Tank Tears - Type 5 Ke-Ho vs Covenanter

Which one is better, the Type 5 Ke-Ho or the Covenanter?

Welcome to Tank Tears, where we select two tanks of similar styles and tier levels, evaluate their statistics and attributes, and figure out which one is superior to the other. Entering the ring today is the Type 5 Ke-Ho from Japan and the Covenanter from Britain. Both of these light tanks offer appealing stats, but only one can win. Let’s find out which one is the best!

Covenanter

The Covenanter is a Tier 4 British tank that excels at flanking with its vast array of weaponry.
The Covenanter is a Tier 4 British tank that excels at flanking with its vast array of weaponry.

Named after a Scottish religious faction, the Covenanter was the British answer for a heavier cruiser tank to replace the Cruiser IV. Before any prototypes had been manufactured, a hundred units had already been ordered with the final units delivered by the end of the war reaching over 1,700.

Shooting from the sidelines is the best option with the Covenanter.
Shooting from the sidelines is the best option with the Covenanter.

In World of Tanks, the Covenanter is a Tier 4 British light tank that boasts a large selection of armaments well-suited for its flanking playstyle. Due to its poor armor values (despite being better than the Type 5 Ke-Ho) the Covenanter struggles engagements, but with sloped frontal armor, it will be able to survive marginally more shots as long as it is angled correctly.

As for the armaments on the Covenanter, it boasts 4 guns with consistent damage save for the 40 mm Pom-Pom which should be skipped over unless grinding for the Bofors. The Pom-Pom is underwhelming when compared to the Howitzer or the 2-pounder. While the penetration values of the Pom-Pom are marginally higher, its damage and rate-of-fire are lacking, resulting in a lower DPM.

Type 5 Ke-Ho

Similar to the Covenanter, the Type 5 Ke-Ho is ideal for fast manoeuvring and dishing out damage with its surprisingly powerful gun.
Similar to the Covenanter, the Type 5 Ke-Ho is ideal for fast manoeuvring and dishing out damage with its surprisingly powerful gun.

Unfortunately, much like the Renault FT AC, the Japanese Type 5 Ke-Ho never saw full service or production with only a single prototype manufactured. The Type 5 Ke-Ho was supposed to be a new light tank for Japan, acting as an upgrade to the Type 95 Ha-Go which had performed well against China's armored vehicles and the United States' tanks.

While the Ke-Ho never saw any action during World War 2, it is a tank that sees plenty of battles in World of Tanks. The real-life plans for the Ke-Ho had it equipped with a Type 1 47 mm gun and enough horsepower to reach a top speed of 50 km/p. These features are present in the in-game version of the tank.

An excellent Experimental gun and top notch gun depression make the Type 5 difficult to combat.
An excellent Experimental gun and top notch gun depression make the Type 5 difficult to combat.

The Experimental 57 mm Tank Gun Shin is slightly better than the 47 mm version, and worth upgrading to in order to increase its damage output and penetration values. Despite having a lower rate-of-fire compared to the Covenanter, the Type 5 offers a higher alpha damage, making up for the difference in firing speeds.

Where the Covenanter struggles with its non-lateral agility, the Ke-Ho is far more mobile and able to make use of tighter cornering. Despite having less armor, the Ke-Ho is still able to sustain slight amounts of fire, but should never be used as a bully. Instead, take advantage of the Type 5’s mobility.

A better use of the Ke-Ho is to get into a flanking position while an enemy is distracted with another target. Alternatively, use of the Type 5’s small profile, excellent camouflage and gun depression stats make it ideal at shooting from above enemies or over rises.

Winner: Type 5 Ke-Ho

The Type 5 Ke-Ho squeaks ahead of the Covenanter with a higher DPM and better handling.
The Type 5 Ke-Ho squeaks ahead of the Covenanter with a higher DPM and better handling.

While both the Covenanter and the Type 5 Ke-Ho struggle with their armor values, the winner has to be the Type 5 Ke-Ho thanks to its agility and its damage output. The Experimental gun on the Type 5 will see you winning many engagements when you are able to get the jump on the enemies. While the Covenanter does have higher alpha damage, the lack of penetration and the slow rate-of-fire will see it losing more engagements when it comes down to DPM. What do you think of the results, do you think the Type 5 Ke-Ho should have won? Let us know in the comments.

Sam Chandler is the Australian piece of the AllGamers puzzle. Out of all his gaming-related passions, collecting N64 games, speedrunning, and Souls games rank among the most important. You can reach Sam through Twitter, @SamuelChandler, or through his email, sam.chandler@allgamers.com, at any time of the day or night on either side of the globe.

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