WesWorld

Type 46 "Gongji" Medium Tank

Development
The Gongji medium tank was developed by CTMCO (Chinese Tractor Manufacturer Company) between 1943 and 1946, building on the harsh lessons learned by the Chinese armoured forces during the course of the conflict. The predominant Chinese medium tank, the MT25-A, had good mobility but its 57mm gun was seriously underpowered for both anti-tank and infantry support roles. The heavier Shuiniu had satisfactory firepower and protection, but was expensive and difficult to construct and lacked strategic mobility, which limited its impact upon the battlefield. Chinese generals desired a tank with a blend of the good aspects of both medium and heavy tanks, while eliminating as many undesirable traits as possible.

Development of a new tank was undertaken by the Chinese Tractor Manufacturer Company with the objective of designing a tank with a good mix of battle traits, while still being easy and cheap to manufacture in large numbers. CMTCO's engineers had the opportunity to inspect a number of Korean and Japanese vehicles captured during the war and incorporated a small number of advancements.

Features
Mobility
The Type 46 Gongji is powered by a Huang-Po Model HP 1135 V-12 liquid-cooled diesel engine, with a displacement of 36 liters. The Model 1135 was derived from earlier model diesel engines (such as the Huang- Po HP 507C) used by earlier Chinese vehicles, but incorporated lessons learned from evaluations of the Japanese KHI V-12 engine, recovered from knocked-out Type 96 tanks during the Sino-Korean War. Following intelligence reports about the Russian T-44 medium tank, the engine was placed in a transverse mounting in order to save space. A torsion bar suspension with six roadwheels was also used, building on previous experience with the Shuiniu's torsion bar suspension. However, larger road-wheels were used.

Protection
Armour protection on the glacis was composed of a plate of rolled homogenous armour that tapered from from 45mm to 80mm, with the thicker armour located higher on the hull. The upper glacis was sloped at fifty degrees and provided excellent protection. The lower faceplate was similarly sloped, but was a uniform plate of 40mm thickness. Side and rear protection was minimalized in order to save weight, with the upper side of the hull composed of 40mm thick armour angled at twenty degrees, and the rest of the lower and rear hull only 20mm in thickness.

The turret was composed of two cast pieces (front and back) of varied thickness. The turret front was rounded, with a maximum thickness of 85mm, ranging down to 40mm thickness on the sides. A wedge-shaped mantlet of 45mm thickness covered the gap between the gun barrel and the turret, and provided additional coverage to a significant part of the turret face.

Firepower
Initial versions of the Gongji used the "9-fen Type 45 Tank Gun", a 90mm cannon with a barrel length of 56 calibers. The gun fired single-piece ammunition, with armour-piercing, high explosive, and composite rigid ammunition manufactured for use. The gun was accurate and had good armour-penetrating qualities, but still had good high-explosive performance against bunkers, light vehicles, and other soft targets. A muzzle break was installed on all vehicles built from May 1947 onward.

Three machine guns were installed aboard the tank. A 12.7mm heavy machine gun was placed in a pintle mount on the roof of the tank's turret, where it could be operated by the tank's commander. An 8mm machine gun, mounted coaxially with and to the left of the main gun, was available for use by the gunner. Finally, a hull-mounted machine gun (with a limited firing arc) could be used by the driver.

The turret held three of the four crewmembers. The gunner sat on a steel seat on the left side of the turret, with controls for both the main gun and the coaxial machine gun. Machine gun ammunition was stowed in two bins behind the gunner's position. The commander sat in the right rear of the turret, while the loader sat in front of him. No revolving turret floor was provided until the Gongji-II variant appeared in 1951. The loader had an 88mm smoke grenade launcher that could be attached to a clamp located in his roof hatch; firing this grenade launcher required the loader to open his hatch. In the Gongji-IA version introduced in 1949, this feature was removed in favor of six externally-mounted smoke grenade launchers.

A total of thirty-five rounds of ammunition were carried for the main gun. Thirty rounds were stowed in aluminium racks on the floor of the tank, while four rounds were carried in canvas straps on the inside of the turret next to the loader. The loader often carried a final round on his lap in order to speed the reloading process.

Other Notes
The commander had good all-around vision with a set of six episcopes located around the perimeter of his single-piece hatch. Both the gunner and the loader had two-piece hatches located directly over their fighting positions. The driver had a single-piece hatch which lifted and rotated to the side in order to permit access, although this was nevertheless quite difficult when the turret was rotated into certain positions. An emergency egress hatch was also located in the floor of the tank, but this was usually covered by ammunition stowage cases.

