In fact, it was not just Wang Xuexin and the leaders who were worried about the "Blitzkrieg", but Shinta Kono was also worried about it.
What worries Kono Shinta is that Okamura Neiji asked him, as a military adviser, to serve as a staff member to organize this "blitzkrieg" against the Eighth Route Army's "high fire" and x1.
Before it was implemented, Shinta Kono thought it would not be difficult.
Because he knew how to fight a "blitzkrieg", and Neji Okamura had an army in his hands, so at most he would just organize a few exercises. How difficult could it be to fight a "blitzkrieg"?
However, after actually coming into contact with the imperial army, he realized that this was not the case.
The first is the hardware aspect.
Not only did the imperial army have no paratroopers available, but the communication equipment was far below the requirements of the "Blitzkrieg". What was even more serious was the transportation means of the mechanized troops...
The main force Hans used to transport troops was half-track armored vehicles, while the Japs used cars.
It goes without saying what the difference between the two is.
Cars have almost no protective armor. If they are ambushed by the enemy while running on the road, the people in the car will be piled up and shot. If it were not for the weak firepower of the Eighth Route Army, this method of transportation of the Japanese can almost be said to be a death penalty.
Half-track armored vehicles are different.
Its armor protection can block bullets and shrapnel, providing a certain amount of cover for the soldiers on the vehicle.
What's more important is that half-track armored vehicles have much stronger off-road capabilities than cars because of their "half-tracks". It can be said that half-track vehicles can basically go where tanks can go.
The latter is quite important.
Because if there are areas where tanks can move but cars cannot, the infantry will have to get out of the car and follow on foot, and the tanks will have to slow down to wait for the infantry, so the marching speed is the walking speed of the infantry.
But if the infantry uses a half-track armored vehicle, the half-track armored vehicle can go where the tank can, even faster than the tank, then the marching speed is calculated based on the speed of the tank.
The speed of infantry and the speed of tanks are the same in the sky and on the ground, not to mention the firepower, protection, transportation capabilities and other advantages of half-track armored vehicles that infantry cannot match at all.
Kono Shinta said to Okamura Neiji: "Only with high speed can it be possible to fight a 'blitzkrieg'. If our army uses cars, a means of transportation that relies heavily on roads, it will easily be blocked by the enemy on the road and get into a bitter battle. Naturally,
The 'Blitzkrieg' cannot be carried out!"
This made Okamura Neji a little embarrassed.
Because all along, the empire's development of armored vehicles has actually been in the wrong direction.
Armored vehicles from other countries, if they have a small crew and weak firepower, are basically used by security forces in low-intensity operations against guerrillas, and are rarely incorporated into regular troops for battlefield use.
Because the survivability of this kind of armored vehicle on the battlefield is too weak, the armor will be penetrated by heavy machine guns, and the firepower is only machine guns, which is simply useless.
If it has a large crew and is used to transport troops, infantry can be used to coordinate with tanks.
However, the empire directly put the armored vehicles originally used for security operations into the battlefield... and they seemed to be very useful.
This is mainly because the empire's battlefield is in China, and it faces Chinese troops who lack firepower, so even armored vehicles can move sideways.
For example, the Empire's Type 90 armored vehicles and Type 91 armored vehicles once appeared on the frontal battlefield of the Battle of Songhu.
However, there is a saying that goes: "Born in sorrow and died in happiness."
It is precisely because the empire's opponents are too weak and the empire's existing backward equipment and outdated tactics can meet its needs that the empire's military industry fails to forge ahead and fails to keep up with the times and develop equipment that can keep up with the times.
For example, the Type 90 armored vehicle can only have three members.
Another example is the Type 91 armored vehicle, which has 4 members.
Their use as armored personnel carriers is clearly inappropriate.
(Note: The Japanese's Type One Half-Track Armored Personnel Carrier did not enter service until 1943 and can carry 15 people)
After thinking about it, Neji Okamura said: "Well, Kono-kun! If the emphasis is on speed and off-road ability, I think we can use a sidecar motorcycle (three-wheeled sidecar) instead!"
Kono Shinta frowned, then nodded helplessly: "That's all we can do!"
Biansanlun can only be said to barely meet the standard.
Because compared with tracked armored vehicles, it has shortcomings such as poor transportation capacity, insufficient protection, and insufficient firepower.
But when there are no other means of transportation available, the off-road capability of the three-wheeler can still keep up with that of a tank.
In terms of tank selection, Kono Shinta was beyond Okamura Neiji's expectations. He did not choose the Empire's first "Type 1" tank, nor did he choose the Type 97, which is known as the main force of the Empire's tanks, but chose a small size.
, the Type 95 tank with weak firepower.
In this regard, Okamura Neiji reminded: "Kono-kun, you may not understand that the enemy is equipped with T34 tanks from Mao Xiong, and the Type 95 light tank has no chance of winning against them. In addition, the enemy is also equipped with
A large number of 'shoulder-fired spray bombs', which they call 'rocket grenades', can penetrate at least 50mm of armor, while the frontal armor of the Type 95 light combatant is only 12mm!"
"I know, General!" Kono Shinta opened the information in his hand and showed it in front of Okamura Neiji: "All the data and intelligence are recorded here, I have read them all."
"So, you still choose the 95 light battle?" Neji Okamura couldn't understand Shinta Kono's operation.
"Of course!" Kono Shinta replied without thinking: "Although the 95 Light Combat has many shortcomings, it is the 'God of Maintenance', isn't it?"
"This is indeed true!" Neji Okamura nodded and replied: "With maintenance, it can travel 1,000 kilometers without failure. If there is no maintenance, it can guarantee a march of 250 kilometers!"
Shinta Kono pointed at the map and said: "And the enemy is only about two hundred kilometers away from us..."
Then Okamura Neiji understood, he nodded and said: "What you want is fast, and no need for maintenance along the way?"
"No, it also has cross-country capabilities!" Kono Shinta added: "Because the 95 Light Combat is light in weight, it is not easily trapped by the terrain and can flexibly bypass the enemy's defensive front. I think these are more important than firepower and defense.
Because only a tank that can reach its destination is a useful tank. What's more, if we have
With air superiority, the enemy's T34 tanks can be dealt with by our air force, the enemy's rocket launchers can be dealt with by our infantry, and our army's 95 light combat... they are used to deal with enemy infantry, and they can cover our soldiers quickly
Break through enemy lines, capture the destination and capture what we want!"
Okamura Neji nodded with satisfaction.
He felt that he had found the right person, and it seemed that this was how the "Blitzkrieg" should be fought.