Difference between revisions of "Ho-I"

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{{Break}} -->
 
{{Break}} -->
−
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Japanese medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced with the rest of the Japanese ground forces tree with [[Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai"]]. It follows the Chi-Ha Kai and precedes the Chi-He.
+
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Japanese medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced with the rest of the Japanese ground forces tree with [[Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai"]]. It follows the [[Chi-Ha Kai]] and precedes the [[Chi-He]].
 +
 
 +
The general configuration and proportions of the Ho-I are largely similar to the previous Chi-Ha Kai. The most apparent differences are the angular, welded hull and turret, which will become a familiar sight for the rest of the Japanese medium tanks in Rank II and III. The protection is improved significantly, no longer having the paper-thin armor plaguing previous tanks, but it is still nothing to boast about. Closer inspection reveals a larger, stubby 75 mm gun that is trickier to use than the reliable 47 mm gun on the Chi-Ha Kai but can still pack a punch when used correctly. Overall, the Ho-I is comparable to the [[Pz.IV E]], a balanced medium tank with a short 75 mm gun.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
−
The armour on the Ho-I, while being an upgrade over the Chi-Ha Kai - 50mm at the turret and hull front, compared to 32 on the turret and 25 on the hull for the Chi-Ha Kai, is still insufficient to stop most shells at a comparable rank. The internal modules aren't the most resilient, as the turret is rather cramped, stuffed with ammunition, the rather small cannon breach, and 3 crew members. A single APHE shell will almost invariably kill all the turret crew.
+
The armour on the Ho-I, while being an upgrade over the Chi-Ha Kai - 50mm at the turret and hull front, compared to 32 on the turret and 25 on the hull for the Chi-Ha Kai, still leaves much to be desired. Most contemporary tank guns can penetrate the flatter surfaces and the side armor is not even completely proof to heavy machine guns. The internal modules aren't the most resilient, as the turret is rather cramped, stuffed with ammunition, the rather small cannon breach, and 3 crew members. A single APHE shell will almost invariably kill all the turret crew.
  
 
The armour consists of rolled mostly homogeneous armour, with cast homogeneous surrounding the gun barrel, protruding from the turret.
 
The armour consists of rolled mostly homogeneous armour, with cast homogeneous surrounding the gun barrel, protruding from the turret.
Line 52: Line 54:
  
 
{{tankMobility|abMinHp=372|rbMinHp=212}}
 
{{tankMobility|abMinHp=372|rbMinHp=212}}
 +
 +
The mobility of the Ho-I is improved over the Chi-Ha, the more powerful engine giving it a higher power-to-weight ratio. The relatively long tracks for a vehicle of this weight and width lead to fairly good cross-country mobility. While not a speedster, the Ho-I will not be completely left in the dust by light tanks and can still arrive at the battlefield reasonably quickly.
  
 
== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
 
{{main|Type 99 (75 mm)}}
 
{{main|Type 99 (75 mm)}}
 +
<!--''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''-->
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="6" | [[Type 99 (75 mm)|75 mm Type 99]]
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
 +
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br> guidance
 +
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance
 +
|-
 +
| colspan="4" | 63 || -15°/+20° || ±180°
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
 +
|-
 +
! style="width:4em" |Mode
 +
! style="width:4em" |Stock
 +
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
 +
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
 +
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
 +
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 +
|-
 +
| ''Arcade'' || 13.30 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
 +
|-
 +
| ''Realistic'' || 8.30 || _.__|| _.__ || _.__ || _.__
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
 +
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
 +
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
 +
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 +
|-
 +
| 7.60 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
−
''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''
+
===== Ammunition =====
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 +
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead
 +
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
 +
|-
 +
! 10m
 +
! 100m
 +
! 500m
 +
! 1000m
 +
! 1500m
 +
! 2000m
 +
|-
 +
| Type 95 APHE || APHE || 43 || 41 || 37 || 31 || 27 || 23
 +
|-
 +
| Type 94 HE || HE || 12 || 12 || 12 || 12 || 12 || 12
 +
|-
 +
| Type 2 HEAT || HEAT || 90 || 90 || 90 || 90 || 90 || 90
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
! colspan="10" | Shell details
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 +
! rowspan="2" |Velocity <br /> in m/s
 +
! rowspan="2" |Projectile<br />Mass in kg
 +
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
 +
''in m:''
 +
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
 +
''in mm:''
 +
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g<br /> (TNT equivalent):''
 +
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° <br> from horizontal:''
 +
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
 +
|-
 +
! 0%
 +
! 50%
 +
! 100%
 +
|-
 +
| Type 95 APHE || 450 || 6.21 || 1.2 || 14 || 460 || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
 +
|-
 +
| Type 94 HE || 522 || 6.02 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 810 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
 +
|-
 +
| Type 2 HEAT || 350 || 3.56 || 0 || 0.1 || 640 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
 +
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
 +
|-
 +
! Ammunition
 +
! Velocity <br /> in m/s
 +
! Projectile<br />Mass in kg
 +
! ''Screen radius <br /> in m''
 +
! ''Screen time <br /> in s''
 +
! ''Screen hold time <br /> in s:''
 +
! ''Explosive Mass in g<br /> (TNT equivalent):''
 +
|-
 +
| Type 90 Smoke || 570 || 5.7 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 100
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
=== Machine guns ===
 
