Difference between revisions of "Ho-Ni III"

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{{Specs-Card|code=jp_type_3_ho_ni_III}}
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{{About
{{Notice|''This page is about the tank destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''. For the other version, see [[Ho-Ni I]]''}}
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|about= Japanese tank destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
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|usage= the other vehicle of similar name
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|link= Ho-Ni I
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}}
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{{Specs-Card
 +
|code=jp_type_3_ho_ni_III
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|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
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}}
  
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
<!--''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''-->
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<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' ({{Annotation|三式砲戦車「ホニIII」|San-Shiki Hō-Sensha [Ho-Ni III]}}) was a tank destroyer developed by Japan during World War II. It was equipped with a [[Type 3 (75 mm)|Type 3 75 mm tank gun]], which had a high muzzle velocity and could penetrate the armour of US tanks. Unlike its predecessors, the Ho-Ni III had a fully enclosed and armoured casemate that provided protection to the crew from ground and aerial threats. The vehicle was designed to supplement the newer [[Chi-Nu|Type 3 Chi-Nu]] tanks by converting the obsolete [[Chi-Ha (Family)|Type 97 Chi-Ha]] hulls into self-propelled guns. The production of the Ho-Ni III started in 1944, but only 31 units were completed due to material shortages and bombing. Most of these vehicles were stationed in the Japanese home islands and never saw combat.
{{break}}
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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} Japanese tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced along with the entire Japanese Ground Forces tree in [[Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai"]]. A self-propelled gun with the 75 mm familiar on the [[Chi-Nu]], the Ho-Ni III is a very capable vehicle for its battle rating with its good punching 75 mm gun.
+
The Ho-Ni III was introduced along with the initial Japanese ground tree in [[Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai"]]. It is similar to the [[Ho-Ni I|Type 1 Ho-Ni I]], but improved: more crew members, a shorter reload time, and armour for the gun crew. However this comes at the cost of a lower top speed. The gun has high penetration and damage, so enemies can be easily sniped from afar. The armour is weak and most enemies can pierce it easily. Help allies by giving fire support, and use smoke shells to create temporary cover.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
<!--''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat?''
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{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
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<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
 +
 
 +
Having 25 mm of armour coverage around the entire gun crew, the {{PAGENAME}} no longer needs to fear artillery shrapnel or strafing runs from fighter aircraft. Do note however that it's still vulnerable to bombs, rockets and direct artillery hits! However, if the {{PAGENAME}} takes a hit, likely to survive with more operational crewmembers, as three of them must be knocked out before the vehicle becomes inoperable.
 +
 
 +
Another small armour increase is seen on the front of the tank, with the driver and radio station protected with another 10 mm of armour, though with this added strength, it still leaves an undesirable total width of a lacking 35 mm.
  
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''-->
 
 
'''Armour type:'''
 
'''Armour type:'''
  
Line 33: Line 44:
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
<!--''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and maneuverability as well as the maximum speed forward and backward.''-->
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{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
|-
+
 
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
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{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 241|rbMinHp= 150}}
|-
+
 
! Weight (tons)
+
The only drawback of the {{PAGENAME}} compared to its previous version, is that the tank has a slight decrease in top speed. On flat terrain, it reaches a top speed of 32 km/h, compared to the Ho-Ni I's top speed of 36 km/h.
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour<br>weight (tons)
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! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
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=== Modifications and economy ===
|-
+
{{Specs-Economy}}
| rowspan="2" | 16.8 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 44 (AB)
 
|-
 
|40 (RB/SB)
 
|-
 
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
 
|-
 
! colspan="1" | Mode
 
!Stock
 
!Upgraded
 
|-
 
|''Arcade''
 
|263
 
|324
 
|-
 
|''Realistic/Simulator''
 
|150
 
|170
 
|-
 
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
 
|-
 
! colspan="1" | Mode
 
!Stock
 
!Upgraded
 
|-
 
|''Arcade''
 
|15.65
 
|19.29
 
|-
 
|''Realistic/Simulator''
 
|8.93
 
|10.12
 
|-
 
|}
 
  
 
== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
 +
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
<!--''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''-->
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{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}
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<!-- ''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.'' -->
 
{{main|Type 3 (75 mm)}}
 
{{main|Type 3 (75 mm)}}
  
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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The {{PAGENAME}} features a modernized Type 3 75 mm tank gun, based on the [[Type 90 (75 mm)|75 mm Type 90]] field gun as on the previous Ho-Ni I, still being a great cannon, even with a slightly higher battle rating. With the addition of two dedicated loaders in a fully closed casemate, the gun also gets almost a second cut down on its reload time, making it capable of even more destruction.
|-
+
 
! colspan="6" | [[Type 3 (75 mm)|75 mm Type 3]]
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 
|-
 
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
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! colspan="5" | [[Type 3 (75 mm)|75 mm Type 3]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br> guidance
 
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance
 
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
 
 
|-
 
|-
| colspan="3" | 46 || -10°/+20° || ±10° || N/A
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! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
 +
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
 +
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
 
|-
 
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
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! ''Arcade''
 +
| rowspan="2" | 46 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±10° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 14.09 || 19.50 || 23.68 || 26.20 || 27.86 || rowspan="2" | 7.15 || rowspan="2" | 6.33 || rowspan="2" | 5.80 || rowspan="2" | 5.50
 
|-
 
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
+
! ''Realistic''
! style="width:4em" |Stock
+
| 9.52 || 11.20 || 13.60 || 15.04 || 16.00
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
 
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
 
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
 
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 
|-
 
| ''Arcade'' || 14.09 || 19.50 || __.__ || __.__ || 27.86
 
|-
 
| ''Realistic'' || 9.52 || 11.20 || __.__ || __.__ || 16.00
 
|-
 
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
 
|-
 
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
 
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
 
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
 
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 
|-
 
| 7.15 || __.__ || __.__ || 5.50
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
  
===== Ammunition =====
+
==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
+
{{:Type 3 (75 mm)/Ammunition|Type 1 APHE, Type 94 HE, Type 90 Smoke}}
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
 
|-
 
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead
 
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
 
|-
 
! 10m
 
! 100m
 
! 500m
 
! 1000m
 
! 1500m
 
! 2000m
 
|-
 
| Type 1 APHE || APHE || 102 || 100 || 91 || 81 || 72 || 64
 
|-
 
| Type 94 HE || HE || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11
 
|-
 
|}
 
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 
! colspan="11" | Shell details
 
|-
 
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead
 
! rowspan="2" |Velocity <br /> in m/s
 
! rowspan="2" |Projectile<br />Mass in kg
 
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
 
''in m:''
 
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
 
''in mm:''
 
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g<br /> (TNT equivalent):''
 
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° <br> from horizontal:''
 
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
 
|-
 
! 0%
 
! 50%
 
! 100%
 
|-
 
| Type 1 APHE || APHE || 668 || 6.56 || 1.3 || 15 || 67.84 || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
 
|-
 
| Type 94 HE || HE || 522 || 6.02 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 810 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
 
|-
 
|}
 
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
 
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
 
|-
 
! Ammunition
 
! Velocity <br /> in m/s
 
! Projectile<br />Mass in kg
 
! ''Screen radius <br /> in m''
 
! ''Screen time <br /> in s''
 
! ''Screen hold time <br /> in s:''
 
! ''Explosive Mass in g<br /> (TNT equivalent):''
 
|-
 
| Type 90 Smoke || 570 || 5.72 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 100
 
|-
 
|}
 
  
===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
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==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|Ammo racks of the {{PAGENAME}}.]]
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[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
+
<!-- '''Last updated: 2.15.1.70''' -->
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
|-
 
