Difference between revisions of "Ka-Mi"

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The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Japanese light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced along with the entire initial Japanese Ground Forces tree in [[Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai"]]. It should be noted that the Type 2 Ka-Mi is not amphibious on its own, and requires external modifications in forms of pontoons to make it truly amphibious.
+
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Japanese light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced along with the entire initial Japanese Ground Forces tree in [[Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai"]]. The tank has propellers on its back, but they don't do anything and no the tank does not float. It required external pontoons to do that.
  
 
'''Survivability''':
 
'''Survivability''':
  
The Ka-Mi is features a very unusual layout. Being originally purposed as an amphibious tank, it lacks its buoys to float in game, hence we have the light armour pattern of an amphibious vehicle without its amphibious capacity (worst case scenario). (Yes, these pincer-like fixtures you see on the hull are the buoys' attachement points, they are useless ). With an armour ranging around 8 to 12 mm on larger portions of the hull, this tank is very fragile to anything bigger than MG fire. To increase survivability, one can enter a fight rearwards in order to absorb shots with the engine deck. (Yes, these are propellers you see below the engine deck, they are useless.)
+
The Ka-Mi is features a very unusual layout. Being originally purposed as an amphibious tank, it lacks its buoys to float in game, hence we have the light armour pattern of an amphibious vehicle without its amphibious capacity (worst case scenario). (Yes, these pincer-like fixtures you see on the hull are the buoys' attachement points, they are useless). With an armour ranging around 8 to 12 mm on larger portions of the hull, this tank is very fragile to anything bigger than MG fire. To increase survivability, one can enter a fight rearwards in order to absorb shots with the engine deck. (Yes, these are propellers you see below the engine deck, they are useless.)
  
 
This armour pattern really shines at distances (500+ m), where a little angling can mostly defeat HMG fire. Since most guns at this BR are quite inaccurate, exposing only your small turret should not be a problem since it is hard to hit. If caught in an open field ( still at distances), try facing directly your foe since angling is useless with such little armour values, that way, some shells can just fly by your crew in the inhabited portions of the tank (ammo racks located there are pretty small, they are often missed in these cases).
 
This armour pattern really shines at distances (500+ m), where a little angling can mostly defeat HMG fire. Since most guns at this BR are quite inaccurate, exposing only your small turret should not be a problem since it is hard to hit. If caught in an open field ( still at distances), try facing directly your foe since angling is useless with such little armour values, that way, some shells can just fly by your crew in the inhabited portions of the tank (ammo racks located there are pretty small, they are often missed in these cases).
  
The 37 mm is a decent gun with a good reload time and good ammo count: don't bother wasting a shot, fire on the move. This tank has a "lock", which is a primitive form of gun stabiliser, decreasing vertical movement from the main armament. Note that turret rotation speed is somewhat slow: pre-aim your gun in the general direction of the enemy in close-quarter engagements.  
+
The 37 mm is a decent gun with a good reload time and good ammo count: don't bother wasting a shot, fire on the move. This tank has a "lock", which is a primitive form of gun stabiliser, decreasing vertical movement from the main armament - at low speeds gun handling sees a significant improvement. Note that turret rotation speed is somewhat slow: pre-aim your gun in the general direction of the enemy in close-quarter engagements.  
  
One thing that saves the Ka-Mi's reputation is its MG count: there is 3 of them. One is coaxial, fired by gunner, another is pintle-mounted, fired by gunner and the last one is hull-mounted, fired by the machine-gunner. These weapons have a good burst capacity to take out light targets (soviet SPAA trucks, open-topped SPGs, etc.). One downside of the [[Type 97 tank (7.7 mm)|Type 97]] machine gun is it's low ammo count, which limits bursts to a couple of seconds before having to reload.
+
One thing that saves the Ka-Mi's reputation is its MG count: there is 3 of them. One is coaxial, fired by gunner, another is pintle-mounted, fired by gunner and the last one is hull-mounted, fired by the machine-gunner. These weapons have a good burst capacity to take out light targets (soviet SPAA trucks, open-topped SPGs, etc.). This also allows the Ka-Mi to become an unlikely SPAA, armed with three machine guns and a cannon. It can quite easily take down low-flying biplanes that may appear in the hands of inexperienced pilots at Rank I, although it requires sustained hits to successfully down an aircraft. One downside of the [[Type 97 tank (7.7 mm)|Type 97]] machine gun is it's low ammo count, which limits bursts to a couple of seconds before having to reload. Reloads fortunately don't take long.
  
 
The Ka-Mi provides a decent top speed on road but lacks power when going off-road. Narrow tracks makes mobility in snow/desert maps really painful. Good thing to mention: this tank has a respectable reverse speed of -11 km/h with two reverse gear, which is a rare feature at this BR. It can sometimes get you out of bad situations.
 
The Ka-Mi provides a decent top speed on road but lacks power when going off-road. Narrow tracks makes mobility in snow/desert maps really painful. Good thing to mention: this tank has a respectable reverse speed of -11 km/h with two reverse gear, which is a rare feature at this BR. It can sometimes get you out of bad situations.
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== 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 helpfull for survival in combat?''
+
Armour on this tank may as well not exist, like the rest of Japanese Rank I tanks. Fortunately, this blue box has relatively spread apart modules, which may save you.
  
