![]() Initially, Germany was happy to respond to the proposal of a fellow Axis power. To stand against US tanks, Japan needed heavy tanks which were still in the design stage they looked to their German allies' powerful new tank: the Pz.Kpfw VI Tiger. This shift forced Japanese military leaders to face the threat of a potential US invasion. German propaganda picture with the Japanese soldiers in the "Tiger". The Allied forces were nearing the Japanese Home Islands. Similar to Stalingrad in the East, these two battles deprived Japan of the strategic initiative, and their defensive perimeter fell under attack, island by island. In June 1942, the Japanese lost four aircraft carriers during the Battle of Midway, and US forces slugged it out for six months during the Battle of Guadalcanal before emerging victorious in February 1943. The Americans and other allied forces began to hit back. ![]() The Allies were hard-pressed to keep up.ĭuring their domination in the Pacific region, the Japanese created a defensive perimeter using islands as strongholds. They achieved several early victories, invading the Philippines, multiple islands of Oceania, and part of New Guinea. On December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and went to war with the USA. All vehicles and equipment had to be transported by sea, onto island terrain not suitable for using heavy vehicles where designs were concerned, lighter was better! At the time, China, the only major mainland rival of Japan, did not have good armor or anti-armor capabilities, so the existing Japanese vehicles were deemed acceptable for the task at hand. Japan was fighting for control of small Pacific islands. The reason that Japan did not develop heavier tanks was not the result of military incompetence, but rather of logistics. Japan did not use heavy tanks, and an examination of the most advanced mass-produced Japanese vehicle-the Type 97 Chi-Ha-shows it lighter, smaller and with worse armament than its contemporaries: the Soviet T-34, German Pz.Kpfw IV and US M4 Sherman. The army was large, but its military equipment could not match rival European counterparts who had stronger ground forces. As an island nation, Japan’s highest priorities for research in World War II were its navy and aviation industries. ![]()
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