Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 64: Tank Company
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The white shield-shaped coat of arms, in the middle is a unicorn with an uproarious hoof, and two laurel branches were decorated below. Lieutenant Snyder nodded with satisfaction, and then handed the paint can in his hand. The gunner lying on the turret mouth and looking down
"Hank, see it, this is art" Snyder said proudly while photographing the armor of the No. 4 tank turret
"Horse in the middle, head"
"This is a unicorn, you are a hillbilly, Sergeant Hank" driver Rawick, wearing only a pair of trousers, stands beside the tank and smokes a cigarette happily
"You bastard, put on your clothes and don't show off your fat in front of me." Hank picked up a greasy rag on the turret and threw it at the driver.
"My clothes are all hanging out there, and there is no spare. If the rubber seal ring is not delivered today, I can only open this thing in swimming trunks." The driver caught the rag and left. Thrown on the front armor of the tank
"The company commander, I brought the spare parts back, and today's supplies." The young superior soldier in a neat colored armored uniform, riding a women's bicycle, with a basket hanging in front of the dragon head and strapped to the back seat A wooden crate without a lid
"Bread, sauced beef, sliced ham, and hot coffee, butter, cheese and sausage, plus ten eggs." Loader Carl parked the bicycle, picked up the basket and handed it to Snyder who was squatting on the body
"Ah, the seal, tape, two throat microphones, two boxes of fuses, what's this? Hi, Stevans, your radio spare parts are here, let me see what else is on the list" Unload the box from the back seat of the bicycle, then squat on the side and start flipping and picking
"Oh, and, here is your letter. I brought it back for you." The superior soldier pulled out an envelope from the inner pocket of his uniform and handed it to Snyder.
"Oh? Thank you, Carl" Snyder handed the basket to the gunner who climbed out of the turret and then took the letter
The young loader smiled shyly, then walked to the awning next to the tank and took off his neat uniform, shirt and trousers, leather shoes, folded the clothes neatly and put them on the side of the wooden In the box, I put on a white overalls and a pair of leather work boots on the clothesline
Sergeant Hank put the basket on the table under the awning, took out a folding knife from the pocket of his pants, wiped it on the sleeve, and then started to cut the bread. Stevans and Rawick left. Coming over, the two people were frolicking. They took the plates, knives, forks and cups of the five people from the cutlery box and put them on the folding table. Stevans opened the paper bag of sauced beef, took out a folding knife and began to divide the meat, Rawai Ke pulled out another bottle of wine from the box
"Lieutenant, come here for lunch, the coffee is still hot" Hank finished cutting the bread and picked up the small thermos with coffee and poured coffee into the lieutenant's cup
"Lieutenant?" Seeing that the commander did not respond, the artillery commander looked back suspiciously, but saw that their always calm and steady tank company commander was standing next to the tank with his head down and holding a letter.
"The lieutenant is okay" Hank stepped forward and asked worriedly
"No, no, thank you, it's okay, God, I mean, it's great" Snyder suddenly turned around, with a look of ecstasy. He grabbed Hank's shoulders with both hands and shook it hard
"My wife just gave me a son Hank, I have a son, I have a son Hank" Snyder loosened a hand and put his arm around the gunner’s neck and placed the letter paper in front of Hank’s eyes
"Look at 3800 grams, boy, thank God, can you believe it?" The tank company commander happily slapped the gunner on the shoulder.
"Oh, God congratulates you. Congratulations, Sir Lisa must be very happy to have a younger brother."
"Of course, of course Hank, tonight I will invite all the officers and soldiers of the company to drink. The Snyder family has a member, and the German army has a small tank soldier." Snyder loosened Hank's shoulder and waved He walked to his car crew with the letter paper, he was going to announce the good news to everyone he met
"Hehe, what a timely gift." Hank turned his head and looked at the commander who was rubbing the hair of the correspondent in excitement, patted the driver's back, lifted the wine on the table and had a headache, and his face showed A sincere smile
The gunner turned around and stretched out his hand to pat the hard side skirts of the No. 4 tank beside him. During this period of time, as the starting company of the landing assault armored battalion, the pressure on company commander Snyder was really too great.
