Chapter 1621: An unexpected combination of air defense leopards
The Corian anti-aircraft tank is a front-line dedicated field anti-aircraft vehicle modified based on the chassis of the Panther 5 medium tank.
It is also because of the use of the Panther tank body and chassis that the Corian has very strong armor protection, comparable to the main medium tanks on the front line.
Not only is the protection of the car body reliable, its turret protection is also at the standard medium tank level, and it adopts a fully enclosed rather than open turret design. Its protective performance is unrivaled among armored combat vehicles such as anti-aircraft vehicles.
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Strictly speaking, Corian is the frontline field air defense vehicle with the best protective performance and comprehensive combat effectiveness currently and even in the entire World War II. At least this is true in terms of paper performance.
As for the actual performance, many additional factors are involved, such as the reliability of Corian and the performance of the newly installed fully enclosed anti-aircraft turret, which has yet to be tested in actual combat.
In terms of firepower, Corian uses two Flak 44 37mm fully automatic anti-aircraft cannons. The Panther tank's spacious and huge chassis, which is comparable to the size of Allied and Soviet heavy tanks, gives these two 37mm fully automatic anti-aircraft cannons.
mm main gun with an unusually high amount of ammunition.
In other words, as long as Corian is not destroyed and the fuel pipe is full, this thing can continue to accompany the frontline troops in many high-intensity battles without leaving the firing line without replenishing ammunition.
This is crucial for anti-aircraft vehicles that consume huge amounts of ammunition. It means that Corian can maintain high-intensity combat for a long time even if there is no supply of ammunition vehicles. This is exactly what the German army will need in the future.
In the original existing history, in that timeline where the special time factor of Malashenko did not exist.
Corian should not have been born at this time, but much later.
And the first Corian was only equipped with a wooden proportional turret for testing. Until the building of the Third Reich collapsed, Corian never went on the battlefield to exert his strength and compete with other turrets of the Third Reich.
Prototype test vehicles of all models were reduced to funerary objects.
But in this timeline, Malashenko's appearance ultimately indirectly led to Corian's accidentally achieving mass production and entering the battlefield.
The full conversion of the Panther 2 tank caused a problem. A large number of Panther 1 chassis that had been produced in advance were abandoned because their armor thickness did not meet the needs of the German Army.
The German Army, which attaches great importance to the protective performance of the Panther 2, simply cannot accept the turret of the new Panther 2 being installed in such a "thin-skinned and large stuffing", which is a "waste of resources" on a body that is just like paper in front of the Russian heavy tanks.
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Just like the situation when Dr. Porsche's bid for the Tiger tank project was ultimately unsuccessful, these Panther 1 body chassis that were pre-produced in advance cannot be wasted. We must find a way to transform these body chassis and make them into something else.
It is a front-line armored vehicle for special purposes, achieving special "waste recycling", just like the original Ferdinand tank destroyer.
The parent company of the Panther tank, Man Company, submitted two modification plans to the German Army.
One is to refer to the successful case of the Ferdinand tank destroyer and transform these Panther 1 tank chassis into tank destroyers. The newly finalized plan is called the "Cheetah" tank destroyer, and the equipment is the same as that of the Ferdinand.
The pak 43 type 71 times caliber 88mm main gun. The inclination angle of the armor on the front of the car body is modified and extended upward to cover the entire front of the fighting room, greatly strengthening the defense to a level that can withstand the bombardment of Russian heavy tanks within conventional combat distances.
The second is to transform it based on the company's latest concept of a front-line field mobile anti-aircraft armored vehicle. Based on the chassis of the Panther 1, a fully enclosed electric turret and a dual-mounted high-rate anti-aircraft cannon are installed, making it a
It has become an anti-aircraft tank that can accompany the German front-line armored forces to perform anti-aircraft missions and repel enemy tactical air attacks.
Engineers from Man Company called this new blueprint vehicle "Corlian", and the relevant plans and options were quickly submitted in writing to the Director of Armored Forces: Gu
Derian's hands.
In view of the powerful and nearly destructive tactical air raid capabilities displayed by the Allied forces during the Battle of Sicily, Guderian finally made the decision to use at least half of the black troops after listening to the suggestions and reports of frontline officers who participated in the battle.
Leopard 1 tank chassis to build this new Corian anti-aircraft tank.
Not only to prevent the Allied strategic bombing of German industrial areas, but relying on small-caliber anti-aircraft cannon tanks like the Corian could not stop those superior Allied forces from bombing.
Guderian only hoped that this kind of anti-aircraft tank, which looked quite excellent in terms of design ideas and paper data, could protect the German armored forces fighting on the front line and support a theater air defense network, at least not allowing the German tanks to
Become a prey to the slaughter in front of Allied aircraft.
Of course, Guderian did not fail to consider another modification plan provided by man engineers: a Cheetah tank destroyer equipped with a long 88mm main gun. This is also an excellent armored combat vehicle that looks very powerful, but Guderian
Another report received was not optimistic.
Due to the excessive pursuit of a slender fishing rod-like artillery barrel, the ultra-high penetration value has been brought about. The German military industry, which is eccentric, has already tasted the pain caused by an excessively high barrel diameter ratio: barrel drilling
The scrap rate is really frighteningly high.
The direct result of this is that the actual output of the Chang 88 is actually not very high. Especially when this thing also needs to take into account the construction and supply of anti-tank guns, the actual situation is even less optimistic, and it is completely "cannon"
"More control, less control".
The information Guderian has at hand shows that there are currently at least four armored combat vehicles that are already in mass production or planned for mass production, which need to be equipped with a long 88 main gun. One heavy tank, three anti-tank destroyers, this is still a throwaway
The supply of anti-tank guns does not count.
Guderian does not believe that the German military industry, which is currently suffering from Allied strategic bombing, can deliver so many Chang 88 main guns on time for vehicle production and assembly in the short term. Moreover, anti-tank weapons for the infantry are also in short supply.
The demand for the Chang 88 anti-tank gun is also very high. We cannot only focus on armored combat vehicles and abandon the poor infantry.
In view of this, Guderian finally decided to reduce the production share of the Jaguar tank destroyer and give more of the precious and limited chassis to the equally important frontline field anti-aircraft tanks.
There is another personal reason, which is that Guderian himself is more fond of those Stalker tank destroyers that are small in shape, but have average protection performance, and are also extremely cost-effective. Building more Stalkers is obviously
It's more cost-effective to hire a cheetah.
Due to various complicated reasons, coupled with the butterfly effect of Comrade Lao Ma, the Corian anti-aircraft tank that should not have been on the battlefield was born by accident.