A ventilation fan was provided on the top of the turret to evacuate fumes from the inside.

Although a radio was not provided as part of the initial design, the Chinese Army required a set for each tank. A light-weight radio was therefore installed at the commander's station for his use.

Variants
Production was generally broken down into three main variants: the Gongji I (manufactured from late 1946 to 1949), the Gongji II (1949 to 1951) and the Gongji-III, built from 1951 onward.

The Gongji I was the initial version approved for manufacture. An improved version, the Gongji I-A, was introduced in 1947. This version added a muzzle brake to the 9-fen gun and incorporated a number of changes designed to lower the manufacturing requirements even further. A command tank, the Gongji I-M, was derived from this version. The I-M could be visually distinguished by the large ring antenna on the back of the turret, as well as the searchlight at the commander's hatch.

A follow-on variant, the Gongji II, entered production in 1949. This tank incorporated a number of changes to internal systems. Hydraulic turret rotation motors were replaced with electrical systems. The new Type 49 fire control system replaced several lower-quality parts that had originally been used, and the breech and recoil slide were redesigned to increase the reload speed of the main gun. A set of 88mm smoke grenade launchers replaced the hatch-mounted version used in the Gongji I. Older tanks were brought up to the Gongji II standard beginning in 1950. Beginning in 1951, the Gongji II-A variant was manufactured, with a revolving turret floor and slightly increased armour on the turret front; weight rose to 37 metric tons.

Export Users
Due to the Gongji's very low cost and technical requirements, the vehicle achieved a degree of export success through the late 1940s and even as late as the 1960s. The Syrians were the first country to acquire the tank, with 44 vehicles ordered in February of 1947, and another 88 vehicles ordered later in the year. Before the first delivery was even complete, Syria expressed an interest in local assembly of the Gongji tank, under the designation al-Walid. China provided a significant number of parts, including the engine, drive train, main gun, and a number of large castings, while the Syrians manufactured less-complicated pieces and assembled them into the final vehicle. All tanks were assembled by SMIC (Syrian Military Industrial Corporation) at a factory outside Damascus. As time went on, SMIC manufactured a number of parts for the al-Walid.

Specifications (Gongji I-A Medium Tank)
Crew: 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
Dimensions:
-- Length: 6.4m (hull), 8m (o/a)
-- Width: 3.3m
-- Height: 2.6m
Weight: 36 metric tons
Armament:
-- 9-fen Type 45 Tank Gun (90mm / L56) with 35 rounds stored
-- 12.7mm MG in pintle mount (turret top)
-- 8mm MG in hull (for driver)
-- 8mm MG in turret (coaxial)
-- 6x 88mm smoke grenade launchers
Engine: Huang-Po Model HP 1135 liquid-cooled V-12 diesel engine (555hp)
Speed: 51kph (road), 25kph (offroad)
Range: 320 km (road)
Transmission: Manual
Suspension: Torsion bar suspension; six road wheels
Protection:
-- Turret: 85mm (front), 45mm (mantlet), 40mm (sides)
-- Glacis: 45 - 80mm sloped at 50°
-- Sides: 40mm (upper, angled at 20°), 20mm (lower & sideskirts)
-- Rear: 20mm
Power Weight Ratio: 15.4 hp / tonne
Constructors: CTMCO (Chinese Tractor Manufacturer Company)
Variants:
-- Gongji I: Initial production version (1946-1947).
-- Gongji I-A: Variant introduced early 1947, incorporating various manufacturing improvements.
-- Gongji I-M Model I-A with five-channel command radio, for use as a company or platoon leader's tank.
-- Gongji II: Variant introduced early 1949, including changes to smoke grenades.
-- al-Walid: License-produced Gongji I-A variant manufactured with assistance in Syria.

Advantages:
- Very inexpensive and easy to produce even with a limited technical base.
- Good balance of firepower, mobility, and protection on a low overall weight.
- Low maintenance requirements, particularly for unskilled conscriptees.

Disadvantages:
- Poor gun depression of -4.5°.
- Fighting compartment is cramped.


All thanks and credits belongs to Brockpaine for this tank !!!

Very interesting... Well thought out design, quite plausible, and yet not overpowering or pushing the envelope. Kudos to you both.
;)

Reaction in Manila - "If they ever get ashore with them we are in trouble..."

Reaction in Belgrade - "Drat, I thought we could convince Damascus to buy our stuff..."