Because of participating in the Hydra Legion’s assault and performing bravely and tenaciously in the battle, Snyder’s tank company received Guderian’s commendation. Although it was not able to be transferred to the Hydra Legion, it received priority personnel supplementation and In the middle of the French campaign, the company was forced to be transferred to the rear for repairs due to severe mechanical wear and tear.
Due to excessive losses, Snyder was not promoted, but he received a personal commendation from the High Command, as well as a first-class iron cross and a silver armored assault medal set by the Führer. The entire company was beaten. There were only two and a half rows left, and the tanks were so worn out that they were almost scrapped. In addition, they had been commended by the commander, so they got the chance to change all of them
As a result, when they saw the tank unloaded from the heavy armored trailer, the whole company was stunned by what was in front of them. Judging from the hull and turret, this should be the No. 4 tank, but this four The number is actually equipped with a long-barreled artillery. This is simply the dream of all the No. 4 tankers. They have long hated the short boy, like this one. This is the man.
For the No. 4 G type, the operation manual and equipment list issued by the equipment department stated that in addition to a 48-diameter 75mm gun, a 50mm additional armor plate was installed on the front to strengthen the commander. The command tower is equipped with a peripheral vision periscope and an armored cover. The hatch cover has been changed to a lifting and rotating opening and closing type. The gun frame of the anti-aircraft machine gun is also installed behind the control tower. It is said that the head of state personally interrogated the improvement plan of this type of tank. It’s just a transitional model, but for this rumor, all tankers say hahaha. How could this be a transitional model? Look at the 80mm front face, look at the 75mm long gun, and then look at the parameters of the gun. They Already invincible in the world
However, the excitement is still to come. This tank is still a special modified version of the improved version. This thing can actually dive Snyder and Hank directly after hearing this function. Twenty-three tons, diving? I got stuck in the mud flat. Not in the river? Diving under the sea? Are we enrolled in the navy? How does this thing work underwater? Could it be electric? Engine breather? What about people? Don't care about people? All tankers feel that this thing has obviously been a pit for tank soldiers since the design plan was made
This tank was originally designed to land in the UK. It’s the long-cherished wish of every German soldier to land in the UK. Defeat the British, but Germany lacks experience in armored landing, and the army does not have the concept of a tank landing ship. A group of generals see Scratching your head while looking at the map, the draft on the beach is too shallow, and the cargo ship can’t get up. How did the tank go? Is it possible to ferry slowly with a barge? Then the British have to let the army and air force on the other side die.
So some guys with bigger brains started to take evil paths. Since the ship couldn't get to the shore, let the tank climb ashore by itself. We passed the German tanks from the water and rushed out of the water, roaring up. The beach, this picture is really moving, Hitler also expressed that he was very touched, so he swipes a big pen. As a result, when the French battle is over, he came up with a bunch of modified accessories.
