Steel Soviet Union

Fortunately, the huge T35 heavy tank in front of us is not without its merits. The main turret superimposed on the four secondary turrets is obviously different from the black and white photo in Malashenko's memory.

"This T35 heavy tank participated in the defense of Leningrad some time ago, but the main turret was penetrated and lost its combat effectiveness. It was recovered by the front-line troops and returned to the factory for repairs."

Adjusting his heavy glass glasses, the serious-looking engineer Ivankov was introducing the work he had completed to Malashenko.

"After unanimous discussion with several engineers and technicians in the factory, they believed that the original 45mm short-barreled main turret was no longer suitable for the current high-intensity anti-armor mission facing the Nazi armored forces."

"After we dismantled the original main turret that was destroyed, we reinstalled it with the main turret of a recycled T34 tank based on the principle of waste recycling. The turret seat and steering gear were made to correspond to the body of the T35 tank. Appropriate adjustments have been made, but the difference is not big compared to the T34 tank. After multiple rounds of technical tests, it is basically reliable and there are no obvious problems.”

After introducing the main turret that had changed the most, Engineer Ivankov took a step forward. The additional armor welded to the three turrets and the body of the tank appeared extremely obvious under the guidance of his right arm.

"The front-line troops who sent this T35 tank back to the factory for repairs reported that the original tank armor could no longer meet the needs of actual combat defense. Both the tank guns of the German tanks in service and the infantry anti-tank guns could easily penetrate the front within conventional combat distances. Armor, we have also made some appropriate adjustments for this situation.”

"A 25 mm thick rolled additional armor plate is welded and hung on the front of the entire tank. The tilt angle is the same as the original body armor defense angle. After measurement, the body armor itself is basically equivalent to about 60 mm. Effective armor defense strength."

"The two secondary turrets facing the enemy are also welded and hung with the same 25 mm thick rolled additional armor plates. The defensive effect is basically the same as the front armor of the vehicle body. The defense strength of the newly replaced main turret of the T34 tank is sufficient to meet actual combat needs, so No adjustments have been made.”

The narrative from Ivankov's engineer sounded very good, but Malashenko, who knew that the poor design flaws on the T35 tank were far more than that, did not relax his frown.

"Have any adjustments been made in terms of power? Comrade Ivankov."

A brief rhetorical question from Malashenko blocked the next words that Engineer Ivankov had already spoken. Shuang Mu, who was obviously worried, shrank for a moment. He had already figured out that this car was riddled with many defects. Engineer Ivankov, who had all the shortcomings of the turret tank, then spoke again.

"We have tried to replace it with a diesel engine with greater output, such as the same model of the KV1 heavy tank. But because it involves the volume of the engine compartment and the adjustment of the transmission mechanism and gearbox, these changes require advanced equipment. We can only do it with support, but we can’t do it with our existing manual manufacturing and old-fashioned equipment, so we have to give up.”

The conclusion from Engineer Ivankov undoubtedly indicated the worst outcome, and Malashenko took a deep breath and blurted it out.

"In other words, the power system of this T35 tank remains intact as before?"

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Malashenko, you can understand that this is the greatest improvement and adjustment we can make under the current conditions."

The T35 tank diesel engine with a rated output of 500 horsepower is a full 100 horsepower lower than the 600 horsepower engine of the KV1 heavy tank. However, the T35 has to use this heart with insufficient stamina to drive a body that is heavier than the KV1 heavy tank. The maneuverability of this behemoth, which already has a total combat weight of 52 tons, can be imagined after adding additional armor.

"Comrade Ivankov, can you tell me how much weight all the changes, including the replacement of the main turret, have added to the 52-ton combat weight of the original T35 heavy tank?"

Facing the question from Malashenko, he was slightly surprised by the reality. After thinking for a while, Engineer Ivankov did not hesitate to give the real answer.

"A series of improvements including additional armor and replacement of the main turret have increased the weight of the entire vehicle by approximately 3 tons. It is roughly estimated that the total combat weight of this T35 heavy tank is around 55 tons. This is a more accurate result. "

"55 tons, 55 tons"

Using the original unchanged 500-horsepower maximum output engine to drive the increased combat weight of 55 tons, this means that the current thrust-to-weight ratio of this T35 heavy tank is only a pitiful 9, which is higher than that of Malashenko's vehicle The push-to-weight ratio of 5 is even more excessive, which is simply unacceptable to Malashenko, who has already suffered a huge loss in mobility in close contact battles.

Looking at the majestic-looking but actually troubled Red Army steel behemoth in front of him, Malashenko felt that his head had swelled. After a brief psychological struggle, Malashenko finally pinched his nose. Accept this extremely bad fact.

"Hey, that's all. It's much better to have a vehicle than to get out of the car and be an infantryman carrying light weapons. Even if this thing is not good enough, it can be used as a mobile fortress to support infantry combat. Since the mobility is not that good, then Just try to avoid making drastic maneuvers by leveraging your strengths and avoiding weaknesses.”

The T35 tank, which has countless faults, is still a proper heavy tank no matter how bad it is, and relatively speaking, it has the only advantage of good firepower. Now it has been transformed from a tank battalion into a tank company. With his size, Malashenko no longer has much room to be picky.

Fortunately, this T35 tank is not the only one at the former site of the Kirov Tank Factory, which specializes in producing heavy tanks for the Red Army tank forces.

Some KV1 heavy tanks that had entered the final assembly stage when the tank factory was withdrawn and were close to or more than 80% complete were not taken away.

At present, these KV1 heavy tanks, which have been assembled with bare hands and are being carried hand-in-hand by workers who are unwilling to withdraw from the tank factory, are lined up in a row, parked quietly behind the T35 heavy tanks, waiting for the moment to fight for the motherland. .

"There are a total of 16 KV1 heavy tanks, all of which are standard models equipped with 2mm L-11 tank guns. In addition, there are 18 KV1 heavy tanks in the factory that are being worked on day and night, with the completion progress ranging from 30% to 30%. As long as you have time, you can pick up the new tanks in two days, and new tanks will be assembled every day.”

The brand-new tanks lined up in a row were simply the most beautiful thing for Malashenko at the moment. With the injection of fresh blood, Malashenko could compete with the German armored divisions and immediately turned around. He said to Kirill, who had been following him.

"Go and inform Karamov and ask him to bring all the comrades who don't have cars to come over quickly. Those who come a little late and don't have cars should prepare to be infantry."