Chapter 273 Sword Forging

Everyone in this world has a flash of inspiration, just like the examinee who sat in the examination room, waiting for the test and rubbing his hands, found the real answer to the question in a moment of hard thinking. The same is true for Ke Jing, who is convinced that he has found the design direction of the next generation of heavy tanks in the future.

Ke Jing, who vowed that he could design a heavy tank with performance that would go down in history, immediately began to lead his design team to work at full capacity like a spring wound up on a machine.

Trivial matters such as eating and sleeping seemed to be unnecessary burdens in Ke Jing's eyes at this moment. The heavy tank sketches and plans in his mind drove his tired body to work on one sketch after another. The entire design team united around Ke Jing was ignited by his fighting spirit and almost crazy and devoted themselves to selfless work.

"Regarding the selection of the main gun for the new heavy tank, Comrade Shashmurin, do you have any good suggestions and opinions?"

Kotin, who worked all night and drew a pile of sketches as thick as his palm, still looked energetic. With a lit cigarette in his mouth, Kotin's eyes were still full of vitality and bright.

"You should pay attention to rest, Comrade Kotin. If you are tired, who will lead us to the second meeting in a few days?"

Looking at Kotin's expression of trying to be energetic but still unable to hide his tired face, Shashmurin sighed and did not choose to answer Kotin's question directly, but changed the subject and advised.

After hearing these words of concern that were obviously from the heart, Kotin couldn't help but smile faintly. He gently extinguished the cigarette butt in his hand and turned to speak again with a smile.

"I can endure physical fatigue, but the failure of design and the rejection of my painstaking masterpiece are the biggest blows. I can go without sleep for a week for our new heavy tank. Do you understand what I mean? Comrade Shashmurin."

Knowing that once Kokin is fully immersed in the state of selfless work, he will inevitably look like this. Shashmurin, who has long been accustomed to this, spoke seriously after thinking for a while.

"As far as the current situation is concerned, Comrade Kokin, I do not recommend immediately replacing our new heavy tank with a non-existent main gun that is still on the drawing, even if doing so will make our design look more powerful, but this is actually a very risky and unrealistic approach."

Kokin, who had been hesitant about what type of main gun to choose, immediately became energetic after hearing this. Kokin, who was used to hearing too many flattering and obedient people around him, never hesitated to appreciate those who dared to speak the truth.

"Go on, Comrade Shashmurin, you should have more ideas than these. I guess you should have a rough plan for the selection of the main gun, tell me what it is!"

"Yes, Comrade Kotin."

Having long anticipated that his boss would ask such a question, Shashmurin, a senior engineer under the Second Tank Design Bureau led by Kotin, immediately blurted out the words he had prepared in his heart to his boss in front of him.

"First of all, I must admit that Comrade Kotin, the report submitted by General Zhukov has given me a lot of inspiration."

"General Zhukov boldly inferred in the report that the Germans would move their 88mm anti-aircraft guns onto new heavy tanks and convert them into 88mm tank guns to deal with our tank troops in the future. If this is true, then the Germans' new heavy tanks will definitely be very powerful, at least in terms of the inferred comprehensive combat performance, far superior to our existing KV heavy tanks. Imagine how powerful a monster with heavy armor like the KV heavy tank will be after carrying an 88mm tank gun."

In the entire huge office, only Kotin and Shashmurin were alone and did not have to worry about being heard by others.

In the current situation where this clear and reliable analysis and inference are used to guide the finalization of the next generation of new heavy tanks, Kotin, who is eager to get a car, will not care about the so-called "reactionary remarks" that "increase the enemy's prestige and destroy their own morale". What Kotin really needs is a clear prediction of future situations and a bold and accurate vision.

"I have considered what you said, Shashmurin, but the core of the problem lies in the time when the heavy tanks that the Germans assumed would definitely appear will appear."

"Equipping high-penetration and high-power main guns too early is almost useless for the current situation. Those Germans' thin-skinned and large-filled tanks can even penetrate the anti-tank rifles in the hands of our Red Army soldiers, not to mention the various calibers and types of tank main guns. This is the fundamental reason why I have been hesitant in choosing the tank main gun."

Shashmurin, who had already coincided with Kotin's design ideas, thought for a while, and the answer he gave after a moment sounded like a bright dawn in the darkness to Kotin, who was deeply trapped in the predicament.

"Taking into account the penetration power and the reloading time affected by the weight and size of the shells, I think we can try to reverse the reasoning of the report submitted by General Zhukov. Since the Germans may be able to move their 88mm anti-aircraft guns onto heavy tanks, we might as well try to equip our own anti-aircraft guns of the same type after specialized improvements on the vehicles."

"Not only can the existing anti-aircraft guns with mature technology be put into mass production immediately after the finalization, but more importantly, doing so will greatly shorten the transition time from prototype to mass production of our new heavy tanks, avoiding the waste of waiting for the guns. I believe this will provide great help to our design bureau's bidding process."

Moving anti-aircraft guns onto tanks? This

Kotin, who had never imagined such a possibility, was stunned as if he had suddenly touched an unknown field after hearing this. His rapidly spinning mind immediately began to explore all the reliable anti-aircraft guns in the Red Army's active service.

Kotin, who gently clenched his fist and rested his hand on his lips and chin, suddenly trembled after thinking for nearly two minutes. The name that flashed across his mind like a meteor seemed to have been firmly remembered in his heart.

Looking at Kotin's slightly excited and suddenly enlightened expression, Shashmurin was almost certain that Kotin's answer was consistent with his own, and he blurted it out without hesitation.

"M1939 85mm anti-aircraft gun!"