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O-I was the name given to a proposed series of Japanese super-heavy tanks, to be used in the Pacific Theater. The vehicle was very heavy, carrying 11 crew in its 100-120 ton body. Only one 120 ton O-I model was rumored to have been built in 1944 and afterward sent to Manchuria. Exact information is lacking however, and it is unknown whether it ever saw combat. Whereas the original plans called for three turrets for the one large cannon and two smaller guns, a more advanced experimental prototype, the Ultra-Heavy Tank OI featured no fewer than four turrets. ==100t Design== After the Battles of Khalkhin Gol with Soviet Union in 1939, Japan tried to improve its tank design using lessons learnt from this battle. Many Japanese tanks such as Type 95 Ha-Go light tank and Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tanks were proven to be insufficient to encounter Soviet armored forces. Larger tank design was urgently needed. A super heavy tank project was proposed along with new medium tank designs. In 1940, Hideo Iwakuro Colonel from the Army Ministry of Japan (陸軍省 Rikugun-shō) ordered the Army Engineering Division to develop a new super heavy tank. Iwakuro Colonel also indicated that the new tank should be at least two times larger than the current Type 95 Heavy Tank(26 tonnes). The fifth Army Engineering Division carried out the project secretly and completed a prototype by the end of 1940. The 100 tonne prototype was equipped with a 105mm cannon and could carry over one hundred shells for its main gun. Its secondary armament consisted of a 75 mm cannon and a 7.7 mm machine gun. The frontal hull of the tank was protected by a 75 mm thick armor and another 75 mm steel plate could be attached to provide additional protection. The side armor of the tank was only 35 mm but it could also attach 35 mm steel plate if needed. During test trials, engineers realized that it would be highly challenging to deploy this tank. The weight of O-I tank added too much pressure on its suspension system and made it impossible to pass through uneven terrain. The prototype was therefore left in the factory and was scrapped in 1944 and its blueprint was later lost in the war. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「O-I」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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