"Misha, aren't you making things difficult for me?" Yakov replied with a wry smile: "I am a weapons and equipment department, not a logistics and transportation unit. Where can I find you the equipment to cross the river?"
"Yasha!" Sokov suddenly remembered the hovercraft. After getting the drawings provided by him, the military industry department started research and development for half a year. I don't know what the progress is now. "I want to ask, can the hovercraft be put into actual combat?
"
Sokov heard Yakov mention it a few months ago, saying that hovercraft prototypes have been produced and can reach a speed of sixty knots. Unfortunately, the load capacity is limited and can only carry 20 commanders and fighters at a time, or five tons of cargo. Its load capacity is only
It is equivalent to a heavy-duty truck. Now that so much time has passed, I don’t know how it has been improved.
After a brief silence, Yakov replied: "Misha, after improvements by military industry experts, today's hovercraft is divided into two types: one is an assault hovercraft, which can carry 7 soldiers and a 14.5 mm anti-aircraft machine gun;
One is a transport hovercraft, which due to the location of the space can only carry 30 soldiers or eight tons of cargo."
"What about the driving speed? Is it still sixty knots?"
"Yes, the hovercraft's top speed is still sixty knots." Yakov explained: "When traveling on the water, the speed is thirty-five to fifty knots."
"Yasha, this is great." After listening to the data reported by Yakov, Sokov couldn't help but feel ecstatic. He quickly asked: "Our attack will start soon. I wonder if you can give us
How many hovercrafts are provided?”
"Misha, I need to ask Comrade Ustinov for instructions on this matter." If it were other equipment, Yakov might have agreed on his own initiative, but when it came to something like this that had just been developed, he didn't.
Dare to casually agree to Sokov: "If he allows it, I can provide you with 10 assault ships and 12 transport ships."
"Then you go and ask for instructions as soon as possible." Sokov urged: "I am pressed for time here, transport it as soon as possible, so that I can familiarize the soldiers with this transportation tool early so that it can be used in actual combat."
After getting Yakov's promise, Sokov put down the phone, breathed a sigh of relief, and said to Samyko and Lunev standing aside: "Colonel Yakov needs to ask Comrade Ustinov
Please ask for instructions, and once approved, the river crossing equipment we need can be sent to us."
Before Lunev came from Moscow to serve as Sokov's deputy, he had seen a hovercraft in the weapons and equipment department. Now that he heard what Sokov said, he asked tentatively: "Is it that kind of mysterious transportation vehicle?"
"That's right, Comrade Military Commissar." Sokov nodded and said, "It's the kind of transport you've seen."
Hearing the riddle-like conversation between Sokov and Lunev, Samyko looked confused and said: "Comrade Commander, Comrade Military Commissar, what are you talking about? Why can't I understand at all?"
"Comrade Chief of Staff, let me explain it to you." Since Samyko was his most capable assistant, Sokov naturally would not hide anything from him, so he explained: "The Weapons and Equipment Department has newly developed
A transportation vehicle called a hovercraft can help us transport the assault troops to the other side of the river."
"Transportation?" When he heard the word, Sameko couldn't help but feel disappointed: "Comrade Commander, I wonder how many people this kind of transportation can carry at a time?"
"There are two types of hovercraft. One is an assault hovercraft, which can carry 7 soldiers and a 14.5mm anti-aircraft machine gun; and the other is a transport hovercraft, which can carry 30 soldiers or eight tons of cargo."
"Hovercraft?!" After Sammeko read the unfamiliar word several times, he frowned and said, "What is this? Why have I never heard of it?"
"How do I put it?" Sokov couldn't explain to Samek what a hovercraft was. He could only say briefly: "It is a means of transportation that can travel on various terrains."
"A means of transportation that travels on various terrains?" Samyko repeated Sokov's last sentence and asked in surprise: "Including water?"
"Comrade Chief of Staff, don't you understand what the commander means?" Lunev said with a smile: "The so-called various terrains mean that this kind of transportation can not only travel on land, but also in lakes and swamps.
