Chi-Ha 75mm Type 94 Self properled gun. Chinese oddity tank that China need

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caid’s suggestion #109

I would like to suggest a very unique tank that china would enjoy for the low ranks. the Chi-Ha Type 94 SPG

the history of the Chi-Ha Type 94 is contested. some said it is a Japanese field modification made during WW2. but this is unlikely as the Japanese were not lacking of tanks in China or in need of more firepower against the local foes who were poorly equipped.
the 2nd theory which is much more sourced and much more likely states this tank was a Chinese modification of the Type 97 Chi-Ha. the Japanese Medium tank was used massively in China during WW2 and suffered little resistance during the battles in China that occurred in WW2. this led to a large number of them being captured by the Chinese in 1945 when Japan surrendered and withdrew its troops from China. china returning to their civil war went in a race between the Communist and Nationalist factions to capture as much Japanese equipment as possible. while the Japanese equipment was not the best found in China, it had the advantage of being often pristine and very needed as both sides were in deer lack of modern equipment. it was estimated that between 130 and 160 Type 97 Chi-Ha was captured by China. those tanks were massively used by the Chinese communists who happened to have been more active in the frontline against the Japanese in WW2 but a few was still used by the Nationalists.

if the tank was a Japanese Design does not matter after this point as it was used by the Chinese nationalists. the quantity of those tanks built is unknown. it could be a single tank just like a dozen of them. but in any case, the number was small. the tank had the original turret removed and replaced by a turret similar to the German BP42 train turret. the gun was reported to be the Japanese 75mm Type 94 mountain gun. some other sources state it was a German 77mm FK16 but it is unlikely and the gun do not match as perfectly as the Type 94 does. besides the Japanese 75mm type 94 was more common in China during WW2. the tank was used for close fire support with little known effect. at least one was captured in the nationalist stockpile in 1949 during the Huaihai Campaign.

Firepower
the gun is a 75mm but we shouldn’t let the caliber impress us. the gun can fire APHE and HEAT rounds. the penetration of the HEAT round is interesting but it was likely unavailable for the Chinese. the APHE has a rather low velocity which gives it a weak penetration in the scale similar to the 76 mm KT-28. In close range, this gun can prove deadly against low-rank vehicles. the fire rate will be interesting with 15 rounds per minutes which give a reload of 4 seconds. The elevation is comfortable with -10° to +45° which gives you the chance to feel little limitation in the engagement. the turret transverse is limited to 20° to the left and 10° to the right. this might be sometime a real burden but it still allows a good capacity to engage the enemy. a Chinese-manufactured Czech 7.92×57mm ZB-26 is placed at the rear of the turret for close defense and the hull LMG was retained from the original Chi-Ha



Mobility
in the mobility, the tank will perform slightly better than the other Type 97 Chi-Ha. this is due to the lighter weight which is stated to be approximately 14.3 tonnes. this is a slight difference from the medium tank. it will give a better acceleration. but the top speed will remain unchanged. the Type 97 Chi-Ha remains already pretty decent in terms of mobility. this version will also be decent. the engine is still 170 hp, and the suspension and transmission remain unchanged.



Protection
for protection, the chassis is identical to the Type 97 Chi-Ha which is okay for the low-rank vehicles. with a protection of 25mm in the most exposed place, it would be fairly well protected against the HMG even at a short distance as long it does not hit it too flat. the turret has an unknown thickness. but from the picture, it should be around 20mm. while the turret is indeed taller than the usual Chi-Ha, it is a bit less protected and a lot more empty. the tank does not have a cupola or radio. the arming system seems basic. this led to a very lightweight despite being taller. the crew includes 4 men. 2 in the turret and 2 in the hull.

Sources

3 Likes
2

+1

3

Another odd omission from the current Chinese tree. +1

4

+1, as a unique BR 1.0 tank destroyer

5

Almost surely not a “turret” but a casemate where the gun and its mount are attached to the hull deck and then the side plate added around it. Probably has a mostly open rear very similar to a Ho-Ni. The front gun shield kind of hints that it is derived from a naval gun. Taken from a gunboat or something not a field gun. The side hatch looks very boaty as well.

6

IMG_5185
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1947 list of guns and ammunition used in China. The 94 mountain gun section.

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IMG_5187
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Looks like type 1 AP and type 95 APHE could’ve been used.

The list does mention HEAT being a new type of round. So China at the time may have had some.

1 Like
7

I believe they are listed in the part 2
the identification of the gun is labeled “same as above” which is the meaning you get when you put “same” and “superior” together. The one on the page before is the Type 94

like you said, only the HEAT is missing, but this might have been introduced later.

do you have the specifications for the Type 1 and Type 95?

i had difficulty finding data; the result was from cross-information and supposition. i am afraid the result might be far from reality.

the Type 1 in particular would be interesting, a full AP would give some good punch. the APHE has very little penetration and will feel terrible in game.

8

I don’t think it has heat on second thought. In the sino records website it says it has heat which im assuming it got from the article. I think the 8500 m shell is just a AP shell and not HEAT since the ordinance list has the characters for HEAT as something else.

Maybe just a mistranslation on the way they described it back then and what we describe HEAT as now.

I’m not sure on type 1 AP specifications.

9

The superstructure for the 2nd picture is different from the one you are depicting. However, given that this was a field modification, I’m not surprised if the design wasn’t standardized.

10

Using data on the Type 94 from Japanese Field Artillery by Military Intelligence Divisions, War Department, Washington D.C. and shell details from TM 9-1985-5 and plugging those into Gaijin’s calculator, we get the following:

Spoiler

Type 95 APHE: 35.15mm (392m/s, 6.21kg, 0.46kg)

Spoiler

Type 1 APHE: 48.15mm (392m/s, 6.56kg, 0.053kg)

Spoiler

If you have your own calculations to figure penetration, they might yield better results but the above is probably about what you could expect from Gaijin.

11

48 mm is not that bad for a rank 1 75mm.
35 mm is not great but still playable and the post penetration would be devastating

1 Like
12

Have you found any mention about Chi-Ha with engine from T-34 or do you think it’s just an old rumor?