Japanese amphibious tank Type 5 To-Ku

[Would you like to see To-Ku rank II br 2.3 in-game to fill the gap after Ka-Mi ?]
  • Yes - comment if as 1 vehicle with modifications or 2 separate vehicles
  • No - explain why
0 voters

General Specifications :

Length: 7.10m (without floats), 10.80m (with floats)
Width: 3.00m
Height: 3.38m
Total weight: 26.8t (without floats), 29.1t (with floats)
Crew: 7
Engine: Type 100 4-stroke V-12 air-cooled diesel
Maximum output: 240hp/2,000rpm
Maximum speed: 32km/h (surfing 10.5km/h)
Range: 320km (surfing 140km)
Armament: Type 1 48-caliber 47mm tank gun x 1 (121 rounds)
Type 96 60-caliber 25mm machine gun x 1 (330 rounds)
Type 97 vehicle-mounted 7.7mm heavy machine gun x 2 (5,070 rounds)
Armor thickness: 8-50mm

Armament :
The To-ku’s main gun, a Type 1 47 mm tank gun, had a barrel length of 2,450 mm, a muzzle velocity of 810-832 m/s, a firing rate of 10 rounds per minute, and an armor penetration of 65 mm at a firing distance of 500 m and 50 mm at a firing distance of 1,000 m when using Type 1 armor-piercing shells. The To-ku was equipped with 121 47 mm shells for the main gun, the same as the Ka-Chi.
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As for secondary armament, the To-ku was equipped with one Type 97 machine gun (7.7 mm caliber) on the front of the fighting compartment and on the left rear side of the turret, the same as the Ka-Chi. The To-ku was equipped with 5,070 rounds of 7.7 mm machine gun ammunition, with the hull machine gun mounted in front of the gunner’s seat and the turret machine gun mounted on the right rear side of the turret.

In addition, the To-ku was equipped with one Type 96 25 mm machine gun, which was surplus to the Navy, as secondary armament.
Its performance was a muzzle velocity of 900 m/s, a maximum range of 8,000 m, a maximum firing rate of 230 rounds per minute, and a feeding method of 15 rounds in clips.
It carried 330 rounds of 25mm machine gun ammunition, and 22 clips of 15 rounds were stored inside the vehicle.
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The To-ku is generally equipped with a 47mm tank gun in the front of the fighting compartment and a 25mm machine gun in a fully rotating turret on top of the vehicle. However, a vehicle equipped with a
47mm tank gun in the turret and a 25mm machine gun in the front of the fighting compartment was also planned as the “Type 2,” and it is said that the commonly known type was named the “Type 1.”

Armour:
The body and turret of the To-ku tank were welded with rolled bulletproof steel plates, just like the Ka-Chi tank, and the thickness of the armor of each part was basically the same as that of the Ka-Chi tank.
The armor thickness of the To-ku tank was 50mm at the front, 25mm at the sides, 20mm at the rear, 10mm at the top, and 8mm at the bottom of the body, and 50mm at the front, 25mm at the sides/rear, and 12mm at the top of the turret.

Mobility:
The engine of the To-ku was the same as that of the Ka-Chi, and it was equipped with a controlled type 100 air-cooled diesel engine.
A controlled type engine is a general term for a group of engines that have the same standard dimensions as a single cylinder, and the To-ku had the maximum number of cylinders, 12. With a
cylinder diameter of 120 mm, a piston stroke of 160 mm, and a pre-combustion output of 240 hp.

However, for the To-ku, which weighed nearly 30 tons, this engine was underpowered, and the maximum road speed was only 32 km/h.
The suspension of the To-ku was basically the same as that of the Ka-Chi, and two sets of suspensions were installed on each side, with four road wheels connected by a bogie and suspended by horizontal coil springs (spiral springs).
Therefore, the number of road wheels was eight on each side, and the number of upper support wheels was four on each side.

Like the Ka-Chi, the To-ku was equipped with a distributor that switched the powertrain between the drive wheels at the front of the vehicle body or the screw installed on the rear of the vehicle body.
When traveling on water, the power to the tracks was cut off, and two screws were rotated by two shafts that passed through both sides of the engine from the distributor.
The distributor also served as a bilge pump to drain water leaking into the vehicle.

The intake and exhaust of the engine was done from the top of the engine room, and when traveling on water, the ventilation pipe was raised to ensure intake.
Changing direction on water was done by operating two rudders equipped on floats attached to the rear of the vehicle using cables. The speed of the Toku vehicle on water was 10.5 km/h, almost the same as that of the Ka-Chi.

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The planned production number of To-ku tanks, including the Type 1 and Type 2, was 50, with 25 of each type planned.
The design of the To-ku tank was completed and it was officially designated the Type 5 Special Landing Boat, but the war ended while the body was being manufactured at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Tokyo Machinery Works.
Some sources say a single type 1 was completed while other say that not a single vehicle was fully completed.

