Between 25-29 August 1942, two Type 95 tanks, singly or in pairs, were used to attack the Australian positions around Milne Bay. Schlieff B Coy 61st AUST INF BATT Australia MILNE BAY 42ĭuring August 1942 the Japanese attempted to capture the Milne Bay area in New Guinea, which was to be used as a staging point for their planned advance and capture of Port Moresby. Some are illegible, but the following can be discerned:Ĭ.M. The tank has been camouflaged in the Japanese three colour scheme of yellow, green and red brown.Ĭonservation work on this tank has revealed names and service numbers scratched into the original paint on the right side of the main hull, just below the turret. It has a four forward and one reverse speed gearbox, producing a top speed of 28mph and which gave a combat range of about one hundred miles. It was powered by an air cooled, six cylinder, inline diesel engine which developed 110-115 horse power at two thousand RPM.
Radio communications were not usually carried. This particular Type 95 tank had a crew of four (usually reported as three) : commander, gunner, driver, and hull gunner. It has been replaced by a modern replica. The original Type 94, 37mm tank gun was removed from the tank in the 1940s. Some of the armoured side plates are cracked and some of the running gear, such as road wheels, bogies and idler wheel were incomplete when recieved or were damaged.
It has suffered battle damage and the armour has been perforated in several places by a Boys. There are a small number of welded plates and fittings. Reinforcing backing plates are fitted at the joints. The hull and turret are constructed from rolled steel plates which have been bolted and rivetted over an angle iron frame. There are two rounded bulges in the centre sides of the superstructure which overhang the tracks and provide a little more room inside the fighting compartment for the crew members. A second machine gun is fitted in the turret rear. The turret is offset to the port side and there is a prominent front machine gun compartment in the front hull with provision to mount a ball mounted 7.7mm Type 97 machine gun.
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