Japanese tanks of the Second World War. Part I
In 1927, the Osaka Arsenal revealed to the world the first Japanese tank of its own design. The car had a combat mass of 18 tons and was armed with a 57-mm cannon and two machine guns. Armament mounted in two separate towers. It is obvious that the first experience of the independent creation of armored vehicles was not crowned with particular success. Tank "Chi-I" was, in general, not bad. But not without so-called. childhood diseases, which was excusable for the very first design. Taking into account the experience of testing and trial operation in the troops, four years later another tank of the same mass was created. "Type 91" was equipped with three towers, in which there were 70-millimeter and 37-millimeter cannons, as well as machine guns. It is noteworthy that the machine-gun turret, being designed to defend the machine from the rear, was located behind the engine compartment. The other two towers were located in the front and middle of the tank. The most powerful weapon was installed on a large middle tower. The Japanese used this weapon scheme and layout on their next medium tank. "Type 95" appeared in 1935 year and was even built in a small series. However, a number of design and operational features ultimately led to the abandonment of multi-tower systems. All further Japanese armored vehicles were either equipped with one turret, or costing chopping or armored machine gunner.
"Special tractor"
After abandoning the idea of a tank with several turrets, the Japanese military and designers began to develop a different direction of armored vehicles, which eventually became the basis for a whole family of combat vehicles. In 1935, the Japanese army adopted the 94 Type light / small tank, also known as the TK (short for Tokubetsu Keninsya, literally “Special Tractor”). Initially, this tank with a combat weight of three and a half tons - because of this, in the European classification of armored vehicles, it was listed as a wedge - was developed as a special vehicle for the carriage of goods and escort convoy. Nevertheless, over time, the project has developed into a full-fledged light combat vehicle. The design and layout of the tank "Type 94" subsequently became a classic for Japanese armored vehicles. The TK case was assembled on a frame from the corners of rolled sheets, the maximum thickness of the armor was 12 millimeters of the upper part of the forehead. The bottom and the roof were three times thinner. In front of the hull housed the engine-transmission compartment with a Mitsubishi “Type 94” gasoline engine with 35 horsepower. Such a weak engine was enough for the entire speed of 40 km / h on the highway. The tank suspension was designed according to the scheme of Major T. Khara. Four track rollers on a caterpillar pair were mounted on the ends of the balancer, which, in turn, was mounted on the body. The suspension spring was a shock-absorbing element mounted along the body and covered with a cylindrical casing. On each side of the chassis was equipped with two such blocks, while the fixed ends of the springs were in the center of the chassis. The armament of the “Special Tractor” consisted of a single “Type 91” machine gun of 6,5 caliber of a millimeter. The project “Type 94” was generally successful, although it had several flaws. First of all, the claims were caused by weak defense and insufficient armament. Only one rifle caliber machine gun was effective. weapons only against a weak opponent.
"Type 97" / "Te-Ke"
The technical assignment for the next armored vehicle implied higher levels of protection and firepower. Since the construction of the “Type 94” had a certain potential in terms of development, the new “Type 97”, also known as “Te-Ke”, in fact became its deep modernization. For this reason, the suspension and design of the Te-Ke case was almost completely similar to the corresponding 94 Type units. At the same time, there were differences. The combat weight of the new tank has grown to 4,75 tons, which, in combination with the new, more powerful engine, could lead to major changes in balancing. To avoid too much load on the front track rollers, the OHV engine was placed in the rear of the tank. The two-stroke diesel engine developed power up to 60 hp. At the same time, an increase in engine power did not entail an improvement in ride quality. The speed of the “Type 97” remained at the level of the previous tank “TK”. Moving the engine to the stern required a change in the layout and shape of the front of the hull. So, thanks to the increase in free volumes in the bow of the tank, it was possible to make a more ergonomic workplace of the driver with a more comfortable "cutting" protruding above the front and top sheets of the body. The “97 Type” protection level was slightly higher than the “94 Type” protection. Now the whole body was assembled from 12-millimeter sheets. In addition, the upper part of the hull sides had a thickness of 16 millimeters. Such an interesting feature was due to the angles of inclination of the sheets. Since the frontal was located at a greater angle to the horizontal than the side, a different thickness allowed to provide the same level of protection from all angles. The crew of the tank "Type 97" consisted of two people. They did not have any special observation devices and used only viewing slits and sights. The workplace of the tank commander was located in the fighting compartment in the tower. He had a gun caliber 37 mm and 7,7-mm machine gun. The “Type 94” gun with a wedge gate was manually charged. Ammunition of 66 armor-piercing and fragmentation projectiles fit along the sides, inside the tank hull. The penetration rate of an armor-piercing projectile was about 35 millimeters from a distance of 300 meters. The twin machine gun "Type 97" had more ammunition 1700 rounds.
