Chapter 1341 A little cockroach is about to emerge from the sky
Tang Dao stayed in Jincheng for a full month.
In addition to negotiating various commercial contract frameworks with Laura, Krupp's Rostav also has greater ambitions.
Especially when Tang Dao told him that he still had several tons of gold reserves, Rostav even considered how much a battleship was worth in US dollars.
There is no way, Tang Dao is so handsome waving a check like this, so handsome that he has no friends.
Therefore, Tang Dao's itinerary for this month is basically a pattern.
After getting up in the large villa belonging to the Krupp Company in Jincheng, I received important messages from various departments in the regiment through the secret radio and responded to them. In the afternoon, I either had tea with Rostav or chatted with Laura.
In the evening, it was basically Tang Dao's time alone. He would conduct various physical and reaction training in a training room specially prepared for him in the villa, and then read a book.
This may also be the most regular period of time Tang Dao has lived since he came to this world.
Rostav has lobbied Tang Dao several times. Warships and aircraft Tang Dao will definitely not be used at this stage, but tanks will certainly be able to.
The Japanese army does not seek practical tanks of its own, nor does it seek any decent anti-tank weapons. Just the four 37mm rapid-fire guns equipped at the infantry regiment level, what threat can they pose to the main battle tanks currently equipped by the German Empire?
But Tang Tuanzuo is not a big grievance. Although the current situation of the Anti-Japanese War behind enemy lines is very good, it is the result of the deliberate contraction of the Japanese army.
The Japanese are holding back their ultimate move!
That kind of big iron lump can only be used on the plains of southern Hebei. It cannot go into the mountains at all. Moreover, this thing is not an artillery piece. It can be disassembled and reinstalled. Without enough technicians and equipment, it will become a pile once it is dismantled.
iron.
It’s not that Tang Dao has no need for armored troops, it’s just that the 20-ton main battle tanks of the German Empire and the Mao Xiong Empire are not actually suitable for the current battlefield behind enemy lines.
Tang Dao was so annoyed that Rostav finally proposed to buy a TKS tank called the 'cockroach' used by the Polish military that the German Empire had conquered.
"Oh! God! How can you be so fond of those disgusting little cockroaches of the Poles? Do you really not think about the No. 3 tank installed by our imperial army? I can say it responsibly,
The 50mm front armor of the No. 3 tank is definitely not something the Japanese can withstand." Rostav held his head and found it difficult to understand Tang Dao's choice.
Is the Polish TKS tank called a tank?
The armor thickness is only 10 mm, the body is 58 meters long, 78 meters wide, and 32 meters high. The ordinary version is equipped with a 92 mm machine gun, and the enhanced version is only equipped with a 20 mm machine gun.
It shouldn't be called a tank, it's not even an armored vehicle, at most it's called a machine gun carrier.
According to the understanding of Rostav, an arms dealer, this low-cost cart with no sense of beauty or oppression is a tool for transporting manure made by farmers. The imperial army who fought with it appropriately called it a cockroach.
Called.
"Little cockroach? Mr. Rostav, don't forget, just such a little cockroach, in the Battle of Warsaw in September, killed a heavy tank platoon of your empire with only three vehicles!" Tang
Dao glanced at Rostav in a funny way.
Rostav's face turned red, but he couldn't refute.
Because, that's the fact.
In the battle on September 18, three TKS tanks ambushed an Imperial tank platoon with three Panzer III tanks.
Lieutenant Albrecht von Ratibor, an imperial nobleman who served as the commander, was killed on the spot. All three Panzer 3 tanks were destroyed, while three TKS tanks, which were smaller than the Japanese Type 94 tanks, remained intact.
Just like Tang Dao later advised Brigadier Cheng, there is no best, only the most suitable.
The TKS, an ultra-light tank called a 'cockroach' by the German Imperial Army, is basically a turkey if it encounters an anti-tank gun. As long as it is hit by artillery shells, it will be useless, even the 7mm heavy tank currently equipped by the Four Rows.
Machine guns can also penetrate it at a distance of 400 meters.
But the prerequisite is to hit it.
The biggest advantage of this small tank, which is no taller than a person, is that it is flexible enough. If you burrow into the bushes, you won't be able to find it unless you get closer.
