Type 4 Chi-To
In service 1945 - 1945
The best Japanese tank actually completed, built to fight Shermans and finished too late in numbers too small.
Built byMitsubishi
Photograph pending. No clearly licensed photograph of this vehicle was found.
Development history
The Chi-To answered the shock of meeting M4 Shermans in the Pacific: a welded hull with 75 mm frontal armour, a long 75 mm gun developed from an anti-aircraft weapon and a 400 hp diesel. Material shortages and bombing meant only a handful were completed by August 1945, and they were held in the home islands for the expected invasion. Sources give between two and six finished. One hull was recovered from Lake Hamana decades later; the type is the high-water mark of Japanese wartime tank design.
Variants
One canonical record, 2 recorded variants.
Type 4 Chi-To prototype
1944First hulls with the long 75 mm Type 5 gun.
Type 4 Chi-To production
1945Small number completed before the surrender, held for home defence.
Notable actions
- Held in Japan for home defence; no combat