References:

・“Grand Power September 2017 Japanese Army Amphibious Tanks” by Masatoshi Kodaka and Okitaro Ayukawa, Galileo Publishing
・“Imperial Army and Navy Combat Vehicles” by Delta Publishing
・“Tanks of the World 1915-1945” by Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis, Dainihon Kaiga
・“Japanese Military Combat Vehicle Encyclopedia: All about Tracked and Armored Vehicles” by Dainihon Kaiga
・“Encyclopedia of Irregular Tanks: Visual History of Tank Development” by Nobuo Saiki, Kojinsha
・“Japanese Tanks 1927-1945” by Argonaut Publishing

8 Likes

Would be great to see loads of these running around 1.0 :P

1 Like

@richthofen122 Ka-chi problem fix XD

2 Likes

I think it should be one vehicle with the optional modification.

4 Likes

It was never built in any form, so no.

One vehicle, event perhaps. I want to see Ka-Chi owners die inside of envy.

Well we dont really know if finished or unfinished. Its kinda like the superheavy O-I. But I dont see why not if half of the russian navy that is already in game are never finished or just designed things and they plan on adding more like that. Then we have E-100, Panther II, Ho-ri production, XP-38G, then a lot of the chinese stuff just to name a few. + you should not be talking since you have Ka-Chi

If it floats - I err… votes!

2 Likes

Hell nah event vehicle tho. Why make mistake with Ka-Chi twice? So that people that miss it cant get it even as cupon or for GE.

1 Like

Most event vehicles are unique, nowadays are just generic mass produced vehicles (MGS Boxer 3105) and considering To-Ku was never fully assembled, either chassis completely built, it shouldn’t be different.

Gaijin could just make the Ka-Chi premium, give Ka-Mi pontoons and add this as event.

Ka-chi should have been the thing right after Ka-Mi. Making it event was utter nonsence. And To-Ku should have been next step or premium. Like why does japan get american copycats as regular tech tree and when theres something unique and interesting “boom 1 time event vehicle ! those who miss it or play after the event cant get it or buy it since its not even bloody cupon”

For now, Gaijin seriously needs to find someone who can take a look into the archives since there is a rumor from back then that 1 prototype existed but no one is so sure. Sigh…

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Where does this guy always spawn from?

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See it function just like the other boat tank, and have the floats as an add on.

Did it exist though?

Either A) single finished vehicle
or B) unfinished ones
Manufacturing was underway while war ended. So kinda like Maus, E-100 or O-I and stuff.

3 Likes

I see no issue with its addition then, would be very fun to see in game!

2 Likes

Given the reasonable doubt of the To-Ku coming to WT, I understand why the Ka-Chi was made an event vehicle. That being said, I do agree the To-Ku would’ve been a better candidate as an event vehicle than the Ka-Chi.

IMO, there’s no need for two separate vehicles. Just give the player the option of switching the guns according to his preference (modification)

2 Likes

No, we know what the status of the O-I was through surviving documents. There is nothing supporting that any part of the To-Ku left the design stage.

I dont see why not if half of the russian navy that is already in game are never finished or just designed things and they plan on adding more like that.

Only the Kronshtadt and the Shherbakov are anywhere near what you’re describing, the former remaining merely a plan and the latter being incomplete. However, both Italy and and Germany, alone, have more incomplete ships than Russia; namely the RN Comandante Margottini, the RN Etna, the RN Conte di Cavour, the Z 46, the Z 47, and the SMS Saschen which were all never completed.

Panther II… XP-38G

Both removed due to not being real. They can’t be used as examples.

E-100

The hull was completed, albeit the Tiger-Maus idea was merely a proposal and the E-100 chassis wouldn’t have been actually capable of carrying the Maus turret without overloading.

then a lot of the chinese stuff

What Chinese stuff? Only the 1221 (Object 122MT) could classify as anywhere near “paper,” because Gaijin is stupid and gave it missiles even though the entire purpose of the 1221 was to make a cheaper and more affordable version of the 122, which involved welding over the missile mounts to make them unusable.

The other Chinese stuff that can be pointed out, namely their T-26s, the T-34-76, and the M36; are only wrong because Gaijin took the lazy route and just copy-pasted the existing in-game models rather than giving them the accurate T-26 model 1933 and 1936, or the M36B2 instead of the M36. The T-34-76 is utter fiction, though, China never received any. They received exclusively T-34-85. The myth seems to originate from China having been the intermediary between the Soviet Union and North Korea when sending military equipment, one of which were T-34-76s (though model 1943 instead of 1942).

Another paper tank? No.

kick rocks

1 Like