Reborn South Africa as a police officer

Chapter 2329 20 years as one day

The American industry is now in an embarrassing situation of "big but not strong". The production scale is indeed very large, and the ability in industrial design is obviously insufficient.

The appearance of "Grant" is very strange. While installing the 75mm howitzer, the 37mm gun was not canceled. The two guns are not parallel, but one is high and the other is low. They are fixed on the right side of the 75mm gun shooting range Limited, although the 37mm gun on the top can shoot in all directions, its power is seriously insufficient.

In addition, "Grant" needs more members, a total of seven people are needed to operate smoothly. While this tank is equipped with US troops, it is also sold to Russians and British in large quantities.

Russians are in unprecedented hardship and are not picky eaters.

The British also have a supplier in southern Africa. Compared with the tanks provided by southern Africa, the "Grant" is simply the best of the best. The British called it "the coffin of the seven brothers".

Compared with the "Tiger" and "Leopard" types in southern Africa, the "Grant" is as ugly as a patchwork monster, so that the tankers of the US 2nd Army, even when the "Grant" is replenishing fuel I don't even want to play.

I really can't afford to lose this person.

"Brother, your tank looks very imposing." Mike from California sat on the top of the "Grant" turret, and took the initiative to talk to the officer of the 17th Division next to him.

Unlike the short-barreled artillery used by the "Grant", both the "Tiger" and "Leopard" use longer-range, higher-precision, and more powerful long-barreled artillery, which makes the "Tiger" And the "Leopard" style has a smoother appearance, more industrial aesthetics, and more in line with people's aesthetics.

"Your ones are also good—" Han Kai from Zhaoyuan County, Basutolan said insincerely. Compared with the "Leopard", the three-story turret design of the "Grant" looks like a product of the last world war.

"How does it feel to fight against the Germans?" Mike hopes to increase his understanding of the Germans. Like most other US military officers and soldiers, he knows nothing about the Germans.

"That's it, except that they are braver in combat, more advanced in equipment, and better in command. They are no different from the Italians." Han Kai told the truth that in the eyes of southern Africans, the German army is indeed not outstanding.

"That's great. I hope God bless us and let us meet a weak enemy." McClure was relieved, as long as he was no different from the Italians.

Neither Han Kai nor Mike noticed here. Their reference objects are different, and the conclusions they draw are naturally different.

The strength of the German army is indeed not strong for the southern African army, but for the US military, the Germans are definitely tough.

The fuel was refueled very quickly, and half an hour later, "Grant" set off again and quickly drove to Eisnam, where the situation was unknown.

It's not unknown.

At least Major General Fredendall didn't think so.

The Allied forces have air supremacy in North Africa. Compared with the armored forces, the strength of the US Air Force is still good.

Major General Fredendall was not careless. Before the troops set off, they sent the air force to conduct multiple reconnaissances on Eisnam.

The results of the air force's reconnaissance showed that the German army seemed to be ignorant of the actions of the US military. After arriving in Eisnam, they did not take any further actions and stayed in place.

This is actually not normal. It has been more than 48 hours since the German army took control of Eisnam. The troops commanded by Rommel have always been known for their elusiveness. There is no reason for this German army to stay where it is and be beaten passively.

This situation did not attract the attention of Major General Fredendall. The investigation showed that Eisnam's German army had about 12000 people.

The only thing that Major General Fredendall did not expect was that the performance of the "Grant" was unreliable. It took less than an hour for the Second Army to re-start, and more and more "Grant" broke down due to various failures. When the Second Army When they arrived at the attack position only 15 kilometers away from Eisnam, about [-]% of the "Grants" were unable to participate in the battle due to malfunctions.

This made Major General Fredendall very angry. He decided to wait until after this battle to submit a report on the performance of "Grant" in this battle, and apply for a replacement with stronger combat effectiveness, performance and stability, and more like "Sherman" of a normal tank.

"Our task was to attack the German camp from the front. The Germans knew nothing about our actions and remained in the camp. This is a good chance for us to win. If someone captures more than A Luger pistol, please help me bring it back, I will spend a lot of money." Mike's company, Lieutenant Tom, the company commander, pretended to be relaxed when assigning tasks.