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full<br /> ammo
+
! Full<br>ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st<br /> rack empty
+
! 1st<br>rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd<br /> rack empty
+
! 2nd<br>rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd<br /> rack empty
+
! 3rd<br>rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th<br /> rack empty
+
! 4th<br>rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th<br /> rack empty
+
! 5th<br>rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual<br /> discrepancy
+
! Visual<br>discrepancy
 
|-
 
|-
|| '''46''' || 45&nbsp;''(+1)'' || 41&nbsp;''(+5)'' || 37&nbsp;''(+9)'' || 24&nbsp;''(+22)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+45)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
+
| '''46''' || 44&nbsp;''(+2)'' || 40&nbsp;''(+6)'' || 36&nbsp;''(+10)'' || 23&nbsp;''(+23)'' || 0&nbsp;''(+46)'' || No
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
 +
'''Notes''':
  
Turret empty: 37&nbsp;(+9)
+
* Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
 +
* Turret flanks empty: 36&nbsp;''(+10)'' shells
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''
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<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
 +
 
 +
The {{PAGENAME}} plays very similar to the [[Ho-Ni I]] with the added benefit of two extra crew which cuts down on the reload time for the 75 mm gun.
 +
 
 +
The starting Japanese player will also be quite accustomed to the handling of the hull, as it still is based on the [[Chi-Ha]]. But due to the added weight of the fully enclosed casemate, it is slower compared to its brother [[Chi-Ha (Family)|Chi-Ha]].
 +
 
 +
With the added benefit of the casemate and crew, the {{PAGENAME}} sports better survivability, though, most shells will not knock you out in one shot due to having a total of five crew members. The crew isn't out in the open anymore and has sufficient armour from machine-gun fire from both ground & air enemies. Knowing this, you can stand to take more chances of sitting in one location and not have to worry about aircraft making a single pass and taking the vehicle out.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
<!--''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''-->
+
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
  
* Effective 75mm gun with APHE can penetrate all enemies at its rank
+
* Effective 75 mm gun with APHE can penetrate all enemies at its rank
* Fully enclosed crew compartment = better protection from strafing airplanes
+
* The -10° of gun depression allows the Ho-Ni III to shoot from the cover of ridgelines or downwards from an elevated position
 +
* Fully enclosed crew compartment provides better protection from strafing aircraft
 +
* Five-man crew allows three members to be knocked out and still allows the tank to function
 +
* Has access to smoke shells which can help hide yourself or blind an enemy
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
  
* Thin armour; close-quarters fighting is not advised
+
* The thin armour makes the vehicle less effective in close-quarters engagements
* No coaxial machine gun to use against airplanes or GAZ trucks.
+
* Four of the crew are close together leaving them vulnerable to being knocked out by a single shot
 +
* Having no machine gun, the Ho-Ni III will have difficulty to disable vehicles without armour like the [[GAZ-MM (72-K)]]
 +
* Limited traverse of the gun forces you to turn the vehicle to cover wider fields of fire
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article.''
+
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
 +
The Type 3 Ho-Ni III is a self-propelled anti-tank artillery gun. The Ho-Ni III was the third of the Japanese 'tank destroyers', which Japan developed based on inspiration from the German tanks of this class. This SPG was very similar to the previous models of this series, the Ho-Ni I and Ho-Ni II, but surpassed them in multiple ways, embodying all the very best of each of them. The chassis of the medium Type 97 Chi-Ha Kai tank was used as a base, while the Ho-Ni I and II used a simple, unmodernized version of the Type 97 Chi-Ha. The powerful 75 mm Type 90 field cannon was chosen as a gun. In its design, this was a counterpart of the French 85 mm Schneider cannon (85 mle 1927 Schneider). After a small redesign for installation on the tank, this gun was designated the Type 3. The cannon was installed in an armoured non-rotating superstructure which, in contrast to the Ho-Ni I and Ho-Ni II, was fully enclosed on all sides and provided optimal protection for the crew. Additional ammo took the place of the machine gun in the hull, and the SPG's crew was reduced to four (in comparison to the five of the previous vehicles in this series).
 +
 
