"Comrade Commander," As soon as Sokov put down the phone, Cidolin asked in confusion: "Why don't you tell the commander the secret of the flying thunder cannon directly, instead of letting him go?"
"The reason is very simple," Sokov replied as usual: "Because I don't plan to promote the flying thunder cannons across the entire army, I can only ask the commander to go there in person."
"Why?" Sokov's words surprised everyone. Ivanov asked the question on behalf of everyone: "If the flying thunder cannon is promoted within the entire army, can we eliminate more enemies?"
"That's right, theoretically speaking, doing so can eliminate more enemies." Sokov did not explain his reasons directly to everyone, but asked: "I think everyone has seen the power of the flying thunder cannon. But have you ever thought about what kind of results will be if the enemy uses the flying thunder cannon to deal with us? Will we still be able to defend the Mamayev hill at that time?"
"That's not to be able to defend," said the power of the thunder cannon. Not to mention Ivanov and the commander with rich combat experience like Sidolin, even the political commissar Anisimov knew very well. As soon as Sokov finished speaking, he blurted out: "I heard from the warriors who cleaned the battlefield that some of the enemies' bodies were injured from the outside, but were killed by the shock waves generated by the explosion. If the enemy used the same weapon to deal with us, even if we hid in the tunnel, there would be no small casualties."
This statement was spoken by the political commissar who was a layman in military affairs, which was far more convincing to those present than Sokov, so all the objections disappeared. Everyone believed that if we wanted to protect the Mamayev hill, this kind of thunder cannon technology could not be taught to other troops casually, and even the Third Battalion in the city could not allow them to master this technology, so as not to cause unnecessary leakage.
Cuikov was eager to understand what new defensive weapons Sokov had invented. After explaining to Krelov a few words, he hurried to Mamayev's hill with several guards.
There were observation posts arranged by Sokov from both hills in the north and south. Cui Kov and his party were two or three kilometers away from Beigang, and they were discovered by the observation post. The observation post quickly called Sokov and reported to him the news that the commander was coming towards Beigang.
Sokov put down the phone and thought that he might be scolded by himself when he went to see Cuikov alone, so he decided to pull Ivanov up and let the other party be his own shield when necessary. He said to Ivanov politely: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, Comrade Commander is about to arrive in Beigang, let's go to greet him."
Ivanov never dreamed that Sokov called his real purpose to divert Cuikov's attention, so he agreed very readily: "Okay, comrade, let's go now."
When the two of them came to the Beigang command post along the tunnel, they found Cuikov sitting inside and talking to Lieutenant Colonel Yershakov, the commander of the 125th Regiment. Seeing Sokov and the others walking in, Yershakov quickly stood up and saluted them: "Teacher Commander, Deputy Commander, Hello!"
The two Sokov nodded at Yershakov, then quickly came to Cuikov, raised their hand to salute him, and reported according to the regulations: "Comrade Commander, Sokov, Commander of the 41st Division of the Guards, and Deputy Commander Ivanov, report to you, we obey your orders, please instruct!"
Cuikov raised his hand and returned a whisper, saying impatiently: "Col. Sokov, Lieutenant Colonel Yershakov has just introduced me to the thunder cannon you used. Since there is such a powerful weapon, why not report to us in time and promote it within the entire army. Do you know how much the Germans would pay if every unit fighting in the factory was equipped with such weapons?"
When Sokov saw that Cuikov was indeed meeting, he questioned him for his insult. He smiled bitterly and was about to explain his difficulties to him, but Ivanov said first: "Comrade Commander, can you listen to my explanation?"
Although Cuikov was extremely dissatisfied with Sokov, his attitude towards Ivanov was much better. He nodded slightly and said, "Col. Ivanov, just say whatever you have."
"When the division commander made no promotion of this new weapon to other troops, we also had different opinions." Ivanov said this, instinctively glanced at Sokov, and saw that the other party staring forward without squintingly, he continued: "But after his explanation, we felt that his concerns were correct, so everyone agreed not to promote this weapon to other troops."
If Sokov said this at this moment, Cuikov probably wouldn't have the heart to listen to his explanation. However, since it was Ivanov's words, out of politeness, he still wanted to hear what the reason was. He raised his chin at the other party, "Tell me, what are Colonel Sokov's concerns?"
