afterglow

Chapter 608: Chinese Rural Cat… Heavy Tank; Two Choices, Dilemma

The train ferry broke down while passing through the Qiongzhou Strait and broke down in the middle.

The officers and soldiers of the Yi'an Army escorting the military train were very vigilant and even turned off the safety of their rifles and shotguns to guard against potential "secret sabotage by enemy spies."

Fortunately, the ferry did not suffer any serious malfunction and was repaired after more than an hour.

Afterwards, all the equipment of an assault convoy was safely transported to the Qiongya Joint Training Camp via the Ring Island Railway, including tanks and various vehicles and technical equipment.

These are the highly anticipated new weapons - the Type 2 heavy tanks.

The pure-blooded Ming Tiger style, attack!
Steamed buns? I will make sure they never come back!

As a commander, Zhou Changfeng was well aware that heavy tanks were not cost-effective, but this could not conceal his expectations and interest.

As a collection of heavy mechanical equipment, the tank is highly dependent on system engineering - the level of integration capabilities.

If the level is poor, then it is very likely that you will have excellent equipment but end up with a terrible thing that is unsightly.

The outstanding representatives in this regard are the British - they have first-class artillery, first-class engines, first-class metallurgy, and first-class optical equipment, but the British can integrate third-rate tanks. It has to be said that this is also a unique ability.

If the Ming Dynasty could have such excellent sub-technical level, I am afraid that tank designers would wake up laughing in their dreams.

However, even though there are shortcomings, Shuntian First Heavy Machinery Co., Ltd.'s system engineering achievements are still trustworthy.

The Type 2 heavy tank was called the Trial-Year Type 1 heavy tank last year before it was finalized. Now it has begun small-scale production.

Because it is a weapon of special nature, the Ordnance Bureau relaxed the restrictions on size and weight.

The technical indicators they gave at that time were:

1. The total combat weight does not exceed 48 tons.

2. Can penetrate the front of an enemy medium tank at a distance of 1500 meters.

3. It can resist armor-piercing shells fired by British and American medium anti-tank guns (100 mm) and medium tanks (57 mm) at a distance of 75 meters.

4. The average ground pressure does not exceed 0.85MPa.

5. Have good serviceability.

6. It must also have good passability in complex terrain.

Starting from the winter of the previous year, the First Machine Company completed the task after more than a year of working overtime.

The research and development of the experimental heavy tank started earlier, but it was essentially a technical verification vehicle and had no practical value at all. Therefore, the Type 2 heavy tank was equivalent to a reduced and castrated version.

The weight limit is still for the convenience of deployment - limited by the crane lifting capacity of cargo ships and landing ships, and the crane and towing capacity of front-line maintenance and support units.

After the calipers and steel cables were freed, the steel behemoths slowly drove down the heavy flatbed truck under guidance.

The design team of the First Machine Company considered casting a turret with great thickness, but the manufacturing difficulty was too great. While ensuring the yield rate, they could only cast a turret of medium thickness at best, so this plan was shelved.

The current plan is to weld the turret and the body, both of which use a new type of high-pressure cold-rolled nickel-chromium-manganese-molybdenum-vanadium rare earth alloy steel without surface hardening treatment.

This meticulously crafted armor steel has excellent performance, with a Brinell hardness of 295HBW - although not hard, it has good toughness and outstanding quality.

The front of the car body is simple. In order to increase the strength of the weld, an extremely time-consuming special bite welding is used, and the shape is a dovetail tenon.

What is the spirit of craftsmanship?
The upper front is short, with armor that is 50° inclined and 80mm thick; the lower front is wide, with armor that is 35° inclined and 80mm thick.

The upper side armor of the vehicle body is 35° inclined and 50mm thick; the lower side armor of the vehicle body is vertical and 50mm thick.

The turret of the Type 2 heavy tank is a rather odd hexagonal shape, with a very small middle front portion and two sides that appear to be greatly inclined inward with sharp edges and corners.

炮塔正面中间装甲为垂直100㎜厚度；两边装甲为55°倾斜80㎜厚度；炮塔两侧装甲为20°倾斜64㎜厚度。

The gun shield completely covers the middle part of the front and is also 100mm thick vertically.

Protect! Indestructible!
In terms of weapons and equipment, the Type 112 heavy tank temporarily used a modified Type 96 mm cannon. This was because the long-barreled tank gun developed based on the mm anti-aircraft gun had several minor problems that had not yet been solved, and the army also disliked the small amount of explosive charge in its anti-explosive shells, which had a poor killing effect on soft targets.

暂用的坦克炮为陆军野战炮身管截短至32倍径，间断螺纹炮闩，发射112×400㎜风帽钝头穿甲弹（APBC-HE）时初速625m/s，可以在500m距离上击穿垂直放置的120㎜轧制镍锰装甲钢板；杀爆弹装药量则有2.4㎏之多。

Break through! Chop melons and vegetables!
Because this gun originated from a field gun, the discontinuous threaded breech block is not very convenient to use when operating in a narrow space. However, it is fully loaded with ammunition and the firing rate is not slow.