Reaction in Berlin - "No problem..."

Quoted

Fighting compartment is cramped

That would only be an issue when stuffing them tall Europeans and big Americans in there as a crew.

Quoted from "Rooijen10"

Quoted

Fighting compartment is cramped

That would only be an issue when stuffing them tall Europeans and big Americans in there as a crew. :)

Short-stature Oriental is a stereotype, and is impacted most of all by diet. In college, we had a graduate assistant from Tokyo. Miura-san was of the generation born after the Second World War with access to a better diet, and he would have not been out of place on the university's basket-ball team.

Cramped is cramped for the average height of any given population. Recall that the OTL AMX-13 had a height limitation of 5 feet 8 inches for all crew, otherwise they could not fit in the vehicle.

The Gongji would probably not be as cramped as some historical tanks (nor most Wesworld Asian tanks that precede it), but neither does it make the sort of accommodations to crew comfort that we'd see in a modern MBT. Historically, Asian soldiers were expected to deal with more spartan comforts, and the Gongji is designed in this tradition.

Quoted from "BruceDuncan"

Reaction in Belgrade - "Drat, I thought we could convince Damascus to buy our stuff..."

Would've been a possibility if they'd had any medium tanks on offer when Damascus started looking. Unfortunately, the one Yugoslavia is designing is not yet ready.

Quoted from "Brockpaine"

The Gongji would probably not be as cramped as some historical tanks (nor most Wesworld Asian tanks that precede it), but neither does it make the sort of accommodations to crew comfort that we'd see in a modern MBT. Historically, Asian soldiers were expected to deal with more spartan comforts, and the Gongji is designed in this tradition.

Quoted from "BruceDuncan"

Reaction in Belgrade - "Drat, I thought we could convince Damascus to buy our stuff..."

Would've been a possibility if they'd had any medium tanks on offer when Damascus started looking. Unfortunately, the one Yugoslavia is designing is not yet ready.

Yes, that is true, alas. Doesn't make the disappointment any easier to take. Of course, the Syrians will need to buy plant machinery from someone... :D

This is a big step up for Syria and probably these tanks are the among the most powerful in the Middle East at present (not sure what Turkey has at the moment), in terms of gunpower at any rate. The armour is not quite as worrisome. I only hope that Chinese quality is better than OTL (Type 59 with engines full of metal filings in the oil system etc.) or else Syria is going to have to spend more time and money to put things right.
The fact China can mass produce these easily should see their tank forces modernised pretty rapidly. The British Army can see the 6pdr gun is rapidly becoming obsolete and so faces a dilemma with the bulk of tanks it built in the late-30s.
*Strokes chin thoughtfully*

Not entirely sure what the Turks would have (speaking of which I should look into that!) but most likely they would be looking at the Russian T-44M's, Atlantean AT-39's or German Panthers. The French Char-8 "Montbrun" and the American M25 "Longstreet" would also likely be looked at even though they are not the usual suppliers.

Quoted from "thesmilingassassin"

Not entirely sure what the Turks would have (speaking of which I should look into that!) but most likely they would be looking at the Russian T-44M's, Atlantean AT-39's or German Panthers. The French Char-8 "Montbrun" and the American M25 "Longstreet" would also likely be looked at even though they are not the usual suppliers.

To quote the German ambassador, "We need to talk..."
:D

Again all credits and thanks to Brockpaine !!!

Quoted

Short-stature Oriental is a stereotype

I disagree. It is not really a stereotype but more a matter of POV and averages. Looking here:

http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/pub…ght-chart.shtml

... with the average Dutch male height being +180cm, the ~170-2cm average of the Japanese and Chinese is short-statured to me.

... but then there is another thing. Average height of Indian males is ~165cm and you have +1.2 billion people there and another +1.3 billion people in China... That is quite a sizable chunk of the world population so are they truly short or is the reality that we are just tall?