The intricately crafted and expensive Luger pistols are the favorite trophies of the Allied forces. Even southern Africa also produces Luger pistols, but the Lugers captured from the Germans always have special significance for Allied officers and soldiers.

Like the southern African army, US military officers and soldiers are also free to choose their sidearms.

The situation of armored soldiers is quite special, because the space inside the tank is limited, even the rifle has to be a specially developed carbine type, and the pistol has become the favorite self-defense weapon of tankers.

The United States is also relatively developed in terms of military industry.

Like southern Africa, the U.S. military has also begun to equip M1 Garand-style semi-automatic rifles. The U.S. troops arriving in North Africa have been completely reequipped, which is faster than the U.S. military in East Asia.

"Are the Germans pigs? They probably have slept to death in the camp. It seems that the Germans are not as difficult to deal with as described by the southern Africans and the French—" the words of a car captain caused a roar of laughter. The young people on the other side didn't realize how cruel the war was.

"Everyone, be careful, those Germans are not right, I always think it's not that simple." Mike's friend, James, who is also from California, tried to calm down the car captains.

This seemed useless, and James was immediately overwhelmed by the laughter of the car captains.

"James, if you are worried, then you will follow me later, and I will cover you—" Mike was caught by Han Kai's evil, Germans are not as scary as Italians.

An hour later, the troops set out again, this time the tankers took up battle formation and were in combat from the start.

The track rolls up the yellow sand all over the sky, and the endless sand dunes and Gobi are spectacular at first glance. Being in them quickly causes aesthetic fatigue, and I just want to end all this as soon as possible.

Mike's tank broke down, and black smoke protruded from the engine. No matter how the driver stepped on the accelerator, the tank remained motionless.

"Sir, there seems to be something wrong with our traditional system—" the driver's voice was helpless, and there seemed to be a hint of gratitude.

"Everyone get out of the vehicle, we'll fix her as soon as possible." Mike pushed open the hatch and got out of the tank. Unlike the "Tiger" and "Leopard" which only had one hatch, the "Grant" had a total of three hatches.

"We need a maintenance vehicle. We can't troubleshoot this kind of failure." When the driver jumped out of the car, he stumbled in embarrassment because the sand under his feet was soft.

"Where can I find a maintenance car now?" Before Mike could finish his sentence, there were suddenly dense explosions in the distance.

Major General Fredendall's understanding of Rommel was seriously insufficient. The Germans did not stay in the camp, but had already set up a defensive position, waiting for the U.S. troops to rush in.

Rommel did not have many tanks, but he had enough anti-tank guns.

The defense of the "Grant" is seriously insufficient. The frontal armor is only 51mm, and the side and rear armor is a pitiful 38mm. The armor-piercing bullets used by the German Panzer IV can be easily penetrated.

Oh, when I stated the defects of "Grant" above, I forgot the armor-piercing projectile of "Grant".

After the U.S. military arrived in North Africa, it was discovered that the M72 armor-piercing projectiles used by the "Grant" were seriously insufficient. Not to mention the German No. [-], even the No. [-] armor was difficult to penetrate.

The 75mm armor-piercing projectile used by tanks in southern Africa has different specifications from the M72 armor-piercing projectile.

The Americans had no choice but to modify the 15000 German 75mm armor-piercing projectiles captured by the Allied forces to increase the lethality of the M72.

Before the modified armor-piercing projectile had time to play a role, the "Grant" was devastated by the German army.

The reason why "Grant" was affectionately called "the coffin of the seven brothers" by British soldiers is directly related to the disastrous consequences caused by structural defects after being shot.

The same is true for the "Grant" equipped by the US military. After being hit by anti-tank artillery, many tankers were sieved by rivets flying everywhere, and the tank lost its combat effectiveness instantly.

"We found a German defensive position right ahead—the German firepower is fierce, we need support—" Mike's companion's distress and screams came from Mike's earphones.

"God, my tank got hit by the Germans, I'm shot, I'm shot, I need medical treatment—"

"Watch out to the left, there's a German tank to my left, it's firing—"

The sound stopped abruptly, and it was obvious that the tank was destroyed by the Germans in an instant.

