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Achtung Panzer! (1)

With the end of the war with Italy, complete peace came to Europe.

However, even though the war was over, interest in weapons did not cool down.

Engineers analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of existing tanks based on data obtained through actual combat and discussed where improvements should be made.

In actual combat, our Army's Panzer IV and Hatcher achieved a landslide victory over Allied tanks, but there was no guarantee that their current superiority would continue forever, so it was natural for engineers to work hard to improve their weapons.

In actual history, the qualitative advantage of the Panzer 4 was broken in just one year with the introduction of the T-34/85.

There are still three years left before the T-34/85 appears, but history has changed, and enemies may be developing new weapons as well.

If you don't want to get hurt in the future, you should work when you have free time.

So far so good. However, even if everyone worked hard, the results were not necessarily satisfactory.

Guderian and Lutz, who had spent ten days working overtime in meetings with executives of companies responsible for the mass production and development of tanks such as Henschel, Porsche, and Krupp, as well as engineers from the Ordnance Department, came to see me and explained the plan for improving the Panzer IV, our main battle tank. .

"During the Western Expedition, 32% of the destroyed or damaged Panzer IVs were hit by anti-tank rifles."

"I also received a report from you before. "It was called the King's Anti-Tank Rifle, I guess?"

As far as I know, the only anti-tank rifle used by the British and French troops was the Boise anti-tank rifle, but here in the world, a thing called the King's anti-tank rifle popped up.

Captured and investigated by our forces, it weighs 22kg, uses 14×120mm armor-piercing bullets, and can penetrate 35mm of vertical armor at 200m. The Boyz anti-tank rifle weighs 16kg and penetrates 23mm of vertical armor at 90m.

Although it became 6kg heavier, its power also increased accordingly, and in fact, quite a few friendly tanks were hit by this guy, so it was a guy that could not be ignored.

However, since the original tank had a weak point on the side, it could not be said to be the only weak point of the 4th Tank.

However, Guderian and Lutz believed that the problem was that medium tanks were easily penetrated by anti-tank rifles, and discussed ways to solve this problem.

The result was to install additional armor on the sides and rear of Panzer 4.

"We decided to call it Schürzen."

People who are slightly interested in World War II may have seen the strange iron plates carried by No. 3, No. 4, and assault guns.

That is the Schirchen, and it was created as a measure to combat the increasing damage caused by the Soviet Army's anti-tank rifles.

The thickness of the Schirzen is 5 to 8 mm, and the goal is to reduce the bullet penetration of anti-tank rifles by being hit first, and it is said to have actually been quite effective in blocking anti-tank rifles and grenades.

The Shirchen itself is nothing more than a simple piece of iron plate, so it's not difficult to make, but as it was originally, it came out almost two years after the outbreak of the German-German War, so I never imagined it would come out already.

Could it be that there are possessed technicians like me?

"As a result of testing with the captured Kings anti-tank rifle, the Schirzen itself was penetrated, but not a single one out of 10 bullets penetrated the main armor."

The photo attached to the document handed out by Guderian showed the side armor with only a slight dent in the surface, separate from the shirchen that had been pierced and turned into a honeycomb.

"It is estimated that Schirzen alone can offset up to 90% of the damage caused by anti-tank rifles.

Therefore, I propose that the Schirzen be installed on the previously produced Panzer IV and on vehicles produced in the future, Mr. President."

If you look at it up to this point, it looks like this Schirchen guy is an all-rounder.

In fact, it was effective in drastically reducing damage from anti-tank rifles and grenades.

The problem was that there was quite a lot to lose in return.

"But General, if you install the Schirzen, won't it increase the weight and have a negative impact on reliability and driving?"

According to the data in the report, the weight of the Type 4 Panzer G is 24 tons, but when equipped with the Schirzen, it exceeds 25 tons.

In reality, the Schirzen provided stable protection against anti-tank rifles, but in return, it had the negative effect of increased weight, which brought about the serious problems of reduced reliability and mobility of the 4th Panzer.

Schirzen's shortcomings do not stop there. The difficulty of maintenance increases due to the inconvenience of having to manually remove and reattach the Schirzen each time the tank is maintained. Mud sticks to it, increasing its weight, and sand and dust increase in dry environments, causing the engine intake to become clogged frequently. It became the cause.

In addition, in actual battles, enemy infantry often grabs the Schirzen and climbs onto the tank, and anti-tank grenades often get caught between the Schirzen and the main armor, causing damage to the tank. Some tank soldiers only use the turret despite the danger of anti-tank rifles. He wore a shirchen.

In other words, the existence of Schirzen was like a curse to the German military.

Still, there were many tankers who continued to wear the Schirzen, saying it was better than not having it, as the psychological stability it provided was significant, but overall, the necessity of the Schirzen was questionable.

