![]() ![]() This was a simple robust system and was used on most Japanese tanks. This featured two bogies on each side, attached to the chassis by a bell-crank, with the suspension provided by horizontally mounted springs. The Type 95 Ha-go used the same suspension as the Type 94 tankette. Tests in northern Manchuria in late 1934-early 1935 confirmed the cavalry school view, and the design was accepted for production. They wanted a tank with a heavier gun and thicker armour that could act closely with the infantry. The prototype was evaluated by the cavalry school in October 1934, receiving a positive report. It was judged to be too heavy, and a ton of weigh was removed, increasing the top speed to 45 km/h, but this weight would be put back during the production run. This weighed in at 7.5 tons, had a top speed of 43 km/h and an operational range of 250km. The first prototype of the Ha-go was built by Mitsubishi, and was completed by June 1934. Type 95 Ha-Go light tanks under construction The army decided that it needed a light tank capable of operating with the infantry, cavalry and medium tanks, with high mobility and agility, a top speed equal to the smaller tankettes, but with arms and armour equal to contemporary international light tanks. There were also concerns about its reliability if it was forced to operate at high speed for long periods of time. Work on the Type 95 Ha-Go began after Mixed Mechanized Brigade manoeuvres revealed that the Type 89 medium tank, designed to operate with the infantry, was too slow to operate as part of a mechanised force. ![]() The Type 95 light tank was officially named the Ha-Go (third model), but was often known in the army as the Ke-Go (light vehicle). By the standards of 1935 it was an acceptable light tank, and it performed well in China in the late 1930s and in the period of Japanese conquests in 1941 and early 1942, but once it came up against more modern Allied tanks its thin armour and by then weak gun left it very vulnerable. ![]() The Type 95 Ha-Go light tank was the most numerous Japanese tank produced during the Second World War. ![]()
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