Type 97 Te-Ke

Type 97 Te-Ke
Type 97 captured in New Britain
General properties
crew	2 men
length	3.68 m
width	1.80 m
height	1.77 m
Dimensions	4.74 t
Armor and armament
Armor	6-16 mm
Main armament	1 × 37 mm Type 94 cannon
Secondary armament	1 × 7.7 mm Type 97 machine gun in the turret
agility
drive	Ikega 4-cylinder in-line diesel engine with air cooling 65 HP (47.8 kW)
suspension	Torsion bar
Top speed	42 km / h (road)
Power / weight	13.7 hp / t
Range	250 km (road)

The Type 97 Te-Ke ( Japanese 九七 式 軽 装甲車 テ ケ , kyūnana-shiki keisōkōsha te-ke , German "Type 97 light armored car Te-Ke") is a Japanese light tank of the Second World War .

description

This Japanese light tank first appeared in 1937 and was introduced to the Imperial Japanese Army in 1938 . It was one of the most important Japanese tanks and was in service throughout the war. At first, the vehicle was developed as a reconnaissance tank. In the course of the war, however, the Te-Ke became more and more an infantry support vehicle . Due to its light armor, however, it could only do its job if the enemy had insufficient anti-tank capabilities .

As with the Type 95 Ha-Go , the commander sitting alone in the tower was overwhelmed with the multitude of his tasks. Not only did he have to watch the battlefield, but also operate the cannon and machine gun . Despite this serious disadvantage, the vehicle turned out to be very successful.

When the war in the Pacific turned and the US began to conquer island by island from the Japanese with landing operations , the Te-Ke was confronted for the first time with superior US M3 and M4 tanks. Later, American tank commanders even started shooting the Te-Ke with HE shells. The more modern American tank shells could not only penetrate the thin-walled armor of the Te-Ke, but they also exited on the other side. As long as the crew or important systems in the tank were not hit, no major damage occurred and the Te-Ke was still operational.

literature

• Alexander Lüdeke : weapons technology of the Second World War . Parragon Verlag, Cologne, ISBN 978-1-4054-8584-5 .