Chapter 1001 No More Pursuit

Yes, in the existing timeline in Malashenko's memory, the IS4 heavy tank was a project that was officially launched in November 1943. (っ◔◡◔)っ

This extremely powerful and expensive heavy tank is a thorough World War II design, not a Cold War tank after the end of World War II, although its powerful performance and various key indicators are indeed more like a Cold War heavy tank.

So when the timeline moved forward to 1943, Malashenko's seemingly powerless action of gently flapping his wings in 1941 has now turned into a roaring hurricane that is enough to leave a mark in history. This is the best and most thorough embodiment of the butterfly effect.

What form will the 701 project, the IS4 heavy tank, which was put on the agenda more than half a year in advance, take? Malashenko is not very sure about this point, which has seriously exceeded his historical prediction within his ability.

In theory, the cost of the IS4 heavy tank is too expensive. The manpower, material and man-hours invested in building one of them can build two and a half IS2 heavy tanks.

Although this is caused by the fact that the cost of the IS2 is too cheap, if you put the IS4 on the German side, you may be called cheap and conscientious.

But in the final analysis, the IS4 does not conform to the spirit of the Soviet tank troops in World War II, and it should be a project that should be killed, or at least it is impossible to mass-produce it like the IS2.

But in terms of personal feelings, Malashenko admitted that he really hoped that the IS4 heavy tank could be mass-produced, even if it was only a small-scale batch production, just enough to replace the scale of his own brigade.

As long as he survived and survived Kursk, the most difficult period of the Great Patriotic War would be over for him.

The last remaining task is to ensure that he can successfully live until the day when the mustache swallows medicine and shoots himself, and before that he will not be killed by a gun in the tank and become a coffin barbecue. In short, it is to live until the victory of the war.

The more powerful the heavy tank, the more it will help Malashenko realize this difficult life ideal, and the IS4 heavy tank is undoubtedly extremely in line with this reality.

Compared with the IS7, whose performance indicators are frighteningly high at the level of World War II and whose cost is also skyrocketing, the IS4 is undoubtedly more valuable to realize and the plan has been launched now, with a higher possibility of completion and mass production as soon as possible.

It is true that Malashenko is a Soviet hero, but heroes are also people, with hearts, livers, feelings, and personal feelings.

In order to survive until the end of the war to save his life, and to give a perfect result to those who love him in various senses, Malashenko, after repeated internal weighing, still chose words that contradict the truth.

"This is a great plan, Comrade Kotin. I can see the glorious future of our Red Army Guards Heavy Tank Force from it. All the Nazi iron coffins will bow down to this steel body and become a pile of burning steel coffins, and this fire will guide us to the final victory in Berlin."

Malashenko, who held a design sketch in each hand, was rarely literary and expressed his true feelings. Unexpectedly, this aroused the nerves of Kotin, who was not so confident.

"Really? Comrade Malashenko, do you think our current design is very good?"

Kotin's concept of IS4 is still at the drawing stage. It is understandable that he has such a lack of confidence. Before the actual prototype was built, even the project chief designer himself was not very sure in his heart, whether it was World War II or the 21st century.

But Malashenko is different. With future memories in his head, Malashenko clearly knows the power of the IS4 heavy tank.

This is a powerful treasure that will definitely cause absolute physical conquest effect on the German sticks as long as it can be built and mass-produced. There is no second possibility.

Since Kotin has already started the project in advance, I can help him in the back. At most, I can ask Comrade Zhu to talk about it. It is not a bad idea to add another vigorous heavy tank legend to the glorious history of the Patriotic War.

What's more, the Germans, who have begun to be twisted and accelerated by the double-edged sword of the butterfly effect, may send what kind of monsters to the battlefield in advance, and it cannot be ruled out that there are magic monsters that should not exist in the existing history. The possibility of going to the front line.

With the IS4, which has such a high probability of realization, as a backer behind me, I am prepared for any eventuality.

Some things are better to be used even if they are ready than to find that they are not available when you want to use them, just like condoms in the 21st century.

Malashenko, who has already made up his mind, nodded calmly, put the two design drawings in his hand back on the table, and gave his final answer to Kotin who was looking forward to it.

