World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe Type 92 Jyu-Sokosha tankettes were the first tankettes manufactured by Japan. They were designed by the firm Ishikawajima Motorcar Manufacturing Company (now Isuzu Motors) for the cavalry arm of the Japanese Army for reconnaissance duties. Production began in 1932, but various technical problems encountered meant that only 167 units were built between 1932 and 1939, but those produced were reported to be extremely useful in Manchuria in northeast China, especially in areas with rough terrain or without roads. They carried only machine guns and relatively thin armor, thus keeping the weight at a minimum to achieve a relatively high maximum speed for tankettes of the period. They participated in the Battle of Harbin in 1932 during the Mukden Incident and the Battle of Hebei at Rehe (Jehol) in 1933, where they were praised for their mobility but were also disliked for the hulls being penetrable by well-placed rifle fire. When WW2 broke out in Asia with the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, they largely remained in rear areas of Manchuria and Korea. Production of Type 92 Jyu-Sokosha tankettes ceased in 1939, a few months after the introduction of the successor Type 97 Te Ke tankettes.

SPECIFICATIONS

Type 92 Jyu-Sokosha

Machinery	One Mitsubishi/Ishikawajima I-6 air-cooled 6-cylinder gasoline engine rated at 45hp
Suspension	Bell crank
Armament	1x13mm Type 92 heavy machine gun, 1x6.5mm Type 91 machine gun or 1x7.7mm Type 91 machine gun
Armor	6mm hull, 12mm turret
Crew	3
Length	3.95 m
Width	1.63 m
Height	1.86 m
Weight	3.5 t
Speed	40 km/h
Range	200 km

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