|
 |
|
|
| Missing In Action (MIA) | Prisoners Of War (POW) | Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) |
| Chronology | Locations | Aircraft | Ships | Submit Info | How You Can Help | Donate |
|
| IJN Sasebo 7th SNLF  Stan Gajda 1984 |
Tank History Delivered to the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) as Type 95 Ha Go Light Tank manufacture number unknown. Wartime History Assigned to the 7th Sasebo Special Navy Landing Force (7th Sasebo SNLF). One of fourteen Type 95 Ha Go light tanks under the command of Ensign Ohtani that were shipped to Tarawa Island (Betio) arriving on March 17, 1943. The tanks were to defend against any amphibious landing and counterattack an enemy landing. On November 20, 1943 disabled by U.S. bombardment or U.S. Marines inland from Red Beach 2 (Red No. 2) on the north coast of Tarawa (Betio). Wreckage Shortly after the Battle of Tarawa, the 37mm gun was removed. The hull of this tank without the turret remains in situ on the beach near Betio Hospital. During 1984, a Type 97 machine gun was recovered by Stan Gajda from this tank hull. References Stan Gajda recalls: "This photo was taken according to a source I read some months after the battle of November 1943. Note the 37mm gun is missing. This photo I reckon is taken off Red Beach 2, about where the Betio hospital is now. This tank is still there but falling apart. The various Amtracks can also be located but some were cleared over the years. A Type 97 machine gun I have in the tankette came from a tank lying on the reef just off the beach opposite the big command bunker. This one is not the Type 95 often shown sitting by the bunker steps after the battle because you can see the gun I got is already missing in those post battle photos. Where the tank came from that I got the gun from I have never been able to satisfactorily find out. Four Type 95 remains can still be seen lying about off the beaches of Betio. Two on the ocean side and two on the lagoon side. They are all junk today but the one I got the 7.7 machine gun out of in 1984 had a lot of exploded 37mm and 7.7mm shell casings which were very interesting to recover and clean for all had head stamps." Contribute
Information Last Updated
|
 Type 95 |
| Discussion Forum | Daily Updates | Reviews | Museums | Interviews & Oral Histories |
|