 +
Ho-Ni series SPGs went into production in 1942, and the order to design and produce the upgraded Ho-Ni III was received by the Hitachi firm in the beginning of 1944. Due to a shortage of resources and constant bombings, the Japanese industry was only able to produce roughly 35 Ho-Ni III SPGs before the end of the war. Most of them were distributed among divisions tasked with defending Japan itself, while only a few were sent to areas of active military operations such as Okinawa and the Philippines. No records survive of military clashes between the Ho-Ni III and American tanks.
 +
 
 +
''- From [[wt:en/news/4361-development-type-3-ho-ni-iii-the-japanese-marder-en/|Devblog]]''
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
+
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
 +
 
 +
;Skins
 +
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=jp_type_3_ho_ni_III Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
+
<!--''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 +
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 +
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''-->
  
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
+
;Related Development
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
+
* [[Chi-Ha (Family)]]
 +
** [[Ho-Ni I]] - <small>(Predecessor)</small>
 +
** [[Ho-Ro]] - <small>(Howitzer tank variant)</small>
 +
 
 +
;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role
 +
* [[File:Kingdom Italy flag.png|30px|link=]] [[75/34 M43]]
 +
* [[File:Germany flag.png|30px|link=]] [[StuG III (Family)]]
 +
* [[File:Kingdom Hungary flag.png|30px|link=]] [[Zrinyi I]]
 +
* [[File:USSR flag.png|30px|link=]] [[SU-76D]] / [[SU-57B]]
 +
* [[File:France flag.png|30px|link=]] [[SAu 40]]
 +
* [[File:Sweden flag.png|30px|link=]] [[Sav m/43 (1944)]]
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
<!--''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
+
<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on tank;''
+
* ''other literature.'' -->
* ''other literature.''-->
 
  
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/4361-development-type-3-ho-ni-iii-the-japanese-marder-en/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Type 3 Ho-Ni III: The Japanese Marder]
+
* [[wt:en/news/4361-development-type-3-ho-ni-iii-the-japanese-marder-en|[Devblog] Type 3 Ho-Ni III: The Japanese Marder]]
 +
* [[Wikipedia:Type_3_Ho-Ni_III|[Wikipedia] Type 3 Ho-Ni III]]
  
 +
{{TankManufacturer Hitachi}}
 
{{Japan tank destroyers}}
 
{{Japan tank destroyers}}

Latest revision as of 00:34, 26 June 2024

Introducing Wiki 3.0
This page is about the Japanese tank destroyer Ho-Ni III. For the other vehicle of similar name, see Ho-Ni I.
Ho-Ni III
jp_type_3_ho_ni_iii.png
GarageImage Ho-Ni III.jpg
ArtImage Ho-Ni III.png
Ho-Ni III
AB RB SB
2.3 2.3 2.3
Research:4 600 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:16 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png

Description

The Type 3 Ho-Ni III (三式砲戦車「ホニIII」) was a tank destroyer developed by Japan during World War II. It was equipped with a Type 3 75 mm tank gun, which had a high muzzle velocity and could penetrate the armour of US tanks. Unlike its predecessors, the Ho-Ni III had a fully enclosed and armoured casemate that provided protection to the crew from ground and aerial threats. The vehicle was designed to supplement the newer Type 3 Chi-Nu tanks by converting the obsolete Type 97 Chi-Ha hulls into self-propelled guns. The production of the Ho-Ni III started in 1944, but only 31 units were completed due to material shortages and bombing. Most of these vehicles were stationed in the Japanese home islands and never saw combat.

The Ho-Ni III was introduced along with the initial Japanese ground tree in Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai". It is similar to the Type 1 Ho-Ni I, but improved: more crew members, a shorter reload time, and armour for the gun crew. However this comes at the cost of a lower top speed. The gun has high penetration and damage, so enemies can be easily sniped from afar. The armour is weak and most enemies can pierce it easily. Help allies by giving fire support, and use smoke shells to create temporary cover.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Hull25 / 25 / 20
Turret25 / 25 / 25
Crew5 people
Visibility75 %

Having 25 mm of armour coverage around the entire gun crew, the Ho-Ni III no longer needs to fear artillery shrapnel or strafing runs from fighter aircraft. Do note however that it's still vulnerable to bombs, rockets and direct artillery hits! However, if the Ho-Ni III takes a hit, likely to survive with more operational crewmembers, as three of them must be knocked out before the vehicle becomes inoperable.

