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the author is feilong.

figure 1. some armored vehicles (road and rail dual-purpose armored vehicles) equipped by the japanese army and navy, from top to bottom are the type 87 crossley armored vehicle, the type 92 osaka armored vehicle, the type 92 chiyoda armored vehicle, the type 93 domestic armored vehicle (called the type 92 armored vehicle by the navy), the type 93 sumida road and rail dual-purpose armored vehicle, and the type 90 sumida p armored vehicle

figure 2. in 1930, the japanese army purchased three crosley m1925 armored vehicles, and then the japanese navy purchased nine of the same type of equipment, which were named type 87. this photo shows eight type 87 armored vehicles with naval flags, which are obviously naval equipment assigned to the shanghai special forces.

1. type 87 (crossley-vickers)

figure 3. painted: a japanese navy type 87 armored car appeared on the streets of shanghai. the license plate number is "japanese navy no. 6" and the number "6" is sprayed on the side of the upper machine gun tower.

in 1923, the british crossley motor company (Crossley) is vickers-craft (Vickers-Crayford) provided the chassis, which was then installed with armor and superstructure and sold to the british indian regiment (about 100 vehicles), so it is often called the "indian model". they were used to patrol the northern part of india. later, other countries such as the united kingdom, south africa (2 vehicles), canada and argentina (6 vehicles) also used them.

the japanese military ordered a total of 12 vehicles from the british in 1925, of which 3 were ordered for the army and provided to the kwantung army, and 9 were ordered for the navy and provided to the shanghai special marines. as a result, this big round-headed armored vehicle appeared on the streets of northeast china and shanghai.

figure 4. type 89 armored vehicle no. 2 of the shanghai special forces. note the split dome, which protects the observer well.

figure 5. another photo of the type 87 of the shanghai special forces. the vehicle serial number is unknown. note that the commander is facing the rear of the vehicle.

this japanese custom armored car was almost identical to the regular crosley m25, except for a different machine gun. the hood was flat, with an armored engine radiator, and the combat/cockpit compartment had a larger cross-section, with riveted armor plates. there were armored roller blinds in front of both seats in the cockpit, and a raised section behind the engine compartment. both the front (beam axle) and rear (steel housing with fully floating driveshaft) axles were covered by wide fenders. the suspension system used semi-elliptical springs. standard road lights were installed on the front fenders. access to the vehicle was through two small doors on the side of the hull, and there were three sliding observation windows on each side. it was reported that a searchlight was sometimes installed on the bumper.

the most notable feature of the crosley armored vehicle is the large cast hemispherical turret produced by vickers, which can accommodate two standard 0.303-inch (7.7 mm) water-cooled vickers machine guns and protective armor sleeves. the distance between the two 7.7 mm machine guns is maximized, probably to maximize the firing range and avoid mutual interference between the shooters inside the turret. the machine guns are semi-fixed and can be rotated 90° individually. in addition, there are two positions for machine guns in the vehicle body, allowing shooters to move the firing position of the machine guns as needed. another feature is that there is a small dome on the top of the large machine gun turret that opens to both sides, which is used for the front of the vehicle to observe the surrounding environment and to facilitate shouting when controlling social security. in addition, the indian version of the m25 is also equipped with a large searchlight installed on the top of the turret.

figure 6. a type 87 crosley armored car on the streets of shanghai. here, a barricade manned by special forces appears. this photo was probably taken during the battle of shanghai. it is also worth noting that the vickers machine guns on the two boats are pointed at an obvious angle, and it is clear that the two shooters are aiming in different directions.

figure 7. a side view of the type 87 crosley armored car. three square observation holes can be seen on the side of the car, one of which is located on the openable side door.

the engine is a crosley four-cylinder gasoline engine with a cylinder capacity of only 4531 cubic centimeters. it has a four-cylinder, 4-inch (101.6 mm) bore and 5.5-inch (140 mm) stroke, equipped with a zenith-type carburetor and side intake valves, and ignition is done by a magneto. the engine is connected to a 4-speed gearbox, separated from the engine by a short shaft and a universal joint. the drive shaft is wrapped in a torsion tube that is connected to the differential housing and diagonally reinforces the rear axle housing. the final drive uses a worm drive and the transmission clutch uses a cone. the maximum output power is 65 horsepower, and the maximum road speed can reach 45 miles/hour (70 kilometers/hour).

figure 8. a type 87 armored vehicle with camouflage pattern photographed in tianjin, date unknown. there is a pentagram-shaped mark on the front of the vehicle. this is probably one of the three ordered by the japanese army.

apart from appearing in the two battles of shanghai, the type 87 armored vehicle rarely appeared in other scenes of the war of aggression against china. this may be because the early car engines were weak and could only be used for patrolling urban roads or hard roads. they had neither sufficient off-road capabilities nor the ability to reverse quickly. they were basically only used to maintain order and deter the public in large cities such as shanghai and tianjin.

figure 9. the iga-1 armored vehicle equipped by the british indian army. note that there is a round searchlight above its upper armored machine gun tower. the overall shape looks very funny.

type 87 crosley armored car specifications:

dimensions: 5.03 x 2.5 x 2.8 m (16 ft 6 x 8 ft 2 x 9 ft 2)

wheelbase: 3429 mm (11 ft 3 in)

gross combat weight: 2 tons (4,600 lb)

crew: 4-5 people (driver, commander, 2 shooters, loader)

power system: 4-cylinder gasoline engine, 65 horsepower

suspension system: 2x2 leaf springs

speed ​​(road): 65 km/h (45 mph)

armament: 2 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine guns

armor: unknown, probably 8-11 mm (0.3-0.4 in)

total production: 12 (9 for the navy, 3 for the army)

figure 10-18. multiple perspectives of the model based on the japanese navy type 87 no. 6 tank. the large searchlight on the top that appears here does not appear in the actual photos of the japanese version.

figure 19. a modern remake of the type 87 armored vehicle, stored in an unknown location

2. type 90 sumida p, also known as "sumida"

based on the purchase of western armored vehicles, the japanese began the process of imitating them. the type 90 sumita armored vehicle, which was finalized in 1930, was considered the first domestically produced six-wheeled armored vehicle in japan. it was commissioned by the navy to ishikawajima heavy industries (ishikawajima heavy industries, the predecessor of the later automobile manufacturing company isuzu corporation) and was trial-produced and manufactured at the company's sumita motors plant (Sumida Motor Car Factory) was manufactured because the type 93 six-wheeled truck developed by the factory, which was a copy of western products, was very successful.

figures 20 and 21. a type 90 six-wheeled armored vehicle with the inscription "baoguo-1" (nagaoka city) and navy livery