Serial production of tanks "Type 97" began in 1938-39's. Before its termination in 1942, about six hundred combat vehicles were assembled. Appearing at the very end of the thirties, "Te-Ke" managed to participate in almost all military conflicts of that time, from the battles in Manchuria to the landing operations of the 1944 of the year. At first, the industry could not cope with the release of the required number of tanks, so it was necessary to distribute them between the units with special care. The use of "Type 97" in battles went with varying success: weak booking did not provide protection against a considerable part of the enemy's firepower, and our own armament could not provide adequate firepower and effective fire range. In 1940, an attempt was made to install a new cannon with a longer barrel and the same caliber on Te-Ke. The initial velocity of the projectile increased by one hundred meters per second and reached the level in 670-680 m / s. However, over time, the failure of this weapon also became clear.
"Type 95"
A further development of the light tank theme was “Type 95” or “Ha-Go”, created a little later “Te-Ke”. In general, it was a logical continuation of the previous machines, but not without major changes. First of all, changed the design of the chassis. On previous machines, the steering wheel also played the role of a track roller and pressed the caterpillar to the ground. On the "Ha-Go" this detail was raised above the ground and the caterpillar acquired a more familiar look for the tanks of that time. The design of the armored hull remained the same - frame and rolled sheets. Most of the panels had a thickness of millimeters 12, which is why the level of protection remained the same. The basis of the power plant of the tank "Type 95" was a six-cylinder two-stroke diesel horsepower 120 hp. This engine power, despite the fighting weight of seven and a half tons, made it possible to preserve and even increase the speed and the throughput of the car compared to the previous ones. The maximum speed of "Ha-Go" on the highway was 45 km / h.
The main weapon of the Ha-Go tank was similar to the 97 Type armament. It was an 37 mm 94 type cannon. The gun suspension system was made in a rather original way. The gun was not fixed rigidly and could move in both vertical and horizontal planes. Due to this, it was possible to direct the gun roughly by turning the turret and adjust the tip using its own turning mechanisms. Ammunition guns - 75 unitary shells - located along the walls of the fighting compartment. Additional weapons "Type 95" first were two 6,5-mm machine gun "Type 91". Later, with the transition of the Japanese army to the new cartridge, their place was taken by machine guns "Type 97" caliber 7,7 millimeter. One of the machine guns was installed in the rear of the turret, the other in a rocking installation in the front sheet of the armored hull. In addition, on the left side of the hull there were embrasures for firing from the crew’s personal weapons. The crew "Ha-Go", for the first time in this line of light tanks, consisted of three people: driver mechanics, gunner equipment and the gunner's commander. The duties of the technician-shooter included control over the engine and firing from the front machine gun. The second machine gun was controlled by the commander. He also loaded the gun and fired it.
The first experimental batch of Ha-Go tanks was assembled back in 1935, and immediately went to the troops for trial operation. In the war with China, due to the weakness of the army of the latter, the new Japanese tanks did not achieve much success. A little later, during the fighting at Khalkhin-Gol, the Japanese military finally managed to test the “95 Type” in a real battle with a worthy opponent. This check ended sadly: almost all of the Kha-Tung army had “Ha-Go” destroyed by tanks and artillery of the Red Army. One of the results of the fighting at Khalkhin Gol was the recognition by the Japanese command of the insufficiency of 37-millimeter cannons. During the battles, the Soviet BT-5, equipped with 45-mm guns, had time to destroy the Japanese tanks before they reached the distance of a confident defeat. In addition, the composition of the Japanese armored formations were a lot of machine-gun tanks, which clearly did not contribute to success in battle.