Another small armour increase is seen on the front of the tank, with the driver and radio station protected with another 10 mm of armour, though with this added strength, it still leaves an undesirable total width of a lacking 35 mm.

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
Armour Front Sides Rear Roof
Hull 25 mm (12-31°) Front plate
17 mm (80-81°) Front glacis
15 mm (63°) Joint plate
15 mm (37-59°) Lower glacis
25 mm (40°) Top Left
20 mm (24-27°) Top Right
20 mm Bottom
17 mm (69°) Top
20 mm (4-58°) Bottom
12 mm
Superstructure 25 mm (15-16°) Front
25 mm (3-47°) Gun mantlet
25 mm (24-26°) 25 mm (10-11°) 10 mm

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels and tracks are both 15 mm thick.
  • Driver's port on the front plate is 10 mm thick.
  • An extra 10 mm of armour is plated on top of the bow machine gun area, left from the driver's position.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB44 / 21 km/h
RB and SB40 / 19 km/h
Number of gears8 forward
2 back
Weight16.8 t
Engine power
AB324 hp
RB and SB170 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB19.3 hp/t
RB and SB10.1 hp/t
Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 44 21 16.8 241 324 14.35 19.29
Realistic 40 19 150 170 8.93 10.12

The only drawback of the Ho-Ni III compared to its previous version, is that the tank has a slight decrease in top speed. On flat terrain, it reaches a top speed of 32 km/h, compared to the Ho-Ni I's top speed of 36 km/h.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB600 → 742 Sl icon.png
RB660 → 816 Sl icon.png
SB801 → 990 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications8 390 Rp icon.png
9 380 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost640 Ge icon.png
Crew training4 500 Sl icon.png
Experts16 000 Sl icon.png
Aces160 Ge icon.png
Research Aces190 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
40 / 60 / 70 % Sl icon.png
118 / 118 / 118 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
560 Rp icon.png
Cost:
630 Sl icon.png
80 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
470 Rp icon.png
Cost:
530 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
470 Rp icon.png
Cost:
530 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
790 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
910 Rp icon.png
Cost:
1 000 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
910 Rp icon.png
Cost:
1 000 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
560 Rp icon.png
Cost:
630 Sl icon.png
80 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
470 Rp icon.png
Cost:
530 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement jp.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
790 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
560 Rp icon.png
Cost:
630 Sl icon.png
80 Ge icon.png
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
470 Rp icon.png
Cost:
530 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
790 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
75mm_jp_Smoke_ammo_pack
Research:
910 Rp icon.png
Cost:
1 000 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Main armament

Ammunition46 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
7.1 → 5.5 s
Vertical guidance-10° / 20°
Horizontal guidance-10° / 10°
Main article: Type 3 (75 mm)

The Ho-Ni III features a modernized Type 3 75 mm tank gun, based on the 75 mm Type 90 field gun as on the previous Ho-Ni I, still being a great cannon, even with a slightly higher battle rating. With the addition of two dedicated loaders in a fully closed casemate, the gun also gets almost a second cut down on its reload time, making it capable of even more destruction.

75 mm Type 3 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 46 -10°/+20° ±10° N/A 14.09 19.50 23.68 26.20 27.86 7.15 6.33 5.80 5.50
Realistic 9.52 11.20 13.60 15.04 16.00

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
Type 1 APHE APHE 103 101 92 82 73 65
Type 94 HE HE 12 12 12 12 12 12
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
Type 1 APHE APHE 668 6.56 1.3 15 84.8 47° 60° 65°
Type 94 HE HE 522 6.02 0 0.1 810 79° 80° 81°
Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Screen radius
(m)
Screen deploy
time (s)
Screen hold
time (s)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Type 90 Smoke 570 5.72 13 5 20 100

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Ho-Ni III
Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
5th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
46 44 (+2) 40 (+6) 36 (+10) 23 (+23) (+46) No

Notes:

  • Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
  • Turret flanks empty: 36 (+10) shells

Usage in battles

The Ho-Ni III plays very similar to the Ho-Ni I with the added benefit of two extra crew which cuts down on the reload time for the 75 mm gun.