Driving. Even in winter, you can drive at high speed on snowy roads."
After listening to Luniev's explanation, Samyko's eyes widened in surprise: "Comrade Military Commissar, is everything you said true? Can this kind of hovercraft really travel at high speed on water and snow?"
"That's right." It was Sokov who answered this time: "Comrade Military Commissar is right. This newly developed hovercraft was designed by me and can operate on any complex terrain."
"Comrade Commander, may I ask what the speed of the hovercraft is?"
"The designed maximum speed is 60 knots. But now when traveling on the water, the speed can only reach 35 to 50 knots."
"That's enough." After learning about the performance of the hovercraft, Sameko seemed particularly excited: "Comrade Commander, if the hovercraft is really as magical as you said, we can completely let the assault force fly two to three hundred meters away from the river bank.
We must gather together and then attack the enemy unexpectedly. At a distance of four to five hundred meters, it only takes two or three minutes. Before the enemy can make any reaction, our assault troops can rush in front of the enemy and catch them off guard."
"Yakov promised me that as long as Comrade Ustinov agrees, he can give us 10 assault hovercraft and 12 transport hovercraft."
"Oh my God." Lunev counted the numbers according to Sokov and exclaimed in surprise: "These hovercrafts can transport almost a battalion of troops to the other side at a time. Marine Corps War
With four battalions in the brigade, plus various weapons and equipment, it only takes about five or six trips."
"Comrade Commander, if we can really obtain these hovercrafts, I don't think there is any need to build a pontoon bridge on the river." Sameko said with a relaxed expression: "We can completely use hovercrafts to transport troops and supplies to the other side."
"Comrade Chief of Staff, no matter how many hovercrafts our superiors give us, we must have pontoons on the river." Sokov saw that Samyko was a little drifting, and quickly reminded him: "You know, no matter how good the performance of the hovercraft is, it is possible to
Malfunction occurs, or is hit by enemy artillery fire. If an accident occurs and the transportation line established by the hovercraft is interrupted, and we do not have a pontoon bridge on the river, our troops on the other side of the river will become a lone force.
.Once the enemy launches a massive counterattack, we can only watch helplessly as they are annihilated by the enemy."
After reminding Samek, Sokov continued: "Also, the commanders and fighters have never seen a hovercraft, so they must not be able to use it skillfully. Chief of Staff, once the hovercraft arrives, immediately find a place to attack the soldiers.
Training, especially for troops on assault missions, must make them familiar with the use of hovercrafts in a short period of time."
"Understood, Comrade Commander." Sameko quickly replied: "I will arrange a training venue as soon as possible to train those troops who are responsible for assault missions."
"Comrade Chief of Staff, where do you plan to locate the training location?" Sokov asked.
"In the forest northwest of Yakovlevo town, there is a large swamp." Samyko said: "We can choose the training venue there and test the actual performance of the hovercraft."
Sokov and his colleagues were discussing how to use hovercraft in actual combat. Yakov picked up the phone on the table, dialed a number and asked politely: "Hello, may I ask Comrade Ustinov?
In the office?"
"I have something important that I need to report to him face to face."
"Okay, I'll go right away."
A few minutes later, Yakov appeared in front of Ustinov.
Ustinov put down the documents in his hand, looked up at Yakov and asked: "Colonel Yakov, are you looking for me urgently? Is there anything important you have to do?"
"Comrade People's Commissar!" Yakov said respectfully: "I just received a call from Major General Sokov. He said that his troops will launch an attack on the enemy in the near future. But his defense area and the enemy's defense area are
But it is blocked by a river, and he hopes that we can provide him with a batch of river crossing equipment."
"Hell, he needs the equipment to cross the river. He should go to the logistics department. What's the use of us?"
"People's Commissar, that's what I said when he called." Yakov said with some embarrassment: "What he wants is the hovercraft we just successfully developed."
"What, he wants a hovercraft?"
"Yes, hovercraft!"
