Chapter 410 Frozen Soil (4)
It is really difficult for these tank soldiers to let the KV-3 perform long-distance aiming and shooting, because the backward sighting system and the widely spread 85mm tank gun cannot provide this convenience. In the exchange of fire between the two sides with unequal sight lines, only the shells fired by the Tiger continued to hit the KV-3, while the shells fired by the Red Army's counterattacks rarely hit the Tiger. It was rare for one to hit the front of the Tiger, and it could not Penetrates thick sloped armor.
However, the Germans also found that the Russian tanks on the opposite side were a bit difficult to attack. At a distance of about 1,500 meters, if the opponent was a T-34, there was basically no way to survive as long as it hit. But today was different. Several shells hit it. , it clearly hits the opponent but fails to work: either it cannot penetrate, or it generates a ricochet. Only later did the Germans learn that the frontal armor thickness of the KV-3 tank reached 120mm. Although it was not as good as the defense level of the Tiger's 100mm sloped armor, it was two levels higher than the defense level of the T-34. The test results also show that as long as there are no quality problems with Russian armor steel, the Tiger 88mm artillery cannot penetrate it at a distance of 1,500 meters.
There is a T-34 production line in the Czech Republic that is responsible for repairing and transforming captured T-34 tanks for subsequent use. German military experts are very sensitive to the quality of Russian tanks. What confuses them is the overall quality of the T-34, especially the armor. The quality of steel is very unstable. Some models and batches of T-34 are of very good quality and their defense level meets or even exceeds the design specifications. However, the quality of some T-34 is very bad. The fragile armor cannot even fire a 37mm anti-tank gun. Even tungsten core armor-piercing bullets cannot be protected against - and the 37mm anti-tank gun has been withdrawn from the German army. Some armor commanders even lamented, why couldn't they encounter T-34s of such poor quality during the Typhoon Battle? Otherwise, there would be no T-34 crisis at all.
Although the quality system of mass production during wartime would tend to weaken, Germany was also deeply surprised by such an unstable quality system, so much so that the factory even added additional testing and inspection links for captured tanks, and those products with poor quality It will be ruthlessly dismantled and only the chassis will be retained for further assembly - this not only increases man-hours but also reduces output. The Ministry of Armament is considering whether to no longer modify the captured tanks and simply produce all the accessories directly, but this seems to be inconsistent with the concentration of energy. Ensure key model production is inconsistent.
To put it bluntly, this problem is actually worthless, because the Red Army cannot obtain a stable, high-quality supply of armored steel. After the armored steel promised to support by Britain and the United States has been ruined many times or intercepted by Germany, the shortage of armored steel has become a constraint on the production of tanks of the Red Army. The core problem is that the production of self-produced armor steel is not only small but also of very unstable quality. If it were peacetime, the officials in charge of production would definitely be sent to Siberia to "build" socialism. But in emergency times, the thinking is different. Ensure availability first, and then quality. Besides, the quality does not affect combat too much. An aircraft engine with a lifespan of 200 hours can be used just as well as a 2000-hour aircraft engine - most pilots will not survive more than 200 hours anyway; armor steel with good or poor quality can be used for production. T-34 - They can't stand up to a Tiger tank attack anyway. However, this batch of KV-3 is new equipment that the Red Army has high hopes for. It uses all imported high-quality materials and accessories, so the armor quality is very high.
"The enemy's frontal armor is very thick, use special armor-piercing bullets."
Following Karius's order, the loader immediately loaded a tungsten-core sub-caliber armor-piercing bullet into the chamber. Tungsten mines were mined on a large scale in Austria, and all the tungsten mines in Spain and Portugal were sold to Germany and then carried out with Japan. After material trade and exchange, Germany's overall tungsten resource demand has been met. After fully supplying the production of machinery, armor and other equipment, there is still room for one-time consumption of artillery shells. The tank crews of the Tiger heavy armor battalion are far happier than in history. Each tank can obtain 16 tungsten core sub-caliber armor-piercing projectiles that are more expensive and difficult to manufacture but have much stronger armor-piercing capabilities (Historically, a Tiger was very It is rare to get more than 5 rounds of configuration. Considering that the total number of Tiger tanks now is several times that of history, Hoffman is also qualified to pat his chest and pretend to be a rich man).
Karius said to himself: "If I can't get through, I'll have to get closer..."
With a "clang", the shell was fired quickly. This special armor-piercing shell that carried everyone's expectations did not disappoint. It decisively penetrated the thick frontal armor of the KV-3 and destroyed it.
"The third result."
Seeing that his own tanks could only parry but had no power to fight back, Colonel Bubnov became anxious. He ordered the infantry to follow the tanks and rush out to find a way out for the troops. Even if the sacrifice was heavy, it was better than being subjected to long-range artillery fire by the enemy one by one. Roll call was made, but as soon as the leading troops of the Red Army came out, Himmler's organists, who had been well prepared and hiding in the dark, immediately launched an overwhelming volley based on the direction and distance provided by Karius. Rockets are far more powerful than Stalin's organ. After the salvo was completed, these half-track armored vehicles immediately left the scene and disappeared in the dark night.
