The Type 1 Ho-Ha was a half-track that was used by Japan during World War II.
Description[]
The Ho-Ha had a crew of three and could carry twelve passengers. The Ho-Ha also had a diesel powered, 134 hp, Hino engine capable of propelling the Ho-Ha at speeds of up to 50 km/h.[1]The armor protection on almost all parts of the half-track was 8 mm thick and the armament was three Type 97 machine guns. The positions of these guns was somewhat of a problem because it was impossible to fire to the rear or the front.
The Ho-ha had a Bell Crank suspension system and the weight was about 5,443.1 kg.[2] The length was 6.1 meters and the width was 2.1 meters. The Type 1 was based on the German Hanomag or SdKfz 251/1, but it had many differences. One of these differences was that the Type 1 could carry three more people. One of the unique features of the Ho-Ha was that it had a towing hitch for towing artillery.[3] There were no variants of the Ho-Ha and production was limited.
History[]
The Ho-Ha was designed in 1941 although it was first produced in 1944. The Ho-Ha was meant to be an infantry carrier that would protect troops against enemy fire. Very few were deployed, but some were sent to China and Japan. One of the only uses of the Ho-Ha in combat was in the Philippines. The Ho-Ha was not the only APC used by Japan however, the Type 1 Ho-Ki was also used in limited numbers.
References[]
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