The reason why the Polish sergeant commander was able to kill three German tanks without any damage was not only due to the proper application of tactics, but also the fact that the vehicle was small and easy to turn around, and he moved flexibly and used the 20mm machine gun to penetrate the fragile No. 3 tank in one fell swoop.
Another main reason for the side armor is that the TKS tank is small and short, and the 50mm main gun of the Panzer 3 tank cannot shoot it at all.
War is not about sex, and it doesn't just rely on bigness and hardness. Sometimes it can be smaller and faster, which can also be a headache.
Moreover, for the current four-line regiment, the 20mm machine gun has very powerful firepower, can break armor and build fortifications, and can defeat the determination of the opponent's infantry to charge in a bloody way that can interrupt everyone, but the biggest
The disadvantage is that it is too heavy.
With a gun body weighing more than 200 kilograms and various accessories, a 20mm machine gun requires six packhorses and at least 12 soldiers to serve it.
If you have a TKS small tank, it has tracks that can go up mountains and down rivers. The small body does not have much demand for roads, as long as there is a road for carriages. It is not used for armored combat, and is purely used to carry a 20mm machine gun.
Isn’t the platform quite useful?
The oil matter is easy to handle. The most important negotiation between Tang Dao and Laura this time is not the import of production lines for the expansion of steel plants and cement plants, but the refinery production lines.
The small oil field in the northwest produces only crude oil. The inability to refine the crude oil led the government to purchase it at extremely low prices. Not only did it lose a lot of economic income, it was also unable to provide the necessary gasoline and diesel to the frontline troops.
It didn't matter in the past. The three infantry divisions of the Eightyth Group Army were pure infantry divisions. Those with wheels were basically unicycles. Company and division commander-level leaders marched, relying on horseback for long distances and relying on their own two legs for short distances.
But things are different now. Commander Wang Xiaoqiang now rides a three-wheeled motorcycle captured from the Japanese army. There are already trucks at the division and brigade levels. It is not enough to just rely on grabbing the Japanese's fuel to protect it. Besides, now
The Japanese troops were holed up in the city and it was difficult to rob them.
The safest thing is to rely on yourself, so Tang Dao spent a million US dollars to buy a refinery production line from Laura, and also paid a full 300,000 US dollars in transportation fees.
According to the current annual output of the small oil field of 20,000 barrels, as long as this small refinery can reach a daily crude oil refining capacity of 30 barrels, it will not only meet the needs of all frontline troops, but also sell to mountain cities, increasing An County's finances.
income.
"But when Poland surrendered to the empire, a batch of equipment was destroyed. How many vehicles are there now?" Rostav tried hard to recall the list of data sent to him by the company headquarters.
This kind of shabby tank was so inconspicuous that even a data controller like him couldn't remember it.
"No matter how much it is, sell it all to me. I'll give you $50,000 per car! But I ask that the engine be replaced with a 75-horsepower Maybach engine. In addition, all the TKS and 92 machine guns should be removed and installed on me.
20mm machine gun! Also, help me install the external bracket and shield to install the 7mm heavy machine gun. At that time, I will give you the modification drawings." Tang Dao waved his hand and directly offered a sky-high price.
"Wait, let me check!" Rostav's voice trembled as he jumped into the secret room of his office like a rabbit.
The next moment, Rostav's wailing came from the secret room.
40 vehicles, why only 40 vehicles! If those idiots in the Imperial Army were more agile and captured 100 vehicles, wouldn’t it be a $5 million business?
But the current business of 2 million U.S. dollars, excluding the freight and the money handed over to the military, still has a net profit of 1.5 million U.S. dollars, which is as much as the profit value of selling a dresser's equipment.
As for the small modifications proposed by Tang Dao, they are nothing more than welding brackets and bullet boxes to the rear tail of the tank so that a heavy machine gunner can shoot in the air and on the ground on this small tank.
Anyway, TKS tanks are ugly and terrible enough, so I don’t care about that.
If Rostav knew that Tang Dao also added a tail groove on the "Cockroach" tank to drag the Bofors 75 mountain gun or 150 howitzer, he would definitely admire his aesthetics of Tang Tuanzuo even more.
