When Chen Songyong saw Wang Xuexin staring intently at Duolun County, he certainly understood what Wang Xuexin was thinking.
He said: "Captain, it is said that the Japanese have produced two more Tigers and shipped them to Duolun County. In addition, the Tigers are still training frequently. I don't know what they are up to!"
The information he received was that Japanese tanks went out of the city for training many times, and they performed snake-like maneuvers in the wilderness.
Chen Songyong was confused because it was a "Tiger Type". Not only was it a gas-powered machine, it was also prone to malfunctions. The Japanese were actually willing to let the "Tiger Type" leave the city frequently for training...
Wang Xuexin said "hmm" and replied: "They are practicing how to avoid anti-tank missiles!"
"Hide anti-tank missiles?" Chen Songyong was stunned for a moment and then understood immediately.
This is not difficult to guess. The "Tiger" is almost invincible in other aspects. It is not afraid of Eighth Route Army tanks or artillery. Even tanks are powerless against it. Only anti-tank missiles can blow it up.
So if the current training is not to deal with this, what else can it do?
Wang Xuexin's guess was correct. The Japanese had indeed found a tactic to deal with anti-tank missiles.
To be precise, it was not the Japanese who found it, but Shinta Kono sent the problem to Hans, and then Hans gathered more than a dozen military experts to study it.
No wonder Hans takes it so seriously.
Because the "Tiger" is one of Hans' most important equipment, if the Eighth Route Army's anti-tank missiles can easily destroy the Japanese "Tiger", does that mean that Mao Xiong or Yingjiang can also easily destroy it one day?
Tiger style”?
If the thing that could destroy the "Tiger" was a ground attack aircraft or an anti-tank gun, then Hans might not take it seriously. After all, these things can indeed do it.
But now the Eighth Route Army actually has a piece of individual equipment that can destroy the "Tiger"... This makes Hans' generals feel numb!
No matter how expensive this individual soldier's equipment is, it shouldn't cost more than a few thousand Reichsmarks, but it can destroy a "Tiger" worth hundreds of thousands of Reichsmarks, not counting the tank soldiers in the "Tiger".
So the same thought as Naosaburo Okabe flashed through the mind of General Hans: Is it necessary to develop and produce tanks?
More than a dozen military experts and scientists gathered together to study for a long time. They made a series of analyzes based on the battle reports sent by the Japanese:
"This kind of bomb can change its trajectory on its own. We have reason to believe that it uses missile technology! In other words, like the anti-air missiles used by the Eighth Route Army, it should be guided by wires!"
"If it is wire-guided, the shooter must always keep an eye on the target and constantly control the missile according to the target's position changes!"
"The missile is very fast. I believe such an operation is not simple."
…
Therefore, Hans gave several suggestions: mobile combat, confuse the enemy's sight, and urgently change speed or direction once targeted.
The Japanese are training according to these suggestions.
Objectively speaking, these suggestions are all reliable, especially mobile combat...Mobile combat not only makes it difficult for anti-tank missiles to aim at the target, it may even exceed the range of anti-tank missiles at any time.
From this, Wang Xuexin thought of the cordons built by the Japanese. These cordons may have been tailor-made for the "Tiger"'s mobile operations.
This aspect was Shinta Kono's idea, not Hans's.
This is what Shinta Kono said to Naosaburo Okabe: "Your Excellency, General, if we are going to conduct mobile operations in the wilderness, why don't we make preparations for the Tiger tank first?"
"What preparations?" Naosaburo Okabe asked.
Taro Kono drew several lines between Jiulian Town and Duolun County and said: "We can build trenches to divide the battlefield into several pieces, making it difficult for enemy tanks and mechanized troops to approach our troops. If we fight at a distance,
, our army’s ‘Tiger Style’ is undefeated!”
Naosaburo Okabe looked at the cordons and asked doubtfully: "In this case, wouldn't our "Tiger" also be trapped?"
"Your Excellency, General!" Kono Shinta replied: "We can build several 'Tiger' special passages at locations unknown to the enemy. On the surface, it looks the same as other places, but in fact it is a hard road filled with reinforced concrete. 'Tiger'
"You can quickly cross from these positions. If the mechanized troops of the Eighth Route Army want to pass through, they will be trapped in these positions and be hit by our army's artillery fire!"
Naosaburo Okabe touched his chin and felt that Kono Shinta's idea was a good one. It was both mobile combat in the wilderness and had considerable defensive power. What's more, building a defense line did not require the imperial army's effort at all, and a group of Chinese laborers.
That’s it.
Thinking of this, he agreed to Kono Shinta's plan without any hesitation.
So the road from Jiulian Town to Duolun County was divided into several parts.
The Japanese "Tiger" will take advantage of this...the Eighth Route Army cannot use its speed advantage to quickly penetrate and encircle, while the "Tiger" can use its long range and thick armor to do whatever it wants.
After a moment of silence, Wang Xuexin asked: "How is the production progress of the tank?"
Chen Songyong reported: "Because we plan to change the gun, the production speed will lag. It may be a month before the first tank comes off the production line."
Then Chen Songyong flipped through the documents and said: "Tank guns have been produced, and the process is much simpler than rifled guns, but Bear consultant Belinnekov strongly recommends that we use rifled guns!"
Wang Xuexin said "hmm".
Belinnikov has mentioned this matter to Wang Xuexin several times. This guy was sent by Mao Xiong to assist the Eighth Route Army in building the production line.
Of course the Eighth Route Army would not let him know about the "tail-stabilized discarding sabots", so he came to Wang Xuexin over and over again:
"God, there are actually people who have replaced rifled cannons with smoothbore cannons! Are you crazy?"
"You know, that's the 'Tiger', Hans's 'Tiger', I know exactly what it is!"
"I don't feel sorry for your tank crews, I feel sorry for the tanks we produced!"
"I don't want tanks to go to the battlefield and die in vain!"
…
It should be said that this bear consultant is still very responsible. Otherwise, if you want smoothbore cannons, just smoothbore cannons. What does it have to do with me?
But he would persist in persuading Wang Xuexin so much that calluses almost grew on his ears.
Although he said it was not for the Eighth Route Army soldiers but for the tanks he produced...but these tanks were also produced by China.
Wang Xuexin could see that Belinnikov was worried about people rather than tanks. He could not just watch the soldiers go to the battlefield and die, even though these soldiers were not from his country.
In the end, Wang Xuexin only said: "Speed up the production schedule, and if we want to conquer Duolun County, we have to wait for new tanks!"