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author group leader fei long.

this article is included in the album "history of tank warfare"

continuing from the previous issue (chapter 1284)

note: this series of articles referred to many chinese and foreign materials when collecting and organizing materials. for example, the tank battle materials in chapters such as "myanmar 1942", "myanmar 1944", and "luoyang 1944" made extensive reference to "steel war of resistance—" written by xu fan and zhen rui. —the complete history of sino-japanese armored forces"; "luzon 1945" and other chapters refer to "the battle of munoz - the destruction of the japanese 6th tank regiment" written by wang fa (originally published in "the inertial world of sea, land, air and space" issue 12, 2011, and "fighting the trapped beast: the destruction of the japanese 7th tank regiment" written by wang fa (originally published in "modern weapons" magazine, issue 4, 2016); in the chinese anti-japanese battlefield and the pacific islands many details of tank battles during the battle were referred to "pacific war" (volume 1-10) by qingmei zhuojiu, and some contents related to the chinese army's armored forces were referred to "an illustrated book of tanks and armor of the chinese army in the anti-japanese war" written by zhen rui. the above books are all officially published in china and can be purchased on many platforms.

we would also like to thank the original author and many unnamed original data providers!

figure 1. some of the armored vehicles (road and rail dual-purpose armored vehicles) equipped by the japanese army and navy. from top to bottom, they are the type 87 crossley armored vehicle, the type 92 osaka armored vehicle, the type 92 chiyoda armored vehicle, the type 9 type 3 sumita armored vehicle (called type 92 armored vehicle by the navy), type 93 sumita road and railway dual-purpose armored vehicle, type 90 sumita p-type armored vehicle

5. type 91 road and railway dual-purpose armored vehicle

in "railway guerrilla", which many people are familiar with, there is an armored vehicle used by the japanese to patrol the railway. its personnel and equipment are roughly similar to "five japanese, two machine guns, and one searchlight." the characteristics of this kind of weapon the prototype is the type 91/type 93 road and railway dual-purpose armored vehicle.

figures 2, 3, and 4. the japanese railway patrol car that appears in the villain book "railway guerrillas" clearly references the 91-type road-rail dual-purpose armored vehicle in appearance.

figure 5. type 90 six-wheeled armored vehicle "baoguo-1", with the words "nagaoka city" underneath, indicating that the equipment came from donations from the citizens of the city. in order to stimulate the passion for joint construction between the military and the people, the military has continued to this day some of the heavy equipment still have the tradition of being named after the names of their home countries. in addition, the soldiers next to them seem to be from different countries. they may be visiting the equipment. the type 90 is the earliest domestically produced armored vehicle in japan, and therefore it became the type 91 highway. modified prototype of dual-purpose railway armored vehicle

figure 6. “serve the country-1" patrolling the streets of china. there are also the words "japanese navy no. 10" on the front and bottom of the vehicle body (where the license plate is installed). judging from the appearance, the height of the type 91 dual-purpose armored vehicle and the type 90 armored vehicle similarly, the two were developed and finalized only one year apart. obviously there is a connection between the two.

figure 7. painting: japanese army’s type 91 road-rail dual-purpose armored vehicle

the road-rail dual-purpose armored vehicle was an equipment requirement put forward by the japanese army engineering corps. at that time, the engineering corps was still using modified type 91 trucks, while the army and navy combat forces were already equipped with imported type 87 armored vehicles and wolseley armored vehicles and began to produce them domestically. therefore, engineers also require an armed armored vehicle.

the development task was still handed over to the ishikawa island automobile manufacturing plant, which was already domestically producing armored vehicles. it was finalized in 1931 (imperial year 2591) and was named "type 91". interestingly, it may be due to this dual-purpose armored vehicle. mass production did not begin until 1933, so many sources refer to it as the "93-type sumita armored vehicle" (Type 2593 Sumida). this vehicle is specially designed for long-distance patrols on the standard tracks used in china. japan's domestic security does not require such heavy weapons, but the japanese invaders need to provide mobile protection along the railway lines that are easily damaged.