"Col. Sokov said that this weapon is powerful and is very effective against tanks, armored vehicles, field fortifications and dense combat formations." Ivanov said to Cuikov: "If it is promoted within the entire army, some thunder cannons will definitely be captured by the enemy. Once this thing falls into the hands of the enemy and then deals with us in reverse, we may not be able to withstand the enemy's attack."
After listening to Ivanov's explanation, the expression on Cuikov's face became much softer. Then he looked at Sokov and asked, "Col. Sokov, is what Ivanov said true?"
"Yes, Comrade Commander, our army has no perfection in the factory area in the north of the city. It has strong fortifications. Once the enemy uses thunder cannons to deal with our defenders, our commanders and soldiers will not be able to block the enemy's attack." Sokov said this and paused for a moment. Seeing that Cui Kov showed no sign of getting angry, he continued to say: "Also, the amount of explosives required for this thunder cannon is very amazing. One explosive pack weighs ten kilograms, and one hundred explosive packs requires one ton of explosives. Even if we are not worried that the enemy will seize this thunder cannon, there is not enough explosives reserve in the city to meet the needs of so many thunder cannons."
After Sokov finished speaking, he did not express his opinion, but stood up and said to him: "Take me to see this kind of flying thunder cannon!"
When he learned that Cuikov was going to the surface position to see the flying thunder cannons, Yershakov quickly reminded Sokov in a low voice: "Comrade Commander, the top of the mountain is too dangerous. There may be enemy snipers hidden nearby. Why not let the soldiers take a flying thunder cannon and let the commander see it?"
"Don't worry," Sokov waved his hand at Yershakov and said confidently: "After the battle just now, there will be no living enemy within 500 meters. Even if there are snipers, their chances of hitting the target at 500 meters are almost zero."
Sokov took Cuikov to the top of the mountain in Beigang and introduced him to the flying thunder cannon placed in front of the position: "Comrade Commander, this is our flying thunder cannon. The projectile barrel of the explosive package is an empty gasoline barrel. After burying it underground, fill the oil barrel with launching medicine, then put the explosive package tied into a disc-shaped one, and then ignite the launching medicine, and then the explosive package weighing ten kilograms can be cast into the enemy's attacking queue.
The range of the flying thunder cannon is not far, only about 150 to 200 meters. However, due to the large size of the explosive package, the strong explosion impact generated during the explosion will blow up all the strong fortifications. According to our observation, enemies within ten meters of explosion will certainly be blown to pieces, even enemies within 20 meters of radius will be shocked to death."
Cuikov walked around an empty oil barrel buried in the ground twice, looked at the simple new weapon carefully, and said with emotion: "Col. Sokov, I really didn't expect that you could actually develop such a powerful weapon. When we want to attack the enemy's strong positions in the future, this thing will be used."
"Although this flying thunder cannon is powerful, it also has many shortcomings." Sokov sighed softly and continued to introduce to Cui Kov: "First of all, the accuracy is poor. The gasoline barrel only fixes the direction of the explosive pack, and how far the explosive pack can be thrown depends entirely on the angle of the gasoline barrel and the amount of the emitted medicine. Therefore, when used, we can only use dense attacks to achieve the ideal effect.
Secondly, since it takes a long time to bury the oil barrel, once the enemy discovers it, it may cause artillery or bombing. Therefore, the best place to use is to fight the defensive battle in front of you or the future battle against the enemy.
Third, the safety factor of this thunderbolt cannon is very poor. It is possible that when it is launched, the chamber explodes and causes a large number of casualties among the surrounding soldiers..."
Through Sokov's explanation, Cuikov realized that he had blamed Sokov for wrong reasons. He raised his hand and patted Sokov's shoulder twice, saying, "Col. Sokov, your decision is correct. Under the current circumstances, this kind of flying thunder cannon is indeed not suitable for promotion in other troops except for you."
Seeing that Cui Kov no longer held him responsible, Sokov felt relieved in his heart. He asked tentatively: "Comrade Commander, I want to ask, how is the situation in the factory area?"
Chapter completed!