While vulnerable to opposing Allied tanks (such as the &lt;a href="M3%20Lee"&gt;M3 Lee/Grant&lt;/a&gt;, M4 Sherman and Soviet T-34), the 47 mm high-velocity gun did give the Type 97 ShinHoTo a fighting chance against them. The 47 mm gun was effective against light tanks and against the sides and rear of the Sherman tank. For this reason, some ShinHoTo Chi-Ha tanks were dug in concealed positions to ambush the American tanks and others were dug in to form the core of defense "strong points" during the battles for Luzon and Iwo Jima in 1945. The Type 97 ShinHoTo Chi-Ha served against allied forces throughout the Pacific and East Asia as well as the Soviets during the July–August 1945 conflict in Manchuria. It is considered to be the best Japanese tank to have seen "combat service" in the Pacific War.