=== Machine guns ===
−
{{main|Type 97 (7.7 mm)}}
+
<!--''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''-->
 +
{{main|Type 97 tank (7.7 mm)}}
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="7" | [[Type 97 tank (7.7 mm)|7.7 mm Type 97]]
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle mount''
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
 +
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate <br> (shots/minute)
 +
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br> guidance
 +
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance
 +
|-
 +
| colspan="4" | 1,000 (20) || 499 || -10°/+70° || ±60°
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="7" | [[Type 97 tank (7.7 mm)|7.7 mm Type 97]]
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="7" | ''Hull mount''
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
 +
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate <br> (shots/minute)
 +
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br> guidance
 +
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance
 +
|-
 +
| colspan="4" | 3,000 (20) || 499 || ±10° || ±15°
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
−
''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''
+
While it has the classic bow-mounted Type 97 machine gun featured by Japanese wartime tanks, the Ho-I also features another Type 97 on a pintle mount. The Type 97 is disappointing by rifle-caliber machine gun standards, having a very small magazine and a relatively low rate of fire. While this is not a big drawback when fighting other tanks, it makes mowing down open-topped SPAAs, fending off aircraft, and spotting enemies on the minimap more difficult. Having two of them compensates slightly for these flaws.
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
−
''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''
+
<!--''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''-->
 +
 
 +
The Ho-I should generally be played as a support tank. While its mobility is good, its gun packs a punch, and its armor is halfway decent, the poor ballistics of its shells and the substandard gun handling are a considerable liability at its rank, where speedy light tanks are common. A missed shot at closer distances against a Stuart or BT tank could have unfortunate consequences, allowing them to flank or put a round into the Ho-I's weak spots. Conversely, it should go without saying that the Ho-I makes for a poor sniper, so staying in back of the map and providing covering fire is unlikely to be productive. For those not very familiar with the tank, it is best to stay just behind advancing teammates and allow them to attract attention; this provides extra time to line up shots and avoids sudden surprises. When missing shots is less of a concern (e.g. against slow targets or in close quarters), the great firepower can be brought to bear.
 +
 
 +
The Ho-I has a sizable arsenal of shell types. The stock Type 95 APHE round is quite underwhelming, having a bit less penetration than the [[Ke-Ni]] reserve tank's gun. The larger caliber provides some overmatch effect, but in general it is not a reliable weapon against anything more heavily armored than a reserve tank. The [[M3A1 Stuart]]'s turret is immune to the round and the hull has a decent chance of shrugging off the shot at a slight distance! On the bright side, it contains an enormous 460 g of TNT filler, so any target that the shell manages to penetrate will be annihilated in short order. The Type 94 HE round has 12 mm of penetration and is of little value, though it may be useful for hull-breaking soft targets. The unlockable Type 2 HEAT round has 90 mm of penetration at any distance. This is enough to go through the frontal armor of nearly all tanks at its rank, though the post-penetration damage can be punctual and it has the worst ballistics of any shell type available to the Ho-I. Try to aim for critical crew members or ammo racks. Lastly, the Type 90 smoke shell is available. While smoke is always nice to have, especially at lower ranks where fewer tanks have smoke grenades or shells, it is especially useful for tanks with low-velocity guns like the Ho-I. In a support role, smoke shells can be used to hide teammates and the user from view when driving in the open or capturing objectives, but they can also be used offensively by blinding entrenched targets. This makes it easier for the Ho-I to advance safely and get into firing range. If the enemies decide to leave the smoke cloud, they will be noticeable to the Ho-I slightly before their own vision clears up, providing time for a careful shot.
 +
 
 +
Experience gained with the Ho-I can be applied to some extent to the later [[Chi-He]], [[Chi-Nu]], and [[Chi-Nu II]], as they all use the same chassis. Out of these tanks, the Ho-I is the only model that has to deal with a low-velocity gun, but it currently has the lowest battle rating and the armor holds up the best as a result.
  
