World War II Japanese Tank Tactics [Osprey- Elite 169]

68 Pages·2008·24.4 MB·English

by  Gordon Rottman

World .War II Japanese
Tank Tactics
CONTENTS
GORDONLROTTMANentered
theUSArmyin1967,
volunteeredforSpecial
Forcesandcompletedtraining
INTRODUCTION 3
asaweaponsspecialist.
Heservedinthe5thSpecial
• 1stIndependentMixed Brigade, 1934- ArmoredForces, 1941
ForcesGroupinVietnamin
1969-70andsubsequentlyin
airborneinfantry,long-range UNIT ORGANIZATION 6
patrolandintelligence
• The tankregiment- reconnaissance units- groups
assignmentsuntilretiring
after26years.Hewasa and divisions- othertankunits
SpecialOperationsForces
scenariowriterattheJoint
DOCTRINE 15
ReadinessTrainingCenter
for12yearsandisnow • Frominfantrysupportto spearheadingassaults- dispersal
afreelancewriter,living
inTexas.
TACTICS 18
• Attack- firing methods- nightattack- antitank tactics
AKIRATAKIZAWAwas - defense
borninJapanin1954and
• Formations: movement- the companyand platoon- the
studiedhistoryattheTokyo
University.Heworkedasa regimentand division
computerprogrammer
developingPCwargames. TANK TROOPS 25
Now,devotedtothestudyof
theImperialJapaneseArmy, • Selection and basic training- tankschools
hemaintainstheIJAwebsite
(http://www3.plala.or.jp/takih
COMMUNICATIONS &MAINTENANCE 27
ome/).Amemberofthe
JapaneseTankResearch
Group,"j-tank,"helivesin BATTLE HISTORY 30
Tokyowithhiswife.
• Shanghai 1932- China 1937-38- China 1944
• Malaya 1941-42
PETERDENNISwasborn • Burma 1942- Imphal1944
in1950.Inspiredby • Netherlands EastIndies 1942
contemporarymagazines • Pacific Islands: Guadalcanal 1942- Saipan 1944- Luzon 1945
suchasLookandLearn
• Manchuria 1945
hestudiedillustrationat
LiverpoolArtCollege.
Peterhassincecontributed SUMMARY 58
tohundredsofbooks,
predominantlyonhistorical
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 60
subjects,includingmany
Ospreytitles.Akeen
wargamerandmodelmaker, PLATE COMMENTARIES 60
heisbasedin
Nottinghamshire,UK.
INDEX 64
Elite • 169
World War II Japanese
Tank Tactics
Gordon L Rottman & Akira Takizawa
Illustrated by Peter Dennis
Consultant editor MartinWindrow
FirstpublishedinGreatBritainin2008byOspreyPublishing, Acknowledgments
MidlandHouse,WestWay,Botley,Oxford,0X2OPH,UK
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TheauthorsareindebtedtoOsamu Shimoharaguchi,
E-mail:[email protected]
Katsumi Nakamura,Jim Hensley,Armyjunk,Tomasz
Basarabowicz, andAkinori Hinatafortheloanof
©2008OspreyPublishingLtd.
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OPPOSITE CrewsofType97mediumtankstrainingat
theKorosunaTankSchoolinChibaPrefecture;notethe
commander'shand-heldsignalflag.Thecrewmanstanding
onthetrackguardwearsaType92protectivehelmet
andthestandardsummer-weighttanker'scoverall,with
theputteesandanklebootsoftheregulationall-arms
2 serviceuniform.
WORLD WAR II
JAPANESE TANK
TACTICS
INTRODUCTION
J apan hadacquireda fewBritishWhippettanks in 1918, butmade
verylittle use ofthem; theywere assigned to the InfantrySchool,
though two were deployed to Vladivostok at the end, of the
Russian CivilWar.1 The acquisition of13 French RenaultFT light tanks
thefollowingyearproved to be more useful. Thesewere assigned to the
1stTank Unit ofthe 12th Division in 1925, and in 1932 some were sent
to Manchuria, where they saw action against the Red Army. Upgraded
NC27 Renaults were purchased during the 1920s, and were known in
Japanese service as the Renault "Otsu-Gata."
Japan considered purchasing other foreign tanks, but only the
obsolete Renault FTs were available. Despite their lack of experience,
the Japanese Army's Technical Bureau was directed to commence
development ofa light tank in 1925. The first prototype was too heavy,
butaseconddesignwasdeveloped, resultingin theType89 (1929).This
weighed over 10 tons, so was reclassified as a
medium tank; production did notbegin until 1931.
During this same periodJapan purchased a British
Vickers light tank for study, and a valuable lesson
was learnedfrom this tankwhen its gasoline engine
caughtfire - this convinced theJapanese to engine
their tankswith less easilyignitable diesels.
The first mass-produced tank, the Type 89B, was
fielded in 1934. The gasoline-engined Type 94
tankette was fielded in 1935; thiswas providedwith
a small, open-top, fully-tracked trailer of 3A-ton
capacity, enabling it to deliver ammunition and
supplies to frontline units. The tankette was
followed bythe Type 95 Ha-Go light tank, although
limited production of the Type 92 Jyu-Sokosha
cavalry tank had already been undertaken.