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''-->
 
 
'''Armour type:'''
 
'''Armour type:'''
  
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* 37 mm gun have decent post-penetration damage.
 
* 37 mm gun have decent post-penetration damage.
* Has an anti-aircraft MG.
+
* Has a lot of machine guns, allowing a mediocre amphibious tank to turn into an impromptu SPAA instantly.
 
* Tiny turret. Hard to target it at range.  
 
* Tiny turret. Hard to target it at range.  
 
* High ammo count (both cannon and MG).
 
* High ammo count (both cannon and MG).
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* Hull front plate is thin and relatively unsloped.
 
* Hull front plate is thin and relatively unsloped.
 
* Not amphibious, despite propellers in back.
 
* Not amphibious, despite propellers in back.
* Big target.
+
* Tiny turret, big hull. People with have no trouble targeting you.
 
* Only two ammo choice, both APHE, one is clearly superior over the other.
 
* Only two ammo choice, both APHE, one is clearly superior over the other.
 
* Narrow tracks means poor off-road mobility.
 
* Narrow tracks means poor off-road mobility.
* Low engine HP makes hill-climbing difficult.
+
* Low engine HP makes hill-climbing only possible at low gear, which even then is difficult.
 +
* Weak armour makes you an easy target for aircraft with high penetration on their guns (cough FIFTY CALS cough)
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==

Revision as of 22:50, 18 October 2019

Rank VI USA | Premium | Golden Eagles
A-10A Thunderbolt (Early)
Ka-Mi
jp_type_2_ka_mi.png
Ka-Mi
AB RB SB
1.0 1.0 1.0
Class:
Research:2 900 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:700 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

GarageImage Ka-Mi.jpg


The Type 2 Ka-Mi is a rank I Japanese light tank with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced along with the entire initial Japanese Ground Forces tree in Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai". The tank has propellers on its back, but they don't do anything and no the tank does not float. It required external pontoons to do that.

Survivability:

The Ka-Mi is features a very unusual layout. Being originally purposed as an amphibious tank, it lacks its buoys to float in game, hence we have the light armour pattern of an amphibious vehicle without its amphibious capacity (worst case scenario). (Yes, these pincer-like fixtures you see on the hull are the buoys' attachement points, they are useless). With an armour ranging around 8 to 12 mm on larger portions of the hull, this tank is very fragile to anything bigger than MG fire. To increase survivability, one can enter a fight rearwards in order to absorb shots with the engine deck. (Yes, these are propellers you see below the engine deck, they are useless.)

This armour pattern really shines at distances (500+ m), where a little angling can mostly defeat HMG fire. Since most guns at this BR are quite inaccurate, exposing only your small turret should not be a problem since it is hard to hit. If caught in an open field ( still at distances), try facing directly your foe since angling is useless with such little armour values, that way, some shells can just fly by your crew in the inhabited portions of the tank (ammo racks located there are pretty small, they are often missed in these cases).

The 37 mm is a decent gun with a good reload time and good ammo count: don't bother wasting a shot, fire on the move. This tank has a "lock", which is a primitive form of gun stabiliser, decreasing vertical movement from the main armament - at low speeds gun handling sees a significant improvement. Note that turret rotation speed is somewhat slow: pre-aim your gun in the general direction of the enemy in close-quarter engagements.

One thing that saves the Ka-Mi's reputation is its MG count: there is 3 of them. One is coaxial, fired by gunner, another is pintle-mounted, fired by gunner and the last one is hull-mounted, fired by the machine-gunner. These weapons have a good burst capacity to take out light targets (soviet SPAA trucks, open-topped SPGs, etc.). This also allows the Ka-Mi to become an unlikely SPAA, armed with three machine guns and a cannon. It can quite easily take down low-flying biplanes that may appear in the hands of inexperienced pilots at Rank I, although it requires sustained hits to successfully down an aircraft. One downside of the Type 97 machine gun is it's low ammo count, which limits bursts to a couple of seconds before having to reload. Reloads fortunately don't take long.

The Ka-Mi provides a decent top speed on road but lacks power when going off-road. Narrow tracks makes mobility in snow/desert maps really painful. Good thing to mention: this tank has a respectable reverse speed of -11 km/h with two reverse gear, which is a rare feature at this BR. It can sometimes get you out of bad situations.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour on this tank may as well not exist, like the rest of Japanese Rank I tanks. Fortunately, this blue box has relatively spread apart modules, which may save you.

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
Armour Front Sides Rear Roof
Hull 12 mm (30°) Front plate
6 mm (83°) Front glacis
12 mm (4-39°) Lower glacis
10 mm 10 mm (12°) Middle
12 mm (59°) Side
6 mm
Turret 12 mm (0-8°) Turret front
30 mm Gun mantlet
12 mm (10-12°) 12 mm (12-13°) 6 mm

Notes

  • Suspension wheels and tracks are both 15 mm thick.
  • Belly armour is 6 mm thick.


Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons) Add-on Armour
weight (tons)
Max speed (km/h)
9.1 N/A 44 (AB)
40 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 125 153
Realistic/Simulator 102 115
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 13.74 16.81
Realistic/Simulator 11.21 12.64

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: Type 1 (37 mm)
37 mm Type 1
Capacity Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
Stabilizer
132 -10°/+24° ±180° Vertical
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode Stock Upgraded Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade 7.2 10.0 12.1 21.4 __.__
Realistic 7.2 8.5 10.3 11.4 __.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
5.2 4.6 4.2 __.__
Ammunition
Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration in mm @ 90°
10m 100m 500m 1000m 1500m 2000m
Type 94 APHE APHE 42 40 33 26 20 15
Type 1 APHE APHE 47 44 30 19 12 7
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
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 94 APHE APHE 700 0.67 1.3 15 47° 60° 65°
Type 1 APHE APHE 800 0.62 1.3 15 47° 60° 65°
Ammo racks
Ammo racks of the Ka-Mi.
Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
132 73 (+59) 25 (+107) (+131) No

73 (+59)

Machine guns

Main article: Type 97 tank (7.7 mm)
7.7 mm Type 97
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute)
Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
4,000 (20) 499 N/A N/A
Hull mount
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute)
Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
3,000 (20) 499 -11°/+35° ±20°
Pintle mount
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute)
Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
1,000 (20) 499 -10°/+70° ±60°

Usage in the battles

With its average armour, firepower and mobility, the Ka-Mi should be played wisely, with a bit of finesse: you will not survive frontal engagement, neither can you flank nor snipe...so what's left ? Support. Always play as a team when driving the Ka-Mi, bringing an additionnal potent close range gun to the fight, threatening your foes while more potent allies reload.

Use hills to your advantage, fall back when outnumbered and beware difficult terrain since it can slow down your manoeuvres. Never rely on your armour.

Modules

Tier Mobility Protection Firepower
I Tracks Parts Horizontal Drive
II Suspension Brake System FPE Adjustment of Fire Type 1 APHE
III Filters Crew Replenishment Elevation Mechanism
IV Transmission Engine Artillery Support

Pros and cons

Pros

  • 37 mm gun have decent post-penetration damage.
  • Has a lot of machine guns, allowing a mediocre amphibious tank to turn into an impromptu SPAA instantly.
  • Tiny turret. Hard to target it at range.
  • High ammo count (both cannon and MG).
  • 10° gun depression.
  • Decent reverse speed (-11 km/h).
  • Has a coaxial machine gun, unlike most low tier Japanese tanks.
  • Has optics both sides of the gun mantlet that gives it two cute eyes.

Cons

  • 37 mm penetration value starting to feel lacking.
  • Hull size is wider than other Japanese light tanks.
  • Hull front plate is thin and relatively unsloped.
  • Not amphibious, despite propellers in back.
  • Tiny turret, big hull. People with have no trouble targeting you.
  • Only two ammo choice, both APHE, one is clearly superior over the other.
  • Narrow tracks means poor off-road mobility.
  • Low engine HP makes hill-climbing only possible at low gear, which even then is difficult.
  • Weak armour makes you an easy target for aircraft with high penetration on their guns (cough FIFTY CALS cough)

History

Development

While the tanks were mainly in the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) also owned their own land forces known as the Special Naval Landings Forces (SNLF). Their standard tanks was the Type 95 Ha-Go, but the SNLF wanted a more capable tank for the role, namely one fitted for amphibious landings. The Japanese have touched upon the amphibious tank concept since the 1930s, but one for the rough seas needed more durability than one for rivers. The IJN approached Mitsubishi in 1941 to develop the new amphibious tank, named Ka-Mi "Special Craft". The tank was to go along with the IJA's Type 2 Ke-To light tank, using a similar turret design. The suspension of the vehicle was one derived from the Ha-Go. The amphibious capability was given to the tank via two removable pontoons on the front and back of the tank. A trunk and tower was fitted over the engine and turret respectively to prevent water from flowing into the engine and crew compartment. The vehicle, accepted as the Type 2 Ka-Mi, began production in 1943. Up to 182 tanks were produced from then until the end of the war.[1]

Combat Usage

The Type 2 Ka-Mi saw use in the combat in 1944 in Saipan and Leyte.[1] They assisted the stationed SNLF units on these islands in attacking the American beachheads via amphibious assaults. The Ka-Mi were also stationed in Luzon as a handful were captured by Allied forces in 1945. Their limited numbers and usage meant they fought with relative obscurity to the IJA's Type 97 Chi-Ha tanks. However, the Type 2 Ka-Mi was deemed rather successful by the IJN, some have dubbed it the "best designed amphibious tank of the war" after World War II. This led to the successors like the Type 3 Ka-Chi, a parallel to the Type 1 Chi-He, and the Type 5 To-Ku, based off the Type 5 Chi-Ri.

Media

An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Zaloga Steven. Japanese Tanks 1939-1945 Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2007

Read also

Sources

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
Wheeled  Type 87 RCV (P) · Type 87 RCV · Type 16 (P) · Type 16 (FPS) · Type 16
USA  ▅M24 · ▅M41A1