Whatever is beautiful or not, if it can be used, it has the highest level of appearance.
Tang Dao knew that in the future desert war, the rockets modified by the guerrillas in Gaza City using gas tanks and steel pipes were simply ugly, but their power was enough to blow up the teeth of the regular army who were armed to the teeth.
Otherwise, with Tang Tuanzuo's temperament, knowing that the little cockroach was captured by the German Empire Army at basically no cost, he would still offer an irresistible price of US$50,000.
You know, at this time, a Bofors 75mm mountain gun only cost US$60,000, and a 150mm howitzer only cost US$80,000. Even the Sherman tank of the American Cowboys only cost US$30,000.
In fact, only Tang Dao, who was inspired by Rostav's hard selling, knew that if he missed this village, he would not be able to find that store.
The little cockroach's original 46-horsepower gasoline engine can propel its small body of only two tons to run on the road at a speed of 40 kilometers per hour. Now it is equipped with a 76-horsepower Maybach engine produced by Mercedes-Benz, and it can pull up a door.
However, it is no problem for a 650kg mountain gun to climb a slope.
How to transport the 4-ton 150-mm howitzer that Krupp is about to ship across the ocean in the mountains has always been a pain point for Tang Dao.
Although that kind of big thing has two wheels, it is too heavy. Western armies only use professional transport trucks. It cannot be pushed up a hillside by just a large number of people.
Now that there is a little cockroach, it solves one of Tang Dao's concerns. If one is not enough, then get another one. If it doesn't work, then get a few more.
This little cockroach, which has a machine gun and the ability to climb mountains, is simply tailor-made for the current Four Lines Regiment, and can definitely become an all-rounder.
Moreover, Tang Dao knew that when the German Empire officially launched an attack on Gallic Rooster in May 1940, the Japanese would also attack Southeast Asia. The relationship between the two countries was about to enter a honeymoon period. By then, even if Krupp Company wanted to make more money
Money, it is also very likely that sales will no longer be provided due to pressure from the government.
"Arrived before 3 months, cash on delivery!" Tang Dao waved a check for millions of dollars and asked a Krupp arms factory to work on it 24 hours a day to modify it according to Tang Dao's requirements.
No one expected that the future battlefield in the North China Plain would usher in the most ugly yet explosive armed trailer.
The little cockroach with its 7mm anti-aircraft machine gun and flat-firing 20mm machine cannon is a nightmare for the Japanese infantry. Not only does its flexibility surpass the Japanese Type 94 tank, but its firepower is also much stronger. If the Type 89 main battle tank is sent to deal with it, it will be a nightmare.
You are not facing the enemy head-on at all. The 35-meter vehicle height makes it difficult for the Type 89 tank’s 57mm short-barreled gun to aim at it.
And if this kind of tank uses the terrain to jump to a position 400 meters from the side of the tank, the 89 tank's side armor of more than 20 mm is not as good as the German Empire No. 3 tank!
It is even more nonsense to use pure infantry to deal with it. Armored units never exist alone and are often accompanied by infantry.
After Tang Tuanzuo creatively organized the No. 1 Artillery Battalion, which would be known as the prototype of the Si Xing Regiment's tank battalion, into the supply camp, the supply camp was specially equipped with three hundred-man infantry platoons to cooperate with the three squadrons of the No. 1 Artillery Battalion.
Director Zhuang Da, who served as the battalion commander of the supply battalion, suddenly became the commander of the unit with the most fierce firepower except the artillery battalion in the Si Xing Regiment.
That was something that Director Zhuang, who had always regarded himself as the miscellaneous steward of the Four Elements Regiment, never expected.
It is said that after hearing that the regimental commander handed over 36 tanks named "Bees" to the control of the supply battalion, Director Zhuang, who was already mature enough and prudent enough, touched the cold steel plate of the tank at night and burst into tears.
Although he was far away from the war due to the different division of labor, in fact, the former battalion commander of the Songjiang Security Group had never forgotten that night in Songjiang West City.
His blood has never been extinguished since that moment when it was ignited by the flames of war.
