Type 97 Te-Ke

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Type 97 Te-Ke

A Type 97 Te-Ke in New Britain in 1945
Specifications
Weight 4.7 tonnes
Length 3.70 m
Width 1.80 m
Height 1.77 m
Crew 2 (commander, driver)
Armor 4–16 mm
Primary
armament		 37 mm Type 94 gun
Secondary
armament		 none
Engine Ikega air-cooled 4-cylinder diesel
48 hp (36 kW)
Power/weight 10 hp/tonne
Suspension 2-wheel bogie
Operational
range		 250 km
Speed 42 km/h

The Type 97 Te-Ke was a Japanese tankette (4.5 tons) of the Second World War designed as a replacement for the earlier Type 94.

Contents

[edit] History

The origins of the Type 97 lay in a prototype diesel-engined Type 94. Although the chassis was on the whole similar the design of the 97 was different than the 94. The engine was at the rear and the turret (and commander) moved to the middle of the tank - this put the driver to the left of the commander and in a much better position for communication.

[edit] Production

Production began in 1937. It was Japan's most widely used tankette, and was produced in large numbers. As with the 94 it was also used for towing a trailer of supplies. Some vehicles were fitted with a 7.7 mm Type 97 machine gun instead of the 37 mm gun. Typically, Type 97s were distributed in twos to support infantry units, and were very often used as armored tractors and supply vehicles. By 1943, most Type 97s had been withdrawn completely.

The main gun was the Type 94 37 mm tank gun, barrel length of 1.3585 m (L36.7), EL angle of fire of -15 to +20 degrees, AZ angle of fire of 20 degrees, muzzle velocity of 600 m/s, penetration of 45 mm/300 m and used by Type 95 Light Tank (Early Model) and Type 97 Tankette.

[edit] Performance

In spite of these upgrades, the Type 97 was ill-suited as a combat light tank. The hull was still much too small to accommodate more crewmen, which left the loading and firing of the main gun to the commander. Another shortfall was the armour. Much like its predecessor, the Type 97 suffered from severely deficient armoured protection - to the point that small arms fire could penetrate the hull. In addition to these two flaws, the 37 mm cannon was ineffective against any allied tank of the era. A variant of the Te-Ke was the Type 98 APC "So-Da." The Type 98 APC "So-Da" was designed as ammunition carrier and was also used as a troop transport.

However at the beginning of the war, these tankettes performed admirably, while performing operations suited for their role. Their lightness meant they could be transported easily across the sea or rivers. In addition, when used together with infantry, the Type 97 had achieved success beyond what the designers had anticipated, such as their contributions to the Japanese Army's defeat of British troops in Malaya in less than two months. The lightness allowed the tank to traverse unsupported bridges which would be unable to take heavier tanks, and its small size allowed it to travel along the long winding and narrow roads at that time.

In addition, with Japan being an island state, warship construction was considered to be its priority, and not a tank industry as its basis for national defence. This policy, in addition to its experience in China against a largely inexperienced and lightly armed enemy made a heavier tank unnecessary. However, this same factor would later turn against Japan by the end of World War II.

[edit] References

[edit] External links


Japanese armoured fighting vehicles of World War II
Tankettes
Type 92 Jyu-Sokosha | Type 94 Te-Ke | Type 97 Te-Ke
Light Tanks
Type 95 Ha-Go | Type 98 Ke-Ni/Type 2 Ke-To
Amphibious Tanks
Type 2 Ka-Mi | Type 3 Ka-Chi
Medium Tanks
Type 89 Chi-Ro | Type 97 Chi-Ha | Type 1 Chi-He | Type 2 Ho-I | Type 3 Chi-Nu
APCs
Type 1 Ho-Ha | Type 1 Ho-Ki | Type 98 So-Da | Type 4 Ka-Tsu
Self-propelled artillery (including AA guns)
Type 98 20 mm | Type 98 20 mm AA Half-Track | Type 1 Ho-Ni I
Type 3 Ho-Ni III | Type 4 Ho-Ro
Japanese armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II