 
===Modules===
 
===Modules===
Line 101: Line 234:
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
 
* 75 mm cannon can do respectable damage against other vehicles
 
* 75 mm cannon can do respectable damage against other vehicles
−
* Improved armour in comparison to prior tanks
+
* Improved armour and mobility in comparison to prior tanks
 
* Early access to HEAT rounds with good penetration
 
* Early access to HEAT rounds with good penetration
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
 
* Stock grind is terrible with about 40 mm of penetration on stock APHE which won't do much initially at the comparable battle rating
 
* Stock grind is terrible with about 40 mm of penetration on stock APHE which won't do much initially at the comparable battle rating
 +
* Gun is hard to use, all ammunition types have low muzzle velocity
 
* Poor turret rotation speed
 
* Poor turret rotation speed
 
* Armour still inadequate to block tank shells or 20 mm autocannons firing HVAP from the front
 
* Armour still inadequate to block tank shells or 20 mm autocannons firing HVAP from the front
Line 111: Line 245:
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
−
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''
+
<!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''-->
 +
 
 +
The standard tanks of the Imperial Japanese Army for much of the 1930s were the [[Ha-Go]], [[I-Go Ko]], and [[Chi-Ha]]. The last two were equipped with larger 57 mm low-velocity guns intended for use against both tanks and infantry. When used in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, it was found that these weapons were still insufficient against fortifications, and hence an even bigger gun was required. The Chi-Ha was selected as a suitable platform for mounting a larger weapon due to its size and speed. The gun chosen was the Type 41 Mountain gun, a license built version of the Krupp 1908 Mountain gun originally purchased from Germany. After being adapted, it was redesignated the Type 99 75 mm gun, and the integration with the Chi-Ha chassis was completed around 1942.
 +
 
 +
The initial prototype Ho-I used the Chi-Ha chassis, but it was decided to switch to the improved [[Chi-He]] chassis for serial production. Further Ho-I examples were converted from existing Chi-He tanks. Mass production was not achieved due to the heavy bombing of Japanese industry in the later stages of World War II and the lack of raw materials. The program was finally cancelled in 1944 and completed Ho-I examples were reserved for home-defense in preparation for a US invasion of the Japanese mainland. The war ended before this came to pass. Details on the fate of the tanks in the postwar era are scarce. They were most likely examined and scrapped. No examples are known to exist today.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==

Revision as of 05:52, 7 April 2020

Rank VII | Premium | Golden Eagles
Challenger DS Pack
Ho-I
jp_type_2_ho_i.png
Ho-I
Japan flag.png Japan
I Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
2.3 2.0 2.0
Class:
Research:5 900 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:6 300 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The Type 2 Ho-I is a rank I Japanese medium tank with a battle rating of 2.3 (AB) and 2.0 (RB/SB). It was introduced with the rest of the Japanese ground forces tree with Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai". It follows the Chi-Ha Kai and precedes the Chi-He.

The general configuration and proportions of the Ho-I are largely similar to the previous Chi-Ha Kai. The most apparent differences are the angular, welded hull and turret, which will become a familiar sight for the rest of the Japanese medium tanks in Rank II and III. The protection is improved significantly, no longer having the paper-thin armor plaguing previous tanks, but it is still nothing to boast about. Closer inspection reveals a larger, stubby 75 mm gun that is trickier to use than the reliable 47 mm gun on the Chi-Ha Kai but can still pack a punch when used correctly. Overall, the Ho-I is comparable to the Pz.IV E, a balanced medium tank with a short 75 mm gun.

General info

Survivability and armour

The armour on the Ho-I, while being an upgrade over the Chi-Ha Kai - 50mm at the turret and hull front, compared to 32 on the turret and 25 on the hull for the Chi-Ha Kai, still leaves much to be desired. Most contemporary tank guns can penetrate the flatter surfaces and the side armor is not even completely proof to heavy machine guns. The internal modules aren't the most resilient, as the turret is rather cramped, stuffed with ammunition, the rather small cannon breach, and 3 crew members. A single APHE shell will almost invariably kill all the turret crew.

