Steel Coffins: The largely overmatched Japanese tanks of World War II

Japanese tanks were characterized by the nature of the war in China and the wider Pacific. The Army focused on infantry as the primary battlefield weapon, to be used for all tasks, including maneuver. As such, tank units were often subordinate to infantry formations and were rarely massed together. No tank divisions were formed until the middle of 1942, and it was not until 1944 that a tank division was used as a complete formation in combat. 

Japanese tanks produced effective results when engaging poorly equipped Chinese infantry forces. However, as the war in the Pacific progressed, they tended to become death traps when fighting American or Commonwealth forces, who possessed far superior tanks and anti-tank weapons. By the time the Soviets attacked Japanese Manchuria in 1945, lightly armed and armored Japanese tanks were going up against T-34s with predictably catastrophic results.

Production of tanks was relatively low compared to Western powers, with only around 6,500 tanks produced between 1931-45. Most Japanese tanks lagged severely behind their Western counterparts, and were small, cramped, under-armored and under-gunned, yet most had good cross-country speed.

Japanese naming conventions were distinct. The most popular method was to date production from the year 660 BC (the supposed date of the first Japanese Emperor’s reign). Thus, a Type 95 tank was first produced in the Japanese year 2595, or 1935 according to the Western calendar.

Following are the key tanks that Japan used during the conflict in China and the wider Pacific.

The Type 89 Medium Tank was adopted for service in 1929. Built mostly by Mitsubishi, it was slow-moving, designed exclusively for an infantry support role. It sported a 57mm main armament and two machine guns — one in the hull and the other in the rear of the turret, as well as a gasoline-powered engine. In 1936, a new model came out, designated the Type 89 OTSU. This had increased hull armor and a new air-cooled diesel engine.

The CHI-RO first saw combat during the 1932 Shanghai Incident. Japanese after-action reports concluded that it was effective at blasting out dug-in Chinese infantry with its cannon, while Chinese small arms generally failed to penetrate its armor.

CHI-ROs saw most of their combat operations confined to China, where they often proved useful against Chinese infantry who lacked AFV support. The Chinese Nationalists could field barely any tank units, and when the Japanese did encounter Chinese tanks, they consisted of export British Vickers tanks, German Panzer Is and Italian CV-33 tankettes. The German and Italian AFVs were only armed with machine guns.

A few CHI-Ros did see service outside of China, most notably at the Battle of Khalkin-Gol against the Soviets in 1939. Despite being outdated, the Type 89s did have a major impact during operations. On the evening of July 2nd 1939, several Type 89s advanced under cover of a thunderstorm against Soviet defenses. This allowed them to close with and overrun Soviet artillery and anti-tank guns before penetrating several miles behind Soviet lines after losing about 25 percent of their vehicles. Japanese after-action reports concluded that the cover of the storm was the key reason for success and noted, concerningly, that the few Russian guns that had managed to accurately open fire had easily penetrated the front armor of the Type 89s.

Despite this concern, the Japanese 7th Tank Regiment employed them against the Americans during the conquest of the Philippines in 1942. Nearly all were withdrawn from service in 1943, but the 7th Independent Tank Company still had them in 1944 at the Battle of Leyte, where the unit was annihilated.

Tankettes were a key component of the Japanese Army in China, and their development was pushed for by Japan’s cavalry regiments. Japan’s first tankette, the Type 94, was primarily used to resupply garrison troops in hostile areas. It had good cross-country mobility and could be fitted with a trailer to carry extra equipment, ammunition, or rations, but it was prone to mechanical failure. The Type 94 had only one turret-mounted machine gun as its main armament, as it was never expected to come across heavy resistance on its resupply missions.

By 1937, the War in China was in full swing, and the Army recognized the need to update the design. The new Type 97 TE-KE was a light armored vehicle that had several advantages over its predecessor. It was marginally faster and more reliable, had very well-sloped frontal armor for the time, and most were equipped with a medium-velocity 37mm gun for infantry support. It also boasted a new air-cooled diesel engine.

By the end of the war, however, the TE-KE was completely outclassed, and most ended their days dug in as armored pillboxes until they were destroyed or abandoned.

The Type-95 HA-GO was one of the most recognizable Japanese tanks of the war. It saw service on all fronts, from the Pacific Island-hopping Campaign to the War in China to the Burma Campaign. In 1933, the Japanese High Command determined that the CHI-RO Medium tank was too slow to function in larger mechanized formations and demanded a lighter, faster tank that could keep up.

