If there are mine-sweeping tanks, it goes without saying how to fight this battle.
Landmines would hinder the advance of enemy troops but would have no effect on the Soviet troops.
In other words, the German armored forces were trapped in a vast quagmire of mines, while the Soviet troops were able to move in and out unimpeded.
Therefore, even with a small number of Soviet tanks, it was possible to win.
The problem is...Shurka and others don't know how far the development of this mine-sweeping tank has progressed.
But now there seems to be no other choice. After Major Zahakavich reported the problem to Zhukov, Zhukov seemed to agree with the views of Shulka and others.
"We cannot attack rashly!" Zhukov said: "The enemy's attack is obviously hesitant, and they are very cautious in advancing step by step. I believe that these *** invaders are worried about the counterattack of the 4th Tank Brigade. If
Let them know that the 4th Tank Brigade only has a few dozen tanks, or that the 4th Tank Brigade was wiped out by them during the attack, then they will march towards Moscow with confidence, and attack from all directions at the same time. Then we
It’s dangerous!”
This is one of the reasons why Zhukov kept the Fourth Tank Brigade strictly secret. They must not let the enemy know that the Fourth Tank Brigade was so weak that it could not even organize a counterattack.
Then Zhukov said: "Hold on, our reinforcements will arrive soon!"
Although this sentence was just mentioned casually, Zahakawicz and others heard it with curiosity and excitement.
Needless to say, I am excited. It is certainly a good thing to have reinforcements.
I am curious because at this time, the Soviet army can be said to have basically exhausted all the troops in the rear. Even if there are reinforcements, they are militiamen without combat effectiveness... Although these militiamen are enthusiastic, they are poorly trained and equipped. In the German armored forces,
It can be said that they are almost vulnerable to attack and can only be regarded as cannon fodder to die. They are even sometimes used by the German army, such as defeating them and rushing towards the Soviet defense line like chasing ducks.
So, which other support force is worth mentioning by Zhukov?!
Shulka knew what kind of reinforcements this was...the Far Eastern Front.
The Soviet Supreme Command had not dared to mobilize the Far East Front to reinforce Moscow because it was worried that Japan would cooperate with the German army in launching an attack.
(Note: At this time, the Japanese Kwantung Army was stationed in Northeast China and was eyeing the Soviet army. In 1939, two years ago, they fought the Battle of Nomonhan, and the Japanese army suffered a disastrous defeat)
At this time, the Soviet Supreme Command learned from spies that the Japanese army had no intention of attacking the Soviet army, so it urgently transferred reinforcements from the Far East.
These troops were vastly different from the troops that the Soviet army had hastily formed with poor quality and poor equipment.
First of all, most of them are Siberians who have lived in cold Siberia for a long time. They have long been accustomed to the cold and have a method of fighting in the cold, which is very suitable for fighting in Moscow in winter.
Secondly, a considerable number of them are veterans who fought with the Japanese two years ago and have rich combat experience and training. (Note: The Battle of Nomenhan lasted four months)
Therefore, modern historians believe that the reason why the German army was unable to capture Moscow during World War II was not only due to weather reasons, but also because of the new force coming from the Far East to support it.
Of course, the fourth tank brigade should now be added.
Hearing this, Shulka couldn't help but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
From the beginning, Shulka was worried that he would not be able to support the reinforcements of this force... He saved Kiev and allowed the German army to attack Moscow one month in advance. This gave an extra month of gap between the arrival of reinforcements from the Far East and the German attack.
.
Now, it seems that he is about to fill this gap.
Then, Zhukov gave the order, and Kalashnikov rushed to Moscow that night.
When Kalashnikov saw Shulka, he gave him a warm hug.
"Comrade Shulka!" Kalashnikov patted Shulka on the shoulder and smiled: "I heard about your combat deeds, and they all said that leaving the Fourth Tank Brigade was a wrong choice for me..."
"Why?" Shulka asked doubtfully.
"Because if I were still by your side, I might be a hero now!"
"Do you think so too?" Shulka asked.
"Sometimes I do think so!" Kalashnikov replied: "But I don't regret it, because I think you are right, I like my current life and study those equipment!"
"That's good!" Shulka breathed a sigh of relief, and then asked: "Has the mine clearance tank been developed?"
"Of course!" Kalashnikov replied: "I've brought it with me!"
The experimental site is also in the basement...it was originally used to park tanks, but there are only 26 tanks left, and a large area of space is vacant and has been cordoned off by guards for experiments.
Just as Shurka imagined, the demining tank is actually a large hollow iron roller added to the front of the tank.
"We use T26 for modification!" Kalashnikov introduced: "The reason is that T26 is safer and has much better maneuverability than other tanks, and it is also lighter!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
In fact, the best tank is the T34, but the T34 should be used in combat. Converting it into a mine clearance tank is simply a waste of resources.
"We designed the rollers in front of it to be as wide as the tank!" Kalashnikov continued: "This way it can ensure that the tank tracks will not be damaged by mines!"
This is the lesson learned from Shi Nianzi before.
The stone roller is not as wide as the tank, so some mines or even anti-tank mines will inevitably slip through the edge and be rolled over by the tank tracks, followed by a "boom"... You don't have to worry about this problem now.
"It's so high!" Kalashnikov stepped forward and patted the tall roller: "It's almost the height of a tank. We only left a little space at the top of the tank, and we installed a downward-looking periscope here!"
"Does this make it more protective?" Shulka asked.
"Yes!" Kalashnikov raised his thumb and pointed at Shulka: "Nothing can escape your eyes, Comrade Shulka... In other words, it can not only clear mines, but the rollers in front can also become
As part of the protection, we set its thickness to 15 mm. If the enemy anti-tank wants to penetrate it, it will have to pass through two layers, which is 30 mm. Plus the 15 mm armor thickness of the T26 itself, which is 45 mm. This
It’s almost the thickness of the T34’s armor!”
Shurka looked at Zahakawicz and others and saw them nodding repeatedly.
If the frontal protection reaches the level of T34, it can better cooperate with T34.
"How is the performance on muddy terrain?" Major Gavrilov asked.
"That's not a problem, Major!" Major Zahakawicz said: "The temperature has dropped and most of those muddy fields have frozen!"