The starting Japanese player will also be quite accustomed to the handling of the hull, as it still is based on the Chi-Ha. But due to the added weight of the fully enclosed casemate, it is slower compared to its brother Chi-Ha.

With the added benefit of the casemate and crew, the Ho-Ni III sports better survivability, though, most shells will not knock you out in one shot due to having a total of five crew members. The crew isn't out in the open anymore and has sufficient armour from machine-gun fire from both ground & air enemies. Knowing this, you can stand to take more chances of sitting in one location and not have to worry about aircraft making a single pass and taking the vehicle out.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Effective 75 mm gun with APHE can penetrate all enemies at its rank
  • The -10° of gun depression allows the Ho-Ni III to shoot from the cover of ridgelines or downwards from an elevated position
  • Fully enclosed crew compartment provides better protection from strafing aircraft
  • Five-man crew allows three members to be knocked out and still allows the tank to function
  • Has access to smoke shells which can help hide yourself or blind an enemy

Cons:

  • The thin armour makes the vehicle less effective in close-quarters engagements
  • Four of the crew are close together leaving them vulnerable to being knocked out by a single shot
  • Having no machine gun, the Ho-Ni III will have difficulty to disable vehicles without armour like the GAZ-MM (72-K)
  • Limited traverse of the gun forces you to turn the vehicle to cover wider fields of fire

History

The Type 3 Ho-Ni III is a self-propelled anti-tank artillery gun. The Ho-Ni III was the third of the Japanese 'tank destroyers', which Japan developed based on inspiration from the German tanks of this class. This SPG was very similar to the previous models of this series, the Ho-Ni I and Ho-Ni II, but surpassed them in multiple ways, embodying all the very best of each of them. The chassis of the medium Type 97 Chi-Ha Kai tank was used as a base, while the Ho-Ni I and II used a simple, unmodernized version of the Type 97 Chi-Ha. The powerful 75 mm Type 90 field cannon was chosen as a gun. In its design, this was a counterpart of the French 85 mm Schneider cannon (85 mle 1927 Schneider). After a small redesign for installation on the tank, this gun was designated the Type 3. The cannon was installed in an armoured non-rotating superstructure which, in contrast to the Ho-Ni I and Ho-Ni II, was fully enclosed on all sides and provided optimal protection for the crew. Additional ammo took the place of the machine gun in the hull, and the SPG's crew was reduced to four (in comparison to the five of the previous vehicles in this series).

Ho-Ni series SPGs went into production in 1942, and the order to design and produce the upgraded Ho-Ni III was received by the Hitachi firm in the beginning of 1944. Due to a shortage of resources and constant bombings, the Japanese industry was only able to produce roughly 35 Ho-Ni III SPGs before the end of the war. Most of them were distributed among divisions tasked with defending Japan itself, while only a few were sent to areas of active military operations such as Okinawa and the Philippines. No records survive of military clashes between the Ho-Ni III and American tanks.

- From Devblog

Media

Skins

See also

Related Development
Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

External links


Hitachi, Ltd. (株式会社日立製作所)
SPG  Ho-Ni I · Ho-Ni III

Japan tank destroyers
Ro-Go Derivatives  Ro-Go Exp.
Chi-Ha Derivatives  Ho-Ni I · Ho-Ni III · Ho-Ro · Chi-Ha LG
Ho-Ri  Ho-Ri Prototype · Ho-Ri Production
Other  Na-To
JGSDF 
SPRG  Type 60 (C)
SPH  Type 75 · Type 99
ATGM  Type 60 ATM
Rocket  Type 75 MLRS
USA  ▅M36