Unable to fight, he had no choice but to retreat - this was the only feeling that arose in Bubnov's heart. Taking advantage of the fact that the fire had subsided slightly and the German army was not outflanking, he led the remaining troops of the brigade to retreat decisively backward. But the originally well-arranged and orderly retreat turned into a rout. The officers and soldiers of the tank brigade were okay. Not only did they cooperate tacitly, but they were also able to move quickly with the help of their tanks. However, the infantry and artillerymen who lost their cover suffered a disaster and were either hiding deep in the woods. They were burned alive by fires everywhere, and were either eliminated one by one by the Tiger tanks in the distance, or they rushed out to give a desperate blow and were shot down by Himmler's organ volley.
After a night of fierce fighting, the fire was finally extinguished at dawn, and the 506th Heavy Armor Battalion took over the enemy's hiding place yesterday. Karius's strategy of driving the enemy out of the rat's nest was a perfect success. The battalion made a major breakthrough at the cost of the loss of 3 Tiger tanks and more than 20 soldiers, and controlled the entire village of Mazzalari. After counting, it was found that the results of last night's battle were quite substantial, including at least more than 1,500 mixed infantry, tank soldiers and Among the corpses of the artillerymen, the remains of 32 new Russian heavy tanks were found, as well as more than 200 pieces of various heavy equipment such as trucks, armored vehicles, anti-tank guns, and towed artillery, including the ones that German soldiers always hated. The toothy Stalin organ.
The only thing that is a bit unacceptable is the smell of barbecue that has been lingering in the air - everyone knows what this smell is about, even if they can't figure it out when they see the charred corpses, they can imagine it. Many people vomited all over the floor. It is estimated that the meat and sausages in today's lunch will trigger some stomach-churning associations.
"The enemy has escaped a large part, and the number of wreckage on the scene does not match the number reported." After viewing the scene, Karius reported calmly, "We have to catch up."
"We have to refuel and replenish ammunition first..." Major Verin shrugged with a wry smile, "Let the infantry stalkers catch up first."
The Stalker is one of two other key pieces of equipment heavily influenced by Time Travel, the other being the Assault Cannon III. After Hoffmann decided to concentrate on the production of the No. 4 tank, the production of the No. 4 tank has been greatly improved, but this improvement is not without other costs - since September last year, the Ministry of Armament has stopped in accordance with the requirements of the tank armament rearmament case. During the production of Panzer III tanks, the relevant production lines were gradually changed to the No. 4 production lines. Except for a small part of the Panzer III assault guns shipped later, which were produced using stock chassis, the rest were modified from recycled Panzer III tanks. Due to the limited number of chassis and modifications , the production quantity was much lower than that of the same period in history, which resulted in the No. 3 assault gun's reputation being not as loud as it was in the original time and space.
After the number of No. 3 assault guns was reduced by one, the Stalker, which was transformed from the 38T tank chassis and the captured 76.2mm anti-tank gun, took over this role. Once launched, it was very popular among the troops, and its production increased significantly. quick. But as time goes by, the Stalker is also undergoing major changes. The inventory of captured 76.2mm anti-tank guns is getting smaller and smaller (many of which are directly used to replace the barrels of the Stalker that have been produced), so they began to equip 75mm/ The L48 tank gun (the same as the Panzer IV), regardless of the type of Stalker, has shown excellent effectiveness in actual use and is deeply loved by infantry units.
After hearing the news that the destroyer was approaching, Karius did not feel relieved. Instead, he said: "I'm afraid this is not appropriate. We fought against Russian tanks last night. Their frontal defense was better than the Russian tanks we have encountered before. To be stronger, we used special armor-piercing bullets at a distance of 1,500 meters to crack open this thick turtle shell. If we switch to stalkers to deal with them, we must at least get closer to within 1,000 meters - at that distance, the enemy tanks are enough to knock out any tank. The Stalker tore it to pieces."
"What are you going to do?"
"Catch up without hesitation." Karius said with a smile, "The honor of annihilating the enemy's new heavy tank brigade cannot be let go to the 508th Battalion - it was us, not them, who fought the Russians last night. shelf."
"Very good." Weilin also laughed, "You will be the first to attack with your own platoon in a moment! Good job, young man, the higher ups are still setting up a new heavy armor battalion, and they are in urgent need of experienced armored warfare commanders. I think It won’t be a problem for you to serve as a company commander in a while.”
"But I have only served as platoon leader for two months. This was only because I completed the officer candidate course. Originally, I could only be a vehicle commander..." Karius laughed sheepishly, "The company commander didn't dare. It’s a luxury, I would be very satisfied if I could get a medal.”
"In times of war, anything is possible. I have already applied for the Iron Cross Level 2 for you. If you continue to perform like this in the next few months, I believe it is not difficult to get a Knight's Cross."