
was in fact so popular that it was eventually adapted for use as an amphibious
model, resulting in the development of the slightly modified Type 92 A-I-GO,
which never went beyond the prototype phase.
The Type 92 Heavy Combat Car owes its existence to a loophole in Japanese
military law. During the First World War, armored cars in the IJA had been
assigned to the command and control of the cavalry, while tanks had been
assigned to the control of the infantry.
As a result, when Japan began to seriously investigate the possibility of
acquiring a large tank fleet in the late nineteen-twenties, a feud developed
among the generals of the infantry and cavalry branches regarding whom
would control the new armor formations. The Imperial Cavalry, usually the loser
when it came to allocating new equipment, decided that it would circumvent
the debate all-together by producing a new tank classified as a "heavy combat
car" by means of a retractable set of road wheels with removable tracks which
would, technically, fit it into the category of "armored car" rather than as a tank.
The result was a fast tank developed to support the cavalry formations, the
Type 92 Heavy Combat Car, or "Ju-Sokosha". By 1932, when the Ju-Sokosha
was first ready for field service, it had undergone a number of modifications
effectively removing the retractable road wheels entirely, but the classification
stuck, and the cavalry had its own light tank.
The first examples of the Type 92, complete with new Hara suspensions, saw
field service in 1933. They were equipped with one hull mounted LMG and one
turret mounted MMG, and crewed by three. Armor protection was light, but it
was in fact superior to the Type 89 Chi-Ro, simultaneously being developed, in
possessing an all-welded construction. It was, in fact, one of the first such
vehicles to have an all-welded construction, and gained international acclaim for
this reason.
While not well suited to service against other armored vehicles owing to a lack
of armor penetration, the Type 92 was quite helpful to the cavalry. Only one
serious problem developed, an unreliable drive train, which was soon stripped
out and replaced with a more efficient model which gave no further trouble. The
two versions can be distinguished in that the second version had large, spoked,
rubber-tired road wheels. It served with remarkable resilience in China, and
was in fact so popular that it was eventually adapted for use as an amphibious
model, resulting in the development of the slightly modified Type 92 A-I-GO,
which never went beyond the prototype phase.
Type 95 Ha-Go
The most commonly produced and utilized of all Japan's armored vehicles, more
than thirteen hundred Type 95 tanks had been produced by the time production
was officially complete in 1943. The Ha-Go was typically known by the name
Ha-Go to most soldiers (this was the name given by Mitsubishi), but the army's
official name for the Type 95 was "Kyu-Go", and many miniatures and model
manufacturers refer to it by that name.
The Type 95 was developed partly as a response to the Type 92, and partly
because of an agreement between the infantry and cavalry branches of the
Army that greater cooperation would be necessary for armored operations to
succeed. Encounters with Chinese armor had proven that an effective anti-tank
platform was needed, fast enough to keep up with the Army and more easily
produced than the Type 89.
The Type 95 Ha-Go was equipped with the Hara suspension, a 37mm anti-tank
gun, one rear mounted turret LMG, and one hull LMG. The crew of the vehicle
was three, with the commander acting as loader in an extremely cramped turret.
The weapon was primarily welded, but some components were riveted. Armor
protection was not particularly good, but ballistics tested showed that the
Ha-Go was actually better protected than the Type 97 Chi-Ha, owing to its
smaller size, lower target profile, and greater quantity of welded armor plate.
These tests may have played a role in the development of the all-welded Type
1 Chi-He, but there is very little evidence either way.
In many respects, the Ha-Go was a superb little vehicle. It was fast,
mechanically reliable, and had amazing endurance. The 35mm anti-tank gun
mounted by the Ha-Go was actually superior to the 57mm gun carried by the
Type 97 Chi-Ha, in that it had been specifically designed for the anti-tank role,
while the gun of the Type 97's 57mm had been developed originally as an
anti-infantry platform.
In 1944, when one of Japan's infantry divisons requested armor support for the
ongoing Burma offensive, a platoon of Type 95 tanks was sent directly from
Siam. So desperately were these needed that they drove the entire distance
and apparently arrived ready for action, with only the need for standard engine
maintenance.
The Ha-Go saw wide service, and was deployed against all of Japan's enemies.
In general, it succeeded quite well in an anti-infantry role, but was of only limited
use against armor. It was said to be capable of penetrating the armor of the M3
Stuart, but to be completely useless against the Grant or Sherman tanks. The
Matilda, of course, was out of the question for a 37mm gun. Armor protection
was a serious liability, as with most Japanese tanks. Other weaknesses
attested include wide gaps between the hull and turret ring, a narrow wheel
base which resulted in flipping with inexperienced crews, and a complicated
hand-crank mechanism in the turret which could easily be jammed with a
bayonet or knife. The most serious of these weaknesses seems to have been
the unusually cramped turret, which resulted in the deployment of progressive
variants attempting to improve the problem of armament and turret size.
