In the mid-1930s a requirement was issued for a new medium tank to replace the Type 89 B medium tank which by then was rapidly becoming obsolete. As the Engineering Department and the General Staff could not agree on the better design, two prototypes were built. Mitsubishi built the design of the Engineering Department while Osaka Arsenal built the design of the General Staff. There was in fact little to choose between the two designs, although the Mitsubishi tank was heavier and driven by a more powerful engine. The Mitsubishi prototype was standardized as the Type 97 CHI-HA medium tank and some 3,000 vehicles were built before production was finally completed in the middle of World War II.
The hull and turret of the Type 97 medium tank were of riveted construction that varied in thickness from 8 mm (0,30 in) to 25 mm (0.98 mm). The driver was seated at the front of the hull on the right, with the 7.7-mm (0.303-in) Type 97 machine gunner to his left, The two-man turret was in the center of the hull, offset to the right, and could be traversed manually through 360°. Main armament consisted of a 57-mm Type 97 gun with an elevation of +11° and depression of - 9°, and another 7.7-mm (0.303-in) machine-gun was located in the turret rear, Totals of 120 rounds of 57-mm (80 high explosive and 40 of armor piercing) and 2,350 rounds of 7.7-mm (0.303-in) ammunition were carried.
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| Probably the best Japanese armoued vehicle to see any great amount of service, the Type 97 was a fairly advanced design that was handicapped by an inadequate gun. |
The 12-cylinder air cooled diesel was mounted at the rear of the hull and transmitted power via a propeller shaft to the gearbox in the nose of the tank; the gearbox had four forward and one reverse gears. Steering was of the clutch and brake type, and suspension on each side consisted of six dual rubber tyred road wheels, with the drive sprocket at the front and idler at the rear; there were three track-return rollers, The four central road wheels were paired and mounted on bell cranks resisted by armored compression springs, while each end bogie was independently bell crank mounted to the hull in a similar manner. When first introduced into service the Type 97 was quite an advanced design apart from its main armament, which had a low muzzle velocity. A feature of most Japanese tanks of this period was that they were powered by diesel rather than petrol engines, which gave them a much increased operational range as well as reducing the ever present risk of fire, the dread of any tank crew.
In 1942 the Type 97 medium tank (special) was introduced: this had a new turret armed with a 47-mm Type 97 gun that fired ammunition with a higher muzzle velocity and therefore improved penetration characteristics. This weapon used the same ammunition as Japanese anti tank guns and therefore helped ammunition commonality in the front line.
The chassis of the Type 97 was also used as the basis for a number of other vehicles including a flail equipped mine clear mg tank, self propelled guns (including the 150-mm/5.9-m Type 38 HO-RO), self propelled anti aircraft guns (including 20-mm and 75- mm/2.95-in), an engineer tank, a recovery vehicle and an armored bridge layer. Most of these were built in such small numbers that they played little part m actual operations. The Type 97 was replaced in production by the Type 1 CHI-HE medium tank, followed by the Type 3 CHI-NU, of which only 60 were built by the end of the war. The last Japanese medium tanks were the Type 4 and Type 5, but 'neither of these well armed vehicles saw combat.
Specification Type 97
Crew: 4
Weight: 15000 kg (33,069 lb)
Dimensions
Length 5.516 m (18 ft 1 in)
Width 2.33 m (7 ft 8 in)
Height 2.23 m (7 ft 4 in)
Powerplant: one Mitsubishi 12 cylinder air cooled diesel engine developing 170 hp (127 kW)
Performance
Maximum road speed 38 km/h (24 mph)
Maximum range 210 km (130 miles)
Fording 1.0 m (3 ft 3 in)
Gradient 57 per cent
Vertical obstacle 0,812 m (2 ft 6 in)
Trench 2.514 m (8 ft 3 in)