The preserved Type 2 Ka-Mi Amphibious WW2 Japanese tank in the Russian Tank Museum in Kubinka.

type 2 Ka-Mi Amphibious WW2 Japanese tank in the Kubinka Tank Museum in Russia painted green.

Location

Take the train from Moscow's Belorusskaya Railway Station, in the north west of the city, to Kubinka. It is about an hours train journey. It is a direct service, no need to change, and the the tickets are cheap. Make sure you print off a list of station names so you can check off where you are and get ready to get off the train at Kubinka. The station names are not always easy to read or see.

Although this military town has been active for over 80 years it has a rundown look to it. You can walk to the museum but there is the equivalent of a motorway crossing your route. There are no pedestrian crossings over it. There are a number of taxi stands near the station. They are very cheap and honest. I tried to give the driver a big tip but he refused. Ask for his card so you can ask the Museum gate staff to call his company when you are finished at the Museum to get back to the railway station.

The rear pontoon section on a type 2 Ka-Mi Amphibious tank

Specifications

The Type 2 Ka-Mi Amphibious Tank was designed in 1942. Around 184 were produced for the Imperial Japanese Navy. It weighed 12.3 tons and 9.15 tons without the floatation pontoons. It had a crew of five, sometimes six. They were protected by armour that ranged in thickness from 6 mm to 13 mm. This was only just enough to stop small arms fire and shrapnel from high explosive artillery shells.

It was armed with one Type 1 37 mm gun and two Type 97 7.7 mm machine guns: one in the hull and another in the rear of the turret. It was powered by a Mitsubishi A6120VDe air-cooled inline 6-cylinder diesel engine that produces 115 hp. Its maximum road speed was 37 km/h (23 mph).

Type 2 Ka-Mi Amphibious WW2 Japanese tank in the Kubinka Tank Museum in Russia painted light blue

The Kubinka type 2 Ka-Mi Amphibious tank front pontoons

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