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Volume 2 Growth Chapter 739 Armor Gap

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    The wind was howling, the tracks were clanging, and more than thirty sturdy and capable tanks were driving quickly from the east. Without exception, the sides of the vehicles were spray-painted with a huge Iron Cross logo.  On top of a pig-head-shaped turret with good bullet resistance, thick, long and sturdy artillery points proudly towards the distant battlefield. Whether it is barrel length or longitudinal caliber, the main weapons of these tanks are obviously one step higher than their US counterparts.  grade.  And if there are French soldiers present, the scene in front of them will inevitably bring back painful memories deep in their hearts: half a year ago, it was the steel torrent composed of these tanks that destroyed the coalition's front line, and with spring floods  The force of the dyke burst was unleashed, sweeping across the entire French plain in just one month!  Behind these tanks, thousands of infantrymen were running quickly behind them. The iconic Nohara gray military uniforms and large-ear helmets also clearly demonstrated the camp to which they belonged.  Compared with the performance of the US infantry in the offensive, their actions appear to be more skillful and watertight. Whether it is rapid forward penetration or artillery concealment, the obvious gap between these soldiers and the US military can be seen.  Since the Hohenzollern family entered the stage of history, the highly professional Prussian army has been almost the most combat-ready armed force in the world. Only the French army commanded by Napoleon and the first group to arrive in France during the last war  The British Expeditionary Force can have superior combat capabilities.  At present, this army has surpassed the first French imperial army in its heyday and has become an unshakable existence; in the battle of France, they vividly demonstrated their overwhelming power!  "Boom!" A loud and earth-shattering sound erupted on the battlefield, with flames cascading and rolling, and waves of air rising into the sky.  Even if you are hundreds of meters away from the explosion point.  You can still feel the strong shock wave coming towards you.  The terrifying power of large-caliber naval guns is undoubtedly revealed in the support from the other side.  Every bombardment was like thunder, sparking a magnificent scene like fire from the ground.  After a day of competition, the German and Italian fleets finally eliminated the threat to the transport ship from the attacking US fleet and submarines, and began to use firepower to support the paratroopers who were fighting fiercely on land.  Although the hit rate of the fleet's heavy artillery is difficult to guarantee due to the long distance, the psychological deterrent it exerts on enemy soldiers is unparalleled.  The attacking U.S. soldiers were immediately panicked. A large number of U.S. soldiers just clung to the ground, fearing that the opponent's large-caliber artillery shells would affect them.  Seeing that the reinforcements finally arrived.  The morale of the remaining German paratroopers was greatly boosted. As the guns roared, most of the fatigue and pain on their bodies seemed to be washed away with the pouring bullets.  Forced by the fierce firepower of the opponent's automatic weapons, the US infantry attack came to a standstill.  The U.S. Sherman tanks, which had been almost invincible on the battlefield just now, finally tasted the armored iron fist from their opponents.  A No. IV tank slowly stopped its 32-ton body, adjusted the muzzle point and then opened fire suddenly; the first shell roared past the target turret, exploding into a ball of curling fire hundreds of meters behind it.  Earth waves.  And just 8 seconds later, the 88mm L50 gun once again ejected a ball of golden-red flames, and the shells fired at 780m/s penetrated the 51mm sloped armor on the front of the Sherman tank like a thunderbolt.  The entire tank suddenly burst into flames like a furnace.  Last May.  The German armored forces swept across Western Europe in a nearly invincible manner; the United States, located on the other side of the ocean, was shocked and angry, but also deeply felt the huge gap in armor strength between the two sides.  With the breakdown of armistice negotiations between Germany and the United States.  The U.S. Army urgently needs a tank that can resist the German armored forces to cope with the next battle. Under the huge historical inertia, the m4 Sherman appeared in front of the top brass of the U.S. Army in advance.  Its total combat weight is 31 tons and it is powered by a 400-horsepower gasoline engine. Its weight and maneuverability are slightly inferior to the No. 4 tank with a diesel engine.  The only thing that is different from historical facts is that it chose the 76mm L52 artillery with stronger armor penetration ability at the beginning of the design: Since the US Army is facing severe anti-armor pressure, the original 75mm L40 artillery was just proposed.  When the plan was proposed, it was immediately rejected without any suspense.  Although in the eyes of the top brass of the U.S. Army, the offensive and defensive performance of this Sherman tank is still far from the ideal combat vehicle in their minds, this is already within the three-month time limit set by the Ordnance Bureau.  Within, the best work that can be produced.  The heavy tank "Pershing" with a total combat weight of 42 tons and equipped with a 90mm L53 gun is still in the initial stage of research and development. Its substantial improvements in suspension, firepower, protection, and weight have brought about a comprehensive overturn in the design field.  Start over; and the U.S. Army obviously cannot wait until one year after the M26 Pershing has completed design and testing before launching large-scale tank mass production.  