Type 97 Chi-Ha (JP051)

Type 97 Chi-Ha (JP051) includes on Type 97 Chi-Ha Medium Tank & one Tank Commander. The Type 97 Chi-Ha was developed as a replacement for the Type 89 Chi-Ro which was considered obsolete by the late 1930s. In essence, the Type 97 was simply a scaled-up version of the Type 95 Ha-Go but with greater power-to-weight ratio, thicker armour and a two-man turret. Check out the Type 97 Chi-Ha in the online store here...

Rising Sun Rising Sun brings you into the Soviet Union’s wars with the Japanese and Finns on its borders in 1939. Take command of the Red Army’s tank forces, infantry or cavalry forces as you throw the Japanese back into Manchuria or fight the stubborn Finns to expand the Soviet border. Learn more about Rising Sun here...

Armed with a short-barrelled 57mm main gun, the primary role of the Type 97 was infantry support to which the gun was well suited. Secondary armament consisted of two 7.7mm machine-guns, one mounted in the front of the hull and the other in the rear of the turret. After facing off again the Soviet BT-5 and BT-7 tanks armed with their 45mm guns, it soon became that the 57mm gun had limited value against opposing tanks. This led to the development of the Type 1 47mm gun; a direct competitor to the Soviet 45mm gun. An up-gunned version of the Type 97 designated the Type 97-Kai Shinhoto Chi-Ha and went in production in 1942. Designed by Tim Adcock Painted by James Brown

The Type 97 Chi-Ha in Flames Of War
Armour      Name  Mobility  Front  Side  Top  Equipment and Notes  Weapon  Range  ROF  Anti-tank  Firepower  Type 97 Chi-Ha Standard Tank 2 2 1 Japanese Turret MG, Hull MG. Type 90 57mm gun 16"/40cm  2 5 4+

Japanese Turret MG Japanese tanks were often fitted with a rear mounted machine-gun. They used this by swinging the whole turret around to fire it at the enemy to their front. This meant, of course, that they could not fire the main gun while they fired the turret MG and the gunner must shift positions in the tank to operate it. A Japanese Turret MG has an all-round Field of Fire, but cannot fire at the same time as the vehicle’s Main Gun.

Japanese Model & Year System The weapons the Imperial Japanese Army used during its wars in Asia and the Pacific were designated using a model system based on the year of the Japanese Emperor they entered service with. This can sometimes be confusing as the weapons available could come from the reign of three different emperors; Emperor Meiji (1867 to 1912), Emperor Taisho (1912 to 1926), and Emperor Hirohito (1926 to 1989). To confuse things further, during the reign of Emperor Hirohito the model system referred to the year in the Japanese calendar, which was 660 years ahead of the current western date, so 1939 was 2599 in Japan. The model is usually referred to as Type in English translations. Examples The 6.5mm heavy machine-gun was an older weapon that entered service in 1914 during the third year of Emperor Taisho’s reign, giving it the designation Type 3. However, the 6.5mm Type 96 light machine-gun used by the infantry was produced in 1936, or 2596 in the Japanese calendar system, which was abbreviated to 96.

Battlefront TV: Painting Japanese Tanks James shows how to paint a Japanese Type 97 Chi-Ha tank from Rising Sun. He gives some tips on good ways to paint bright yellow and demonstrates how to do an oil-based pin wash. Visit the Battlefront TV channel on YouTube here...