Chapter 418 Preparation
The preparation work is divided into two steps:
Rear Admiral Vladimir is responsible for the training of the Navy's 5th Infantry Brigade.
Of course, this kind of training is divided into two steps. The first day is the training for the navy to prepare for the amphibious landing at night, and the second day is the training for using the landing ship after it comes out.
Although the training time is only two days, it is enough.
On the one hand, the training of the naval infantry brigade is quite good. What they lack is the experience of preparing for night landings. Now they only need to adapt to it.
On the other hand, the winter nights in the Soviet Union are fifteen to six hours long, which means that you can train for more than ten hours a day, and sleep during the day.
These are small things that can be solved, and everyone is focusing on the amphibious landing ship proposed by Shulka, because it is directly related to the casualties of the 5th Infantry Brigade of the Navy and even the success or failure of the beach landing operation.
Production equipment is basically not a problem. The Caucasus is an industrial zone of the Soviet Union. There are many factories here, such as shipyards and automobile factories, among which the oil industry is the most numerous.
In fact, the reason why these factories are concentrated here is because Baku has inexhaustible oil... Locating factories here will have the advantages of cheap fuel and convenient transportation, which is very important in the era when production mainly depends on fuel.
If there is any trouble, it is that the automobile factories are concentrated in the Baku area, some distance from Temryuksky.
But these difficulties were nothing to Mehlis. With just one phone call, he asked someone to airlift the needed auto parts from Stalingrad, and even brought a group of technicians.
Then we started working immediately. Kalashnikov directed the technicians to strengthen the parts of the wheels to be installed on the hull...The boat is different from the car. The boat floats in the water and is evenly stressed, so the hull does not need to be strong. It can also have a corresponding load, but the wheels are only installed on four points, and if they are not reinforced, they will soon break or sink.
After that, the wheels are welded on the reinforced part, and then a motorcycle engine is added to drive the wheels to rotate. The braking device is even very primitive friction resistance type.
Then you add the counterweights... the engines and such are mostly mounted at the rear of the hull, which makes the hull both heavy and light in the water.
But this counterweight was quickly replaced by another thing.
"The counterweight is a waste!" Shulka said. "Why don't we replace it with a heavy machine gun? If it's not enough, add a shield!"
"Good idea, Shulka!" Kalashnikov's eyes widened when he heard this.
Soon, a machine gun with a shield was added to the bow, and an additional layer of armor was even added to the bow.
Soon, a grotesque thing appeared in front of everyone. To be honest, it was really ugly, like a boat on the chassis of a car.
"This is the amphibious landing ship used to attack Feodosia?" Mechlis looked at it in disbelief: "It doesn't even have a steering wheel!"
Major General Feladimir also looked helpless. In his eyes, this thing was like something put together by a child playing house.
On the contrary, Kalashnikov was full of excitement and anticipation: "Yes, I know, why don't we try?"
Saying that, Kalashnikov waved to the technicians.
But the group of technicians looked at each other, and no one dared to step forward.
Mechlis couldn't help laughing: "Look, comrade, whoever produced it dared not use it!"
Mechlis' behavior is a bit abnormal. As a commander, when he knows that there may be problems with the plan, he should be frustrated instead of taking it as a joke.
However, it is quite normal for this abnormal performance to happen to Mehlis.
"Okunev!" Shulka called to the side.
"Yes, Comrade Captain!" The actor immediately led a dozen soldiers forward, and then pushed the amphibious landing ship into the sea.
"Look!" Mechlis nodded approvingly: "This is our fighters, the soldiers of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade, and they are the reason for deciding the outcome!"
The amphibious landing ship looks normal after it is launched, because the wheels and chassis are submerged and invisible. At this time, it looks like a ship, an ordinary lifeboat. If there is any difference, it is the front More heavy machine guns.
Then, the actor drove it a little farther, and then turned around on the sea and drove to the shore at the fastest speed, and then saw the hull getting higher and higher, and soon there was a "wow" in the sound of the motor Out of the water and onto the shore...
A group of soldiers and technicians who watched the excitement avoided one after another. This was because the amphibious landing ship could not control the direction, and whoever ran over was considered unlucky.
After a while, the amphibious landing ship stopped under the control of the actors, and then everyone cheered, especially Kalashnikov, who hugged Shulka excitedly and shouted: "It's done, We did it! As I said it, it works!"
Mechlis was a little puzzled. He looked at the crowd and asked with a puzzled expression, "Is this called success?"
"Yes, Comrade Mehlis!" Major General Vladimir nodded and explained, "They indeed succeeded, because... this thing can prevent my soldiers from getting frostbite or freezing to death when attacking the enemy. It can even enhance our offensive speed, firepower and defense!"
Mechlis nodded half-understood, then patted Shulka on the shoulder and said, "Yes, I said you can do it, Comrade Shulka!"
"I can't guarantee that it will be safe!" Shulka said to Major General Vladimir: "To be precise, it is dangerous, mainly because it cannot control the direction, which may cause it to hit something or even be crushed." Soldiers who are already in combat have been landed, but it seems like there is only so much we can do right now!"
"I know!" Major General Vladimir nodded: "However, these dangers are insignificant compared with the large number of freezing deaths in the sea, don't you think?"
Shulka nodded in agreement, nothing could be worse than cold at this temperature.
"Brilliant, Shulka!" Kalashnikov seems to have completely reveled in the amphibious landing craft itself rather than the war.
“Know what? I think we should improve it!” Kalashnikov said.
"Yes!" Shulka said: "For example, we can add a directional control system to it, and we can also integrate its two engines into one, making it truly amphibious..."
(end of this chapter)
