The American Heritage Museum is on the hunt for any detailed technical drawings, documentation, or equipment to support the restoration of our Japanese Type 97 Tankette “Te-Ke” that came to the museum last year. Formerly a part of the Hayes Otoupalik collection in Missoula, MT, the “Te-Ke” was acquired by a donor and delivered to the AHM in January to begin restoration. Unfortunately, since the project lacks a significant part of its upper hull, new steel will need to be fabricated. To make the effort even more challenging, this variant of the “Te-Ke” was used 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. Tankettes in this role had a different hull design than a standard Type 97 “Te-Ke” and carried their scattering agents in a towed tracked trailer – another item that we lack.
The one thing that we do have is the original and rare Ikegai air-cooled, 65 horsepower, inline 4-cylinder diesel engine. Any documentation on this engine is also being sought as it will need to be overhauled as well.
According to a previous owner, Thomas Howell, this Type 97 was brought to the U.S. from an unnamed South Seas Island by Bert Smith and Lawrence Edwards, USMC shipmates in WWII, as part of their new surplus business, Smith & Edwards in Ogden, UT (still in business with the same family today!). It was sold by Smith & Edwards to a Clint Petersen in St. Anthony, ID and the armor was stripped for potato digger parts – a common practice in the post-war years as the historical rarity of such artifacts were not fully realized. After surviving the Teton Dam flood in Eastern Idaho in 1976, it was bought by Thomas Howell around 2010 who then traded it to Otoupalik in its current condition before being sold to an AHM donor in late 2024.
The American Heritage Museum intends 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. If you have any additional information or contacts that might be able to assist in this restoration, please email Andrew Ford at andrew@americanheritagemuseum.org or call us at 978-562-9182 (M-F, 9am to 5pm ET).
About the Type 97 Tankette “Te-Ke”
The Japanese Type 97 Tankette “Te-Ke” 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 had a top speed of around 26 mph and 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. Once complete, it will become a part of the Pacific War Gallery where it will join the equally rare Japanese Type 4 “Ho-Ro” Self Propelled Howitzer currently on display.