The threat from the Germans is imminent, and the armored forces must quickly form combat effectiveness, even if the performance is not as good as the opponent's, it is urgent!  After hastily completing cross-country testing and making small-scale improvements, the Sherman tank was put into full mass production starting in October 1937.  To date, the U.S. Army has received nearly 2,000 tanks of this type.The unexpected reliability and durability made the senior army officers who were originally rushing to put it on the shelves relieved. They couldn't help but sigh that war is indeed the best catalyst for technology.  However, the performance disadvantages of this tank have been exposed without reservation with the current confrontation with its German counterparts.  Since the gearbox is placed at the front of the vehicle body, the long drive shaft has to run through the entire front and rear from the bottom of the vehicle body, thereby significantly increasing the height of the tank itself - and this obviously directly affects its armor protection.  The front of the Sherman's body is 51 mm tilted at 47 degrees, and the front of the turret has only 63 mm of vertical armor. The 88 mm L50 gun on the German No. IV tank can easily penetrate its head from 1,000 meters away.  Its 38mm side vertical armor can only protect against anti-tank guns. Unless the angle of incidence of armor-piercing bullets is extremely large, fatal penetration will inevitably occur.  Facing the 60mm 60-degree tilted front of the IV tank, the 76mm artillery equipped by the Sherman was completely powerless in front of the armor with an equivalent thickness of 175mm.  There was just a crisp rebound from the front of the opponent's car.  U.S. tankers can only seek to use ACR to penetrate the opponent's turret front within 500 meters, or attack its relatively weak side armor.  Since the IV tank also has a 60 mm thick defense on the side of the body, its immunity zone to the Sherman extends to 30 degrees on the left and right (if you don¡¯t understand, please rebuild the space geometry yourself); if you want to get a small-angle side attack  , the US tank soldiers must first pray that they will not be discovered and destroyed by a well-trained opponent during the approach!  Due to the huge gap in performance, this tank battle quickly evolved into a one-sided battle.  The German army destroyed 18 Shermans at the cost of losing 4 tanks. The latter's tall figure was easily captured in the German gunner's sight, and after being penetrated, 8 of the 10 tanks would be damaged by propellant.  It burst into flames.  After this battle, Sherman was nicknamed a Ronson lighter among the U.S. military, while the Germans called it the Sam Barbecue.  The U.S. military, which had suffered heavy losses, was forced to stop advancing. The officers and soldiers were filled with frustration and suspicion: in addition to the huge gap between their own tanks and combat qualities and those of the enemy, they were more concerned about why this German armored force appeared here.  Have they already occupied Baracoa and sent a large number of heavily armed troops to the land?  "Report, the 107th Airborne Regiment has been reinforced by an armored battalion and an infantry battalion. Currently, the defense line of the unit has stabilized, and the second wave of landing troops is quickly coming ashore through the expanded probe!" Located in the frontline command post in Puerto Rico,  The German generals who heard the news all showed excitement. Kesselring, who was born in the Air Force, even took a breath of joy, and the tense emotions in his heart finally eased.  Since the radio station of the 107th Airborne Regiment was damaged in the second hour of fighting, no unit in the rear knew the situation of the Airborne Regiment whose landing position had shifted significantly from its original position. Kesselring had even already  We were prepared for the worst-case scenario, which was to lose this unit in its entirety.  But this latest battle report made him feel that there was a bright future. Although the airborne regiment suffered more than 40% casualties, they were finally saved by the crushing of US tanks.  After a period of rest, they were still able to return to the front line and continue fighting.  "Send a telegram to Marshal Scheer and ask him to send more warships to carry out defensive operations near the landing beach. The Americans will not sit back and watch our landing in Cuba. They will definitely use all available forces to prevent our army from attacking Cuba.  Invasion; the large amount of supplies accumulated on the beach, as well as the transport ships still parked there to unload cargo, will be the targets of the Americans. If they sweep the landing site at night, our troops who have landed will risk being driven back to the sea.  Kesselin calmed down the excitement in his heart and immediately ordered his adjutant.  Although his own air force can suppress the enemy fleet to a certain extent during the day, it is powerless at night. At this time, he must also rely on the full help of the navy.  What pleased Kesselring was that his own navy, which had incorporated the Italian and Austro-Hungarian fleets, already had enough power to defend the landing site.  A large light fleet soon set off from San Juan to reinforce Ciriax. The radar sonar of cruisers and destroyers closely monitored the movements of the nearby waters in the darkness.  On the soft beach, the unloading and moving of goods continued nervously. Every box of bullets and mines delivered to the frontline troops added a valuable boost to the German battle.  (To be continued) PS: Thanks to book friends I Like Cats, Golden Crab, matilllda, Xiaoxiang Yeyu Stranger for their monthly ticket support, and Golden Crab, book friends 1506092, and zhouyu1976 for their rewards~~~ Starting point yesterday  I can¡¯t log in to the backend, so the update has been postponed to today. I hope everyone will understand~~?¡­
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