In the future, tanks "Ha-Go" collided in a battle with American equipment and artillery. Due to the significant difference in caliber - the Americans were already using tank 75 caliber millimeters with might and main - Japanese armored vehicles often suffered heavy losses. By the end of the war in the Pacific, 95 Type light tanks were often converted into stationary firing points, however, their effectiveness was also low. The last battles with the "Type 95" took place during the Third Civil War in China. Trophy tanks were handed over to the Chinese military, with the USSR sending the People’s Liberation Army to captured armored vehicles, and the United States to the Kuomintang. Despite the active use of the "Type 95" after the Second World War, this tank can be considered quite lucky. From 2300 more than built tanks to our time in the form of museum exhibits lived a half dozen. A few dozen more tanks in damaged condition are local landmarks in some Asian countries.
The average "Chi-Ha"
Shortly after the start of testing the “Ha-Go” tank, Mitsubishi presented another project, rooted in the early thirties. At this time, the good old concept "TK" became the basis for the new medium tank, which received the name "Type 97" or "Chi-Ha." It should be noted that "Chi-Ha" had little in common with "Te-Ke". The coincidence of the digital development index was due to some bureaucratic issues. Nevertheless, the matter was not without borrowing ideas. The new "Type 97" had the same layout as the previous machines: the engine in the stern, the transmission in the front, and the fighting compartment between them. The construction of "Chi-Ha" was carried out on a frame system. The maximum thickness of rolled hull sheets in the case of "Type 97" increased to 27 millimeters. This provided a significant increase in the level of protection. As practice later showed, the new thicker armor turned out to be much more resistant to the armament of the enemy. For example, the Browning M2 large-caliber machine guns confidently hit “Ha-Go” tanks at distances to 500 meters, but on the Chi-Ha armor they left only dents. More solid booking led to an increase in the tank's combat mass to 15,8 tons. This fact required to install a new engine. In the early stages of the project, two motors were considered. Both had the same power in the 170 hp, but were developed by different firms. As a result, the Mitsubishi diesel was chosen, which turned out to be a little more comfortable to manufacture. Yes, and the ability to quickly and conveniently communicate with the designers of tank builders and engine engineers did their job.
Considering the current development trends of foreign tanks, the Mitsubishi designers decided to equip the new 97 Type with more powerful weapons than previous tanks. The 57 mm 97 type gun was mounted on the swiveling turret. As on the "Ha-Go", the gun could swing on the trunnions not only in the vertical plane, but also in the horizontal, within the sector width 20 °. It is noteworthy that the fine aiming of the tool horizontally was carried out without any mechanical means - only by the physical strength of the gunner. Vertical guidance was performed in the sector from -9 ° to + 21 °. The standard gun ammunition was 80 high-explosive and 40 armor-piercing shells. Armor-piercing ammunition weighing kg in 2,58 per kilometer punched up to 12 millimeters of armor. At half the distance the penetration rate increased by one and a half times. Additional weapons "Chi-Ha" consisted of two machine guns "Type 97". One of them was located in the front of the case, and the other was intended to defend against an attack from behind. A new gun made tank builders go for another crew increase. Now it consisted of four people: driver, gunner, loader and the commander-gunner.
In 1942, on the basis of the "Type 97" was created the tank "Shinhoto Chi-Ha", which differed from the original model of the new gun. 47-mm gun "Type 1" allowed to increase ammunition to 102 shells and at the same time increase armor penetration. The barrel length of 48 calibers dispersed the projectile to such speeds at which it could penetrate to 68-70 millimeters of armor at a distance of up to 500 meters. The renewed tank proved to be more effective against armored vehicles and enemy fortifications, in connection with which mass production was begun. In addition, a considerable part of the more than seven hundred and more made "Shinhoto Chi-Ha" was re-equipped during the repair of simple tanks "Type 97".
The combat use of Chi-Ha, begun in the very first months of the war in the Pacific theater of military operations, until a certain time showed sufficient effectiveness of the solutions applied. However, over time, when the United States entered the war, which already had tanks such as M3 Lee in the army, it became clear that all of Japan’s light and medium tanks simply could not fight them. For reliable defeat of American tanks required accurate hits in certain parts of them. This was the reason for creating a new tower with a gun "Type 1". Anyway, none of the modifications of the “Type 97” could not compete on equal terms with the equipment of the enemy, the USA or the USSR. Including as a result of this, out of about 2100 units, only two entire tanks “Chi-Ha” survived to our time. Another dozen preserved in damaged form and is also a museum piece.
On the materials of the sites:
http://pro-tank.ru/
http://wwiivehicles.com/
http://www3.plala.or.jp/
http://armor.kiev.ua/
http://aviarmor.net/
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