Ha-Go Commander

This page is about the Japanese light tank Ha-Go Commander. For other versions, see Ha-Go (Family). For other usess, see Ha-Go (Disambiguation).

Ha-Go Commander

Ha-Go Commander

Japan

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

PREMIUM

Light tank

Purchase:250

Show in game

Description

The Type 95 Ha-Go Commander (九五式軽戦車 指揮車型「ハ号」) was a variant of the Ha-Go assigned to commanders of tank companies within the Japanese armoured forces. In the early stages, the Japanese, like many others, did not widely equip their tanks with radios, relying instead on signal flags. To ensure the tank of the company commander remained visible, it was often painted with relatively unique camouflage patterns or insignias. Command versions featured various modifications and deviations from standard production procedures. Some were equipped with a radio and circular antenna on the commander's cupola, while others, like this one, were fitted with smoke dischargers (although this feature was not exclusive to command vehicles).

The Ha-Go Commander was introduced in Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai" along with the initial Japanese Ground Forces Tree and was the prize in the 2016 "Christmas gift" giveaway. The Ha-Go is deployed for its agility, which makes it suitable for the role of a support tank. Its primary duty is to assist larger tanks in their advances. However, due to its limited armour, it can be easily destroyed in combat. The Ha-Go Commander serves a similar purpose, but it is equipped with four smoke grenades, which makes it more versatile tactically. This allows for a stealthy retreat or approach, based on the commander's daring strategy and situational requirements.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull12 / 12 / 10

Turret30 / 12 / 12

Crew3 people

Visibility75 %

3/4 front view and 3/4 rear view of the Ha-Go Prototype.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	12 mm Front plate 9 mm (73°) Front glacis 12 mm (17°) Joint plate 9 mm (69°) Lower glacis	12 mm	10 mm	9 mm Front 6 mm Rear
Turret	12 mm Turret front 30 mm Gun mantlet	12 mm	12 mm	12 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	12 mm	6 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are both 15 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB54 / 12 km/h

RB and SB49 / 11 km/h

Number of gears4 forward

1 back

Weight7.7 t

Engine power

AB229 hp

RB and SB120 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB29.7 hp/t

RB and SB15.6 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	54	12	7.7	130	229	16.88	29.74
Realistic	49	11		106	120	13.77	15.58

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB322

RB172

SB170

Total cost of modifications5 240

520

Crew training150

Experts1 000

Aces20

Research Aces145 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 20 / 20 / 20 %

2 × 75 / 75 / 75 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 600 Cost: 60 55 Suspension Brake System Research: 500 Cost: 50 45 Filters Transmission Engine Research: 960 Cost: 95 85	Improved Parts Improved FPE Crew Replenishment	Horizontal Drive Research: 600 Cost: 60 55 Adjustment of Fire Research: 500 Cost: 50 45 Elevation Mechanism Research: 560 Cost: 55 50 Smoke grenade Research: 560 Cost: 55 50 Artillery Support Research: 960 Cost: 95 85

Armaments

Main armament

37 mm Type 94 cannon

Shoulder stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in one plane while moving

Ammunition119 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

4.3 → 3.3 s

Vertical guidance-15° / 20°

37 mm Type 94					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	119	-15°/+20°	±180°	Shoulder	14.9	20.7	25.1	27.8	29.6	4.29	3.80	3.50	3.30
Realistic					9.3	11.0	13.3	14.8	15.7

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Type 94 APHE	APHE	34	33	27	22	17	14

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
Type 94 APHE	APHE	575	0.7	1.2	9	11	47°	60°	65°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Ha-Go Commander

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
119	116 (+3)	107 (+12)	94 (+25)	89 (+30)	81 (+38)	49 (+70)	1 (+118)	No

Turret & Left empty: 89 (+30)

Machine guns

7.7 mm Type 97 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition3 000 rounds

Belt capacity20 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

3.9 → 3.0 s

Fire rate499 shots/min

7.7 mm Type 97
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Hull	3,000 (20)	499	±22°	±22°

