Vehicles · Japan · 1942-1945
Type 2 Ka-Mi
amphibious light tank
The Type 2 Ka-Mi was the Imperial Japanese Navy's first amphibious tank, designed in 1941 to land with naval assault forces on Pacific islands lacking port facilities. It was built on a modified Type 95 Ha-Go chassis with an all-welded hull and large detachable, kapok-filled steel pontoons at bow and stern that gave it buoyancy for the swim ashore before being jettisoned for land combat. Only 182-184 were built in 1942-1943, and by the time it reached units it was mostly employed as a static gun position or improvised light tank rather than in its intended amphibious assault role, seeing action from Guadalcanal in late 1942 through the Marshalls, Marianas and Philippines.
| armament | 1x Type 1 37mm gun, 2x Type 97 7.7mm MG |
|---|---|
| crew | 5 |
| weight | 12.3 tonnes (9.15 tonnes without pontoons) |
| produced | 182-184 |