"Colonel Yakov!" Ustinov said with a straight face: "As a commander of the Weapons and Equipment Department, you should understand that the hovercraft is a transportation tool we have just successfully developed. If it is provided to Sokov's troops
, which is equivalent to telling the enemy that we have developed a transportation tool that can be used on any terrain."
"You are right, Comrade People's Commissar." Yakov agreed with Ustinov's words: "That's true."
"Since you know that handing over the hovercraft to Sokov's troops may lead to the leakage of our new equipment, why do you still do it?"
Seeing Ustinov's cold face, Yakov did not feel scared at all. Instead, he said without humility or condescension: "Comrade People's Commissar, the reason why I stand in front of you is to ask you to allow Sokov's
The troops use the newly developed hovercraft, firstly, because Sokov is originally the designer of the hovercraft; secondly, we have not completed all the tests of the hovercraft, and we have given it to Sokov's troops to use, so that all tests can be completed on the battlefield.
Work."
The two reasons given by Yakov made Ustinov really unable to object. The hovercraft was originally designed by Sokov, and the work of the weapons and equipment department was just to turn the drawings into physical objects. And it was developed
The purpose of producing hovercraft is to use it on the battlefield. Now the basic testing has been completed, but it has not yet been tested in actual combat. If it is equipped to Sokov's troops, they can complete the actual combat testing.
Ustinov was silent for a few minutes, picked up the cigarette case on the table, took out a cigarette and lit it. After taking a puff, he said to Yakov: "Colonel Yakov, what you said makes some sense.
The hovercraft was invented by Sokov. It is not impossible to hand it over to his troops for testing on the battlefield. But you have to personally lead the team to the front line to collect various test data. By the way, what are you going to give Sokov?
How many hovercrafts does the force have?”
"I have made an agreement with Sokov to give him 10 assault hovercraft and 12 transport hovercraft."
"By doing this, you are giving all the hovercraft, except the samples, to Sokov's troops."
Hearing what Ustinov said, Yakov immediately realized that the other party agreed to provide hovercraft to Sokov's troops. He quickly raised his hand and saluted Ustinov with a solemn military salute, and said excitedly: "People's Commissar
Comrade, on behalf of Major General Sokov, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to you."
"Colonel Yakov." After the muscles on Ustinov's face twitched twice, he stared at Yakov: "When you go to the front line this time, remember to bring a few more professional and technical personnel. What will happen if you encounter a hovercraft?
If there is a malfunction, they can repair it in a timely manner.”
"I understand." After Yakov agreed, he made a new request: "Comrade People's Commissar, the transportation capacity is tight now. I am afraid that the transportation of these hovercrafts requires you to come forward in person and say hello to the comrades in charge of logistics and transportation.
.”
Ustinov smiled bitterly and shook his head, then picked up the phone in front of him, dialed the number and said into the phone: "I am Ustinov, please call General Khrulev's office."
When the operator learned that it was the People's Commissar who wanted to speak to the logistics director, he didn't dare to neglect and hurriedly answered the call.
"General Khrulev? I am Ustinov."
"The situation is like this. We have a batch of emergency supplies that are ready to be shipped to the 27th Army in the south of Kursk. Do you think you can arrange a truck for us as soon as possible to transport these supplies?"
"How many carriages are needed? Let me think about it, it will take about six carriages."
"What, the train can only reach the Oboyan area, and the rest of the journey can only be transferred to a car. Well, I understand."
"General Khrulev, I will send Colonel Yakov to you later to study the carriage. Yes, that's right, it is the son of the Supreme Commander himself - Yakov."
Before Yakov went to the logistics department to find Khrulev, he felt that he needed to inform Sokov of the final results so that he would be well aware of it.
As soon as the phone call came through, he said excitedly: "Misha, I have good news for you. Ustinov informed that he has agreed to deliver the hovercraft to your troops, and he also sent me to bring people to assist you. Among the accompanying personnel
, there are many technicians who are responsible for dealing with possible problems that may arise with the hovercraft."
"When will you arrive?" Sokov asked.
"I think it will probably have to wait until tomorrow evening at the earliest. After all, we haven't been able to contact the transportation vehicle yet."
