The American Heritage Museum is excited to announce the launch of a new restoration project aimed at restoring a rare and historically significant piece of original World War II armor: the Type 97 Tankette “Te Ke,” used by the Imperial Japanese Army.
The Japanese Type 97 Tankette was a light armored vehicle developed and employed by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Introduced in 1938, the Te-Ke was designed as a reconnaissance and infantry support vehicle, embodying Japan’s focus on lightweight, mobile forces. It replaced the earlier Type 94 Tankette, offering improved armor and firepower while maintaining a compact and maneuverable profile.
The Type 97 Tankette was powered by a 65 horsepower, inline 4-cylinder diesel engine, giving it a top speed of around 26 mph. It featured a two-man crew: a driver and a gunner/commander. Armament included either a 37 mm Type 94 tank gun or a 7.7 mm Type 97 machine gun, making it effective against lightly fortified positions and infantry but inadequate against heavier tanks.
The Te-Ke saw extensive service in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War, where its mobility was advantageous in rough terrain. During the Pacific War, it participated in early campaigns across Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. It contributed to the Japanese victories at the Battle of Malaya and the Battle of the Philippines, as its light weight enabled the tank to traverse unsupported bridges and ferry crossing that would be unable to take heavier tanks, and its small size allowed it to travel along the long winding and narrow roads in the area. However, as the war progressed, the Te-Ke’s thin armor of less than an inch and light armament rendered it increasingly vulnerable to Allied tanks and anti-tank weapons.
Despite its limitations, the Type 97 exemplified Japan’s early-war emphasis on speed and versatility, serving as a significant component of their armored forces.
Our particular project vehicle has been determined to be a variant of the Te-Ke that was specifically designed as a gas scattering vehicle to either deploy chemical agents such as mustard gas or other chemical agents offensively or similarly scatter agents to counter poison gasses defensively. Vehicles in this role carried their scattering agents in a towed tracked trailer and though we do not have one of these trailers, we are actively looking for one to add to the restoration.
The rare Type 97 Tankette will be restored at the American Heritage Museum by our restoration team over the next 3-4 years and will include a full overhaul of the original and rare Ikegai air-cooled diesel engine that is part of the project. We intend to restore it to operational configuration as a running tank and it will eventually become part of an enhanced exhibit documenting the years leading up to World War II. The restoration team is seeking any technical materials, drawings, or documentation of the Type 97 Tankette type – so if you have any resources to assist, please email us at admin@americanheritagemuseum.org.
Additionally, as this project is funded only through donor support, we are actively seeking sponsors for the restoration effort as we embark on this ambitious project. If you are interested in supporting the project, please contact Ryan Keough, Director of Development at rkeough@americanheritagemuseum.org.
IMAGE GALLERY