The result was the Type-95 HA-GO. It first saw combat against Chinese forces in 1937 and proved well up to the job. It was fast and reasonably armed with a 37mm gun,as well as two machine guns. Its armor was acceptable for the time, and it was extremely reliable.

The Infantry School demanded that the tank should be up-armored and up-gunned, but the Cavalry School was happy with the design. As it was the cavalry regiments who would first receive the HA-GO, Japanese generals decided to leave the HA-GO as it was. Incredibly for such a lightly armored pre-war tank, the HA-GO was still being produced in Japanese factories well into 1943. 1250 were built over the course of the war.

However, when Japan went up against more modern forces, serious flaws became apparent. Even in 1939, the warning signs were there, when well-equipped Soviet forces used their 45mm anti-tank guns to devastating effect against the HA-GOs’ armor. By the time the Americans joined the war, the HA-GO was thoroughly outclassed.

Though enjoying success against lightly armed Chinese forces, when HA-GOs came up against Western armies, they generally met with disaster. Even relatively early in the Pacific Campaign, early-war British anti-tank guns made mincemeat out of them. For example, when Australian Lieutenant Bill McCure came up against advancing HA-GO tanks in Malaya in early 1942, he set up his two 2-pounder anti-tank guns on a crucial stretch of road. For an hour, McCure and his men engaged the HA-GOs, knocking out eight of them and killing the crews. This action completely stalled the Japanese advance.

The CHI-HA was one of the most technically sophisticated tank designs in the world when it came into service in 1937. Sticking with the belief that tanks were best used as infantry support, the first variant of the CHI-HA was given the anti-infantry 57mm howitzer. However, when their units came up against massed Soviet tank formations, designers quickly fitted it with a 47mm anti-tank gun. This became known as the Shinhoto (new turret) CHI-HA.

These modified versions were at first only given to platoon and company commanders. In normal combat conditions, three CHI-HA comprised a platoon and ten a company, though these formations were often enlarged as the war progressed. Around 1500 CHI-HA were built of both types.

At Guadalcanal during the Battle of the Matanikau on Oct. 23-24, 1942, 10 Type 97 CHI-Has supported by infantry attempted a frontal assault on a position held by U.S. Marines. Despite having out of date equipment, the Marines destroyed the attack and disabled all 10 tanks. The sole survivor of the tank company was Sgt, Seizoh Watanabe, who fled at the start of the battle and was subsequently captured.

The CHI-HE was the successor to the CHI-HA, and included several key improvements. It was faster, had better frontal armor, and was universally equipped with the 47mm anti-tank gun. A total of 587 were built, all by Mitsubishi. Most CHI-HEs were earmarked for the expected last-ditch defense of Japan, but it is probable some were used in Manchuria during the Soviet invasion in August 1945.

CHI-HEs were also encountered by American forces on Luzon, where they were likely involved in the largest tank-on-tank battle ever fought by American forces in the Pacific. By this point, the Japanese had started digging in their tanks to use them as armored pillboxes. While this had the effect of making them harder to kill, it completely nullified their use as mobile gun platforms, allowing a combined arms American assault to destroy them piecemeal.

The CHI-HE would have been a reasonable medium tank if it had been produced a couple of years previously. By 1944-’45, it was still outclassed by most Western AFVs, and its gun was ineffective against the frontal armor of the Sherman or T-34.

Officially called the Type 1 Gun Tank by the Japanese, this design was meant to give Japanese armored formations some ability to kill American Shermans and Soviet medium tanks. 

The HO-NI was a modified Type 97 chassis with an open top. Most of the upper structure was stripped and a modified Type 90 75mm field gun put in its place. The HO-NI could be used either in a tank destroyer role or as mobile artillery. Only 124 were built, and they saw limited success. They were used in China and briefly in Luzon, while others were earmarked for home defense. 

Despite being well armed, the gun crew was exposed, and the vehicle itself could only carry a limited ammunition supply. The HO-NI II variant had the same chassis, but this time sported a larger 105mm howitzer intended primarily in a self-propelled artillery role.

The final variant, the HO-NI III, had the latest 75mm anti-tank gun in a fully armored upper structure. Only around 40 were built, and they were all kept on home defense for the expected American invasion. There is no record of any HO-NI III seeing combat. 

We know you love military history and vehicles, but do you collect anything else? Ever wonder about the baseball cards in a box in the basement or Grandma’s old coins in a jar?  Do you love old cars or spin vinyl? Head on over to Collect.com and see what you are missing. Collect.com is the who, what, when and where of the collecting world! https://www.collect.com/