Chapter 283 Half-track armored vehicles
"How many minesweepers do we have?" Major Zakhakovic asked.
"The first batch has already produced ten!" Kalashnikov replied.
"What about the speed?" Major Zahakavic asked again.
"The same as the original speed, still at 30 kilometers per hour!" Kalashnikov then walked to the body part and raised his hand and said: "Although it increases the weight of the roller, it does not need artillery, so we dismantle it It installed a dummy barrel for the cannon, and it doesn't need to carry shells, it only has a coaxial machine gun for self-defense!"
Major Zakhakovic nodded.
As a tank soldier, he knows that it is correct to dismantle the artillery. The T26 is a light tank. There are only three tank members: a driver, a loader and a gunner.
Of course, the commander is also served by the crew members. As a result, the burden on everyone's shoulders is very heavy, and it is often impossible to take care of it during the battle.
If you add the task of demining at this time...it will be the last straw that breaks the camel's back.
Simultaneous demining missions are not easy at all, because it requires close coordination with the main tank, because it is to clear a way for the main tank to advance, and insufficient coordination may cause tragic consequences.
In addition, after the demining roller is installed, part of the firing range of the tank gun will be blocked, and its role on the battlefield is also very limited, so it was simply cancelled.
In this way, the spare gunner and loader can serve as the machine gunner and the electromechanical operator respectively... This kind of demining tank only has a small amount of radio equipment. The so-called electromechanical operator actually communicates with the infantry through the tank phone. He usually serves as the commander and the engine operator at the same time. The gunner is responsible for controlling the parallel machine guns and lookouts.
"We need 20!" Major Zakhakovic said: "And, at least one of every ten vehicles is equipped with a radio station!"
"It could take days!" Kalashnikov said.
"Then, the first batch of ten will be shipped to Moscow immediately!"
"Of course!" Kalashnikov replied: "They have arrived!"
Then Major Zahakavic was busy. He needed to organize these demining tanks into the tank unit and then conduct the necessary adaptive training... Tank combat, especially tank formation combat without communication equipment, is no joke. It is almost impossible to fight on the battlefield without conducting the necessary drills.
Kalashnikov enthusiastically invited Shulka aside, and then secretly stuffed Shulka with a pack of German cigarettes.
"It's easier for us to get this!" Kalashnikov said.
Shulka did not refuse, opened the cigarette and handed Kalashnikov one: "Is it all right there?"
"Of course!" Kalashnikov replied, "What's wrong with being there? It's just that I often want to see the battlefield and see you... It's just that when I came this time, I found that many of my former comrades-in-arms were gone. !"
Shulka nodded.
Kalashnikov is a tank soldier, and the comrades he said are also tank soldiers.
Tank soldiers are actually very dangerous. Although they have heavy armor and super firepower, this also makes them a key target for enemy attacks.
As a result, the casualty rate of tank soldiers even exceeds that of infantry, even if they drive T34.
After being silent for a while, Kalashnikov changed the subject: "I heard that you captured an armored train?"
"Yes!"
"Whoah!" Kalashnikov said, "What's it like driving it through Tver and knocking over those **** pieces in pieces?"
"It's like drinking free vodka!"
Kalashnikov laughed loudly: "It would be great if I could be on it too. I think your soldiers will not be willing to leave the armored train. They will not be used to getting on a car again!"
"Yes!" Shulka stopped in mid-air with his cigarette in his hand: "You are right, Comrade Kalashnikov!"
"What?" Kalashnikov didn't understand what Shulka meant.
"Cars, Comrade Kalashnikov!" Shulka said. "Tank troops need infantry to follow them in cars when they are advancing, but the protection of the car is too low... In fact, it has no protection at all. The infantry is on the road at any time. They will all be killed by stray bullets and shrapnel!"
"That's a problem, Comrade Shulka!" Kalashnikov replied. "We've actually noticed this for a long time, but... how can we do it? Put protective armor on the car? No, that would be a problem." The weight of the car increases exponentially, and our roads cannot bear this weight!"
Kalashnikov is right.
The roads in the Soviet Union are a big problem. The four seasons of the year are either the winter of thousands of miles of ice, or the spring of melting ice and snow, or the autumn of heavy rain. When the road surface is dry, it may be a short summer.
Adding protective armor to the car in such a situation is very unwise, because it will usually get stuck in the mud puddle, and it will be very difficult to even drag it out of the mud puddle after adding armor.
If it is difficult to start, then of course it will not be able to undertake the task of transportation.
"Half-track!" Shulka said: "Convert the rear wheels of the car into tracks!"
The role of the track is to increase the contact area between the car and the ground, so the passability will increase exponentially.
With a pensive 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!"
"How fast?" Shulka asked.
"Wait!" Kalashnikov obviously forgot the specific data.
But this is not a problem, because the Stalingrad Tractor Factory is the base for the production of these things, so he only needs to make a phone call.
"40 kilometers per hour on the road!" Kalashnikov said when he came back a few minutes later: "8 to 20 kilometers per hour in the field or on snow, model NATI42, it is like you said, changing the rear wheels of the car into tracks , with excellent passing performance!"
After a pause, Kalashnikov added another sentence: "Although the car body is the same, because the engine has to drive the track, the load is almost reduced to half, only 2.5 tons!"
Soviet GAZ vehicles can have a load of 4 tons and a top speed of 75 kilometers per hour. This may be the reason why the Soviet military did not pay much attention to half-track vehicles.
But that wasn't much of a problem for Shulka.
"What if we only require people to be carried?" Shulka said: "For example, to load a squad, then you don't need a lot of load!"
"Then we can shrink the body and install armor, and even a machine gun!" Kalashnikov's eyes lit up.
(end of this chapter)
