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As most people on the board know, Japanese tank design left much to be desired. They may have been more than adequate against the Chinese and to a lesser extent, the British, but Japan's tanks was completely outmatched by the American Sherman. I have a book from Osprey called "Duel - M4 Sherman vs Type 97 Chi-Ha" by Steven Zaloga. The 97, for the record, was the only Japanese tank which could even damage the Sherman. Not only did the Sherman have better armor, firepower, and communications, it was faster than the Chi-Ha. Bare in mind the main selling point of Japanese tanks were their mobility. The Japanese did have a tank which was faster than the Sherman and was better armored than the Chi-Ha, in my opinion their best tank of the war. The Type 1 Chi-He. Unfortunately for Japan, it never faced the Sherman in battle.

So the challenge is to have the Chi-He ready for combat just before the Battle of Guadalcanal (August 1942)
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