If the Tang regiment that ordered the ugliest little tank here is aesthetically poor, then the two Japanese B divisions in southeastern Shanxi have completely entered a state of lying flat and poor. As long as China does not try to control the Han-Long Line
Important transportation roads and county towns along the route were attacked, and nearly 50,000 Japanese troops from two divisions retreated to the county town.
However, in October, the defeated 50,000 Japanese troops finally rose up.
It was because a certain unit of the 921st Division staying in the southeast of Shanxi went too far. In less than 15 days, it ambushed the Japanese transport convoy three times in a row, robbed all the supplies transported by the Japanese army to the front line, and burned the trucks.
Not to mention, nearly 800 Japanese heavy troops died.
No matter how cowardly the two Class B divisions were, they still had to show their presence under Duo Tianjun's furious military orders!
Under the personal command of Lieutenant General Naoji Sakai, the 108th Division dispatched two infantry regiments and two artillery brigades to fight all the way to Wuxiang.
Here, the 771st Regiment and the New Regiment, the main force of the 683 Brigade, had just arrived at the position to resist the enemy. Over there, the 109th Division also sent two infantry regiments to attack the headquarters of the 80th Group Army, playing a trick of attacking from the east to the west.
At that time, the headquarters of the 921st Division had left southeastern Shanxi and moved to Xingtai. The main force of the 583rd Brigade had already arrived in eastern and northern Hebei. Half of the main force of the 683rd Brigade was also in northwest Shanxi, preparing to integrate its troops there and guide northwest Shanxi.
, the anti-Japanese struggle behind enemy lines in the four base areas of southern Hebei, eastern Hebei and northern Hebei.
To put it bluntly, October 193 was the time when the military strength in southeastern Shanxi was at its lowest.
Fortunately, Tang Dao had already put its focus on southern Hebei, but it never said that it would leave the base area in southeastern Shanxi alone.
The remaining 4 infantry companies, 1 guard company, two recruit companies and two artillery companies, under the leadership of Lei Xiong, reinforced the Eightyth Army Headquarters. About 3,000 troops were invested, with the cooperation of the Eightyth Army Headquarters Security Group.
They pinned the 7,000 people who were attacked by the 109th Division to the ground and beat them.
Only then were the retaliatory attacks carefully planned by two Japanese B divisions repelled.
That was also the only record that the 108th and 109th divisions could achieve in 1939. If it were not for the fact that there were still 140,000 Japanese troops on the Zhongtiao Mountain front line and the Yellow River defense line, just looking at the performance of these two, it would still be
I thought they were surrounded by Chinese troops and struggling to survive in the county town!
Apart from the county town and the 200-kilometer-long Handan-Changchun Highway, the rest of the mountains in southeastern Shanxi belong to the Chinese army. The main focus of the Japanese and puppet troops is to defend and endure.
In fact, not only were the two Japanese army lieutenant generals in southeastern Shanxi aggrieved, Yoshio Shinozuka in southern Hebei was not much better either.
After the 10th Division went through a battle in mid-summer in which it put out all its strength on the plains but was still beaten to pieces, it also learned a lesson and rarely went out of the city to go deep into the countryside at the squadron level.
The infantry brigade level went out of the city several times with the cooperation of at least one puppet infantry battalion, but the furthest they could go was no more than 7 kilometers away from the city. When they saw smoke rising from the Chinese village, they immediately withdrew their troops and returned to the city without waiting for the main Chinese troops to gather.
.
To put it bluntly, the 10th Division just wants to show its presence in the occupied areas. As for how the Chinese are doing in the countryside, I just came here to take a look, just take a look!
In this way, until Tang Tuanzuo returned from Jincheng, the Chinese and Japanese armies in southeastern Shanxi and southern Hebei maintained a peaceful situation of "you are good and I am good!"
However, Tang Dao sensed that a storm was coming through the sudden tightening of vigilance in Jincheng in the past few days, and even the Japanese army's frequent attempts to attack the concession.
Duo Tianjun, there is a great possibility that he can do something before he is transferred!
.........
PS: Let me give you a preview, my daughter's new book "Border Wanderer" will be released after 12 noon on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year tomorrow. I hope brothers can support it. Thank you Fengyue!