The armour consists of rolled mostly homogeneous armour, with cast homogeneous surrounding the gun barrel, protruding from the turret.

Armour Front Sides Rear Roof
Hull 50mm Front Plate, 16°

12mm Front Glacis, 76°

25mm Hull below tracks 30°

20mm Hull above tracks, 0°

20mm Rear, 1° 12mm Roof, 86° (From a vertical plane.)
Turret 50mm Turret Front, 16°

50mm Gun Mantlet, 16°

25mm Sides, 9° Front Half, 10° Latter Half 25mm Rear, 5° 12mm Roof, 76° Front, 89° Middle, 74° Rear

12mm Hatch, 89°

Armour Sides Hatch
Cupola 50mm Lower Part

25mm Upper Part

12mm Hatch

Mobility

Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 49 10 16.1 372 458 23.11 28.45
Realistic 44 9 212 240 13.17 14.91

The mobility of the Ho-I is improved over the Chi-Ha, the more powerful engine giving it a higher power-to-weight ratio. The relatively long tracks for a vehicle of this weight and width lead to fairly good cross-country mobility. While not a speedster, the Ho-I will not be completely left in the dust by light tanks and can still arrive at the battlefield reasonably quickly.

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: Type 99 (75 mm)
75 mm Type 99
Capacity Vertical
guidance 		Horizontal
guidance
63 -15°/+20° ±180°
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode Stock Upgraded Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade 13.30 _.__ _.__ _.__ _.__
Realistic 8.30 _.__ _.__ _.__ _.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
7.60 _.__ _.__ _.__
Ammunition
Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Penetration in mm @ 90°
10m 100m 500m 1000m 1500m 2000m
Type 95 APHE APHE 43 41 37 31 27 23
Type 94 HE HE 12 12 12 12 12 12
Type 2 HEAT HEAT 90 90 90 90 90 90
Shell details
Ammunition Velocity
in m/s 		Projectile
Mass in kg 		Fuse delay

in m:

Fuse sensitivity

in mm:

Explosive Mass in g
(TNT equivalent): 		Normalization At 30°
from horizontal: 		Ricochet:
0% 50% 100%
Type 95 APHE 450 6.21 1.2 14 460 -1° 47° 60° 65°
Type 94 HE 522 6.02 0.1 0.1 810 +0° 79° 80° 81°
Type 2 HEAT 350 3.56 0 0.1 640 +0° 62° 69° 73°
Smoke characteristic
Ammunition Velocity
in m/s 		Projectile
Mass in kg 		Screen radius
in m 		Screen time
in s 		Screen hold time
in s: 		Explosive Mass in g
(TNT equivalent):
Type 90 Smoke 570 5.7 13 5 20 100

Machine guns

Main article: Type 97 tank (7.7 mm)
7.7 mm Type 97
Pintle mount
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute) 		Vertical
guidance 		Horizontal
guidance
1,000 (20) 499 -10°/+70° ±60°
7.7 mm Type 97
Hull mount
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute) 		Vertical
guidance 		Horizontal
guidance
3,000 (20) 499 ±10° ±15°

While it has the classic bow-mounted Type 97 machine gun featured by Japanese wartime tanks, the Ho-I also features another Type 97 on a pintle mount. The Type 97 is disappointing by rifle-caliber machine gun standards, having a very small magazine and a relatively low rate of fire. While this is not a big drawback when fighting other tanks, it makes mowing down open-topped SPAAs, fending off aircraft, and spotting enemies on the minimap more difficult. Having two of them compensates slightly for these flaws.

Usage in battles

The Ho-I should generally be played as a support tank. While its mobility is good, its gun packs a punch, and its armor is halfway decent, the poor ballistics of its shells and the substandard gun handling are a considerable liability at its rank, where speedy light tanks are common. A missed shot at closer distances against a Stuart or BT tank could have unfortunate consequences, allowing them to flank or put a round into the Ho-I's weak spots. Conversely, it should go without saying that the Ho-I makes for a poor sniper, so staying in back of the map and providing covering fire is unlikely to be productive. For those not very familiar with the tank, it is best to stay just behind advancing teammates and allow them to attract attention; this provides extra time to line up shots and avoids sudden surprises. When missing shots is less of a concern (e.g. against slow targets or in close quarters), the great firepower can be brought to bear.

