Type 89 I-Go
Encyclopedia
The was a medium tank
used by the Imperial Japanese Army
from 1932 to 1942 in combat operations of the Second Sino-Japanese War
, at Khalkhin Gol against the Soviet Union
, and in the Second World War. The Type 89B model was the world's first mass produced diesel engine
tank. The tank was armed with a short-barrel 57 mm cannon for knocking out pillboxes and masonry fortifications, and proved effective in campaigns in Manchuria
and China
, as the Chinese
National Revolutionary Army
had only three tank battalions to oppose them, which consisted primarily of Vickers
export models, German
Panzer I
s, and Italian
CV33 tankettes. The Type 89 was a 1920s design medium tank, built to support the infantry, and thus lacked the armor or armament of 1940s generation allied armor; and was regarded as obsolete by the time of the battles of Khalkhin Gol, against the Soviet Union
, in 1939.Foss. The Great Book of Tanks The code designation "I-Go" comes from the katakana
letter [イ] for “first” and the kanji
[号] for “number”. The designation is sometimes transliterated “Yi-Go”
, and a new requirement was issued to for a lighter tank, with a nominal 10 short ton weight. The new design was modeled closely after the Vickers Medium Mark C tanks, several samples of which had been obtained by the Japanese Army in 1927. By April 1929, the new light tank design was finished and designated as the Type 89. Later, the Type 89 was re-classified as a "medium tank" because the weight increased to over 10 tons due to several improvements.
As the Army's Sagami Arsenal lacked the capacity for mass production, a contract was awarded to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
, which built a new factory next to the Sagami Arsenal specifically to produce this model. Production of the Type 89 began in 1931 and it soon became the main tank of the Imperial Japanese Army
.
Although the Type 89 was well regarded by the Japanese army, there were several small problems to be rectified, notably a gap under the mantlet on early models that allowed rifle fire to enter the turret. Work continued on improving the Type 89 after the production started, and as a result many variants were developed. Foss. The Great Book of Tanks
The design of the Type 89 was relatively conventional with a forward-mounted gun turret carrying the main armament, a Type 90 57 mm gun that was complemented by two Type 91 6.5 mm machine guns. One was placed in the turret and pointed towards the rear, a practice followed with most Japanese tanks, and one was located in the hull. The Type 90 57 mm Tank Gun had a barrel length of 0.85 metres (33.5 in) (L14.9) el angle of fire of −15 to +20 degrees, AZ angle of fire of 20 degrees, muzzle velocity
of 380 m/s (1,246.7 ft/s), and could penetrate of 20 mm of armor at 500 m (0.8 in/550 yd).
Rather than using iron
armor, as on the earlier Type 87, the designers chose to use steel
plate armor developed by the Nihon Seikosho Company (JSW). The type of armor was referred to as 'Niseko steel', an abbreviation of Nihonseikosho.
The Type 89 was driven through the rear drive sprocket and featured nine bogie
s, mounted in pairs on each side, with the forward bogie on an independent suspension. Five smaller return wheels were mounted along a girder. Some vehicles were provided with two searchlights for night operations and Type 94 Mk 4 Hei (1934 model) radio communication device with range of 0.6 miles and weight of 198 lb, linked with a radio antenna of 29' 6" in a reverse L shape.
engine and mounted a machine gun
on the right side of the hull. This design could only attain 15.5 km/h, and was also limited by the severe winter climate in northern China
. A total of 220 units were produced.
The Ko was superseded in production from 1934 by the model Otsu with an air-cooled Mitsubishi A6120VD 120 hp diesel
engine. The improved model had a new gun turret
design complete with a cupola
for the commander, and with the machine gun relocated to the left side of the hull. The multiple armor plates of the front hull were replaced by a single shallow-sloped frontal armor plate which provided more protection for the driver. However, the major difference between the versions was the Mitsubishi air-cooled 6-cylinder diesel engine, which had several advantages: reduced vulnerability to fire should the vehicle be hit or roll over; better fuel economy; greater torque at lower revolutions. A diesel engine was also preferred by the Japanese Army because more diesel fuel than gasoline
could be produced per barrel of oil. A total of 189 Otsu units were produced. The Type 89B Otsu version was the first mass-produced tank with a diesel engine.
