Looking at Chen Hanzhang who was deep in thought after hearing what he said, Yang Zhen paused and continued: "Old Chen, you are the commander of the armored force. You know more about the equipment than I do. The T-II we currently equip After this year's actual combat of the six tanks, it has been shown that the fragile structure of this tank and the engine with too small horsepower cannot bear the increase in weight brought about by the additional armor thickness we currently use."
"According to the results reported by the 1st Armored Brigade in this battle, when they were running long distances, the various accessories of the T-26 tank equipped with additional armor wore out too quickly, and the tank engine could not bear the heavy load and malfunctions occurred frequently. , unable to drive continuously at maximum speed.”
"After a long-distance attack, due to mechanical failures and engine failures, the tanks that were not able to catch up with the battle were far more than the tanks that were damaged on the battlefield, and those obtained from the Soviet army warehouses in Outer Mongolia did not have additional armor. Although these problems are still a little bit worse for tanks, the tank's survivability is very low due to its too weak armor."
"When you commanded the 2nd Armored Brigade to attack the Tongliao front line, there were more than once tanks equipped with additional armor. They could only fall behind due to malfunctions, and even affected the development of the entire battle situation. The armor was weak and the protection was too high. It is low, making it difficult for this kind of tank to meet the needs of front-line combat."
"For us, whether to improve or not is a headache. When additional armor is installed, the entire tank will not bear the load, and the failure rate increases sharply. Moreover, even if additional armor is installed, it does not completely solve this problem. This is a shortcoming in the tank’s protective power.”
"Once it is hit by the enemy at close range, although the Japanese tank guns cannot destroy our tanks, after the too weak inner armor is loosened by the shells, the armor fragments flying everywhere pose a great threat to the crew, and once it is hit by three If the above shells hit one part continuously, even if the additional armor is not penetrated, the original armor on the inside will basically be damaged that is difficult to repair."
"But if we follow the Soviet army's improvement method and only strengthen the frontal armor, once it is bypassed by Japanese tanks to the sides and rear, it will still be a fatal threat to our tanks. Even if the original armor thickness of this T26S tank is the same as that of Japan's latest The Type 97 tank is comparable to the Type 97 tank. For us, due to its inherent performance deficiencies, it is still a piece of equipment that does not need much improvement."
"Let's not talk about the European battlefield. The enemy situation is different and the environment is also different. The Japanese army's tank armor strength is far from comparable to that of the German army, and it also lacks large-caliber anti-tank weapons. Therefore, there is no comparison between the two aspects. To be honest, Even we can’t compare.”
"However, the example of the Soviet army fighting against the Japanese 23rd Division in the Battle of Nomenhan is very consistent with our current situation. In addition, in the first phase of the battle, we also achieved certain results in the use of armored forces. Experience? Although the Japanese army lacks large-caliber anti-tank guns, it has a large number of small-caliber rapid-fire weapons that can be used for anti-tank purposes."
"Furthermore, the desperate spirit of Japanese soldiers cannot be compared with that of Western armies. Although the performance of the T-26 tank is still fully capable of fighting against Japanese tanks, it cannot be compared with the crazy Japanese soldiers and numerous When it comes to small-caliber rapid-fire artillery, the survivability is very low."
"If I remember correctly, after this battle, the Soviet-made T-26 tank only retained the frontal additional armor, and all other additional armor was removed to ensure the necessary reliability and mobility of this tank in wartime. The report was submitted by you armored soldiers yourself, how come you forgot all about it so quickly."
"And the problems you mentioned about the T-34 tanks also exist with the T-26 tanks. The sighting equipment is backward and there is a lack of dedicated loaders. You are the commander of the armored force. To compare the performance of the two tanks, you should be better than me. It’s clear, but why when formulating tactics, the shortcomings of the T-26 tank were consciously ignored when faced with roughly the same shortcomings but vastly different performance gaps between the two tanks.”
"We will phase out these T-26 tanks sooner or later. However, we currently do not have enough replacement equipment on hand, so we can only temporarily keep these tanks in service. However, our tactics must be changed, and your tactics must be changed." After further research, this tank cannot continue to be used as the main means of assault."
"I really don't understand why now, the equipment has been improved to a certain extent and the strength has been strengthened, but you have regressed. You have more powerful new equipment, but you are afraid of using tactics. Damn it, I don’t object to you taking advantage of the T-34 tank gun and adopting long-distance shooting tactics. After all, the T-34 tank gun has this advantage.”
"But in close combat and when breaking through the Japanese positions, only light tanks are used to fight, and the medium tanks with the best protection are used to retreat. I don't agree with this. Yes, we are indeed particular about it in battle. We are not afraid of sacrifice and dare to sacrifice, but our soldiers cannot sacrifice in vain."
"You know very well how much cost and effort it takes to train a qualified tank crew. Why do we try our best to acquire these advanced tanks when we are unable to manufacture the corresponding equipment ourselves? The purpose Isn’t it just to get the greatest victory at the smallest cost?”
