The decisive battle against the Third Reich

Manstein and Conrad did what they said, and immediately started the production plan.

Conrad's task was to continue to communicate with Qin Chuan to determine the details of the two new equipment, and to use planes one after another to transport people and equipment from Germany to Crimea.

The production base was located in Sevastopol. On the one hand, Sevastopol was very safe. It had more than a dozen artillery batteries guarding the periphery. As mentioned before, these artillery batteries could not only bomb the Soviet army on the Kerch Peninsula, but also keep the Soviet Black Sea Fleet 44 kilometers away.

On the other hand, the German army seized two shipyards in Sevastopol... These shipyards fell into the hands of the German army almost intact, and there were even more than a hundred engines that could be used directly in the warehouse.

They should have become a pile of ruins or scorched iron like other places when the German army seized them, but because the collective escape of senior Soviet officials chilled the Soviet soldiers, it was a bargain for the German army.

Regarding the factory that produces cars, Manstein discussed with Colonel Conrad and decided to put it in Kiev for production and then transport the necessary things by train... After all, it is very time-consuming to transport an entire production line and raw materials, and there is no need to do so.

As Colonel Conrad expected, the amphibious tank was made first.

This amphibious tank is like adding a lifebuoy to the tank body... When the "lifebuoy" is exhausted, it is just a circle of plastic around the body, which does not affect the tank's combat at all. When it is full of air, it has buoyancy and can rely on external thrusters to move forward in the sea.

The first thing the tank crew needs to worry about is the counterweight problem. If the counterweight is unbalanced, such as the tank firing a few more shells, it will cause it to move forward in the water in a tilted posture, so that seawater can easily fill the floating screen and eventually sink the tank.

Of course, there are still other dangers, such as the problem of being penetrated by enemy bullets and shells, and the problem of wind and waves, which makes this amphibious tank look too fragile.

"It's hard for me to imagine it being put into battle!" Conrad looked at Qin Chuan with some concern and said, "As I said before, its speed is too slow, only five kilometers per hour!"

"I know, Colonel!" Qin Chuan replied.

"Do you know what slow speed means?" Conrad said, "It means that it will be exposed to the enemy's firepower for a long time, and its wind and wave resistance is seriously insufficient... A wind and wave may cause it to roll over or take in water."

"The Black Sea is an inland sea!" Qin Chuan replied, "Under normal circumstances, it will not have much wind and waves, and we can also equip it with a drainer!"

"So what should we do to deal with the enemy's firepower?" Conrad asked, "The bullets will penetrate these floating screens and make it leak!"

"We have drainers!"

"What about shells?"

Qin Chuan still gave the same answer, "We have drainers!"

"God!" Conrad said, "You are crazy!"

"Don't worry, Colonel!" Manstein looked at the tank with interest and said, "Geniuses are often regarded as crazy!"

Conrad said helplessly, "I thought I was crazy enough, but compared with the captain..."

"So you are not a genius!" Manstein laughed.

"It seems to be true!" Conrad smiled bitterly.

In fact, it was not that Qin Chuan was crazy, but that he was very sure that this tank could play an impressive role on the battlefield... When these two equipment were first invented, they were not optimistic:

When the "Duck" amphibious landing ship was first invented, it was rejected by the military because it did not look like a rigorous military equipment. It was only because of an accidental rescue accident that the practicality of this equipment was discovered, and then it shined on the battlefield.

The reason why "Donald Duck" was questioned was that it was too unsafe, just as Conrad said. Even when the "Donald Duck" was driving in the sea, the collision of two vehicles could cause it to lose balance and then take in water and finally become silent... You know, the Americans used the "Sherman" tank to modify it.

But the problem is that it is very difficult to get the tank on the shore where the enemy is in the landing battle, unless the landing troops occupied the port and seized the equipment of the port and then lifted the tank ashore... However, if this can be done, there is almost no need for tanks.

But the "Donald Duck" can drive directly to the shore without the help of any equipment, and once it lands, it can immediately engage in battle to provide firepower and cover for the landing troops.

Of course, due to its poor safety, it is generally not used for beach landing.

The "Duck" landing vehicle was produced a few days later. After all, the shipyard was fully equipped and the hull was ready.

Conrad was very satisfied with this equipment. After a few hours of trial operation, Conrad said: "It can carry about 20 people. In fact, its load capacity is far more than 20 people. Its maximum load capacity is 6.5 tons, so we can safely use it to carry 105MM caliber howitzers and the required shells. Of course, jeeps are not a problem!"

(Note: The German 105MM caliber howitzer weighs 1525 kilograms)

"What is its speed?" Manstein asked.

"The speed on land is 80 kilometers per hour, and the speed on water is 10 kilometers per hour!" Conrad replied: "With full fuel, it can travel 354 kilometers and 80 kilometers respectively! But you must pay attention to some problems before using it to land. For example, the sand on the beach is too soft. When it's stranded, you should pack as little as possible and keep the tire pressure low!"

"Very good!" Although Manstein looked calm on the surface, his tone was full of excitement and excitement: "This is exactly what I want, this is exactly what I want... It's perfect!"

Conrad looked at Manstein with hesitant questions: "So, can we mass produce it?"

"Of course!" Manstein replied: "Right away, gather enough workers and divide them into several batches to produce day and night!"

Then Manstein held Qin Chuan's hand and said, "Captain, you have solved a big problem for us. Now... it's time to prepare for the battle plan you mentioned!"

Manstein is right. Combat requires not only equipment and people, but also detailed intelligence, such as which places along the Black Sea coast in the Caucasus are suitable for landing and which places are not suitable for landing, and which roads can be followed after landing. place etc.

But these don't seem to be a big problem, because the German army has Brandenburg troops.

Obviously, Manstein will use the legendary special forces to the Caucasus in advance.