Mike was dumbfounded, because his tank malfunctioned and he didn't have time to participate in the battle, Mike suddenly felt a little lucky.

Other tanks are out of luck.

Although "Grant" has various shortcomings, at least "Grant" is a medium tank, not without resistance.

Only one-third of the tanks in the American armored divisions were medium tanks, and many more were light tanks.

The light tank equipped by the 2nd Army is also the M3, and this type of tank was named "Stuart" by the British.

The performance of "Stuart" is hard to describe. The total combat weight of this tank is only 12.5 tons, and the armor thickness is 25-44 mm. It is equipped with a 37 mm tank gun and two machine guns. In the crew, the tank's track is very narrow, the ground is high in the Asia-Pacific region, and it is also very picky about fuel. The Russians commented that the armor of the "Stuyat" firepower is too weak, so that they directly refuse the assistance of the United States.

The Russians' evaluation of "Stuart" is very pertinent. When facing the German anti-tank guns, "Stuart" has no resistance at all. The armor is easily penetrated by shells. The power of the 37mm tank gun Too weak, hitting the German's No. [-] was like scratching an itch.

Soon, the "Grant" and "Stuart" suffered heavy losses, and the situation was summarized to Major General Fredendall. While Major General Fredendall ordered the troops to defend on the spot, he had to call for friendly support.

"Grant" and "Stuart" were pulling their hips, while the German's number three and four were on a rampage.

Unlike the U.S. troops who just arrived in North Africa, the Germans have been fighting the Allies in North Africa for more than a year. After more than a year of training, the tankers under Rommel have become truly elite soldiers. If it were not for the lack of fuel, Rommel Er has already penetrated Egypt.

The German tankers' attacks were accurate and ruthless. The "Grant" used a gasoline engine. After being attacked, the fuel was easily ignited. Even if the tankers were not killed by rivets, they would be burned to death.

The 37mm gun of "Grant" is not powerful enough, and the 75mm gun needs to use a periscope sight when aiming. This kind of sight will have serious ghosts in North Africa where the sun is too sunny, and the shooting angle of the tank gun is also different. question.

Combining various factors together, the performance of "Grant" on the battlefield is a disaster.

Even if "Stuart" can't beat him, at a speed of 58 kilometers per hour, he can at least escape from the battlefield as soon as possible.

However, "Grant" could not even escape. As soon as the battle broke out, a large number of "Grant" were destroyed by the German army. Major General Fredendall tried to organize a counterattack, but it had no effect.

By the time Liang Hao received the distress call, the battle had already broken out for nearly 10 minutes.

For these three 10 minutes, every second was a torment for the US Second Army.

In just half an hour, about 120 "Grants" and 170 "Stuarts" were destroyed by the German army, and more than 2000 American soldiers were killed. When Liang Hao sent armored troops to reinforce, the Second Army began to be irreparable. Many American soldiers surrendered after being surrounded by the Germans. Major General Fredendall's car was destroyed by the Germans and he had to change to a truck to evacuate from the battlefield.

"How is it possible? Even if the Americans can't defeat the Germans, they shouldn't have suffered such a miserable defeat—" Liang Hao in the armored command vehicle was puzzled. When the southern African army was fighting the German army, let alone the army. Level, even division-level troops, have never been defeated by the Germans head-on.

In Crete, the southern African army voluntarily withdrew from the battle. Although the Germans didn't say anything, they knew how lucky the victory was.

"The Americans are too arrogant, they are always like this—" Liang Hao's Chief of Staff Franz was not surprised, the Americans have never changed.

In World War I, the U.S. military used crowd tactics to attack the German fortress of Liege, which resulted in heavy losses.

During the Brazilian Civil War, the Americans did not make any progress, and were severely taught by the mercenaries of the Umbrella Company in the field. This did not sound the alarm for the Americans.

After the outbreak of the Philippine War, the U.S.-Philippines coalition forces could not even defeat the Japanese, which attracted the attention of the Americans.

It is one thing to be aware of the gap, and another to be able to make up for it in time. The homework that has been left behind for decades cannot be caught up in a day or two.

(End of this chapter)