Usage in battles

As a light tank in a Rank I battle, the best overall tactic is to get the first jump on an enemy since the Ha-Go's gun is able to penetrate most tank's armour, yet everyone else's can also penetrate the Ha-Go. In an offensive, try to attack the enemy from a direction not covered to catch them by surprise, then exploit it by using the Ha-Go's mobility to keep moving around the enemy once it gets close so the enemy could not get an accurate bead on it. In a defensive, hold back and try to cover a single area of contact so the Ha-Go could dispel its fire on any enemy approaching.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• 37 mm cannon has good penetration power
• APHE shell has good post-penetration damage
• Excellent gun depression and elevation
• Good mobility and top speed
• Small profile, easy to hide behind cover

Cons:

• Weak armour (12.7 mm machine guns are able to knock the tank out with ease)
• Reverse speed is -5 km/h on any sloped ground
• Three-man crew which means that the Ha-Go can be destroyed by a single shot, maybe two if lucky
• Turns are sluggish at any speed
• 37 mm gun quickly becomes outdated and ineffective against tougher foes
• Smoke grenade launchers fire to the left side of the turret instead of the front, so you have to turn the turret to the right to cover your front

History

Development

The deployment of the first Japanese domestic tank design, the Type 89 I-Go, gave the Japanese good insight on the improvement of their armoured force. One of the pressing issues of the Type 89 was that the tank was too slow to keep up with motorized infantry, restricting the operational range or advance of a combined-arm unit to only 40 kilometers. Another tank design being fielded by the Type 89, the Type 92 cavalry tank, had the speed that fixes this problem, but its armour was too thin and only had a heavy machine gun armament. Thus, development started in July 1933 on a tank able to fix these problem, with the specifications that the tank should weigh only 7.7 tons and armed with a 37 mm gun. With the same engine as the Type 89, but half of its weight, the new tank would have a faster road speed.

The production of the designs was given to Mitsubishi, with a prototype produced and ready for trials in June 1934. The design was sent to Manchuria and performed cold weather trials in the Independent Mixed Brigade. These trials were positive and the second prototype design was built in June 1935 with improvements based on the trials. With a well-received performance of the design, it was accepted for service in the Imperial Japanese Army as the Type 95 Ha-Go light tank (Accepted in 1935, Imperial year 2595. 'Ha-Go' name given by Mitsubishi). Production lasted from 1936 to 1943, with up to 2,300 tanks produced in the time period, making it the most produced Japanese tank design in World War II.

Design

The Type 95 Ha-Go was a light tank weighing roughly 7.7 tons. It had a three-man crew with a turret that only held one person inside. The turret was armed with a 37 mm gun, as well as a machine gun mount on the rear of the turret just like the Type 89. The machine gun armament on the back allowed the commander to simply traverse the turret to use a certain armament for the situation desired. Despite that, the one-man turret meant the commander was overworked.

The tank used the same engine on the Type 89B, the 120 hp Mitsubishi diesel engine. The suspension on the tank was quite simple, two bogies with wheels suspended on a bell crank with a front sprocket and two return rollers on each side. The two bogies were attached to a brace, connecting the two to fix problems with the pitching that inhibited the tank's driving ability, but the suspension still gave the crew a rough ride when driving on uneven ground. A unique feature on the Type 95 design was that there was an asbestos padding area separating the interior area from the hull armour to protect the crew from burning on hot metal armour and from injury on hitting the hull from the tank's rough driving experience.

Close up image of Ha-Go turret with the smoke launcher field modification

This Ha-Go version possesses four smoke grenades, mounted on the turret's side. There is no official factory documentation as this is a field modification, utilizing the Type 99 short self-projecting smoke candle.

Combat usage

The Type 95's was first deployed in the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Type 95s in the theater were generally well-received due to the inferiority of China's anti-tank defenses and their tank forces usually consist of machine gun-armed tanks like the Panzer I and CV33. The Type 95 Ha-Go's first major combat was during the border conflicts between Japan and the Soviet Union during the battles at Khalkhin Gol. The Type 95 made up a good portion of the 4th Tank Regiment in the 1st Tank Corps, alongside Type 89s and Type 94 tankettes. These tanks generally fought against the Soviet's BT-5 and BT-7 tanks, which were in the same class as the Ha-Gos, though the Japanese took special note on the 45 mm cannon on the Soviet tanks, which they deemed superior to the Ha-Go 37 mm cannon. The two side exchanged multiple battles and territories, eventually resulting in a ceasefire between the two nations in August 1939.

