In practice, Japanese mechanized forces equipped with the new Type proved the armored system as viable. First actions were in the Philippines during 1942 and then followed further operations across Malaya. One of the greatest assets of the design was its speed and agility which made for a tough target to range in on and one that could quickly overrun an Allied position. The gun offered the necessary firepower against some fortifications and light vehicles (including light and some medium tanks) as well as infantry concentrations when engaging with High-Explosive (HE) projectiles. It was only during the turn of the tide in the Pacific War that the limitations of the newer Type 97 shown through.
It proved susceptible to the guns of even the American light-class tanks and assuredly so against the M4 Sherman Medium Tanks. The series fared no better when it faced the famous stout Soviet T-34 Medium Tanks with their effective 76.2mm main guns during the Manchuria campaign.
Despite its rather outclassed nature by the end of the war, the Type 97 Shinhoto Chi-Ha became a vast improvement over previous Japanese Army tank types. Additionally, it was produced in the numbers required which allowed it to see extended use in many of the notable engagements of the Pacific Theater. As the Japanese Army began to lose ground, its armored force took heavy losses and never reclaimed the initiative it lost.
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