Rather than calling it training, it is better to call it fun, because this kind of training puts no pressure on the soldiers at all.
The infantrymen of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade are all mechanized infantry. They have received training in driving cars before, so they can almost drive on a car.
Ten half-track vehicles, each can carry 12 people, that is, a squad... In fact, if it is crowded, more people can be carried, but some space must be reserved for the soldiers to fight and carry fuel and ammunition, otherwise the gun will be raised
, it is difficult to turn around.
Of course, the latest one to train is Sanlian.
They drove the half-track vehicle across the snow, while the soldiers sitting behind cheered loudly in the cold wind, enjoying the long-lost pleasure of speed, especially after using the "Matilda" for so long.
"After holding in my anger for a while.
"It came at the right time!" said the instructor: "With it we no longer need those carriages!"
"It is not just as simple as transporting ammunition and supplies like a carriage, comrade instructor!" Shulka replied.
"I know, it can also transport more troops!"
"Not only that!" Shulka said: "If you install a machine gun or rocket launcher on the front of the car..."
The instructor couldn't help but say "Oh", and then his eyes lit up: "That can almost be said to be an armored vehicle!"
Shulka nodded, and then shouted to Pukarev who was directing the convoy to circle back and forth: "Comrade Lieutenant, we should go out for a walk!"
"Yes, Comrade Captain!" Pukarev knowingly ordered the convoy to stop.
"Get ready for battle!" Shulka ordered: "Bring what you should bring!"
"Yes!" the soldiers responded and got out of the car to replenish their ammunition.
At this time, there were many remnants of the German army scattered outside the Rzhev defense line, and Shulka wanted to use them to test the combat capabilities of the half-track vehicle.
After a while, the soldiers of the first company were ready to return to the half-track vehicle, and Shulka also climbed onto the No. 1 vehicle with a rifle and loaded several grenades.
Without Shulka's explanation, a DP machine gun (rotary table machine gun) was mounted on the roof of each vehicle.
Then with an order, the convoy drove west, which was the direction where the Soviet army was pursuing the German army.
Half-track vehicles drive fairly smoothly on snow, after all, most of the tracks are in contact with the ground.
So it can be imagined that it will drive much better in muddy ground than wheeled vehicles.
Like other equipment of the Soviet army, most of it was not equipped with radio equipment... At this time, the Soviet army could not even equip tanks with radios, let alone half-tracks.
Only the command vehicle, car No. 1, has a radio.
But this is not a big problem.
On the one hand, the space of the half-track vehicle is relatively spacious. If necessary, Shulka and others can move the radio used by the infantry to the rear compartment for use.
On the other hand, the upper part of the half-track vehicle is open, so the vehicles can communicate with each other easily using semaphores.
This is also the reason why Shulka did not recommend the direct development of modern enclosed full-track armored vehicles.
Modern enclosed full-track armored vehicles may have many advantages, such as better protection, greater mobility, better off-road capabilities, and even amphibious use.
The problem is that the industrial production capacity of the Soviet Union is very tight at this time, and most of the tracks have to be used on tanks rather than armored vehicles. Another important reason is that fully enclosed armored vehicles will only be a nightmare when communication equipment is insufficient... They are mutually exclusive.
It is difficult for them to perceive each other and coordinate effectively.
Half-track vehicles do not have this problem, or this problem can be solved to a certain extent.
Even to facilitate communication between the rear compartment and the cockpit, they connected a phone between the two, just like a tank phone.
"Comrade Captain!" Uncle Alek shouted to the rear through the microphone in the cab: "I have never driven such a good car, I mean... it looks very safe, I can even drive it if necessary. Put the shutters on the windows down! They stop bullets, don’t they?”
"Yes!" Shulka replied: "The front steel plate is 12.7mm thick, and it can block 12.7mm machine gun bullets!"
The side and rear armor are only 7mm, which is the rule for almost all armored vehicles.
"So, Comrade Captain!" Uncle Alek asked: "Can I call it a tank? If so, can I get the treatment of a tank driver?"
"But...Uncle Alek!" Shulka then realized Alek's intention in saying these words: "You have already received double the ration of Wotga!"
"Forget it, Comrade Captain!" Uncle Alek replied: "Everyone knows that you gave me your share of my double ration... I don't want to keep pretending to be confused!"
The soldiers couldn't help laughing "haha" after hearing this.
At this time, Pukarev shouted: "Enemy, ten o'clock direction!"
Looking in the direction indicated by Pukarev, he saw several figures stumbling around in the snow with guns in their hands.
"Surround them!" Shulka ordered: "Be careful to hide yourself. The armor next to you is used to block bullets for you. Do you understand?"
"Understood!" The soldiers responded and lowered themselves down. The driver lowered the front baffle halfway and relied on the lower half and the observation hole on the baffle to drive.
On the other hand, the messenger used signal flags to convey Shulka's orders to other vehicles.
Soon, the convoy divided into two parts, like two long snakes, and moved towards the suspicious position of the remaining German soldiers to outflank them.
"Bang bang..." Gunshots rang out soon. The Germans in desperation lay on the ground and shot at the convoy. However, the bullets were of course unable to penetrate the armor of the half-track vehicle. They hit the armor and made a "exploding bean-like" sound. "Pap" sound.
The soldiers couldn't help laughing proudly, and the veteran shouted: "It works, doesn't it? They should have invented this thing earlier!"
"Let them have a taste of this!" As he said that, the Cossack put the DP machine gun on the roof of the car, and then "click-click" fired a bunch of bullets at the hiding position of the German army, immediately suppressing the German army's firepower.
Then the battle ended, because the Soviet army had completed the encirclement, and the remaining German soldiers realized that they could not escape under such circumstances, so they all raised their hands and surrendered.
This made the soldiers a little disappointed, and they hoped that the German army would resist for a while longer.
The convoy stopped, and Shulka asked people to get out of the car to receive the prisoners.
But at this moment, two cannon shots and vague gunshots were heard in the distance.
"'No. 3' tanks!" The veteran judged from the sound of gunfire: "There are at least two!"