Posted on 10/04/2004 11:25:00 PM PDT by SAMWolf
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![]() are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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![]() The Japanese didn't embrace the tank, as it didn't have the calvary tradition that the other countries that developed the tank more extensively had. In traditional Japan Calvary was used for reconnaissance in the mountainous countryside. After World War I the Japanese acquired several different foreign tanks (French Renault FT & NCI, and Britain's Vickers 6-Ton & Medium C). After analyzing them they began to develop light and medium tanks. ![]() Type 94 'TK' tankettes in a street of Hoihow, on the Hainan Island in 1939. The first tank designed was the Type 87 (Experimental Tank Number 1) and was produced at the Osaka Arsenal in 1927. It had a crew of 5 and had a water cooled, 8 cylinder, gasoline engine that produced 140 hp. The maximum speed was 12.5 mph. It had a 57 mm gun in a turret with two 7.2 mm MG in a turret that was located at the front and rear of the hull. In 1925 2 tank companies were established, with one established at the Chiba Infantry School to study tank tactics. In the late 1920s 6 British Carden-Loyd Mark VI MG carriers and 2 Mark VIb carriers were purchased. After trials were conducted the Tokyo Gas and Electric Industry (later Hino Motors) built a prototype. It became the Type 94 Tankette. ![]() Tankette Type 97 Te-Ke during the victory parade in Manilla in 1942. The Osaka Arsenal in March 1927, developed the Experimental Heavy Tank I. It weighed 22 tons, with 57 mm gun in the main turret, and 2 MGs in subsidiary turrets. In 1930 the 2nd Heavy tank was developed, but it only made some modifications from the first. In 1932 the Type 91 or Type 92 was developed. The Type 95 was then developed. However, no production orders were placed. In 1929 the Type 89 (Experimental Tank Number 2) was designed. It weighed 10,000 kg and had a turret mounted 37 mm gun, a turret rear MG, and a bow mounted MG. It's engine was a 6 cylinder gasoline Daimler that propelled it to 15 mph. Mitsubishi started production on it as the Type 98 Medium tank. ![]() Type 95 Ha-Go destroyed towards the end of the war By 1932, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was producing an air-cooled diesel engine that was suitable for tanks. This was placed experimentally into a Type 89. This later became known as the Type 89-B. In 1933 Major Tomio Hara designed the basis of many of the suspensions of future Japanese tanks, the bellcrank scissors which had paired bogie wheels connected by a coil spring. During the 1930s the Japanese considered mechanization. Studies focused on armored cars at first, but with the terrain in Asia, it was decided to go with tracked vehicles. Ishikawaijma designed the Type 92 'combat car'. ![]() This tank seems to have been abandoned somewhere on the edge of the airstrip. A tri-color camoflage can clearly be seen on this tank. Four tank regiments were formed during 1933-34 in Japan and Manchuria. Three of the regiments had 2 companies of 10 Type 89s each. The 4th had 3 Type 89 companies and was known as the Independent Mixed Brigade which included:
![]() Type 89 By 1937 Japan had approximately 1,060 tanks and 8 tank regiments. During the war in China the Japanese used the tanks as mobile pillboxes as the Chinese didn't have quantities of antitank weapons. Also air-cooled diesel engines were preferred as water was scarce in Mongolia, Manchuria, and North China. After the battle of Khalkin Gol in 1939 against the Russians and the successes in Europe by the Germans, 2 armored divisions were formed in 1940 in Manchukuo. ![]() Type 4 Chi-To During most of the war the Japanese focused their industry on building warships and aircraft during the war years as they were the more prestigious weapons of the time. By 1945 production was to be concentrated on the defence of the Japanese homeland, and tanks finally got higher priority, but this was too late. ![]() Type 92 Notes: The names were based on the last 2 digits of the year in the Japanese calendar. The Japanese Empire was founded in 660 B.C. (Add 660 to western calendar to get year in Japanese calendar. Sensha (from word sen which meant battle, and sha which meant wagon)
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LOL. Great cartoons.
It blew at 9 am this morning. Wind N. E. so away from us. Small one and who knows what's next.
I was so disappointed when we went to D.C. and were only able to view one quarter (if that) of the wall. If you look at your aerial view, we were only able to see the right hand corner from the ground to about half of that side. The rest was walled off and completely covered with wood. It really ruined the whole concept of what it should have been like. :-(
Great minds.
LOL.
I always thought it was the "Armada period whatchamacallit." :-)
Thanks.
I haven't been able to find any info on that.
On Volcano cam, it looked kinda ash blown, but nothing else that i could tell.
I agree. We do not have the resolve and Islam will never come out of the dark ages.
Of course I mean small as a relative term to the 1980 eruption.
She had the biggest blw up to date for this eruption series. Still not the BIG one yet.
Thanks PE.
Hard to correct with controls when there's no atmospere. ;-)
YEah, infantry is "cheap" compared to training/equiping the other branchs. But they get the bad guys to sign the peace treaty. :-)
Chaos - Not just a theory, a way of life. :-)
Gee, that almost makes me feel bad.
I can't believe it. See the little shinny thing below the handle bars of the third bike on the right as we face them. Now I know which son of a bitch stole my bicyle in 1972.
Sam, for some reason I really don't think you mean that.
I understood that, still haven't found any info on it yet.
Which is odd.
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