"From now on, you can add Malashenko's name to the list of staunch supporters of Project 701, Comrade Kotin, and I personally hope that this project can be completed as soon as possible."

"Of course, if you want to say this when you go to Moscow for a meeting, that's fine, and I'd be happy to see that happen."

Compared to the last handshake in Moscow, the handshake between Malashenko and Kotin this time has a stronger sense of cooperation.

Kotin hopes to use Malashenko's reputation and authoritative professional speech based on actual combat experience to help his subsequent series of heavy tank plans develop in the right direction. And he can get smoother and faster approval from Moscow, and finally put it into large-scale mass production to arm the Red Army's heavy tank units, realizing the dual great significance of his career and life.

Malashenko hopes that the heavy tanks designed by Kotin will be as powerful as possible. Apart from anything else, just being able to arm the First Guards Heavy Tank Brigade to the teeth, pressing the Germans to the ground and continuing to hammer and rub, and always keeping the tank quality advantage on his side, such a result is undoubtedly the best.

This will not only make the Red Army's road to victory in the Great Patriotic War less sacrifice and greater victory, but also make the probability coefficient of surviving the war soar geometrically, a typical double-excellent thing.

A short and busy trip to Chelyabinsk, Kotin and Malashenko both got the results they wanted, and the rich dinner that day was more delicious than the lunch that was not finished in time.

After falling asleep at the place specially arranged by Comrade Kotin, with the distant sounds of machines and workers working overtime still echoing in his ears, Malashenko still had one thing in his mind that was unresolved.

This trip to Chelyabinsk can be said to be fruitful.

Not only did he personally confirm the subsequent development, upgrading and improvement of the IS1 heavy tank, but he also gave Kotin some correct improvements and design suggestions for the project, and almost saw the birth of the IS2 heavy tank.

At the same time, he also witnessed the IS6 and IS4, two more powerful heavy tanks, which came out ahead of schedule by accident and coincidence. Although one of these two buddies was a wooden model glued with glue, and the other did not even have a model but a pile of drawings, it was indeed put on the agenda.

For the beginning of 1943, this progress was obviously fast enough.

In the remaining half of the day, he almost sat in the office with Kotin to communicate until late at night. Malashenko was sure that everything he had done had been done for these two powerful heavy tanks.

The rest is just "do your best and leave it to fate".

However, Malashenko did not hear any news about the IS3 heavy tank, codenamed Project 703, during this trip.

Due to his sensitivity to his identity as a time traveler, Malashenko did not ask Kotin too much about this matter. After all, if he told too many lies, even he would not know how to cover it up.

Considering that the IS3 heavy tank in the existing history was a project that was only launched in the summer of 1944, it was a full half year later than the IS4 heavy tank codenamed Project 701. It seems not difficult to understand why it has not appeared in early 1943. The power of his wings does not seem to be strong enough to break through a whole year.

Turning over in bed and continuing to think quietly, Malashenko kept recalling the details of the day in his mind, and slowly felt that the absence of the IS3 was not a big deal.

The IS6 heavy tank is not worse than the IS3 in terms of protection design, and there is no fatal turret shell nest area of ​​the IS3. It will not crack under impact due to the difficulty of welding the arrow-shaped front weld seam and inadequate craftsmanship like the IS3. The entire front armor of the vehicle body is directly tilted at a large angle in one step, which is Mao's style, simple and durable.

In terms of mobility, the paper power-to-weight ratio of the IS6 is far better than that of the IS3, which is not as fast as the IS4. The large-diameter road wheel structure gives the IS6 extremely strong off-road passing performance. As long as the damn dual-motor electric transmission system that takes up space is replaced with a mechanical transmission, everything will be fine.

In terms of firepower, everyone has the ancestral 122 gun, and there is not much difference in minor modifications. The armor-piercing firepower and anti-fortification level are at the same level.

With the IS6 in front of him, there is no Malashenko who is eager to pursue the IS3. Thinking about it, his eyes closed involuntarily.

The fatigue from a busy day of taking the train and running around gradually swept over the whole body. The thunderous snoring that could drown out the noise from the tank factory in the distance soon sounded slowly in the room.