"...If it's a armor-piercing projectile, hehe, the new armor-piercing projectile we have developed uses a conical charge cap made of copper, which can penetrate a 130mm steel target."

Several engineers and designers were in high spirits and introduced their masterpieces with great enthusiasm.

Zhou Changfeng touched the barrel of the gun in confusion, and said thoughtfully: "This gun... the caliber is indeed large, and the explosive shells are powerful enough, but it still seems a bit forced. What about a better long gun?"

"Mr. Zhou, that fifty-caliber anti-aircraft gun has a high chamber pressure and strong armor-piercing ability, but it is not good enough to kill with explosive shells."

"Well, the enemy doesn't have any heavy armored chariots to use right now."

"But don't worry, Mr. Zhou. We can always change the guns if necessary in the future."

The armor-piercing shells in the Pacific battlefield were relatively weak, and there was indeed no strong impetus to upgrade the tank guns to high chamber pressure and high initial velocity.

The power system is the weak point of the Ming Dynasty's military industry department, or in other words, other countries except Germany are inferior in professional tank engines.

The German company can produce the Maybach HL 650 horsepower gasoline engine, while the United States only has the Ford GAF ​​500 horsepower gasoline engine.

Ming's Chengdu Cube Engine Company provided the Type 500 heavy tank with its self-developed 12-horsepower V100 air-cooled gasoline engine. This engine was reliable and easy to maintain, but had the disadvantage of extremely high fuel consumption - the average fuel consumption was 360L per km, and this was only when driving on the road.

Driven by this 500-horsepower engine, the Type 49 heavy tank with an empty weight of 35 tons can reach a maximum road speed of km/h, and its power-to-weight ratio is similar to that of the historical King Tiger.

In addition, it officially adopted torsion bar suspension for the first time, with six large-diameter road wheels on each side and the driving wheel at the rear.

As the crowd watched, one of the heavy tanks started up. The roar of the engine was particularly loud, and the ground beneath the feet was shaking as it drove.

Under the bright sunshine of early spring, the orange-red anti-rust primer shines brightly.

"Hey! It's really amazing. It will be a headache to get them to the front line in time when the time comes."

"Yes, there is no bridge to cross. To cross this 50-ton behemoth, the floating bridge needs to be reinforced several times."

"Fortunately, the armor is strong and the guns are powerful, otherwise it would be a waste of power."

The army generals present rode in off-road vehicles and headed to the shooting range while discussing.

Everyone entered a solid half-dug bunker and observed the situation in the distance through the gun mirrors and telescopes. The Type 2 heavy tank next to it immediately aimed at the steel target a thousand meters away and opened fire.

The sound of cannons resounded through the sky, and countless sparks were seen flying from the steel targets in the distance, which were then swallowed up by smoke and dust.

Afterwards, the tank demonstrated the effectiveness of attacking civil engineering works. A single high-explosive bomb easily destroyed the reinforced firepower point built with logs, sandbags and steel plates.

Seeing this scene, everyone applauded and cheered.

These more than ten Type 2 heavy tanks will be equipped to the 603rd Independent Assault Vehicle Team.

After comprehensive consideration, the Ming army planned to deploy Team 601 to Australia, and Teams 602 and 603 to Hawaii.

The offensive against Maui is being prepared in full swing and is expected to be launched in April or May.

Once Maui is captured, air supremacy over the Hawaiian Islands will be firmly in our hands.

Even if the US military aircraft have superior performance, they will not be able to operate them because there are too few airports, and will completely lose the ability to fight for air supremacy.

It is obvious that the US military will do its utmost to defend Maui at all costs.

The Grand Marshal's Office is well aware of this and therefore attaches great importance to it.

The Qiongya Joint Training Camp was still a scene of bustling activity. Troops came here to receive practical training and then rushed to the western, southern and eastern fronts.

In order to cope with the needs of multi-line operations, the Ming Army has successively formed dozens of conscripted divisions. The one currently conducting exercises is the 151st Division, which was formed only three months ago.

"It's okay, but the coordination between infantry and artillery is still poor. The infantry's attack is not resolute enough, but weak. When the enemy's firepower is strong, the depth of the infantry unit's skirmish line can be lengthened." Zhou Changfeng commented.

A staff officer sat on the hood of an SUV, writing furiously in a notebook, saying as he wrote: "This year is not going to be easy. East, west, south, all three sides are ready to fight."

Zhou Changfeng looked up at the sun in the sky and replied, "Yes, this can be considered a world war."

Starting from last month, Britain and the United States officially sent troops to intervene in the endless civil war in Tsarist Russia.

This was a bold attempt to force the German Social Democratic Party to intervene in the Tsarist Russian Civil War, disperse its forces, and contain it in the vast "rotten land" of Eastern Europe.

