Steel Soviet Union

Malashenko, who dragged the document onto the armrest of the sofa and started dancing, did not let Zhukov, who started drawing again, wait too long. A document that would play a vital role in the development of the entire Red Army tank force in the near future was quickly handed back to Zhukov.

Compared with the vague and general answer given when he met Zhukov last time, Malashenko, who had already received assurances from Zhukov, was obviously much more bold and detailed this time.

"88mm tank gun? Do you think the Germans will put their 88mm anti-aircraft gun on their tanks?"

The content written by Malashenko, who bluntly stated his bold speculation at the outset, is not difficult for Zhukov, who has experienced many battles, to understand. Just moving the heavy and huge 88mm anti-aircraft gun directly onto the tank turret, which has a very limited combat space, is really a bit too far-fetched in 1941.

The surprise in Zhukov's mouth was already well understood, and Malashenko, who had a complete plan in his heart, soon spoke again.

"This is not difficult to understand, Comrade Commander."

"In all the frontline armored confrontation operations since the Germans launched their invasion so far, the 88mm anti-aircraft gun is the only ground weapon in their hands that can effectively fight against our tank forces."

"This type of artillery, which was originally designed for air defense, has excellent ballistics and a very high muzzle velocity. The accuracy of the artillery is also surprisingly good. It can destroy from the front at a conventional combat distance within one kilometer, including All major tanks currently in service in our army, including the KV1 and T34, are qualified to be converted into tank guns, both in terms of performance and actual combat results.”

There was a pause after the words, and Malashenko, who was about to convince Zhukov completely in one go, spoke again quickly after finishing his speech.

"The current 88mm anti-aircraft gun is indeed restricted by many factors that seem cumbersome, such as the gun mount is too high and the size is too large. But it is undeniable that the current 88mm gun is still a professional heavy-duty anti-aircraft gun, and it is full of cumbersome features. A large part of the cumbersome parts are designed to perform anti-aircraft tasks, such as the hydraulic elevation and lowering machine of the gun barrel and the quadrangular gun mount used to deploy the gun position to stabilize the recoil. "

"If it is to be fully transformed into a main gun in order to move it onto the turret of a tank, the large hydraulic lift and lower machine used to lift the heavy gun barrel to perform high-elevation anti-aircraft missions will be eliminated, and it will be absorbed by the tank's own weight. The reduced recoil of the gun will make the huge quadrangular gun mount mechanism unnecessary. In this way, after discarding many cumbersome and cumbersome features, the 88 gun will only have a basic gun operating mechanism composed of a barrel and a bolt. "

"Put this simplified version of the 88mm anti-aircraft gun into the newly designed tank turret, and then equip it with a main gun sight scope and a pitching height machine suitable for tank combat. Considering that the huge recoil of the 88mm gun itself has a negative impact on the tank structure and sustained shooting To reduce the impact on accuracy, a muzzle brake can also be installed to reduce the recoil of the gun to an acceptable range.”

"With this main gun, which is capable of destroying all major tanks currently in service in our Red Army within a regular combat distance, and based on frontline combat experience, it is equipped with solid heavy armor defense that is not inferior to our KV1 heavy tanks. This will be a very powerful machine. The heavy armored behemoth, Comrade Commander."

In 1941, Zhukov would not have expected that the German Tiger tanks, born just one year later, would cause huge and heavy losses to the Red Army tank forces in the next few years. However, this did not prevent him from having a long-term vision and keen strategic thinking. Zhukov figured out some key details.

As Malashenko said just now, it is indeed not impossible to move the seemingly clumsy and huge heavy artillery onto the tank turret.

The Soviet artillery ML-10 heavy howitzer with a caliber of up to 152 mm is not just an example of being put on the KV2 heavy tank. The Red Army SU-100Y heavy tank destroyer that has been shelved has even directly put the 130 mm Red Navy B-13 Type naval gun was moved onto the tank chassis intact.

Although the transformation of heavy and heavy artillery into tanks has generally not been very successful in the Red Army, this also proves from another perspective that the design of large-caliber artillery equipped on tanks is not impossible.

Germany, which has far surpassed the Soviet Union in terms of heavy industry development, may not be able to solve the bottleneck problem that plagues the Soviet tank designer team. Think of it, although the 88 gun is characterized as a heavy anti-aircraft gun, its caliber is 100 mm as the dividing line compared to the army field artillery. In terms of method, it is an out-and-out "light" artillery. With the Germans' excellent heavy industry foundation, it is probably not a problem to put it on a tank.

Zhukov, who instantly felt that his brain circuit had some enlightenment, nodded quietly. The detailed analysis from Malashenko seemed to Zhukov to be very reasonable.

"The 88mm heavy anti-aircraft gun has ready-made mature technology and existing production lines, which plays a very important role in meeting the Germans' imminent frontline armor crisis needs. If the Germans really combine this powerful anti-armor artillery with heavy-duty If tanks are combined together, this will undoubtedly be a very powerful new tank. Your analysis is indeed very reasonable and important, Malashenko.”

The rest of the transformation of existing German tanks on the old basis is basically not much different from the last meeting.

Urgently modifying the Panzer IV tank with new artillery that can effectively deal with Soviet tanks, and thickening the armor to deal with the serious threat of Soviet tanks that kill with every hit, is what Malashenko had already explained to Zhukov last time The content, this time, is only expressed in writing in a slightly detailed and rigorous way.

After reading Malashenko's brief summary report, which was only a piece of paper, he felt that there was no big problem. Zhukov, who had already made a promise to Malashenko, fulfilled his promise and immediately raised the desk next to him. The pen in the upper pen holder added his name to the end of Malashenko's signature in the report.

"In this way, there will be no people with ulterior motives trying to harm you secretly, Malashenko. This report will be sent to Moscow soon. I hope it can play its due role and let us The superiority of the Red Army's tanks over the German armored forces can always be maintained."

General Zhukov's support is extremely important to Malashenko, who is only a small lieutenant colonel.

The tank designer team of the Soviet Red Army also had a competitive relationship with each other. The battles between different factions were no less than the undercurrents of overt and covert fighting in the political and officialdom.

This document in Malashenko's hands indicates the not-so-distant future. It is very likely that due to ideological differences, some consequences will be unfavorable to Malashenko personally, and will lead to him being indirectly involved in the rear designers. In the midst of competition among teams.

The autograph added by Zhukov after Malashenko's signature is undoubtedly an absolute talisman that helps Malashenko avoid possible dangers.