The Type 89 was deployed for infantry support operations in the Second Sino-Japanese War. It served with Japanese infantry divisions before that, during the Japanese invasion of Manchuria (September 1931), and during the First Battle of Shanghai in 1932, as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy
's Special Naval Landing Force. The short-barreled 57 mm gun was effective at destroying machine gun nests and its 15 mm (0.590551181102362 in) armor, although thin, was enough to stop small arms fire. The relatively low speed of 25 km/h (15.5 mph) was not an issue in these types of operations.
The following year, the Japanese Army formed its first independent armor force by creating three regiments armed with the Type 89 I-Go, each consisting of two companies with ten tanks each. Three more regiments were formed in 1934. Type 89s were used widely in various campaigns throughout China after 1937.
, the Japanese Army's 1st Tank Corps
, commanded by Lt. General Yasuoka Masaomi, launched an offensive against the Soviet Union
's 11th Tank and 7th Armored brigades. The 1st Tank Corps consisted of the 3rd and 4th Tank Regiment
s; of which the 3rd regiment consisted of 26 Type 89s, 4 Type 97 medium tanks
, 7 Type 94 tankettes, and 4 Type 97 tankettes
, and the 4th regiment contained 35 Type 95s
, 8 Type 89s, and 3 Type 94 tankettes respectively. In this battle, the Type 97 medium tank was a newly fielded machine, and was primarily reserved for home units, as well as transitioning into Japanese Army forces stationed in China (Manchuria
).
The 3rd Tank Regiment had, after charging through Soviet artillery barrages, successfully managed to overrun the Soviet motorized infantry, and took the high ground, which had been quickly abandoned by the Soviets. However, by 2100 hours, Soviet counter battery fire had begun pounding the newly taken position, and the 3rd Tank repositioned themselves behind the objective.
The 4th Tank Regiment, which had become separated from the 3rd Tank Regiment, advanced upon an objective under the cover of a thunderstorm
which masked their movements, but exposed the Soviet positions. The 4th Tank Regiment continued to advance, when suddenly a shift in the lightning flashes illuminated the advancing Japanese tanks, whereupon the Soviets immediately opened fire with anti-tank guns, heavy machine guns, and artillery. However, the range was so close, that the Soviet artillery could not depress their guns any lower, and the 4th Tank Regiment was ordered to charge
at about 0020 hours (12:20 AM). Soviet shells passed wildly over the charging tanks as they penetrated over a thousand yards into the Soviet lines. Now isolated, and deep within the Soviet lines, the 4th Tank Regiment moved several thousands yards where they met up with Japanese infantry.
The 4th Tank Regiment had expended 1,100 37 mm and 129 57 mm tank shells during the fight, as well as about 16,000 machine gun rounds. Of the approximate 73 light and medium Japanese tanks from both regiments committed to the offensive, 13 were damaged beyond repair by Soviet gunfire, about 14 others were repaired after major overhauls, and 17 tanks were repaired in the field.
Soviet forces concluded that the 1st Tank Corps had penetrated the defenses of their 9th Armored Brigade
and 149th Infantry Regiment and had reached Soviet artillery
positions
.
, Battle of Malaya
, and Burma campaign
, and continued to be used in China. They were also often used in static defense positions in the Japanese-occupied islands of the Netherlands East Indies and in the South Pacific Mandate
, but with their weak armor and small main gun they were a poor match for the American M4 Sherman
.Foss. The Great Book of Tanks
Medium tank
Medium tank was a classification of tanks; the medium being intermediate in size and weight and armament between heavy tanks and light tanks.The medium tank concept has been eclipsed by the main battle tank.-History:...
used by the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
from 1932 to 1942 in combat operations of the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
, at Khalkhin Gol against the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and in the Second World War. The Type 89B model was the world's first mass produced diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
tank. The tank was armed with a short-barrel 57 mm cannon for knocking out pillboxes and masonry fortifications, and proved effective in campaigns in Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, as the Chinese
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
National Revolutionary Army
National Revolutionary Army
The National Revolutionary Army , pre-1928 sometimes shortened to 革命軍 or Revolutionary Army and between 1928-1947 as 國軍 or National Army was the Military Arm of the Kuomintang from 1925 until 1947, as well as the national army of the Republic of China during the KMT's period of party rule...
had only three tank battalions to oppose them, which consisted primarily of Vickers
Vickers
Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
export models, German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Panzer I
Panzer I
The Panzer I was a light tank produced in Germany in the 1930s. The name is short for the German ' , abbreviated . The tank's official German ordnance inventory designation was SdKfz 101 .Design of the Panzer I began in 1932 and mass production in 1934...