the type 91 vehicle weighs 7 tons, is 6.58 meters long, 1.9 meters wide and 2.95 meters high, and can carry 6 to 8 people. its chassis is mainly based on the 91-type six-wheel truck. a 6-cylinder 40-horsepower gasoline engine is installed in the engine compartment (some vehicles are equipped with a 100-horsepower gasoline engine). the engine compartment is covered with an 11 mm thick armored cover equipped with front vents, and the side comes with air inlet with hinged cover. the type 91 can travel at a speed of 40 km/h on roads and 60 km/h on railways.

steel armor is fixed to a metal frame with bolts and rivets. its armor thickness reaches 16 mm (front), 11 mm (hood), 8 mm (sides and rear), 6 mm (vertical surface), and also adopts an inclined design: the upper front part is 45°, and the lower front part is 45°. upper 10°, vertical (posterior) 15°, upper posterior 85°. the design of the partial tilt of the body is less, and the shape is simple and reasonable, because japanese engineers pay more attention to the convenience of manufacturing.

at that time, the japanese army's self-made armor plates were divided into three types based on different ingredients and production processes. the names were also very simple: "type 1, type 2, and type 3". the first type was for armored vehicles. , the second and third types are for tanks. the elastic resistance of the same thickness is more than twice that of the first type. the elastic resistance of the first armor plate should not be underestimated. the elastic resistance of the same thickness is higher. the armor of american tanks at that time.

type 91 uses the first type of armor plate specially designed for army armored vehicles. it can resist 7.92mm ordinary rifle bullets fired at close range. however, because the thickness is too thin, it can still be penetrated by 7.92mm armor-piercing bullets at a distance of 400 meters, so it is not qualified. for battlefield breakthrough missions, even as a wheeled armored vehicle, it cannot adapt to harsh road conditions due to engine problems.

figure 8. type 93 armored vehicle ready to go on the rails. pay attention to the tires installed on the side. if necessary, they can be installed on steel wheels for road driving. the words "patriot" and "fujikura" are painted on the side, which should be weapons donated to the army by the japanese in the fujikura area

figure 9. the "patriotic" and "fujikura" numbers of type 91 on the painted cover of the model.

figure 10. the armored vehicle placed on the track, here called the "91-type wide-track tractor"

figure 11. two japanese soldiers wearing heavy winter uniforms, possibly taken somewhere in northeast china.

figure 12. an armored vehicle with a navy flag logo. the appearance is highly similar to the type 91. it runs on the road with rubber tires. it may have been ordered by the navy for urban patrols.

the type 91's crew compartment is located behind the engine. the driver on the right side of the front can observe through the foldable armor cover. however, because the observation slit is too small, when performing low-risk transportation tasks or passing through complex road conditions, the driver must they all like to lean out of the car door to observe the surrounding environment.

there is a firing port for a portable machine gun on the left side of the driver, and the combat vehicle compartment located behind the body is spacious enough to accommodate 4 to 5 personnel, depending on the mission category. a typical crew consists of a driver, mechanic, commander and three gunners/loaders. occupants can enter and exit through side doors and double doors at the rear. a conical riveted turret (20° tilt) was mounted on the roof, with a semicircular hatch mounted on the upper part. a 7.7mm light machine gun can be installed in the small recess in the front.

figure 13. three views of the type 91 road-rail dual-purpose armored patrol car

figure 14. type 91/type 93 road and railway dual-purpose armored vehicle

type 91 uses front-wheel drive, and the two rear axles are non-driven axles. the weight is unevenly distributed, with the front wheels having to support 2.31 tonnes of the total weight, while the rear wheels only need to support 2.69 tonnes. a mechanical gearbox and drive shaft are used, and the suspension system consists of semi-elliptical springs. all wheels have tubeless tires made of alloy, which greatly reduces traction and increases ground pressure but simplifies installation on rails.

