Tank Background

Light tank used by Japan against the Soviet Union. It was good at fighting infantry but not very useful against other tanks. It was the most numerous Japanese armored fighting vehicle of World War II.

It could reach 40 km/h and was used as a main tank for mechanized infantry. The infantry was initially concerned that its armor was insufficient, however it eventually compensated due to its speed and improved armament.

The Type 95 began to show its vulnerability during later battles against British or Commonwealth forces, where the tank's gun could not penetrate the armor of the British Matilda infantry tanks that were deployed against them. The Type 95's thin armor made it increasingly vulnerable, as Allied forces realized that standard infantry guns were capable of penetrating the minimal armor around the engine block, and even its thicker armor was vulnerable to heavy machine gun fire.

As the tide of the war against Japan turned, Type 95s were employed in frontal attacks or buried as casemates in static defensive positions on Japanese-occupied islands. Hundreds of Type 95 tanks were abandoned in China at the end of the war.