s, and Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
CV33 tankettes. The Type 89 was a 1920s design medium tank, built to support the infantry, and thus lacked the armor or armament of 1940s generation allied armor; and was regarded as obsolete by the time of the battles of Khalkhin Gol, against the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, in 1939.Foss. The Great Book of Tanks The code designation "I-Go" comes from the katakana
Katakana
is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji, and in some cases the Latin alphabet . The word katakana means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana scripts are derived from components of more complex kanji. Each kana represents one mora...
letter [イ] for “first” and the kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
[号] for “number”. The designation is sometimes transliterated “Yi-Go”
History and development
The Type 89 evolved from Japan's first domestic light tank project initiated by the Japanese Army's Osaka Technical Arsenal in 1925. However, the growing weight of the initial prototype and its low speed did not impress the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff OfficeImperial Japanese Army General Staff Office
, also called the Army General Staff, was one of the four principal agencies charged with overseeing the Imperial Japanese Army.-Role:The was created in April 1872, along with the Navy Ministry, to replace the Ministry of Military Affairs of the early Meiji government.Initially, the Army Ministry...
, and a new requirement was issued to for a lighter tank, with a nominal 10 short ton weight. The new design was modeled closely after the Vickers Medium Mark C tanks, several samples of which had been obtained by the Japanese Army in 1927. By April 1929, the new light tank design was finished and designated as the Type 89. Later, the Type 89 was re-classified as a "medium tank" because the weight increased to over 10 tons due to several improvements.
As the Army's Sagami Arsenal lacked the capacity for mass production, a contract was awarded to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
, or MHI, is a Japanese company. It is one of the core companies of Mitsubishi Group.-History:In 1870 Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi took a lease of Government-owned Nagasaki Shipyard. He named it Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works, and started the shipbuilding business on a full scale...
, which built a new factory next to the Sagami Arsenal specifically to produce this model. Production of the Type 89 began in 1931 and it soon became the main tank of the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
.
Although the Type 89 was well regarded by the Japanese army, there were several small problems to be rectified, notably a gap under the mantlet on early models that allowed rifle fire to enter the turret. Work continued on improving the Type 89 after the production started, and as a result many variants were developed. Foss. The Great Book of Tanks
Design
The Type 89 required a crew of four (commander/gunner, loader, driver and hull gunner).The design of the Type 89 was relatively conventional with a forward-mounted gun turret carrying the main armament, a Type 90 57 mm gun that was complemented by two Type 91 6.5 mm machine guns. One was placed in the turret and pointed towards the rear, a practice followed with most Japanese tanks, and one was located in the hull. The Type 90 57 mm Tank Gun had a barrel length of 0.85 metres (33.5 in) (L14.9) el angle of fire of −15 to +20 degrees, AZ angle of fire of 20 degrees, muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity is the speed a projectile has at the moment it leaves the muzzle of the gun. Muzzle velocities range from approximately to in black powder muskets , to more than in modern rifles with high-performance cartridges such as the .220 Swift and .204 Ruger, all the way to for tank guns...
of 380 m/s (1,246.7 ft/s), and could penetrate of 20 mm of armor at 500 m (0.8 in/550 yd).
Rather than using iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
armor, as on the earlier Type 87, the designers chose to use steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
plate armor developed by the Nihon Seikosho Company (JSW). The type of armor was referred to as 'Niseko steel', an abbreviation of Nihonseikosho.
The Type 89 was driven through the rear drive sprocket and featured nine bogie
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
s, mounted in pairs on each side, with the forward bogie on an independent suspension. Five smaller return wheels were mounted along a girder. Some vehicles were provided with two searchlights for night operations and Type 94 Mk 4 Hei (1934 model) radio communication device with range of 0.6 miles and weight of 198 lb, linked with a radio antenna of 29' 6" in a reverse L shape.
Variants
The initial production model had a gasolineGasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
engine and mounted a machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
on the right side of the hull. This design could only attain 15.5 km/h, and was also limited by the severe winter climate in northern China
Northern and southern China
Northern China and southern China are two approximate regions within China. The exact boundary between these two regions has never been precisely defined...
. A total of 220 units were produced.
