page_title: Type 95 Ha-Go light tank
section_title: Malaya, Burma and the Philippines, 1941 to 1942
hierarchical_section_title: Type 95 Ha-Go light tank / Combat history / Malaya, Burma and the Philippines, 1941 to 1942
caption_attribution_description: English: One of the Japanese Type 95 Ha-Go light tanks halted by the Australians' deadly anti-tank gun fire, with its crew lying dead nearby. 1942-01-28
context_page_description: The Type 95 Ha-Gō was a light tank used by the Empire of Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War, at Nomonhan against the Soviet Union, and in the Second World War. It proved sufficient against infantry but, like the American M3 Stuart light tank, was not designed to combat other tanks. Approximately 2,300 were produced, making it the most numerous Japanese armoured fighting vehicle of the Second World War.
context_section_description: The United States military had been operating in the Philippines since the Philippine–American War (1899-1902) and Great Britain had military bases in Singapore since at least the 1840s; they both had many years of so-called "jungle warfare" experience between them, which no doubt influenced their beliefs that "tanks could not operate in those jungles". On the other hand, the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) had always been focused upon Russia and China and had never conducted major military campaigns in tropical (jungle) regions. Facing thick and impenetrable jungles, two experienced and powerful armies, and lacking any jungle combat experience themselves, the IJA's Type 95s, together with Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tanks, led the Japanese assault forces into taking British Malaya and Singapore by 15 February in 1942 and Corregidor in the US-held Philippines by April in that same year. The Type 95 proved to be an extremely successful light tank during the early military campaigns of Japan leading into mid-1942. The "rough terrain" did not prove to be a severe obstacle for the generally-light Japanese armour. In addition, poor planning on the part of the British Army resulted in very few to practically no tanks being deployed by the UK in British Malaya or the British colony of Burma by December 1941.
caption: One of six Ha-Go tanks destroyed by an Australian OQF 2-pounder anti-tank gun in the Battle of Muar. The escaping tank crew were killed by Allied infantry.
exif: {}