The Type 97 Chi-Ha was regarded as the best Japanese tank of World War Two, despite its offensive shortcomings. By Staff Writer
The Type 97 Chi-Ha was a production of the Mitsubishi company and designed to replace the aging Type 89B series for the Imperial Japanese Army. The design of the Type 97 Chi-Ha system was practical - if not down right fundamental - with very little to recommend itself by Western standards, yet it was produced in quantity and would later be regarded as the best tank that Japan had fielded throughout the war. Ultimately, the system was suspect and suffered from the very real shortcoming of fighting with an undergunned main armament.
The Type 97 Chi-Ha was crewed by four personnel. The main armament consisted of a single 57mm gun mounted in the turret and supported by two 7.7mm self-defense machine guns. A later version of the Type 97 would appear as the Shinhoto and field a high velocity main gun of 47mm. Either way, the system was woefully undergunned when compared to Allied tanks in the region. Power was offered through an in-house Mitsubishi diesel engine which offered up better range and more stability than the gasoline-powered counterparts of the Allies.
The Type 97 Chi-Ha appeared in a few more variants that consisted of standard battlefield elements such as an ARV, SPG and Command Tank - all utilizing the chassis of the original main battle tank. The system would later be superceded by the Type 1 Chi-He main battle tank of medium classification.
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Armored Vehicle Quick Profile
Image Courtesy of Dan Alex.
1937
Designation:Type 97 Chi-Ha Classification Type:Medium Tank Contractor:Mitsubishi - Japan Country of Origin: Imperial Japan Number Built: Not Available
Operators: Imperial Japan
Variants
Type 97 "Chi-Ha" - Base Series Designation
Type 97 "Shinhoto" - New turret installed and fitted with 47mm main gun of a high velocity.
Type 97 "Shi-Ki" - Command Tank
Type 97 "Se-Ri" - Armored Recovery Vehicle (ARV).
Type 97 SPG - Various Models for SPG use utilizing the Type 97's original chassis mounting.
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