The two most common Ha-Go variants were the Type 95 Ke-Ri and the Type 95
Ke-Nu. The Ke-Ri used a Type 95 turret and the 57mm gun of the Type 97
Chi-Ha; the Ke-Nu also used the Type 97 turret, but was armed instead with a
high velocity and much improved version of the original 37mm gun. Neither of
these was produced in particularly large numbers, and combat actions were
extremely limited for both.
Most accounts of these two vehicles outside China occur quite late in the war,
on the islands of Okinawa and Iwo Jima, where the two are frequently (and
quite understandably) confused.
Very few Type 95 tanks were equipped with radios. Those that were can
easily be distinguished by the turret-ring antennae commonly seen with Type 97
Chi-Ha medium tanks. Radios seem to have been standard in the Ke-Ri and
Ke-Nu variants.
The most commonly produced and utilized of all Japan's armored vehicles, more
than thirteen hundred Type 95 tanks had been produced by the time production
was officially complete in 1943. The Ha-Go was typically known by the name
Ha-Go to most soldiers (this was the name given by Mitsubishi), but the army's
official name for the Type 95 was "Kyu-Go", and many miniatures and model
manufacturers refer to it by that name.
The Type 95 was developed partly as a response to the Type 92, and partly
because of an agreement between the infantry and cavalry branches of the
Army that greater cooperation would be necessary for armored operations to
succeed. Encounters with Chinese armor had proven that an effective anti-tank
platform was needed, fast enough to keep up with the Army and more easily
produced than the Type 89.
The Type 95 Ha-Go was equipped with the Hara suspension, a 37mm anti-tank
gun, one rear mounted turret LMG, and one hull LMG. The crew of the vehicle
was three, with the commander acting as loader in an extremely cramped turret.
The weapon was primarily welded, but some components were riveted. Armor
protection was not particularly good, but ballistics tested showed that the
Ha-Go was actually better protected than the Type 97 Chi-Ha, owing to its
smaller size, lower target profile, and greater quantity of welded armor plate.
These tests may have played a role in the development of the all-welded Type
1 Chi-He, but there is very little evidence either way.
In many respects, the Ha-Go was a superb little vehicle. It was fast,
mechanically reliable, and had amazing endurance. The 35mm anti-tank gun
mounted by the Ha-Go was actually superior to the 57mm gun carried by the
Type 97 Chi-Ha, in that it had been specifically designed for the anti-tank role,
while the gun of the Type 97's 57mm had been developed originally as an
anti-infantry platform.
In 1944, when one of Japan's infantry divisons requested armor support for the
ongoing Burma offensive, a platoon of Type 95 tanks was sent directly from
Siam. So desperately were these needed that they drove the entire distance
and apparently arrived ready for action, with only the need for standard engine
maintenance.
The Ha-Go saw wide service, and was deployed against all of Japan's enemies.
In general, it succeeded quite well in an anti-infantry role, but was of only limited
use against armor. It was said to be capable of penetrating the armor of the M3
Stuart, but to be completely useless against the Grant or Sherman tanks. The
Matilda, of course, was out of the question for a 37mm gun. Armor protection
was a serious liability, as with most Japanese tanks. Other weaknesses
attested include wide gaps between the hull and turret ring, a narrow wheel
base which resulted in flipping with inexperienced crews, and a complicated
hand-crank mechanism in the turret which could easily be jammed with a
bayonet or knife. The most serious of these weaknesses seems to have been
the unusually cramped turret, which resulted in the deployment of progressive
variants attempting to improve the problem of armament and turret size.
The two most common Ha-Go variants were the Type 95 Ke-Ri and the Type 95
Ke-Nu. The Ke-Ri used a Type 95 turret and the 57mm gun of the Type 97
Chi-Ha; the Ke-Nu also used the Type 97 turret, but was armed instead with a
high velocity and much improved version of the original 37mm gun. Neither of
these was produced in particularly large numbers, and combat actions were
extremely limited for both.
Most accounts of these two vehicles outside China occur quite late in the war,
on the islands of Okinawa and Iwo Jima, where the two are frequently (and
quite understandably) confused.
Very few Type 95 tanks were equipped with radios. Those that were can
easily be distinguished by the turret-ring antennae commonly seen with Type 97
Chi-Ha medium tanks. Radios seem to have been standard in the Ke-Ri and
Ke-Nu variants.
SENSHAN - Japanese Armored Vehicles of the Second World War