The Ko was superseded in production from 1934 by the model Otsu with an air-cooled Mitsubishi A6120VD 120 hp diesel
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
engine. The improved model had a new gun turret
Gun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
design complete with a cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
for the commander, and with the machine gun relocated to the left side of the hull. The multiple armor plates of the front hull were replaced by a single shallow-sloped frontal armor plate which provided more protection for the driver. However, the major difference between the versions was the Mitsubishi air-cooled 6-cylinder diesel engine, which had several advantages: reduced vulnerability to fire should the vehicle be hit or roll over; better fuel economy; greater torque at lower revolutions. A diesel engine was also preferred by the Japanese Army because more diesel fuel than gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
could be produced per barrel of oil. A total of 189 Otsu units were produced. The Type 89B Otsu version was the first mass-produced tank with a diesel engine.
Combat history
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
's Special Naval Landing Force. The short-barreled 57 mm gun was effective at destroying machine gun nests and its 15 mm (0.590551181102362 in) armor, although thin, was enough to stop small arms fire. The relatively low speed of 25 km/h (15.5 mph) was not an issue in these types of operations.
The following year, the Japanese Army formed its first independent armor force by creating three regiments armed with the Type 89 I-Go, each consisting of two companies with ten tanks each. Three more regiments were formed in 1934. Type 89s were used widely in various campaigns throughout China after 1937.
Battle of Khalkhin Gol
On the evening of 2 July 1939, during the battle of Khalkhin GolBattle of Khalkhin Gol
The Battles of Khalkhyn Gol was the decisive engagement of the undeclared Soviet–Japanese Border Wars fought among the Soviet Union, Mongolia and the Empire of Japan in 1939. The conflict was named after the river Khalkhyn Gol, which passes through the battlefield...
, the Japanese Army's 1st Tank Corps
Tank Corps
Tank Corps may refer to:* Tank Corps, later Royal Tank Corps, early name of the Royal Tank Regiment* Tank Corps , a type of Red Army formation used up to World War II...
, commanded by Lt. General Yasuoka Masaomi, launched an offensive against the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
's 11th Tank and 7th Armored brigades. The 1st Tank Corps consisted of the 3rd and 4th Tank Regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
s; of which the 3rd regiment consisted of 26 Type 89s, 4 Type 97 medium tanks
Type 97 Chi-Ha
The was a medium tank used by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War, at Nomonhan against the Soviet Union, and in the Second World War. It was the most widely produced Japanese medium tank of World War II, although the armor protection was considered as average in the 1930s...
, 7 Type 94 tankettes, and 4 Type 97 tankettes
Type 97 Te-Ke
The was a tankette used by the Imperial Japanese Army in the Second Sino-Japanese War, at Nomonhan against the Soviet Union, and in World War II. It was designed as a fast reconnaissance vehicle, and was a replacement for the earlier Type 94 TK....
, and the 4th regiment contained 35 Type 95s
Type 95 Ha-Go
The was a light tank used by the Imperial Japanese Army in combat operations of the Second Sino-Japanese War, at Nomonhan against the Soviet Union, and in the Second World War. It proved sufficient against infantry, however, like the American M3 Stuart, it was not designed to fight other tanks...
, 8 Type 89s, and 3 Type 94 tankettes respectively. In this battle, the Type 97 medium tank was a newly fielded machine, and was primarily reserved for home units, as well as transitioning into Japanese Army forces stationed in China (Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
).
The 3rd Tank Regiment had, after charging through Soviet artillery barrages, successfully managed to overrun the Soviet motorized infantry, and took the high ground, which had been quickly abandoned by the Soviets. However, by 2100 hours, Soviet counter battery fire had begun pounding the newly taken position, and the 3rd Tank repositioned themselves behind the objective.
The 4th Tank Regiment, which had become separated from the 3rd Tank Regiment, advanced upon an objective under the cover of a thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
which masked their movements, but exposed the Soviet positions. The 4th Tank Regiment continued to advance, when suddenly a shift in the lightning flashes illuminated the advancing Japanese tanks, whereupon the Soviets immediately opened fire with anti-tank guns, heavy machine guns, and artillery. However, the range was so close, that the Soviet artillery could not depress their guns any lower, and the 4th Tank Regiment was ordered to charge
Charge
Charge or charged may refer to:* Charge , illegal contact by pushing or moving into another player's torso* Charge , a six-note trumpet or bugle piece denoting the call to rush forward...
at about 0020 hours (12:20 AM). Soviet shells passed wildly over the charging tanks as they penetrated over a thousand yards into the Soviet lines. Now isolated, and deep within the Soviet lines, the 4th Tank Regiment moved several thousands yards where they met up with Japanese infantry.