Production ofa new medium, the Type 97 Chi-Ha,
beganin 1938.A newdiesel-engined tankette began
production in 1939; a trailerwas not provided, as it
was intended more as a reconnaissance vehicle.
Later, heavierup-gunned tankswere developed, but
thesesawno combat,beingreservedfor the defense
ofthe Home Islands.2
1 SeeOspreyNewVanguard83,ArmoredUnitsoftheRussianCivilWar:White&
Allied;and95,RedArmy
2 ForadetaileddiscussionofJapanesearmor,seeOsprey ewVanguard137,
JapaneseTanks1939-45. 3
French-madeRenaultNC27light
tanksofthe 1stSpecialTank
Company,photographed in
Manchuria.Thisimport,with
a3.7cmgunandacrewoftwo,
wasthefirsttanktoseeaction
inJapaneseservice, near
HarbininJanuary1932,and
thefollowing monthduring
the"Shanghai Incident."
1st Independent Mixed Brigade
From the late 1920s onward the mechanized forces being created by
Britain and France were studied byJapan, and in 1934 the Imperial
Japanese Army (IJA) also created a mechanized unit, the 1st
Independent Mixed Brigade. This small combined-arms formation
consisted of the 3rd and 4th Tank Battalions, truck-mounted infantry·
and artillery battalions, a reconnaissance company and a motorized
engineercompany.When the brigadewasmobilizedfor servicein China
in 1937 the 3rd Tank Bn was undergoing reorganization as a regiment,
so the brigade committedonlythe 4th TankBn during the campaign.
The difficult terrain in China proved troublesome; the early tanks
were slow and breakdowns were frequent, preventing them from
keeping pacewith the mobile infantry. However, the worstproblemwas
a lack of understanding of the capabilities and limitations of
Type89Amediumtankarmed
witha5.7cmType90gunanda
6.5mmType91 bowmachinegun;
notetheearly"saucepan"-type
cupola.Thebrassstarcentered
betweentheMGmountandthe
driver'splatewasthestandard
identificationsymbolofthe
4 ImperialJapaneseArmy.
mechanizedunits on the partofconservative generals. During the 1937 AType89AKomediumtankof
operations in Quhar province in the north the Quhar Expeditionary alate 1932pattern(therewas
Armycommander, GenTojo, dispersed the brigade'sassetswidelyin the constantdevelopmentofthis
type); notethemachine-gunport
infantry support role. When the brigade commander, Col Sakai,
intheturretrearcoveredover.
protested the order to Gen Tojo he was criticized for insubordination,
Heretheditchingtrail, intended
and relations between the high command and the brigade were asatrench-crossingaid, may
extremely poor thereafter. Mter returning from China, Sakai was actuallyhamperthetank'sability
dismissedand the KwantungArmydisbanded the independentbrigade. toclimbobstacles. Inthefield,
itwasatleastausefulplaceto
Theformer brigade's tankregimentswere deployed under the 1stTank
tieonextrastowage.
Group thatwas formed in its stead. This was a pure tank unit, and the
tanks were again relegated solely to infantry supportwhen temporarily
attached to infantryformations. At the Halka River and Nomonhan on
the Manchurian/Mongolian border in July-September 1939, the
Kwantung Army was defeated by Soviet Red Army forces heavily
supported by armor. The Manchurian plains were ideal tank country,
allowing the conduct of sweeping maneuvers and envelopments; but
since they lacked a functional combined-arms capability the Japanese
armor unitswere notused to advantage.
Armored Forces
EvenafterNomonhanmanyIJAgeneralsrefusedto admitthesuperiority
ofarmoredforces, or that the infantrycould notfight the Soviets alone.
Theyclungto thebeliefthatthishadbeenasmalllocalbattlefromwhich
the innate superiority of armor could not be deduced. However, the
whirlwind success ofthe German armored forces in Poland and France
astonished even the most conservativeJapanese generals. The German 5
Armyhadlongbeena modelfor theIJAandwasmuchadmiredbymany
Japanese officers. In the wake of this massive demonstration the
importance ofarmor could no longer be doubted, and there were calls
for the IJA's armoredforces to be reorganized and expanded.
In April 1941 the armor branch was established as a distinct entity
within the Army- previously, tank forces had belonged to the infantry
branch. Prior to the reorganization the cavalrybranch hadvied to take
control of the armor; now it was itself absorbed into the new armor
branch. Thefirst chiefofthe armorbranchwas Cen ShinYoshida,who,
as chiefofthe cavalry, had pressed strongly for a reorganization ofthe
armor. Though the high-level structure was reformed, the actual
reorganization of armored forces was delayed until the southern
conquests that opened the Pacific War were completed. Tank forces
returnedfrom the south to Manchuria, where three tank divisionswere
organized inJune 1942. InJuly the ArmorArmy (Kikogun) was formed
in Manchuria, with two tank divisions and a tankgroup.