"Of course, as the President pointed out, it is true that mobility has decreased due to the installation of Schirchen.

However, it was confirmed that it was not a major problem and that there was no significant change in reliability."

"You said that an anti-tank grenade could get caught between the Scherzen and its armor and disable the tank, but isn't a hit from an anti-tank rifle a bigger and more real threat than that?"

As someone who knows about the future, I didn't really like Guderian and Lutz's suggestions, but they were much more stubborn than I expected.

Guderian emphasized the need for the Schirzen, saying that since the Panzer 4 was designed to withstand a weight of 26 tons from the time of development, there would be no significant decrease in reliability even with the Schirzen. Lutz also actively refuted my words.

"Wouldn't tram traffic be restricted due to Scherzen's presence?"

"If traffic is restricted because of Schirzen, it is highly likely that tram traffic is restricted in the first place."

Like idiots who only know about tanks, the two of them pushed me by refuting every single question I raised, and when the argument under the pretense of discussing Schirzen exceeded three hours, I eventually proposed a compromise.

Let's come to a conclusion after compiling the opinions of other army generals.

The result was my complete defeat.

Not only Manstein, Brauchitsch, Kluge, and Kleist, but even Keitel and Reichenau, who they trusted, sided with Guderian and Lutz. These traitors.

"Mr. President."

"… … Yes, I understand. "I lost."

I had no choice but to allow the production of Schirchen as the two insisted. The two who accepted my surrender bowed their heads with triumphant expressions.

"I thought the President would listen to us."

"Your Excellency the President just saved the lives of countless soldiers with that decision."

I had no choice but to allow the production of Schirchen, but the increase in weight caused by Schirchen was still a concern, so I issued a special order.

Develop a glove that has the same effect as the existing Schirzen but weighs less.

The result was the wire-mesh Schirzen, which was 600 kg lighter than the steel plate-type Schirzen and was easy to ventilate, preventing the engine intake from becoming clogged with dust.

Unlike the steel plate type, which is easy to attach and detach, the disadvantage is that it requires a separate fixing device and takes time to attach and detach. However, like the existing Schirzen, anti-tank rifle protection was possible, so I actively promoted the introduction of the wire mesh Schirzen.

Guderian and Lutz didn't really object to this either, but that's a story for a little later.

As the uproar surrounding Schirzen passed, orders poured in from all over the world.

The performance of German tanks on the European battlefield shocked the world and at the same time became the object of envy, and many countries rushed to buy our tanks.

Previously, King Christian

But now that the war was over, there was no reason to reject Denmark's request to sell.

Denmark ordered 60 Panzer IVs, 40 Hatchers, and a total of 100 Bf109s, Stukas, and Ju52 transport aircraft.

Considering the size of the Danish army, I had doubts about whether they could all be used, but it was good. The wallet situation of the person who wants to buy it is none of my business.

Norway, which had been greatly harmed by Britain, ordered a total of 70 Panzer IVs and Hatchers and 100 aircraft.

Sweden and Hungary have gone one step further and requested license production, saying they will produce it in their own countries.

In particular, Finland, which had been at war with the Soviet Union until this spring, was even more eager to introduce German-made weapons.

As promised to Erko, I dispatched a military advisory group to Finland and donated 10 Panzer IVs and 10 Bf109s free of charge.

However, since it was impossible to defend the entire vast border with this alone, Finland offered to purchase additional Panzer IV, Hatcher, 300 armored vehicles, and 200 aircraft.

In addition, Romania, Bulgaria, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey, Iran, and even Argentina across the sea have requested to purchase tanks.

German factories were running day and night due to orders pouring in from all over the world, and as soon as the tanks were shipped, they were loaded onto trains and prepared to be shipped to the countries where they were ordered.

Hey, this is Germany!

***

October 1, 1940

USSR Moscow Kremlin Palace

If the German military industry was screaming happily due to an untimely boom, the Soviet military and engineers were screaming with real meaning.

With the disappearance of Poland, which had already served as a breakwater to block Germany - although this was brought about by the Soviet Union - the country was now on the border with Germany, France, which was the only bulwark against Germany, was occupied by Germany, and Britain was barely able to survive.

Now the only country in Europe that could stand against Germany was the Soviet Union.

Stalin, who had hoped that Germany and England would fight for a long time and exhaust their national power, had trouble sleeping at night as the international situation turned 180 degrees different from his expectations.

Although they signed a non-aggression pact, no one knows when Germany will show its true colors as France collapses and Britain walks away.

Maybe Hitler has already made up his mind and is secretly preparing for war.

In Stalin's opinion, Hitler was a worthy human being.

