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Type 1 Ho-Ni I / II / Type 3 Ho-Ni III

1942 SELF-PROPELLED ARTILLERY WORLD WAR 2

History

During World War II (1939-1945), Japanese armor technology was lagging behind the Allies, and few famous designs were seen in combat. Like other world powers at the time, the country invested in the concept of its own tank destroyer, albeit a little late.

An example of this is Type 1 "Ho-Ni", which comes in two other related battlefield forms, Type 1 "Ho-Ni II" and Type 3 "Ho-Ni III". It is built on the existing Type 97 Zhiha medium tank chassis and chassis.

The Type 97 was built in 1938 before the war and was classified as a medium tank. However, its qualities are closer to the concept of a light tank than its contemporaries.

Once introduced, the Type 97 proved to be comparable to Western products, but by 1942 it was severely downgraded, although production was allowed to continue due to the need for something better.

In order to extend the practicality of the Type 97 chassis and meet the needs of the Japanese Army for a tank destroyer, engineers recovered the power pack and chassis of the medium tank and removed the turret structure. In place of the turret, a 75mm Type 90 field gun was mounted in a fixed open-air structure (only the front and sides of the case were protected from the elements and battlefield hazards). The solid superstructure reduces weight and provides the necessary working space for the artillery crew, but limits the traversing and lifting of the artillery components. Essentially, the entire tank must be turned to a predetermined area of ??fire.

The ship carried 54 75mm shells and the operator consisted of 5 people. Defensive weapons are now mounted in addition to the main guns, except for anything personally carried by the crew.

The result became the Ho-Ni type I, in limited numbers in 1942.

The 15.4-ton vehicle is 5.9 meters long, 2.3 meters wide and 2.4 meters high it has a taller profile. Armor protection ranges from 25mm to 51mm, and power is provided by a Mitsubishi SA12200VD series air-cooled V12 diesel engine, propelling the vehicle to speeds of 24 mph and a range of up to 120 miles.

The hull sits on a corner crank suspension system.

Type 1 Ho-Ni was first used in the Battle of Luzon (Battle of the Philippines) in early/mid 1944. The organized forces lacked the numbers of people who had a positive impact on the outcome of the battle, and the results of the vehicles themselves were mixed.

Only 26 cars of the first series were produced.

The Type 1 Ho-Ni II was another tank development of the Type 97, but the vehicle turned out to be more of a self-propelled artillery platform for the Type 91's 105mm howitzer than an armored anti-personnel weapon. This is a slightly modified armored superstructure designed to be used as a fire support vehicle.

The more closely related evolution of the Type 1 Ho-Ni I became the Type 3 Ho-Ni III, which now uses a more powerful 75mm Type 3 anti-tank gun in a fully enclosed armored hull to protect the artillery.

Due to their poor battlefield performance, these vehicles were reserved for home defense until the end of the war in August 1945. The total production of these makeshift artillery transporters was only 111.