"We can't use weapons without thinking of ways to maximize their value. Your tactics have certain merits, but more often than not, they end up putting the cart before the horse and defeating the more powerful medium-sized ones. After the tanks are equipped, the armor is weak and the firepower is poor, but you should carefully consider how to use the light tanks that are mobile and flexible."
"In the application of tactics, we cannot follow what others have said. I am not opposed to learning from other people's successful experiences, but I am also firmly opposed to copying them without distortion. When we learn from advanced experience, the first priority is to base ourselves on it. The point is our own situation and foundation.”
"The formulation of measures based on local conditions is in line with our own conditions, but the use of tactics that keep up with the development trend of the times is what you or us senior commanders should do most. You are the first batch of armored commanders in our army and the first batch of armored commanders in the entire army. He is the leader of the army's armored force and the founder of the future development of our army's entire armored force technology, tactics and equipment application."
"Whether our armored force, the main combat method of the future army of a great country, can truly develop in the future depends on whether you, the leaders and founders, can play the role that the entire army expects you to play. Everything must be done Moving forward in the process of groping, the burden on you is quite heavy. You, Chen, have a long road ahead, and we all have a long way to go."
After Yang Zhen finished speaking, Chen Hanzhang was silent for a long time, then he raised his head and looked at Yang Zhen and said: "No. 1, I understand what you said. We will immediately readjust and adjust according to the different performance of the two tanks and the development and changes of equipment." Improve training plans and reformulate tactics."
In response to Chen Hanzhang's answer, Yang Zhen only replied with four words "concept, concept" and then changed the subject. He put forward four requirements for the armored forces. First, it is necessary to complete the acceptance of British tanks as soon as possible and form them as soon as possible. For combat effectiveness, this time can only be advanced and must not be delayed.
Second, in formulating tactics, we must formulate different tactics according to different equipment performance, but they must be consistent with the actual situation, and before the next stage of the campaign is launched, we must complete the rapid breakthrough tactics of multiple arms and long-distance armored synthetic groups as soon as possible before the launch of the next phase of the campaign. of drills.
Third, the organization of the remaining armored divisions and brigades that are being formed must be completed as soon as possible, but the organization must not be rigid. It must ensure sufficient assault force without losing flexibility and maneuverability. Fourth, the Second Division must be urged to use the British as soon as possible. The dozens of German-made tanks transferred over have completed the training of German-made tank crews.
Not just a few vehicle crews or a part of the vehicle crews, but all the vehicle crews of the Second Division must complete training on the use of German-made tanks to prepare for the next step of receiving German-made tanks transferred from the Soviet Union and allied countries. These four requirements , are the four basic requirements Yang Zhen put forward for the armored forces before launching the next phase of the campaign.
After talking about these four requirements, Yang Zhen looked at the T 34 tank at the foot of the mountain, a tank he had heard about for a long time. He felt a little itchy, so he waved his hand to the armored commander beside him and said: "Let's all work together. Go down and take a look, and get a good feel for what this tank with the best overall performance in the world looks like."
After that, without waiting for the people around him to answer, he walked down the high ground in a few steps and came to the armored tank group that had completed a training period and was resting. Looking at Yang Zhen who was extremely interested, Chen Hanzhang shook his head and said nothing. , just followed down with a group of people around him.
Arriving in front of the T 34 tank, Yang Zhen took a picture of the thick armor of this tank. After seeing him as the commander-in-chief of the Anti-Japanese Alliance, the excited tank commander introduced him and carefully looked at this latest Soviet model. After seeing the medium tank, he shook his head. Although this kind of tank had been famous for a long time, he was somewhat disappointed when he saw it.
The T-34 tank in front of me is because the Soviet army lost too many earlier-produced tanks of this type on the front line, and thanks to the fact that the Soviet Union has not fully woken up from the chaotic wartime management at the beginning of the war, Fortunately, the one hundred vehicles given to the Anti-Japanese Alliance by the Soviet Union were all equipped with 42-fold caliber F-34 artillery, instead of the old models originally equipped with F-11 artillery.
Moreover, this kind of tank still uses an integrated turret cockpit cover, which cannot install an anti-aircraft machine gun external to the turret. If it is to be installed, the entire turret cockpit cover needs to be improved. However, considering that combat effectiveness must be formed first, it is only completed first. The installation of radio stations and other improvements have not yet been carried out.
After looking at it carefully, Yang Zhen's first feeling was that, like all Soviet-made tanks, this tank had poor ergonomics as always. Except for some necessary parts, most parts of the entire tank were poorly made. It is quite rough, the connection between the turret and the car body is as thin as ever, and there are even bubbles on the armor plate due to poor smelting process.
However, this tank was obviously manufactured before the war. Compared with similar products produced by the Soviet Union during the war, which were more shoddy and were just consumables, the craftsmanship was as rough as other Soviet weapons, but the quality was still acceptable.
The fine workmanship is still meticulous. From the appearance of this tank, we can see the consistent style of the Soviets in weapons manufacturing.
The solid armor made the crew feel safe on the battlefield. However, after the tank ultra-shortwave radio station manufactured by the Anti-Japanese Alliance was installed on the turret, the originally small space became more cramped, and because of insufficient shells, it could only be used temporarily.