The next major usage of the Type 95 Ha-Go would be in opening stages of World War II when Japan invades the Allied territory after their surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Their first usage was in the Malaya campaign, then Singapore, then the Burma campaign. Despite the British technological superiority over the Japanese with their tank designs in Europe, their self-created concept that tanks were next-to-useless in the Pacific jungles caused them to have a severe shortage of armour in the Pacific in the early stages of the war. The Japanese however, with no experience in jungle warfare, managed to invade with Type 95 alongside Type 97 mediums as their spearhead. The Type 95 would also be involved with America's first tank-to-tank battle during the Battle of the Philippines. Type 95s from the 4th Tank Regiment came across U.S. M3 Stuarts from the 192nd Tank Battalion. Despite the Stuarts being five years newer than the Type 95, the two tanks were deemed very similar performance-wise. In this engagement, the Type 95 managed to spot the U.S. tanks first and open fired, destroying one of the Stuarts in the platoon and the west withdrew under fire.

The Japanese continued using their Ha-Go in the Pacific Theater all the way until the end of the war. Even when outmatched by the newer American tanks like the M4 Shermans, the lack of any better equipment forced the Japanese Army to play with what they've got left. This led to costly defeats in the Japanese tank units on Tarawa, Saipan, Guam, Peleliu, and Okinawa as the tank units were used in reckless charges or static pillboxes as they were destroyed via tank, cannon, or bazooka fire.

After the war, the remnants of the Japanese Army left behind a huge number of Type 95 Ha-Go in their depot at the occupied territory. This led to a massive amount of tanks being captured and used by the opposing sides of the Chinese Civil War. Another curious user of the captured Japanese tanks were the French, which captured them from Japanese-occupied area in French Indochina. The French used the Japanese tanks alongside French tanks to hastily make units called 'Commando Blindé du Cambodge' to fight in the First Indochina War.

Media

Images

• 

  Ha-Go Commander in jungle

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Ha-Go Commander from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Related Development

• Ha-Go

Tanks of comparable role, configuration, and era

• H.39
• Vickers Mk.E
• T-26 (Family)
• M2A4 / M3 Stuart (Family)
• M13/40 (Family)
• Pz.35(t)

External links

• [Special] Type-95 Ha-Go Commander for Christmas!

References

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (三菱重工業株式会社)
Light Tanks
Type 95	Ha-Go · Ha-Go Commander
Medium Tanks
Type 89	I-Go Ko
Type 97	Chi-Ha · Chi-Ha Kai
Type 1	Chi-He · Chi-He (5th Regiment)
Type 3	Chi-Nu · Chi-Nu II
Type 4	Chi-To · Chi-To Late
Type 5	Chi-Ri II
SPGs
Chi-Ha Derived	Ho-Ro
Chi-He Derived	Ho-I
Chi-Ri Derived	Ho-Ri Prototype · Ho-Ri Production
Other	Na-To · Ro-Go Exp.
Captured	␗Chi-Ha · ␗Chi-Ha Kai
Note	Most tank designs would be contracted by the Army Technical Bureau to Mitsubishi
See also	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (Post-War)

Japan light tanks
Type 89	I-Go Ko
Type 95	Ha-Go · Ha-Go Commander
Type 98	Ke-Ni
Other	Ka-Mi
IFV	Type 89
RCV	Type 87 RCV (P) · Type 87 RCV · RCV (P)
MCV	Type 16 (P) · Type 16 (FPS) · Type 16
USA	▅M24 · ▅M41A1

Japan premium ground vehicles
Light tanks	Ha-Go Commander · Type 16 (FPS)
Medium tanks	Chi-Ha Short Gun · Chi-He (5th Regiment) · Ka-Chi · Chi-Nu II · Type 74 (G) · Type 90 (B) "Fuji"
Heavy tanks	Ro-Go · ▅Heavy Tank No.6
Tank destroyers	Ho-Ri Prototype · Type 75 MLRS