to travel on rails, vehicles carry special metal straps on their sides. during the conversion, four jacks are used to lift the vehicle onto the track, a process that takes about 10 minutes. hook chains and buffers can also be installed on the front and rear of the chassis to connect with conventional trains. in addition, the vehicles are equipped with adjustment systems to adapt to the different track gauges in russia and china.

however, it is very troublesome to convert the "type 91" from railway mode to road mode - you must first jack up the car body, remove the six steel wheels used on the rails, and then replace them with rubber hanging on the side of the car body. tire. it is said that this series of operations took even 12 skilled technicians 15 minutes to complete. after a lot of hard work, this iron turtle can be driven off the railway and drive on highways and mountain roads. under normal circumstances, the guerrillas would have safely retreated by this time. therefore, in "railway guerrilla", after the japanese patrol car discovered the situation, it usually just stopped on the railway to shoot and fire, or sent people to get off the car to pursue. basically, there was no scene of converting to highway mode after modification. this scene conversion problem was only slightly improved after its next-generation product, the type 95 road-rail dual-purpose armored vehicle.

figures 15, 16, 17, and 18. the model work of the type 91 road-rail dual-purpose armored vehicle. it can be seen that a large number of rivets are used in the splicing of steel plates.

type 91 dual-purpose armored vehicles entered service after 1933, and the first batch of vehicles were quickly dispatched to china, including areas with dense railway networks in northeast china and north china. their peak activity occurred in 1937-1938, and they were also used during the 1937 songhu battle. when on the track, the type 91 is sometimes used with conventional trains or independently escorted. it can also be used as an armed tractor on the railway. however, due to the low engine power, it can only hang 1 to 2 carriages, and it cannot pull very heavy cargo. after the end of the all-out offensive phase of the japanese invasion of china, type 91 was only used for patrol and outpost liaison missions.

the total number of type 91s produced is still unclear. common figures are 100 or 1,000. however, considering that the output of other japanese armored vehicles was not high at that time, the number of 100 may be more reliable. after all, the japanese's main warfare the production of vehicles and weapons rarely reaches 1,000, but even so, the type 91 was still the most produced and used armored vehicle in japan during the war.

specifications of type 91/type 93 road and railway dual-purpose armored vehicles

dimensions: 6.58 x 1.91 x 2.95 meters (10'43'' x 5'61'' x 4'92'')

total combat-ready weight: 7.7 tons

crew: 6 people (driver, mechanic, 3 gunners/loaders, commander)

power system: 4-cylinder gasoline engine, 45 horsepower

suspension: 6x4 coil springs

speed ​​(road/track): 40/64 km/h (25/40 mph)

driving distance: 241 kilometers (150 miles)

armament: 7.7 mm machine gun (0.3 in), crew personal weapons

armor: maximum thickness 16 mm (0.8 in)

total production: estimated 100 vehicles

figures 19 and 20. in 1939, a modified type 91 dual-purpose armored vehicle was performing patrol duties. a japanese soldier opened the door and saluted the soldiers below. the armored vehicle crew has six soldiers and is equipped with a 6.5mm or 7.7mm machine gun. you can see that the soldiers sitting outside are extremely vulnerable to attack.

figure 21. two type 91 road and railway dual-purpose armored vehicles are connected together through the tail interface, so that they can maneuver in two different directions at any time. the type 91 has a certain towing capacity, which can at least satisfy the connection between the two vehicles.

figure 22. colored (possibly post-painted) photo of two type 91 vehicles directly connected.

figure 23. type 91/93 dual-purpose armored vehicle (two vehicles back to back, can quickly reverse)

figure 24. type 91/93 dual-purpose armored vehicle ready to go on the track, pay attention to the tires installed on the side‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

figure 25. a japanese soldier prepares to come out of the cockpit of the type 91/type 93 dual-purpose armored vehicle

figure 26. another photo of japanese soldiers wearing helmets entering and exiting a type 91/type 93 dual-purpose armored vehicle.

figure 27. the type 91 is passing through an elevated bridge. the driver also looks out from the side door to observe. this may be because the narrow slit observation slit of the type 91 does not provide a good field of vision. when driving in areas where the battlefield environment is not too dangerous, driving members would rather probe their surroundings to observe the surrounding situation.

figure 28. model work, type 91/93 dual-purpose armored vehicle

figure 29. 1:48 model work: type 91/type 93 dual-purpose armored vehicle

figure 30 and 31. model modeling of type 91

figure 32. some photos of type 93 dual-purpose armored vehicles. it is worth mentioning that the two photos on the upper left are actually type 90 armored vehicles.

