USSR 1941

"How many of these minesweepers do we have?" Major Zahakovic asked.

"The first batch of ten has already been produced!" Kalashnikov replied.

"What about the speed?" Major Zakhakovic 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 knew that it was correct to dismantle the artillery. The T26 is a light tank with 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, everyone has a heavy burden on their shoulders, and it is often impossible to take care of it during battle.

If the task of demining is added at this time...it will be the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

At the same time, the demining task is 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 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 at the same time. The machine gunner is responsible for controlling the parallel machine guns and lookouts.

"We need 20!" Major Zakhakovic said, "And at least one out 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 already arrived!"

Then Major Zahakavic was busy. He needed to organize these demining tanks into the tank unit and then carry out the necessary adaptive training... Tank combat, especially tank formation combat without communication equipment, is no joke , Without the necessary drills, it can almost be said that it is impossible to fight on the battlefield.

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 didn't 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 former comrades-in-arms were not there. Already!"

Shulka nodded.

Kalashnikov was a tank soldier, and the comrades he said were 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 exceeded that of infantry, even if they were driving T34.

After a moment of silence, Kalashnikov changed the subject: "I heard that you captured an armored train?"

"Yes!"

"Whoa whoa!" Kalashnikov said. "What's it like driving it through Tver and knocking those **** in pieces?"

"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. "A tank unit needs infantry to follow in cars when it advances, but the car has too little protection... In fact, it has no protection at all, and the infantry is on the road You will be killed by stray bullets and shrapnel at any time!"

"That's a problem, Comrade Shulka!" Kalashnikov replied. "We've actually noticed this a long time ago, but... what can we do? Put protective armor on the car? No, that would Increase the weight of the car exponentially, and our roads can't 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 when the ice and snow melt, 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 thickening the 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. "Turn the rear wheels into tracks!"

The function of the track is to increase the contact area between the car and the ground, so the passability will be doubled.

Kalashnikov replied with a pensive look on his face: "We do have a half-track, but it has not been taken seriously because it is not fast and has a small load!"

"How fast?" Shulka asked.

"Wait!" Kalashnikov apparently forgot the specific data.

But that wasn't a problem, since the Stalingrad Tractor Factory was where these things were made, so he only needed 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: "Although the body of the car is the same, because the engine has to drive the track, the load is almost reduced to half, only 2.5 tons!"

The load of the Soviet GAZ car can reach 4 tons, and the top speed can reach 75 kilometers per hour. This may be the reason why the Soviet military did not pay attention to it.

But that's not a huge problem for Shulka.

"What if we only want to carry people?" Shulka said: "For example, to load a squad, then you don't need a lot of payload!"

"Then we can shrink the body and install armor and even machine guns!" Kalashnikov's eyes lit up.

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