美军陆续将新组建的第9集团军通过波罗的海航线部署到了摩尔曼斯克，下辖8个步兵师和3个装甲师，总兵力25万人；英军则部署了第30军，下辖2个步兵师和1个装甲师，总兵力6万人。

During this period, the German army made every effort to intercept and sank more than ten cargo ships, resulting in the loss of a lot of personnel and equipment for the British and American intervention forces.

However, the British and American intervention forces were still determined to follow the principle of speed and prepared to launch an offensive against St. Petersburg to lead the Russian National Republican Army to recapture this city of great significance.

Once a battle is fought on a vast plain, the intensity of the war will inevitably rise sharply.

A tug-of-war in the mountains of the Iberian and Apennine peninsulas might only result in hundreds of thousands of casualties throughout the year, but fighting in the plains might only result in a few days of losses.

Are Americans at this level capable of challenging the Germans on the East European plain? The answer is obvious. Zhou Changfeng is convinced of this.

The next day.

After returning to the capital, he listened to a report on the deduction at the Grand Marshal's Office.

"…The German army can definitely send a large group of troops to the Russian territory. A million troops will be in place within a month and a half, and there will be endless reinforcements. Slovakia and Hungary can also send troops to help, with a scale of up to 300,000."

"For the Germans, the most difficult thing is the bad timing. Now is the time when winter is over and spring is coming. As the temperature rises, the snow will melt and the ground will become muddy, which will definitely greatly restrict the movement of their armored forces."

"The British and American armies can advance steadily, threaten St. Petersburg from the north to the south, form a semi-encirclement of it, concentrate superior forces to open breakthroughs in certain areas, and the million-strong national army on the northern front can help maintain the front line and contain the enemy."

"The simulation shows that time is of the essence. If the German army can partially arrive and break through before mid-March, it will be able to curb the British and American intentions and force them to switch to defense."

"If (the German army) fails to arrive in time, the British and American armies will be able to stabilize their flanks and establish a deep and deep defense line. Restricted by the mud, the German army's situation is also optimistic. I am afraid it will be difficult to achieve a deep breakthrough and will be pinned down."

After hearing the conclusion, Zhou Changfeng stood with his hands behind his back, pacing and walking around a few times.

He pondered for a moment and said, "This is indeed a problem. If we cannot achieve a quick breakthrough, the southern line of St. Petersburg will not pose a threat (to Britain and the United States). I have a feeling that the two sides will have to fight over St. Petersburg for a long time, and they may even have to fight street battles in the city."

After following up on the war situation in Europe, the highlight came to the Ming Dynasty's home court.

The main force of the Ming Navy fleet successfully completed the expedition to the Aleutian Islands. Next, it will return to Pearl Harbor for a short rest and prepare to participate in the upcoming Maui landing operation.

They could only send out a limited-sized detachment, along with the Ziwei Zuoyuan that had been repaired locally and some reserve troops, to carry out another mission.

This also leads to disagreements: which task should be chosen next?

American and Australian heavy bombers taking off from Port Hedland in western Australia are still tirelessly bombing the Old Port and Balikpapan oil fields, and everyone wants to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Someone proposed to send a detachment of fleet to the waters west of Australia, march south to Port Hedland, raid the nest of holes and eliminate this strategic bombing departure base.

On the other hand, Tarawa Atoll was recaptured by the US military, and the second half of the US-Australia route was restored. It is expected that many merchant fleets will deliver various supplies to Australia.

Counterattacking the Gilbert Islands, retaking the Tarawa Atoll where the heroic souls of the people linger, and once again cutting off the shipping routes from the United States to Australia are of great significance both militarily and politically.

"Oh? This is quite a dilemma."

Zhou Changfeng stood in front of the large map, his eyes jumping back and forth between two locations.

Jiang Jiapei, the deputy director of the Air Force Department, was also in this hall. After the discussion just now, no one spoke.

"I prefer to attack Port Hedland first to eliminate the damage to the oil fields caused by long-range air strikes." Zhou Changfeng turned to look at the crowd, holding a wooden stick in his right hand and pointing to Western Australia. "The best way is to avoid being attacked before attacking others."

"That's right. I agree." Jiang Jiapei was the first to express his support.

From a purely military perspective, disrupting the enemy's strategic bombing capability is undoubtedly the priority.

However, the emperor's opinion is still crucial to how to proceed in the end.

Everyone seemed to have overlooked this because Zhu Lingjing had always trusted the decisions of the Grand Marshal's Office and would rarely interfere after asking for the reasons.

At nightfall, off the coast of Guangzhou...

The moon is above the willows, the tall buildings in Guangzhou city are brightly lit, and the stars and the bright moon are reflected on the sea, shining brightly.

A submarine flying a naval flag was sailing slowly. The submarine soldiers could not contain their excitement and ran out one after another, standing or sitting on the submarine deck.

After more than half a month of sailing, Guyu B-7, which set off from Betio Island back to its homeland, finally arrived at its long-awaited hometown.

(End of this chapter)