What shocked Stalin even more was the German armored forces.

The German armored units, which were highly mobile and trampled the French and British troops with overwhelming performance, were the greatest threat to the Soviet Army.

"… "It pierces through the tank's armor like a sheet of paper."

This was what Stalin uttered after seeing a German newsreel showing the Panzer IV piercing the armor of the French Army's Somua S35 with a single blow.

The Somua S35, which was penetrated through the front, exploded and sent the turret flying into the air.

Every time Panzer 4 fired, all French tanks were engulfed in flames.

Tymoshenko, who was silently watching the screen next to Stalin, also turned white.

Even considering that it was a propaganda film shot by Germany, the performance of Panzer 4 in the film was enough to put the Soviet military in fear.

News that Finland, which had been at war with the Soviet Union, was importing Panzer 4 from Germany also stimulated anxiety among the Soviet military.

Stalin looked over the report with a stern expression. The report included a list of the weapons in use by the German army, their approximate financial resources, their performance, and actual combat records. This was information collected by NKVD agents sent to Germany by Beria (this information was the last to contact most of the agents). The fact that this was cut off was not mentioned in the report).

"It penetrates up to 97mm in 1km... . "It is powerful enough to destroy all existing tanks in one blow."

Light tanks such as the T-26 and BT-7 used by the Soviet Army were powerful enough to penetrate even at a distance of 2 km.

This alone was a headache enough, but to make matters worse, the armor was thick.

80mm at the front of the hull, 50mm at the front of the turret, 30mm at the sides of the hull, 20mm at the rear of the hull. This was a significant figure considering that the T-26's frontal armor was 15mm and the BT-7's frontal armor was up to 20mm.

This is because the side armor, which was its weak point, was thicker than the front armor of Soviet tanks.

To destroy Tank 4 with the 45mm 20-K tank gun mounted on the two light tanks, you had to aim for the turret from a distance of 500m from the front, or aim for the sides and rear.

"Even if the opponent fires from 2km away and just hits the target, they are defeated, but we have to approach up to 500m and only aim for the turret to be able to penetrate, which is miserable."

Although it was not specifically a rebuke to anyone, Stalin's complaints made his associates shake their heads. They're such cowards.

Stalin looked with disdain at his subordinates, who were shaking like reeds at every word he said, and then focused on the report again.

The 38(t) Tank Destroyer Hatcher was more difficult to deal with than the Panzer IV.

The front armor of the car body is 60mm thick at a 60-degree angle, so the actual protection reaches 120mm, but 45mm guns cannot penetrate it regardless of the distance, and the 76mm F-22 division gun can only penetrate within 500m.

The only consolation was that the sides were 20mm thick, thinner than the 30mm armor of No. 4.

Stalin, who was satisfied with the report that the T-26 and BT-5 provided by the Soviet Union to the Republicans in Spain were hunting the German tanks of the Nationalists, felt like he had been hit hard in the back.

Aren't the tanks of the Soviet Union clearly superior in performance to those of the Germans? But why did the situation turn around in just four years?

Stalin, who was a thorough realist, was different from those who ignored the facts and achieved mental victory by displaying only useless pride.

He quickly acknowledged that Soviet tanks were inferior to German tanks in every way.

He did not know that progress can only be made by accepting reality.

"You have to admit what you have to admit. Our tanks are stronger than German tanks. "Don't you think so, Comrade Tymoshenko?"

Tymoshenko, who was asked Stalin's question, wondered for a moment whether this was a test of his loyalty or a question of the truth.

Judging from experience, this question was closer to the latter than the former.

Tymoshenko answered his superior's questions, paying careful attention to every word.

"I am very sorry, but it is the truth. Comrade Secretary General."

Stalin did not show it, but he was satisfied with Tymoshenko's answer.

If you answered no, I planned to ask you why you thought that way.

Stalin enjoyed being flattered and sugar-coated by his subordinates, but he often expected honest answers from them.

Tymoshenko was able to survive to this day because he knew Stalin's personality well.

"Hmm. "What about Comrade Kulik?"

Kulik was taken aback when questions flew at him, but he maintained his calm on the outside.

He pretended to be worried, then glanced sideways at Tymoshenko, who was sitting next to him.

"That's my opinion too, Comrade Secretary General."

"It's nice to be honest. "I'm so glad that my comrades know how to accept reality like me."

Hearing Stalin's words, Tymoshenko and Kulik sighed in relief. As expected, it was the correct answer.

With this, they succeeded in surviving safely today.

The Kremlin could not relax even for a moment. Especially in front of Stalin.

"There is no way to deal with light tanks, and only the T-34 medium tank and KV medium tank can barely deal with it."

T-34 and KV. These two tanks were the Soviets' only hope.