"How many minesweepers like this do we have?" Major Zakhakovich asked.
"Ten of the first batch have been produced!" Kalashnikov replied.
"What about speed?" Major Zahakavich asked again.
"The same speed as the original speed, still 30 kilometers per hour!" Kalashnikov then walked to the body part and raised his hands and said: "Although it increased the weight of the drum, it no longer needs artillery, so we dismantled it
It has a fake gun barrel installed on it, and it doesn’t need to carry artillery shells. It only has a coaxial machine gun for self-defense!”
Major Zahakawicz nodded.
As a tank soldier, he knew that dismantling the artillery was the right thing to do. The T26 was a light tank with only three members: a driver, a loader and the gunner.
Of course, the commander of the vehicle is also held by a member of the vehicle crew. As a result, everyone has a heavy burden on their shoulders, and situations often arise in which they cannot balance the responsibility during combat.
If the task of demining is added at this time... it will be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
At the same time, the demining task is not easy at all, because it requires close coordination with the main tank, because it clears a path for the main tank to advance. Insufficient coordination may cause tragic consequences.
In addition, after installing the demining roller, part of the tank gun's firing range will be blocked, and its role on the battlefield will be very limited, so it was simply cancelled.
In this way, the free gunner and loader can serve as machine gunner and electromechanical operator respectively... This kind of demining tank is only equipped with a small number of radios. The so-called electromechanical operator actually communicates with the following infantry through the tank phone. He usually serves as the commander at the same time.
The machine gunner is responsible for controlling the parallel machine gun and sight.
"We need 20 vehicles!" Major Zahakawicz said: "And at least one of every ten vehicles should be equipped with a radio!"
"This may take days!" Kalashnikov said.
"Then, the first batch of ten vehicles will be shipped to Moscow immediately!"
"Of course!" Kalashnikov replied: "They have arrived!"
Then Major Zahakavich is busy. He needs to integrate these demining tanks into the tank unit and conduct necessary adaptive training... Tank combat, especially tank group combat that lacks communication equipment, is no joke.
, it is almost impossible to go to the battlefield without conducting necessary drills.
Kalashnikov enthusiastically invited Shulka aside, and then secretly stuffed Shulka with a pack of German cigarettes.
"It will be easier for us to get this!" Kalashnikov said.
Shulka did not refuse, opened the cigarette and handed one to Kalashnikov: "Is everything okay there?"
"Of course!" Kalashnikov replied: "What else can be bad about being there? I just occasionally want to visit the battlefield and see you... It's just that this time I came, I found that many of my former comrades were not there.
Got it!"
Shulka nodded.
Kalashnikov was a tank soldier, and the comrades he mentioned were also tank soldiers.
Tank soldiers are actually very dangerous. Although they have thick armor and super firepower, they also make them a key target for enemy attacks.
As a result, the casualty rate of tank soldiers even exceeded that of infantry, even if they were driving T34.
After a moment of silence, Kalashnikov changed the subject: "I heard that you captured an armored train?"
"Yes!"
"Wow!" said Kalashnikov. "What's it like to drive it through Tver and knock over those pieces of shit?"
“It’s like drinking free vodka!”
Kalashnikov burst out laughing: "It would be great if I could be on top. I think your soldiers will be reluctant to leave the armored train. They will not be used to sitting in a car again!"
"Yes!" Shulka's hand holding the cigarette stopped in mid-air: "You are right, Comrade Kalashnikov!"
"What?" Kalashnikov didn't understand what Shulka meant.
"Car, Comrade Kalashnikov!" Shulka said: "When the tank troops advance, they need infantry to follow them in the car, but the protection of the car is too low... In fact, it has no protection at all, and the infantry is on the road.
You will be killed by stray bullets and shrapnel at any time!"
"This is a difficult problem, Comrade Shulka!" Kalashnikov replied: "We have actually noticed this for a long time, but... what can we do? Put protective armor on the car? No, that will
It increases the weight of the car exponentially, and our roads cannot bear this weight!"
Kalashnikov was right.
Highways in the Soviet Union were a big problem. All year round, there was either winter with thousands of miles of ice, spring when the ice and snow melted, or autumn with heavy rains. When the road surface was dry, there was only a short summer.
It is unwise to add protective armor to a car in such a situation, because it will usually get stuck in a mud puddle and cannot be driven. After thickening the armor, it will be very difficult to even pull it out of the mud puddle.
If it is difficult to start, then of course it will not be able to undertake the task of transportation.
"Half-track vehicle!" Shulka said: "Convert the rear wheels into tracks!"
The function of the crawler tracks is to increase the contact area between the car and the ground, so the passability will be doubled.
With a thoughtful expression on his face, Kalashnikov replied: "We do have a half-track vehicle, but it has not been taken seriously because it is not fast and has a small load!"
"What's the speed?" Shulka asked.
"Wait!" Kalashnikov apparently forgot the specific data.
But this was not a problem, because the Stalingrad Tractor Factory was the base for producing these things, so he only needed to make a phone call to find out.
"The highway speed is 40 kilometers per hour!" Kalashnikov came back a few minutes later and said: "The speed in the wild or in the snow is 8 to 20 kilometers per hour. Model nati42. It is like you said, changing the rear wheels of the car into tracks.
, has excellent passing performance!”
After a pause, Kalashnikov added: "Although the car body is the same, because the engine drives the track, the load is almost reduced to half, only 2.5 tons!"
The Soviet GAZ car can carry a load of 4 tons and can reach a top speed of 75 kilometers per hour. This may be the reason why the Soviet military does not pay attention to it.
But this is not a big problem for Shulka.
"What if we only require carrying people?" Shulka said: "For example, if it is used to load a squad, then there is no need for a large payload!"
"Then we can shrink the body and install armor, or even install machine guns!" Kalashnikov's eyes couldn't help but light up.