Next, it was Xu Jun’s turn to land on the beach in 1940. At the beginning Xu Jun thought, directly let the tank landing craft get on the beach, and then found that the existing cement tank landing craft had limited structural strength and horsepower. Can’t retreat, this will hinder the landing of the landing forces behind
So I considered that although the German tanks of the Floating Cross are heavier, they are lighter than the Tom Furnace and may float with an apron. It turns out that the apron No. 3 and No. 4 can indeed float, but all armored commanders They all think that this kind of tank looks like a canvas target when it floats on the water, why not simply draw a cross bullseye and before landing, the tank has no defense and counterattack ability. In fact, after the apron, the tanker is connected to the coast. I don’t know where it is. I have to look at the compass to distinguish the north, south, east and west, and I can only rely on the track to move forward. The speed is so slow that I can’t wait to push it up and refit the external propeller. The entire project is too big and historical battles prove This thing is purely designed to drown tankers, so Xu Jun struggled for a long time and finally passed it
As a result, I finally returned to the diving, but this time because there was a dedicated landing ship, I didn’t need to be thrown into the water three kilometers offshore. Instead, it was launched close to the beach head at a depth of two to three meters. After diving for tens of meters, it can become a semi-submersible state. The turret comes out of the water and then directly rushes to the beach. Because the diving distance is not far and the water depth is not deep, the original long ventilation hose is not used, but A three-meter long alloy engine breather was used instead. The engine and the intake and exhaust pipes were equipped with electric booster pumps and one-way valves. All hatches were equipped with rubber seals, various drainage holes and ventilation. The holes are equipped with rubber caps and corks, emergency oxygen cylinders and gas masks are installed in the car body, and each driver is issued an inflatable life jacket, and even a rubber buoy is added to the spare parts box behind the turret In case of distress, the personnel in the vehicle can pull the ring, and the buoy will float up to indicate the position, which is convenient for rescue and salvage
I heard that it was not used as a submarine. Snyder’s tankers finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then saw that they would become the vanguard of landing in the UK. This tank company immediately became enthusiastic and devoted In the busy diving training
In the first week, the tankers spent all kinds of water leaks, all kinds of irrigation, all kinds of drowning, all kinds of paddling. The driving skills did not improve much, but the swimming skills improved a lot every day. Two barges with cranes were thrown into the water in various poses and angles on the coast of Normandy, then they climbed ashore and then dropped into the water and climbed ashore, day after day
Along with them in the same sea area is another brand-new amphibious armored convoy. The thing like a soap box with a track is better than they play in the water, but considering that it only has With a thin layer of 8mm thick armor plate, Snyder’s submerged tanks are still full of superiority in their hearts. The speed is useless, so they have to be able to hold them.
After two full months of training on the coast of Normandy, the entire tank with 25 tanks was loaded on the train, along the French coastal railway all the way to the north, all the way to Dunkirk
On Dunkirk Beach, which is still a wreck, Snyder brought his tank company to the command’s submarine show. This is also the result of an inspection of this weapon and this unit. Ideally, the No. 4 tanks suddenly emerged from the water, and then the scene of shooting while climbing up the beach left a deep impression on the generals and marshals present. The commander-in-chief of the army immediately ordered that the company was transferred to the landing echelon. In the first assault group, all materials and personnel supplies were listed as the top priority, and the same troops were ordered to be formed immediately to strive to gather a battalion of tanks to launch an attack on the beach when the final landing began
After the first wave of light infantry landed on a landing craft, they will be launched at a distance of 40 meters from the beach, directly rushing to the beach to cover the infantry assault, and then follow the old habit of the German tank troops to penetrate in depth
The second wave of tank landing ships will then directly flood the beach, sending ordinary tanks and armored vehicles. During the entire landing operation, the tank battalion and the light infantry of the two regiments will form the tip of the entire bayonet
Before that, Snyder’s company, as a seed force, will start training reserve vehicles one-on-one, so that when the equipment arrives~IndoMTL.com~ there will be enough personnel to drive immediately
So Snyder's company became a teaching company again, and he was engaged in busy teaching and training every day. Because the previous training has gained a lot of experience, it has become much easier to retrain the staff.
However, the large amount of work and the constant occurrence of mechanical failures, water flooding accidents, and accidents of all sizes, seem to be put into combat at any time, and the modified tanks and personnel are still not in place, and due to frequent training The loss of personnel and equipment, fatigue and hot weather, damp sea breeze, and leaking tanks have all put too much pressure on Snyder. In the eyes of the gunner, the company commander is not Others often show worrying fatigue. He is very worried about the current state of his commander. In the upcoming battle, the first assault company commander’s performance is not only related to the life and death of the entire company, but also It is directly related to the success or failure of the entire battle
However, it seems that everything is over now. Hank looked at the company commander who was holding poor Carl’s chin and pouring alcohol into the other’s mouth. He took out his silver-plated cigarette case from his pocket and pulled out a blue Bird cigarette and bakelite cigarette holder
"Hey, guys, don't drink it up, leave me a little bit" Hank walked towards the frolicking comrades with his cigarette holder (to be continued)