Type 1 Ho-Ki

Type 1 Ho-Ki
Type 1 Ho-Ki APC
Place of origin	Empire of Japan
Production history
Designed	1941
Produced	1942–1945[1][2]
No. built	200 (estimated)[1]
Specifications
Mass	5.5 tonnes (6.1 tons)[3]
Length	4.78 meters[2]
Width	2.19 meters[2]
Height	2.58 meters[2]
Crew	1 or 2 + 13 passengers[2][3]
Armor	6 mm front hull, 4 mm sides[4]
Main armament	none
Secondary armament	none
Engine	diesel 134 HP/2000 rpm
Suspension	Bell crank
Operational range	200 kilometers[4]
Maximum speed	42 km/h

The Type 1 Ho-Ki (一式装甲兵車 ホキ, Isshiki Sōkōheishahoki Ho-Ki) was a tracked armored personnel carrier (APC) developed by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II.

The Type 1 Ho-Ki was produced as a result of a request from the army for a heavy armored artillery tractor, which could also serve as a personnel transport in order to increase the motorization and cross-country capabilities of the land forces. Development of both tracked and half-track APCs intensified in 1941, with two production versions confusingly designated “Type 1" (see the Type 1 Ho-Ha half-track).^[5][6]

Several APC prototypes of what became known as the Type 1 Ho-Ki were built. The first one was built on a Type 92 tankette chassis and known as the experimental Type TC. A second prototype built was known as the experimental Type TE.^[7] An experimental prime mover version of the Type TE was also tested.^[8] Thereafter, an experimental prime mover version known as the Type TG was produced, which had a further modified undercarriage without support rollers.

The Type 1 Ho-Ki was built by Hino Motors, but only in small quantities. Although the Japanese Army had employed mechanized infantry formations in China from the mid-1930s, the general view of field commanders was that armored transports were too slow compared with normal trucks, and thereby unable to keep up with the speed necessary for contemporary infantry tactics.^[5] In addition, with the priorities of Japanese military production focusing on combat aircraft, warships and other offensive weaponry, most of the experimental APC and AFV designs never made it past the prototype stage. By the time the Type 1 Ho-Ki entered regular production in 1944, raw materials were in very short supply, and much of Japan's industrial infrastructure had been destroyed by American bombing. The total number produced is unknown.^[9][10]

The Type 1 Ho-Ki had an unusual silhouette, in that the driver's cab did not extend across the front of the hull, but stopped about mid-way across the center line. Only one driver was required, who manipulated the left and right movement of the tracks via a pair of small steering wheels. The crew consisted of a driver and commander, with transport capacity of 13 or 14 men, and the maximum armor thickness was 6 mm for the front hull.^[2][11]

The Type 1 Ho-Ki had been designed to be versatile. It was designed to be used to carry supplies, to tow artillery, as well as to carry infantry. They were produced in three basic variants, a supply carrier, artillery prime mover and armored personnel carrier.^[12] The Type 1 Ho-Ki had from the left (driver's) side three doors mounted side by side for exit. In addition, the armored personnel carrier variant had a rear hinged double door for troop exit.^[13] The hull was welded construction and it was "open-topped", akin to the Type 1 Ho-Ha. The engine compartment was located at the right front of the body, next to the driver's compartment. The engine was a 6-cylinder, in-line, valve-in-head, air-cooled diesel. The transmission was located in the rear. The gearbox had eight forward gears and two reverse gears. This allowed for more flexibility in speed and torque, in accordance to where and how it was being used.^[14][15]

The Type 1 Ho-Ki was not normally armed, but provision was made for mounting machine guns to the rear of the driver on the sides of the troop compartment.^[12] The Type 92 heavy machine gun carried by Japanese infantry squads could be mounted accordingly. Although it was an APC, it was often mistakenly called a half-track.

Initial deployment of the Type 1 Ho-Ki was to China for operations in the Second Sino-Japanese War. Type 1 Ho-Ki vehicles were later deployed to Burma and the Philippines in 1944.^[2][16] Units of the 2nd Tank Division were reassigned to the Japanese Fourteenth Area Army and sent to the Philippines, where it was deployed on the main island of Luzon. The 2nd Tank Division had a shortage of half-tracks, therefore, at least four Type 1 Ho-Ki's were used for troop transport on Luzon during the Battle of the Philippines.^[17][18]

• Foss, Christopher F (2002). The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles: The Comprehensive Guide to over 900 Armored Fighting Vehicles from 1915 to the Present Day. Thunder Bay Press. ISBN 1-57145-806-9.
• Ness, Leland (2014). Guide to Japanese Ground Forces 1937–1945: Volume 2: Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces. Helion & Company. ISBN 978-19099-8275-8.
• Rottman, Gordon L.; Takizawa, Akira (2008). World War II Japanese Tank Tactics. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1846032349.
• Tomczyk, Andrzej (2003). Japanese Armor Vol. 3. AJ Press. ISBN 978-8372371287.
• Zaloga, Steven J. (2007). Japanese Tanks 1939–45. Osprey. ISBN 978-1-8460-3091-8.
• Zaloga, Steven J. (2012). M4 Sherman vs Type 97 Chi-Ha: The Pacific 1945. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1849086387.

• Taki's Imperial Japanese Army Page - Akira Takizawa