Landships II

Members Login
Username 
 
Password 
    Remember Me  
Post Info TOPIC: Tank Week in Japan


Legend

Status: Offline
Posts: 1416
Date:
Tank Week in Japan
Permalink   


There's been various discussions on this forum about tanks visiting towns to raise money through War Bond sales, both in the UK and in north America.  I've just found, to my surprise, that a tank week was held in Japan (specifically Tokyo and Yokohama) in July 1918.  The Times of 16 July 1918 has this to say:

Among the big subscribers during Tank Week in Japan are the Taiwan Bank £20,000 the Yokohama Specie Bank £15,000 Barons Iwasaki and Furukawa, the Mitsui Gomei Kaisha, the Tokyo Marine Insurance Company, the Chosen Bank, the 15th Bank, and the Yasuda Bank £10,000 each.  The total for Tokyo is £155,276.  July 9 at Yokohama was the first day when foreigners subscribed.  Their subscriptions amounted to £75,000.

This is from The Times of 29 July 1918:

Our Tokyo correspondent says that, while the totals from the Tokyo and Yokohama Tank Week are unequal to that of Shanghai, contributions are still coming in, the latest being £30,000 from Jardine Matheson and Co., which  is the largest individual contribution and £10,000 from the Canton Insurance Co.  The total now exceeds £350,000.

Does anyone know any more about this, please?  Some of the specific questions that I'd like answers to are, was there a real tank involved, or just mock-ups?  If there was a tank involved, where did it come from, Britain or the USA, and what happened to it?  Is this connected to the Mark IV supplied to Japan?  And was there also a tank week in Shanghai, as implied in the second article?

Gwyn

P.S. I've also posted this to the GWF.



__________________


Legend

Status: Offline
Posts: 1626
Date:
Permalink   


Hi Gwyn I dont know if its of any help I found a reference on this site..

http://www3.plala.or.jp/takihome/

he only says "The IJA heard about the power of tank in the battle, they imported some tanks to know what is the tank. First, one British Mk.IV was imported in 1918."

Maybe contacting him will help your seach..

I then came across this...a MIV female imported in October 1918 so to late for the Tank week....

http://www3.plala.or.jp/takihome/Mark-IV.html

the japanese also had a number of Whippets...

http://www3.plala.or.jp/takihome/Whippet.html


Cheers

-- Edited by Ironsides at 10:40, 2008-12-03

__________________

"Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazggimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul"

 



Legend

Status: Offline
Posts: 1416
Date:
Permalink   

Thanks - have sent an e-mail.

Gwyn

__________________


Major

Status: Offline
Posts: 135
Date:
Permalink   

Japanese army used may Whippets in China in 1930-ies, some of them had their armaments removed.

__________________


Commander in Chief

Status: Offline
Posts: 749
Date:
Permalink   

Can you explain that kkfj: armament removed?

__________________


Major

Status: Offline
Posts: 135
Date:
Permalink   

I saw that in a photo shows a Japanese Whippet fighting in northern China. It didn't have any of its MGs. I thought maybe the Japanese only wanted to use these tanks to frighten Chinese soldiers.

__________________


Commander in Chief

Status: Offline
Posts: 749
Date:
Permalink   

Maybe you have a link to that photo?

__________________
Page 1 of 1  sorted by
 
Quick Reply

Please log in to post quick replies.

Tweet this page Post to Digg Post to Del.icio.us


Create your own FREE Forum
Report Abuse
Powered by ActiveBoard