The Ho-I has a sizable arsenal of shell types. The stock Type 95 APHE round is quite underwhelming, having a bit less penetration than the Ke-Ni reserve tank's gun. The larger caliber provides some overmatch effect, but in general it is not a reliable weapon against anything more heavily armored than a reserve tank. The M3A1 Stuart's turret is immune to the round and the hull has a decent chance of shrugging off the shot at a slight distance! On the bright side, it contains an enormous 460 g of TNT filler, so any target that the shell manages to penetrate will be annihilated in short order. The Type 94 HE round has 12 mm of penetration and is of little value, though it may be useful for hull-breaking soft targets. The unlockable Type 2 HEAT round has 90 mm of penetration at any distance. This is enough to go through the frontal armor of nearly all tanks at its rank, though the post-penetration damage can be punctual and it has the worst ballistics of any shell type available to the Ho-I. Try to aim for critical crew members or ammo racks. Lastly, the Type 90 smoke shell is available. While smoke is always nice to have, especially at lower ranks where fewer tanks have smoke grenades or shells, it is especially useful for tanks with low-velocity guns like the Ho-I. In a support role, smoke shells can be used to hide teammates and the user from view when driving in the open or capturing objectives, but they can also be used offensively by blinding entrenched targets. This makes it easier for the Ho-I to advance safely and get into firing range. If the enemies decide to leave the smoke cloud, they will be noticeable to the Ho-I slightly before their own vision clears up, providing time for a careful shot.

Experience gained with the Ho-I can be applied to some extent to the later Chi-He, Chi-Nu, and Chi-Nu II, as they all use the same chassis. Out of these tanks, the Ho-I is the only model that has to deal with a low-velocity gun, but it currently has the lowest battle rating and the armor holds up the best as a result.

Modules

Tier Mobility Protection Firepower
I Tracks Parts Horizontal Drive Type 2 HEAT
II Suspension Brake System FPE Adjustment of Fire
III Filters Crew Replenishment Elevation Mechanism
IV Transmission Engine Artillery Support Type 90 Smoke

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • 75 mm cannon can do respectable damage against other vehicles
  • Improved armour and mobility in comparison to prior tanks
  • Early access to HEAT rounds with good penetration

Cons:

  • Stock grind is terrible with about 40 mm of penetration on stock APHE which won't do much initially at the comparable battle rating
  • Gun is hard to use, all ammunition types have low muzzle velocity
  • Poor turret rotation speed
  • Armour still inadequate to block tank shells or 20 mm autocannons firing HVAP from the front
  • Slow traverse speed

History

The standard tanks of the Imperial Japanese Army for much of the 1930s were the Ha-Go, I-Go Ko, and Chi-Ha. The last two were equipped with larger 57 mm low-velocity guns intended for use against both tanks and infantry. When used in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, it was found that these weapons were still insufficient against fortifications, and hence an even bigger gun was required. The Chi-Ha was selected as a suitable platform for mounting a larger weapon due to its size and speed. The gun chosen was the Type 41 Mountain gun, a license built version of the Krupp 1908 Mountain gun originally purchased from Germany. After being adapted, it was redesignated the Type 99 75 mm gun, and the integration with the Chi-Ha chassis was completed around 1942.

The initial prototype Ho-I used the Chi-Ha chassis, but it was decided to switch to the improved Chi-He chassis for serial production. Further Ho-I examples were converted from existing Chi-He tanks. Mass production was not achieved due to the heavy bombing of Japanese industry in the later stages of World War II and the lack of raw materials. The program was finally cancelled in 1944 and completed Ho-I examples were reserved for home-defense in preparation for a US invasion of the Japanese mainland. The war ended before this came to pass. Details on the fate of the tanks in the postwar era are scarce. They were most likely examined and scrapped. No examples are known to exist today.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the series of the vehicles;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

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Japan medium tanks
Type 97  Chi-Ha · Chi-Ha Kai · Chi-Ha Kai TD · Chi-Ha Short Gun
Type 1  Chi-He · Chi-He (5th Regiment) · Ho-I
Type 3  Chi-Nu · Chi-Nu II
Type 4  Chi-To · Chi-To Late
Type 5  Chi-Ri II
Type 61 MBT  ST-A1* · ST-A2* · ST-A3* · Type 61
Type 74 MBT  ST-B2* · Type 74 (C) · Type 74 (E) · Type 74 (F) · Type 74 (G)
Type 90 MBT  Type 90 · Type 90 (B) · Type 90 (B) "Fuji"
Type 10 MBT  TKX (P)* · TKX* · Type 10
Other  Ka-Chi
USA  ▅M4A3 (76) W · ▅M47
  *Prototype

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