WAK 05-2011 Type 1 Ho-Ki Japoński Opancerzony transporter piechoty

The Type 1 Ho-Ki was a Japanese tracked armored infantry transport and artillery tractor from the Second World War. The first prototypes of the vehicle were built in 1941, but serial production did not start until 1944. The exact number of cars produced is unknown. The vehicle was powered by a single 134 HP diesel engine. The armament most often consisted of a maximum of two machine guns. The Type 1 Ho-Ki was commissioned by the Japanese army to acquire an armored infantry transporter that could also function as a light artillery tractor. However, work on the project clearly dragged on, and by the time the vehicle entered production, the Japanese economy was already plagued by numerous shortages and was unable to develop a truly mass production of the new car. The Type 1 Ho-Ki featured armor up to 6mm thick and featured an open airborne landing compartment. He could take from 10 to 12 landing troops. The vehicle was used in combat during the fighting in Burma and the Philippines in 1944-1945.