Type 94 Te-Ke
| Type 94 tankette | |
|---|---|
A Japanese Type 94 tankette (late model with a large guide wheel) |
|
| General properties | |
| crew | 2 (commander, driver) |
| length | Tower 12 o'clock 3.0 m |
| width | 1.6 m |
| height | 1.6 m |
| Dimensions | 3.4 t |
| Armor and armament | |
| Armor | 12 mm |
| Main armament | initially 6.5 mm Type 91 MG, later 7.7 mm Type 92 1980 rounds |
| Secondary armament | no |
| agility | |
| drive | air-cooled Mitsubishi 4-cylinder petrol engine 24 kW (32 PS) |
| suspension | two-axle bogie |
| Top speed | 40 km / h (road) |
| Power / weight | approx. 7.0 kW / t (9.4 PS / t) |
| Range | approx. 200 km |
The Type 94 Te-Ke ( Japanese 九四 式 軽 装甲車 , Kyūyon-shiki keisōkōsha ), also called Type 94 TK , was a Japanese tankette in the Second Sino-Japanese War and in World War II , from 1934 ( Kōki 2594, hence the type designation) was used by the Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Japanese Navy until 1945 .
history
After the First World War , the Japanese army recognized the need to use armored vehicles to support their infantry . The tankette phase in Europe at the beginning of the 1930s had a major influence on the Japanese decision as to which armored vehicle to choose . The British Carden-Loyd tankette was used as the model . The Imperial Japanese Army ordered six of the tankettes that arrived in Japan in 1930. The Japanese officers were neither convinced of the size of the Carden-Loyd nor of the French " Renault UE Chenillette " tank chain, the latter positioning itself with its trailer as an infantry transport vehicle.
The Japanese company Hino Jidōsha was commissioned to build the new tank, which was called Tokushu Ken'insha (special tractor ), TK for short . Hino was inspired by the two tankettes mentioned above and was also based on the Vickers Light Tank . The Te-Ke was larger than the Carden-Loyd, was more like the Vickers Light Tank in terms of structure and, like the French UE, could be equipped with a trailer. Taken into service in 1934, the new tank was named Type 94 . The task of the Type 94 was to provide reconnaissance , fire support for the infantry and deliver supplies to the battlefield.
Tankette companies were then assigned to the army divisions, each consisting of four trains of four tankettes each. The Type 94 became the most-produced Japanese armored vehicle of the 1930s and was widely used during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The background to the large production figures was the war with the Soviet Union and the associated rearmament of 30 army divisions, 24 of which were stationed in Manchuria . Even when there were better quality tanks like the Type 95 Ha-Go , production of the Type 94 continued. The reason for this was the lower price of the Type 94. It only cost 50,000 ¥ in contrast to the price of 98,000 ¥ for a Type 95. The trailer was not used during the last production phase.
A total of 823 Type 94 tankettes were produced.
Calls
China
The Type 94 was handed over to the troops in 1934 and initially divided into independent so-called flying companies that performed reconnaissance and infantry support tasks . In the Chinese theater of war, these companies consisted of 118 men, divided into four platoons with four tankettes each. Later a Type 94 company was assigned to an infantry division, with the number of vehicles reduced to six tankettes. The Type 94 was popular with the troops because it met all expectations.
In September 1937 the 1st Panzer Battalion (Colonel Baba) and the 2nd Panzer Battalion (Colonel Imada) with a total of 78 Type 89 I-Gō and 41 Type 94 were assigned to the 1st Army in Hebei. On September 14, the 1st Army attacked the National Chinese south of Beijing and advanced through their front in a south-westerly direction.
Japanese-Soviet border conflict
The Type 94 received its baptism of fire in 1939 during the Japanese-Soviet border conflict near Nomonhan . Most of the tankettes remained on the Japanese-Soviet border.
Second World War
Naval Special Landing Forces units used numerous Type 94s during the Pacific War . The tankette was also used in Burma , the Dutch East Indies , the Philippines and on the southern Pacific theater of war such as B. in action on Guadalcanal . The American units and marines had no difficulty fighting the Type 94, as these could be successfully fought with .50 BMG calibers, hand grenades and bazookas , not to mention light tanks like the M2 Light Tank or M3 Stuart . During the Battle of Kwajalein , many of the tankettes of the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Mobile Landing Brigade were captured.
technology
The Type 94 tankette was based on a minimalist design. The undercarriage of the tankette was light (total weight 3.4 tons) and had a small turret in the rear section, which was equipped with a Type 11 machine gun in caliber 6.5 mm, for which 1980 shots could be carried. The turret had to be turned manually by the commander, who was also the main gunner. Later the machine gun was replaced by a Type 92 caliber 7.7 mm , which had a higher firepower. At the stern there was a storage space that could be loaded through a tailgate. The drive was located in the front part of the vehicle, while the driver sat in the front right. The armor was riveted. An air-cooled Mitsubishi 4-cylinder gasoline engine generated 35 hp (26 kW) at 2500 rpm, which brought the tankette to a top speed of 40 km / h. The crew was protected from the engine heat by asbestos insulation. In the first model of the Type 94, the chassis rested on two suspensions for two rubber-coated wheels each, which acted as rollers for the chains. The first and fourth wheels were connected to a horizontal compression spring by a Japanese lever , invented by Major Tomio Hara , and thus cushioned the vehicle. The drive wheel was at the front and the guide wheel at the rear, at a distance from the ground. As with many tracked vehicles with narrow tracks, the Type 94 tended to lose the tracks at high speeds and when changing direction. To remedy the problem, the guide wheel was significantly enlarged in later models and brought to floor level. Even so, chain losses persisted until production ended in 1937.
variants
Apart from the changes concerning the machine gun and guide wheel and the associated extension of the vehicle, there were different variants of the Type 94. In contrast to other tankettes, the Type 94 had a device for attaching a trailer. The trailer also had chains and was therefore suitable for off-road use.
There were also the following variants:
- Diesel engine: A prototype was equipped with a diesel engine that was installed on the right side of the vehicle and left the driver sitting on the left.
- Type 94 poison gas thrower: Vehicle developed in 1933/34 to spray mustard gas over a width of 8 meters in front of the tankette.
- Type 94 disinfection vehicle: vehicle developed in 1933/34 to neutralize the munitions sprayed by the above-mentioned tankette with bleach .
Web links
- Type94 Te-Ke. Tanks Encyclopedia, accessed December 5, 2014 .
- The Development of Imperial Japanese Tanks. Taki's Page, accessed December 4, 2014 .
- Japan's Type 94 Te-Ke tankette. WWII Vehicles, accessed December 7, 2014 .
literature
- Steven J Zaloga: "Japanese Tanks 1939-45" Osprey Publishing, 2007, ISBN 978-1-84603-091-8 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Zaloga, p. 7.
- ↑ Zaloga, p. 8.
- ↑ a b Type 94 Te-Ke. Tanks Encyclopedia, accessed December 4, 2014 .
- ↑ THE HISTORY OF BATTLES OF IMPERIAL JAPANESE TANKS, PART I. Taki's Page, accessed December 4, 2014 .