Japanese Tank Doctrine?

[Mikimoto]

Hello.

The Japanese fielded three Tank Divisions. The Infantry Divisions had organic Tankette and Light Tank companies. They had also those "armoured Cars" that seems Rifle platforms from my Spanish Civil War...

Japanese tanks seem so light and without punch, but I am sure they used them the best they could...

I was wondering about tactics and doctrine using those armoured elements... Thanks in advance.

[GuntherX]

High
With the absence of any Guderian or other influences the Japanese relegated most of there tactics to infantry support. There usage as mobile armored infantry because of a lack of historical cavalry in there military context of samurai.
There isn't much published about this topic. I wish there was.

[Mikimoto]

Thanks GuntherX.

I knew about using tanks as infantry support, and tankettes and light tanks were used as cavalry scouts in China... but I hoped more feedback from the Marines Nation...
If you fighted them so well, I assume you know them so well... <img src="biggrin.gif" border="0">

[RichardTheFirst]

Sorry I can't help you. I am doing an experience by playing with JA Engineer Tanks (with flamethrowers) in support of infantry, but as they have so bad fire control I'm not expecting much.

[rlc27]

Mikimoto,

You may already know about this, but there is a Yahoo! groups list on Japanese armor. Email it at
Senshagun@yahoogroups.com to subscribe. It's mostly a modelling group, but I'll bet there is a section on tactics if you look through past threads.

<img src="cool.gif" border="0">

[Jeff_Ewing]

Originally posted by RichardTheFirst:
Sorry I can't help you. I am doing an experience by playing with JA Engineer Tanks (with flamethrowers) in support of infantry, but as they have so bad fire control I'm not expecting much.

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If you're talking about the SS Engineering tank, they rock, in my experience. I forget now who recommended playing an all-infantry Japanese campaign (perhaps it was "Grey Wolf"?), but I'm having a blast with it. The 4 flamers on the SS make up for the lack of fire control.

Jeff

[RichardTheFirst]

Originally posted by Jeff_Ewing:


If you're talking about the SS Engineering tank, they rock, in my experience. I forget now who recommended playing an all-infantry Japanese campaign (perhaps it was "Grey Wolf"?), but I'm having a blast with it. The 4 flamers on the SS make up for the lack of fire control.

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Wow! No kidding?! I didn't notice they had 4 flamers, can't wait to see those in action

<img src="tongue.gif" border="0">

[Jeff_Ewing]

Originally posted by RichardTheFirst:


Wow! No kidding?! I didn't notice they had 4 flamers, can't wait to see those in action

<img src="tongue.gif" border="0">

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The only thing I don't like about them is easily fixable via the Editor: they were designed as smoke-laying vehicles, and they have no smoke! Apparently, they could also use demo charges:

http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/japan/japan-eng.html

Jeff