The Japanese, through bitter warfare, have become masters in the art of camouflage. When vehicles can no longer be serviced they are not wasted – the Chi-Ha can now continue as a dug in emplacement:
The Empire of Japan valued it’s navy greatly, so much so that valuable metal and other assets were prioritised to them, naturally making other fields suffer. However ingenuity was still fresh and victory was still in their sights, they became rather creative with their tanks that they struggled to maintain. The Chi-Ha naturally struggled facing against American Armour, so it was time to bunker down and create ambushes.
These tanks became immobile turrets, forsaking mobility for additional protection by having a lower profile. The Chi-Ha was already relatively small and digging it in just increased it’s deadliness. Sometimes lying in wait, or being used to fortify defensive positions, they are an effective edition to any army or gaming table!
In Bolt Action
The dug in Chi-Ha really shows the measures Japan took to stave off the American invaders!
Options: replace the light howitzer with a medium anti-tank gun (Shinhoto version) for +20pts
| Cost: | 95pts (inexperienced) |
| Weapons: | 1 turret-mounted light howitzer, 1 turret-mounted rear-facing MMG |
| Damage value: | 8+ (light tank) |
| Dug in – the vehicle counts as being in Hard Cover to attackers and counts immobilised damage results as crew stunned instead. The vehicle cannot move for the entire game and is therefore always set-up onto the table (up to 12” from the player’s table edge) even in scenarios that do not allow initial set-up of units. Check out page 103 of Ostfront – Barbarossa to Berlin for more special scenario dug in rules. |
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| Options: replace the light howitzer with a medium anti-tank gun (Shinhoto version) for +20pts |
Selectors:
The Dug-in Chi-Ha is a Tank for the purposes of the generic Reinforced Platoon selector from the Bolt Action rulebook. It is also a Tank for any Japanese selectors of the Armies of Imperial Japan book set from 1943 onwards.
New Plastic Chi Ha
Advance the might of the Emperor, send forth the tanks in the Vanguard of your conquest!
For Japan!
Dan Hewitson
Tom Mecredy
Craig Nixon