The first tank combat between the United States and Japan: M3 Stuart vs Type 95 Ha-Go

World War II is widely remembered for the combat between medium tanks like the Sherman and the T-34 and heavy tanks like the Tiger.

Orlik, the Pole who destroyed ten German tanks using a tiny tankette
An excellent short film by Yarnhub about a Rommel victory at the Battle of Gazala

However, at the start of the war, the armored fleets of the warring nations consisted primarily of light tanks. Germany fielded models such as the Panzer I and Panzer II, which were used in the invasion of Poland. Meanwhile, the Polish Army's main tank was the 7TP —more powerful than its rivals but fewer in number. The British had the Mk VI and the Mk VII Tetrarch, while the French possessed the Renault R35 and the Hotchkiss H35.

Cuando se inició la guerra entre el Imperio Japonés y los Estados Unidos, a causa del ataque nipón contra Pearl Harbor el 7 de diciembre de 1941, los japoneses disponían de tanques ligeros como el Tipo 94 Te-Ke y el Tipo 95 Ha-Go, principalmente pensados para misiones de apoyo a infantería y dotados de un blindaje poco grueso, mientras que los tanques principales del Ejército de EEUU eran el M2 y M3 Stuart, dos modelos ligeros (el segundo era una evolución del primero) mejor blindados que sus rivales japoneses. EEUU fabricó menos de 700 M2 (entre 1936 y 1941) y más de 22.000 M3 Stuart (1941-1944), unas cantidades que superaron holgadamente a las de sus rivales: Japón fabricó algo más de 800 Tipo 94 Te-Ke y unos 2.300 Tipo 95 Ha-Go.

When the war between the Japanese Empire and the United States began, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the Japanese possessed light tanks such as the Type 94 Te-Ke and the Type 95 Ha-Go, vehicles primarily designed for infantry support and featuring relatively thin armor, whereas the U.S. Army's main tanks were the M2 and M3 Stuart, two light models (with the second being an evolution of the first) that were better armored than their Japanese counterparts. The United States manufactured fewer than 700 M2s (between 1936 and 1941) and over 22,000 M3 Stuarts (1941–1944), production figures that far exceeded those of their rivals, as Japan manufactured just over 800 Type 94 Te-Kes and approximately 2,300 Type 95 Ha-Gos.

The first combat engagement between American and Japanese tanks took place on December 22, 1941, at Damortis on the island of Luzon, Philippines. At the outbreak of war between the two nations, the U.S. Army had two battalions of M3 Stuarts in the Philippines, totaling 108 tanks. A platoon of five Stuart tanks commanded by Second Lieutenant Ben R. Morin, part of Company B, 192nd Tank Battalion, U.S. Army, engaged a platoon of Type 95 Ha-Go tanks led by Lieutenant Mitsuoka of the Imperial Japanese Army's 4th Tank Regiment. The American tanks' objective was to halt the Japanese forces that had just landed on Luzon.

The Americans held the initial advantage, thanks to the superior armor of their Stuart tanks. However, the situation took a turn for the worse when the 37mm main gun on Second Lieutenant Ben R. Morin's tank jammed. Finally, just as the situation seemed most desperate for the Japanese platoon, several Ha-Go tanks arrived on the scene, forcing the remaining operational Stuarts to retreat. Ben R. Morin and his tank crew were taken prisoner.

Morin was the only officer from the 192nd Tank Battalion to survive captivity. His faith (he was a Catholic) sustained him through the hardships he endured. After the war, he was awarded the Legion of Merit, one of the highest U.S. military decorations. According to Bataanproject.com, he was ordained a priest and joined the Society of Jesus on September 1, 1946, serving as a missionary in Peru for 38 years. He passed away in Clarkston, Michigan, on April 23, 2015. The YouTube channel Yarnhub has released an excellent video using computer animation to recreate that first tank battle between the U.S. and Japan:

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Main image: Yarnhub.