Type 1 Ho-Ni I

The Type 1 Gun tank Ho-Ni I (一式砲戦車 ホニ I) was a tank destroyer developed by the Imperial Japanese Army for use during World War II in the Pacific theater.

History and development
After the start of the Pacific War, units of the Imperial Japanese Army began to encounter advanced Allied medium tanks, such as the M4 Sherman. The Japanese Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tank lacked sufficient armor or armament to deal with this threat, and work was begun on a tank destroyer version.

The Type 1 Ho-Ni I was developed by utilizing the existing Type 97 chassis and engine, and replacing the gun turret with a 75 mm Type 90 Field Gun mounted in an open casemate with frontal and side armour only, which made it very vulnerable in close combat. The Type 1 Ho-Ni I was designed to operate as self-propelled artillery in the armored divisions. The design had no provision for machine guns, and although looking very similar to early German Panzerjäger tank destroyers, the Type 1 Ho-Ni I was designed to operate at ranges of up to 12,000 meters.

The mounting for the 75mm Type 90 field gun allowed for ten degrees of traverse and elevation from -5 to +25 degrees. The Type 1 Ho-Ni I carried 54 rounds of ammunition.

The Type 1 Ho-Ni I was produced in small quantities between 1941 and November 1943, until superseded by the Type 2 Ho-Ni II with its Type 91 105mm howitzer. The total number produced was only 124 units.

Design
Technical details for the Type 1 were identical to that of the Type 97 in that the same chassis, suspension and diesel engine were used. The armaments were all removed and replaced by the 75 mm Type 90 Field Gun, which was surrounded on three sides by 50 mm thick armored plates. Armor overall (one of the weak points of the Type 97) was beefed up by an addition 16 mm of armor plate.

Combat record
The Type 1 Ho-Ni I was first deployed in combat at the Battle of Luzon in the Philippines in 1944, with limited success, but it was not available in any numbers to make an impact on the Battle of the Philippines. Most of the remaining units were retained within the Japanese home islands to form part of the defenses against the projected American invasion, and did not see combat before the surrender of Japan.

Survivors
A Type 1 Ho-Ni I from the IJA 2nd Armored Division, 2nd Armored Artillery Regiment was captured by the US Army 37th Infantry Division on Luzon on April 6, 1945 as is currently preserved at the United States Army Ordnance Museum, Aberdeen, Maryland.