Chapter 1222 The Crossroads of History

Dr. Goebbels, who was sitting on the sofa nearby, calmly took the photos handed over by Guderian and looked at them one by one in front of him, changing them horizontally and vertically.

Although Dr. Goebbels tried his best to appear more serious, Guderian felt that Dr. Goebbels, who was not professional enough, might not understand the meaning, so he blurted out the next words immediately.

"I'll tell you the result directly, Dr. Goebbels."

"Based on the comprehensive judgment based on the existing sighting reports and these photos, I think the Tiger II heavy tank we are about to put into production is no match for this Russian monster. I have to admit that our engineers are very good, and they have indeed designed a sophisticated and efficient design. war machine, but this is difficult to curb the Russians' irregular game."

Before Guderian could finish speaking, Goebbels, holding the last photo in his hand, had already raised his hand to stop.

"You want to say that the designs of those Russians are far superior to ours, and that our secret weapons are outdated before they even leave the factory, is that right?"

Guderian, who frowned slightly, felt that the situation was not good, and he could even guess what Goebbels thought and what position he would probably say next.

But even so, Guderian, who decided that he must not be flattery or obedient in this matter, still decided to tell the truth.

"I do not deny this, Dr. Goebbels."

"What I want to say is that our existing design must be upgraded and improved, at least to match the known Russian heavy tank with a new benchmark design, otherwise we will still not be able to regain the disadvantage when it is delivered to the troops. This only It may be slightly better than continuing to produce the Tiger 1 heavy tank, but there is still no essential gap.”

As Guderian expected, Goebbels' next performance seemed really unhappy, and the smile that had been on his face just now disappeared into the sky.

"First of all, we need to make it clear, Guderian, your thoughts and statements are very dangerous and extremely incorrect words and deeds."

"The Führer has long been certain about the evil Bolsheviks. They are just a group of farmers digging in the fields, a group of sweaty workers, a rabble gathered together after being brainwashed by the evil bandit leader Stalin, and they are even absurdly proud of it. , shamelessly made their own flags and symbols.”

"Don't try to compare with us with this dirty and inferior design. Those Russians are not worthy. The evil Bolsheviks can only produce tractors with excessive noise. This has always been the case."

When Goebbels once again repeated the words that he had preached countless times in the loudspeaker and on the podium with all his strength and enthusiasm, Guderian, who had already heard these bad words and had calluses in his ears, could only He responded with a deadpan expression.

"But the weapons they designed are powerful enough to be a deterrent and are very difficult targets. We must come up with a countermeasure that can compete with them to reduce the casualties of our outstanding soldiers until we win."

It cannot be said that Guderian was not afraid of "Yellow Sir" Goebbels at all, but Guderian was at least confident in his courage to tell the truth and reason.

Goebbels jumped his eyelids when Guderian softly pushed back the conflict. He felt that Guderian was deliberately looking for trouble for him and wanted to "educate" this rigid guy again. He takes ideological classes.

But when he thought of the words of the head of state who had just told him to get things done, Goebbels, who had endured it and decided to put the overall situation first, put the matter aside for the first time and raised his head again. He spoke seriously to Guderian.

"What do you want to say to the head of state? Overthrow the current Tiger II heavy tank design and restart it, and suspend the production line under construction? This is not allowed, Guderian. The order of the head of state is that the Tiger 2 heavy tank design must be completed this month The Type II heavy tank has been finalized and put into production. The head of state has chosen you to be the practitioner of his will, instead of asking you to play the role of a stumbling block on the road. "

Goebbels, who was unhappy, spoke very harshly, but Guderian didn't care about this. He only wanted to achieve the purpose of his trip.

"That's not what I meant, Dr. Goebbels."

"What I want to say is that the finalization and production of the Tiger II heavy tank can continue, and the construction of production lines must be accelerated to replace the Tiger I heavy tank that has been determined to be outdated. The sooner the better!"

"But on the other hand, the upgrade and improvement plan for the Tiger II heavy tank must be put on the agenda at the same time, and it must have a sufficient and high enough priority. It mainly focuses on upgrading firepower and mobility. The Tiger II heavy tank is a It’s a huge and excellent platform, and all we have to do is install appropriate harness and lance on this steel horse, which is enough to conquer the enemy.”

After Kursk's defeat, Guderian expected that his opponent would have a breathing space to develop with peace of mind and take a good rest. The Russians can use this excellent strategic advantage to produce an unpredictable number of new heavy tanks. When the next large-scale battle begins, it may not be as simple as a few witness reports.

After referring to the design and development model of his opponents, Guderian no longer had any unrealistic pursuit or intention of newly designed weapons, and hurriedly worked on the Tiger II heavy tank with sufficient upgrade potential to create a weapon that could cope with The outcome of the situation is the right path.

Goebbels, who was sitting behind the table without speaking, seemed to be thinking about some question that was unknown to Guderian. Of course, he might also be thinking about how to answer Guderian better.

"Did you bring your summary report?"

Goebbels suddenly spoke, but Guderian did not hesitate in any way.

"Time is tight, and there is only a rough plan and summary. If the head of state needs it, I can give a face-to-face report at any time. Everything is in my head."

As Guderian spoke, he took out a few pages from the document bag he carried with him and handed them to the table in front of Goebbels.

Not knowing much about these detailed parameters and the professional knowledge of armored forces, Goebbels' next answer was in a standard Mandarin tone.

"I will convey what you just said and all these things to the head of state. If there is no other situation, I will continue to say it."

Guderian understood the second half of Goebbels's words, who had already stood up from the sofa. To be honest, he didn't have any extra time to waste here. Saying goodbye to Goebbels was just a formality and formality. It's just superficial work.

"You're back? Where are we going next? General."

Guderian left in a hurry and returned to the car waiting for him. The adjutant in the front seat seemed a little surprised that the meeting with the head of state was so fast, which was a little unusual compared to the past.

Guderian, who didn't look too good, felt that he couldn't continue to do nothing and wait. He must make good use of all available time and do what he must and should do, even if it is not practical. You must also make first-hand preparations when given an order.

"To Henschel, the quickest way possible, now."