UNIT ORGANIZATION
Besides light and medium tanks, gun tanks3 and tankettes, tank units
were provided with numerous motorized vehicles. Trucks might be of
anymodel, including commandeeredcivilian makes, andfew IJAtrucks
had all-wheel drive. Cars included normal passenger sedans as well as
jeep-like Type 95 field or scout cars. Type 97 motorcycles, mostly with
sidecars, were used bycouriers and for liaison.4
The tank regiment
Initially the tank battalion (Sensha Daitai) was the basic tank unit, but
they were reorganized into regiments in 1938; thereafter the tank
regiment (SenshaRentai) was the basic operatingunit, althoughitvaried
in internal organization. The battalion-size regiments consisted of
700-850 troops, butexceeded 1,000in some cases,with 30-plusbetween
50-plus tanks. They were usually commanded by a full colonel or
occasionally by a lieutenant-colonel. Companies were commanded by
captains or majors, but sometimes by lieutenants, while sub-lieutenants
commanded platoons. All these officers doubled as tank commanders;
the other tank commanders were sergeants. The regiments included
integral maintenance, supply and medical personnel, making them
more self-sufficient than the old battalions. The three or four tank
companies might have light, medium, or mixed types. Some units had
only two tank companies; usually there were two or three medium
companies and one light, but some regiments converted the light
company into a medium company; assigned a light platoon to each
company; or eliminated the light company altogether. A few regiments
were completely equipped with light tanks. Company HQs usually had
one or two light tanks or tankettes and one medium tank (ifa medium
3 Thistermindicatestankswithlow-velocitygunsoptimizedforHEammunitionforinfantrysupport- inAllied
parlance,"howitzer"tanks.Theprovisionofplannedspecialisttanksforthisrolewashardlyachieved,soexisting
modelswereretainedinthisrolewhileupgunnedtanksfortheATrolewereintroduced.
4 MostJapanesetanks,vehiclesandequipmentitemsdiscussedinthisworkweredesignatedintheType90series;
thisreferredtotheJapaneseyear.TodeterminetheWesternyear,simplyread"9"as"3";forexample,Type95,
6 forJapaneseyear2695,translatesto1935;andType1,forJapaneseyear2701,indicates1941.
Tankcrewmenpooltheir
resourcesforlunchduringthe
"NomonhanIncident"ofsummer
1939;theirpaddedhelmetsgive
someprotectionagainstthe
relentlesssunoftheAsian
steppe.Intheforegroundis
aType89mediumtank; inthe
backgroundisaType97- one
ofonlyfourthenservingwiththe
1stTankGroupontheMongolian
border- andseveral regimental
commandcars.
company). Priorto thewara tankplatoon mighthavefour orfive tanks,
but three-tank platoons were much more COlnmon later. The regiment
had a truck-borne maintenance company, and each tank company had
a motorized train. This typically consisted of four NCOs headed by a
sergeant-major and about 20 enlisted men - including a few mechanics
- with eight trucks hauling ammunition, fuel drums, supplies, baggage
and tools. (Plate E depicts a typical tank companyin visual form.)
The organization of tank regiments in the early days was not
standardized; the following is an earlyexample:
4thTankRegt (1939)
RegimentalHQ The2ndTankRegtundertaking
81 men; 2xType 95 light tanks, 2x Type 94 tankettes a road marchinthe 1930s;in
1stLight Tank Company theleadistheregimentalHQ,
witha motorcycle/sidecar
80 men; 9xType 95 light
combinationandacollection
2ndLight Tank Company
offour-andsix-wheelType93
80 men; 9xType 95 light passengercars.
7
3rdLight Tank Company
81 men; 9x Type 95 light
4th Medium Tank Company
III men; 8xType 89 medium tanks, 2x Type 94 tankettes
Regimental Train
128 men; 5xType 95 light
Totalstrength: 561 men
In the early 1940s, most ofthe tank regiments were standardized as
follows, though specific models oftanksvaried, and some units differed
in structure:
Tank regiment (1941)
RegimentalHQ
2x Type 95 light tanks, Ix Type 97 medium
Light Tank Company (1st)
13xType 95 light
Medium Tank Companies (2nd-4th Cos)
each lOx Type 97 medium, 2x Type 95 light
Maintenance Company
By 1940, 15 tank regiments had been raised, numbered 1st-15th. In
1941-42 seven more regiments were created (16th-19th, 22nd-24th),
and another nine in 1944 (25th-30th, 33rd-35th). In 1945, 15 further
regiments were activated (36th-48th, 51st, 52nd). Many, but not all of
Type89Komediumtanksof these late-warunitswere reinforcedregiments, andwere assignedeither
the2ndTankRegtatitsbase to the 4th Tank Div or to independent tank brigades. The structure
atNarashino,ChibaPrefecture,
below was an ideal, for regiments that would have been employed for
inthemid-1930s. Under
the defense ofthe Home Islands; in practice many did not achieve this
magnification,threedifferent
turretvariantscan bemadeout. strength, and received older tanks:
8