Tanks

Large formations of armored vehicles did not play as key a role in the Pacific as they did in Europe. Most of the decisive battlefields were characterized by rugged or heavily forested terrain that did not favor tank maneuver. However, smaller tank formations employed as infantry support did play a significant role in the war.

Japanese Tanks. The Japanese made use of tanks in Malaya and in both Philippine campaigns. In Malaya, tanks were employed against British formations that lacked their own armor support, were not trained in antitank methods, and were not adequately equipped with antitank weapons. Tanks were very effective in this campaign. In the Philippines, the Japanese tanks were neutralized by superior American tanks. The Japanese landed light tanks at Milne Bay, where they quickly bogged down and had to be abandoned.

Because of the limitations of Japanese industry, Japanese tanks tended to be thinly armored, mechanically unreliable, and undergunned. They did not carry guns as large as 3" (75mm) until late in the war.

The best Japanese tank was probably the Type 97 Chi-Ha, which entered service in 1937. Its maximum armor protection was only 25mm and it was armed with a 57mm cannon, and it had a maximum speed of 24 miles per hour. This tank saw service both in Malaya and at Saipan. A later version of the Type 97, which entered mass production in 1943, had a 47mm gun. Had the Allies invaded Honshu, they would have encountered the Chi-nu or Type 3, which had 50mm armor and a 75mm gun. This was still no match for the best Allied tanks. The Type 97 was usually supported by the Type 95 Kyu-go light tank, which had 12mm armor, a 37mm gun, and a maximum speed of 28 miles per hour.

At the time of the surrender, the Japanese had begun production of the Chi-ri or Type 5 tank, with a 75mm turret gun and 37mm bow gun. Its maximum armor was 3" (76mm) and it could make 28 mph. The pinnacle of Japanese tank design, it was comparable with the earliest American Sherman model tanks.

American Tanks. America began the war with the M3 Stuart light tank, which with a 37mm gun, 44.5mm of armor, and a maximum speed of 36 miles per hour was superior to its Japanese counterparts. It was used to effect in the first Philippines campaign and against Japanese infantry in the South Pacific. The Americans later deployed the M4 Sherman tank in the infantry support role, where its maximum 100mm of armor, 75mm gun, and maximum speed of 26 miles per hour proved effective once tank/infantry cooperation was mastered. The Americans equipped a number of Shermans with flamethrowers, which proved particularly effective against heavy fortifications at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Though the Sherman was no match for the best German tanks, it was much superior to anything deployed by the Japanese. Both the Stuart and the Sherman were supplied in quantity to the Allies as Lend-Lease, and Stuarts saw extensive service with the British in Burma.

Had the Allies invaded Japan, they would likely have deployed the M26 Pershing heavy tank, which was armed with a powerful 90mm gun, had 4" (102mm) armor, and had a maximum speed of 30 miles per hour. This excellent tank was a match for a German Panther and would have utterly outclassed anything in the Japanese arsenal.

Commonwealth Tanks. In addition to Sherman and Stuart tanks, the British received the M3 Lee via Lend-Lease, and this was employed in some numbers in Burma. The Lee was a quick improvisation rushed into production to fill the medium tank role until sufficient Shermans were available. It put a Stuart turret atop a rather high hull with a 75mm gun in a sponson in its the right front corner. Armor was a maximum of 51mm and early production was riveted rather than welded. Maximum speed was about 25 mph (40 km/h). Though inferior to the Sherman, the Lee was a match for any Japanese tank employed in Burma.

Australian forces were equipped with a small number of Matilda II tanks, which with 78mm armor but only a 40mm gun and a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour were reasonably well armored but badly undergunned and quite slow. The Australians equipped some Matildas with flamethrowers and also produced a tank bulldozer.

References

Dunnigan and Nofi (1998)

Foss (1981)

Mayo (1974)