The Type 95 Ha-Go was a light tank that was used by Japan during WWII. It had an air-cooled, diesel powered, Mitsubishi NVD engine and it could traverse at speeds of up to twenty-eight mph. It had an armament of one 37mm Type 94 main gun, and either two Type 91 MGs or two Type 97 MGs.^[1] The Type 95 had a crew of three and it had 4 wheels on each side. The weight was 16,314 lb and the length was about fourteen feet, four inches. The armor was about 0.4 iches (12mm) in most areas of the tank and the Type 95 had a four speed forward, one speed reverse transmission.^[2] The Type 95 had a several variants including the Type 95 Ri-Ki.

VariantsEdit

The Type 98 Ke-Ni had thicker armor and began production in 1942. It was also slightly lighter, but this and

thicker armor is the only difference between it and the original Type 95 Ha-Go. The Type 95 Ri-Ki was used for engineering purposes and as such it featured a crane. The Type 4 Ke-Nu saw little service and it feature the turret from the Type 97 Chi-Ha. This variant was used in 1944-1945 and it had a weight of 8,618.2 kg. The Type 2 Ka-Mi was based on the Type 95 Ha-Go, but it was modified for amphibious use. There was also an attempt to make a 120mm self-propelled gun called the Ho-To. None were produced along with the Type 5 Ho-Ru self-propelled gun.

HistoryEdit

The Type 95 Ha-Go first entered service with the IJA in 1935 and it was a good design at the time. It was used by the IJA 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 apparant during the war that the Type 95 Ha-Go's armor was not enough to protect it from most 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 IJA to use them as pillboxes rather than an offensive weapon.

ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=334
2. ↑ http://www.wwiivehicles.com/japan/tanks-light/type-95.asp
3. ↑ http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_type_95_ha_go.html

v • d • e Tracked Armored Vehicles of the Imperial Japanese Army Tankettes Type 92 Jyu-Sokosha • Type 94 Tankette • Type 97 Te-Ke Light Tanks Type 95 Ha-Go • Type 98 Ke-Ni • Type 2 Ke-To • Type 4 Ke-Nu Medium Tanks Type 97 Chi-Ha • Type 89 I-Go • Type 98 Chi-Ho • Type 3 Chi-Nu • Type 5 Chi-Ri (Prototype) • Type 4 Chi-To (Prototype) Heavy Tanks Type 95 Heavy Tank (Prototype) • O-I Super Heavy Tank (Prototype) Self Propelled Artillery Type 3 Ho-Ni III • Type 2 Ho-I Self Propelled Guns Type 4 Ho-Ro • Type 4 Ha-To Infantry Carriers F.B. Armored Personel Carrier • Type 1 Ho-Ki • Type 1 Ho-Ha (Half-Track) Tank Destroyers Type 5 Na-To Amphibious Tanks Type 2 Ka-Mi • Type 3 Ka-Chi •