Looking at the regional 1810-1980 graph here...
https://ourworldindata.org/human-height/
...the averages for roughly around the Wesworld period:

1900: Southeast Asia ~160.5cm, South Asia ~163cm, East Asia ~162cm vs Western Europe ~169cm, North America/Australia/NZ ~171.5cm
1910: Southeast Asia ~160.5cm, South Asia ~163cm, East Asia ~163cm vs Western Europe ~170cm, North America/Australia/NZ ~172.5cm
1920: Southeast Asia ~161cm, South Asia ~164cm, East Asia ~164cm vs Western Europe ~170.5cm, North America/Australia/NZ ~173cm
1930: Southeast Asia ~161cm, South Asia ~163cm, East Asia ~165.5cm vs Western Europe ~172cm, North America/Australia/NZ ~173..5cm
1940: Southeast Asia ~162cm, South Asia ~164cm, East Asia ~166cm vs Western Europe ~173cm, North America/Australia/NZ ~176cm
1950: Southeast Asia ~164cm, South Asia ~164cm, East Asia ~168cm vs Western Europe ~175cm, North America/Australia/NZ ~178cm

So in general the South/Southeast/East Asians are on average shorter than the Western Europeans/North Americans/Australians/NZers but doesn't mean that there are no tall Asians. Looking quickly around, according to the axishistory forum, "Major General Ryosuke Fujimuro was over 180cm" and Vice Admiral Kakuda Kakuji was "over six feet tall" so that is well above the South/Southeast/East Asian averages... but then for every Ryosuke Fujimuro or Kakuda Kakuji there are going to be guys who have trouble reaching 160cm.

Quoted

In college, we had a graduate assistant from Tokyo. Miura-san was of the generation born after the Second World War with access to a better diet, and he would have not been out of place on the university's basket-ball team.

No doubt the average height of the university's basket-ball team is now greater than back then.

Quoted

Cramped is cramped for the average height of any given population.

That depends. If the baseline of this tank is Russian then it is close enough to assume that it is cramped for the Chinese, but if the baseline is American, then it is probably not going to be the case as the average height for the US is much higher.

Quoted

Recall that the OTL AMX-13 had a height limitation of 5 feet 8 inches for all crew, otherwise they could not fit in the vehicle.

Looking at the stats, that might have been the average height of a Frenchman back when it was designed...which does not really sound like good planning to me considering that the average heigh increased by about 7.5cm in the 100 years prior to its design.

Quoted

Historically, Asian soldiers were expected to deal with more spartan comforts, and the Gongji is designed in this tradition.

True. After all, it is a tool, not a campervan.

Quoted from "parador"

Again all credits and thanks to Brockpaine !!!

You're welcome. I'm glad you liked the design - I think this is one of the better tank drawings I've done so far. :)

Quoted from "Hood"

The fact China can mass produce these easily should see their tank forces modernised pretty rapidly.

Well, here's a production schedule that I proposed to Parador, based on a well-equipped factory engaged in volume serial production:

Quoted

Datapoint #1: Proposed Production Schedule
1946: 259 work days @ 3 units/day = 777 units
1947: 261 work days @ 4 units/day = 1,044 units
1948: 262 work days @ 3 units/day = 786 units
1949: 260 work days @ 2 units/day = 520 units
1950: 260 work days @ 2 units/day = 520 units
Total 3,647 units

Production tends to follow a curve as it ramps up, flattens out at a peak production number, and then slows down.

Quoted

Well, here's a production schedule that I proposed to Parador, based on a well-equipped factory engaged in volume serial production

Well-equipped as it was no doubt flattened by the bombing campaign during the Sino-Chosen war. The newness of the equipment would also mean that the "engines full of metal filings in the oil system etc." issue Hood mentioned will be unlikely here.

Metal filings in the oil system to me points to shoddy workmanship in the machining dept. (properly flushing out freshly machined piston cylinder's/bolt holes ect) or more likely poor lubrication leading to excessive wear on gears ect. It may also have to do with poor steel quality, something that even Japan which was a highly industrialized nation had to deal with later in the war. No doubt China's first indigenous tank design will have a fair amount of bugs to work out but its a good start. The only thing I have to wonder about is the production schedule, as Walter pointed out, China's factories have been bombed. To what extent is subject to interpretation and would seem to vary between players and their opinions on how industrialized China would be pre and post war.

I think that in 1.5-2 years it should not be too hard getting something of decent size up and running, especially if a lot of effort is put into restoring/rebuilding such facilities. I would think that in 1946, the beginning of the year may be a bit lower than the given 3, but the latter part of the year could easily be higher than 3 units a day.

Quoted from "Rooijen10"

I think that in 1.5-2 years it should not be too hard getting something of decent size up and running, especially if a lot of effort is put into restoring/rebuilding such facilities. I would think that in 1946, the beginning of the year may be a bit lower than the given 3, but the latter part of the year could easily be higher than 3 units a day.

Well, if you note the recent Chinese news, Parador said the first Gongji tanks are delivered in November of 1946; so the figures I gave aren't accurate to what was actually done. I merely shared what I felt could be done. :)