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World War II Wiki

The Type 95 Ha-Go was a light tank that was used by Japan during World War II.

Description[]

The Type 95 Ha-Go had an air-cooled, 120 hp diesel powered, Mitsubishi NVD engine which could propel it at speeds of up to 45 kilometers per hour. Its armament had consisted of one 37 mm Type 94 main gun, and either two Type 91 machine guns or two Type 97 machine guns.[1]

The Type 95 also sported a crew of three men and a total weight of around 7,300 kilograms. Its total length meanwhile was around 4.38 meters, width 2.06 meters, and height 2.2 meters, and the maximum range was 245 kilometers. The armor could vary from area to area on the tank but was consistent at about 12 mm in most areas of the tank. Suspension consisted of a bell crank type with four road wheels on either side of the vehicle and a four speed forward, one speed reverse transmission system.[2]

Variants[]

The first variant of the Type 95 Ha-Go platform was the Type 98 Ke-Ni which featured thicker armor and began production in 1942. It was also slightly lighter which aided mobility. The Type 95 Ri-Ki, another variant of the Type 95, was used for engineering purposes and as such it featured a crane and several other general purpose tools. The Type 4 Ke-Nu saw little service and it feature the turret from the Type 97 Chi-Ha to combine both elements of the Type 95 and Type 97 for a better general purpose tank.

This variant was used in 1944-1945 and it had a weight of around 8,618 kg. The Type 2 Ka-Mi was also based on the Type 95 Ha-Go, but was modified for amphibious use. There was also an attempt to make a 120 mm self-propelled gun called the Ho-To. None were produced along with the Type 5 Ho-Ru self-propelled gun which also ended its life as a prototype.

History[]

The Type 95 Ha-Go first entered service with the Imperial Japanese Army in 1935 and it was a good design at the time. Reliability was good and facing ill-prepared troops in China made it that much more effective. It was used by the Imperial Japanese Aarmy from 1935-1945. Such notable uses were in Tarawa, Malaya, and Saipan. Especially in Malaya, where British forces believed tanks could not navigate the thick undergrowth of the jungle.[3] Although this effect did not last as it would become apparent during the war that the Type 95 Ha-Go's armor was not enough to protect it from most types of anti-tank fire. The United States exploited this weakness a number of times throughout the war on islands such as Tinian and Okinawa. This forced the Imperial Japanese Army to use them as pillboxes rather than an offensive weapon.

References[]


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