The 4th Tank Regiment had expended 1,100 37 mm and 129 57 mm tank shells during the fight, as well as about 16,000 machine gun rounds. Of the approximate 73 light and medium Japanese tanks from both regiments committed to the offensive, 13 were damaged beyond repair by Soviet gunfire, about 14 others were repaired after major overhauls, and 17 tanks were repaired in the field.
Soviet forces concluded that the 1st Tank Corps had penetrated the defenses of their 9th Armored Brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
and 149th Infantry Regiment and had reached Soviet artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
positions
Positions
Positions is a book by French philosopher Jacques Derrida, published in 1972. It consist of a collection of interviews. Derrida talks about his earlier works and their relationships. He said that his 1962 essay, Edmund Husserl's Origin of Geometry: An Introduction, already contained many elements...
.
Other Service
By 1942 the Type 89 was gradually being withdrawn from front-line combat service, but many units saw action in the Battle of the PhilippinesBattle of the Philippines
Battle of the Philippines may refer to several wars, military campaigns, and major battles which have been fought in the Philippine Islands, including:...
, Battle of Malaya
Battle of Malaya
The Malayan Campaign was a campaign fought by Allied and Japanese forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 31 January 1942 during the Second World War. The campaign was dominated by land battles between British Commonwealth army units, and the Imperial Japanese Army...
, and Burma campaign
Burma Campaign
The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army. British Commonwealth land forces were drawn primarily from...
, and continued to be used in China. They were also often used in static defense positions in the Japanese-occupied islands of the Netherlands East Indies and in the South Pacific Mandate
South Pacific Mandate
The was the Japanese League of Nations mandate consisting of several groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean which came under the administration of Japan after the defeat of the German Empire in World War I.-Early history:Under the terms of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, after the start of World...
, but with their weak armor and small main gun they were a poor match for the American M4 Sherman
M4 Sherman
The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. Thousands were also distributed to the Allies, including the British Commonwealth and Soviet armies, via lend-lease...
.Foss. The Great Book of Tanks
WWII Japanese units equipped with the Type 89 Tank
- 1st Independent Mixed Brigade
- 3rd Tank Regiment
- 4th Tank Regiment
- 7th Tank Regiment
- 2nd Independent Tank Company
- 1st Special Tank Company
- 1st Tank Battalion
- 2nd Tank Battalion
- 5th Tank Battalion
- Special Tank Company of China Detachment Tank Unit
- 7th Tank Regiment
- 8th Independent Tank Company
- 9th Independent Tank Company
- 2nd Tank Division
- Shanghai SNLF Tank Company
- SNLF Tank School at Tateyama IJN Ordnance
Survivors
- The United States Army Ordnance MuseumUnited States Army Ordnance MuseumThe U.S. Army Ordnance Museum is a museum that is in the process of being re-located to Fort Lee, in Fort Lee, Virginia. Its previous building—at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland—was closed in September 2010, although many outdoor exhibits are still accessible to the...
at Aberdeen, MarylandAberdeen, MarylandAs of the census of 2000, there were 13,842 people, 5,475 households, and 3,712 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,166.2 people per square mile . There were 5,894 housing units at an average density of 922.4 per square mile...
(where it is labelled as a "Type 89 Chi-Ro"). - The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force base at Tsuchiura, IbarakiTsuchiura, Ibarakiis a city located in Ibaraki prefecture, in Japan. It is situated along the western shores of Lake Kasumigaura, the second largest lake in Japan. Tokyo city lies about 60 km to the south, and Tsukuba science city borders Tsuchiura to the west.-Demographics:...
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. - Sinbudai Old Weapon Museum, Camp Asaka, Japan
External links
- WWII vehicles
- OnWar.com: Type 89A Type 89B
- Photo gallery at military.cz
- Japanese Type 89 CHI-RO Medium Tank at howstuffworks.com
- Taki's Imperial Japanese Army Page
- TANKS! Refer to "Vickers Medium Mark C" that is the prototype of "Type 89" here. Do not misidentify it to "Medium C Hornet".