6. type 95 road and railway dual-purpose armored patrol vehicle

because the type 91 road mode conversion was too laborious and slow, the japanese developed the type 95 road-rail dual-purpose armored vehicle equipped with crawlers based on the type 91. obviously, this mode can quickly change from the railway operating state. it was in highway operation, so it was extremely powerful in protecting the railway line, so they quickly drove off the railway to pursue it.

at the same time, the armor thickness of the type 95 dual-purpose armored vehicle has increased, and it is also highly resistant to armor-piercing bullets fired from rifles. it can defend against 7.92mm armor-piercing bullets from a distance of 100 meters. when the opponent does not have professional anti-tank weapons, this type of armored vehicle can engage in offensive combat.

the first type of armor of the japanese army has a relatively high hardness, but it is not a high-hardness armor. it cannot be welded initially because the strength difference between the weld and the armor plate is too large, which will cause the deformation stress caused by movement to concentrate on the weld, causing the weld to however, during the production of the type 95 road-rail dual-purpose armored patrol vehicle, welding technology has improved. the first armor of the japanese army can already be welded. the difference in strength between the weld seam and the armor plate is not large, so it will not happen. the welds cracked, but for safety reasons, the japanese army's first armored vehicles still had a few rivets added to ensure safety. the actual main body is already a welded structure.

figure 33 and 34. type 95 road and railway dual-purpose armored vehicle

figures 35 and 36. a picture of a type 95 railway-road dual-purpose armored vehicle that seems to be controlled by the chinese army. here you can clearly see the iron hubs set up on the rails, with narrower tracks on the outside. if you need to drive off the rails , you only need to lower the car body to ground the crawler tracks, and it is more convenient to switch between road and railway driving modes.

figure 37. it may be the type 95 in the previous photo taken from different angles. it seems that two type 91 vehicles can be seen in the rear.

figure 38. a destroyed type 95 dual-purpose armored vehicle. the time and location of the shooting are unknown.

figure 39. three views of the type 95 dual-purpose armored vehicle

figure 40. type 95 dual-purpose armored vehicle, shooting time and location unknown

the type 95 road-rail dual-purpose armored vehicle is a masterpiece produced only more than ten years after the japanese industry introduced armored vehicles. it has achieved small-scale mass production. what is particularly rare is that one type 95 armored vehicle is preserved in the chinese military museum. genuine style. according to the museum's records, it is speculated that this armored vehicle was received by china after the end of the anti-japanese war and was captured during the war of liberation. the video shot by junbo contains the interior details of the car.

type 95 road and railway dual-purpose armored vehicle information:

years of service: 1935-1945

weight: 8.7 tons

armor: 8 mm

armor type: army's first armor plate

armor structure: welded

speed: 30 km/h on road, 72 km/h on railway

engine: 84 hp gasoline engine

weapons: brought by the crew

crew: 6

number of equipment: 121 vehicles

figures 41, 42, and 43. the early 95-type road and railway armored vehicles preserved in the open square of the military expo.

figures 44 and 45. the 95th style on the first floor of the new military museum

figure 46. a close-up of the type 95 turret preserved in the military museum. the longitudinal shooting slit can install a machine gun.

figure 47. a type 95 road and railway armored vehicle preserved in a foreign museum.

figure 48. oil painting: during the songhu anti-japanese war, german armorers wearing german helmets and british vickers 6-ton light tanks appeared here.

- to be continued, so stay tuned! -