Chapter 348 Frozen

Although the sudden words from Malashenko's mouth surprised Karamov, who was caught off guard, his mind came to his senses after a while and still responded to Malashenko very quickly.

"The situation is not very optimistic, Comrade Commander. First of all, I must explain to you that these German tanks have not been started for at least a week or so. The fuel pipes that were originally just frozen and sticky are now completely frozen solid. Just now That one was in the worst condition. When I entered the turret, there was even ice on the breech. I really don’t know how these Germans maintained their tanks. Didn’t they fight in the winter? "

After hearing the somewhat unbelievable words from Karamov's mouth, he couldn't help shaking his head and laughing. How could the German armored forces, which had conquered all of Europe, not fight in the winter? It was just winter in the eyes of the Germans and the Soviet Union. Winter is really different.

"Okay, let's get down to business, Karamov, you haven't answered my question about whether I can handle these Kraut tanks."

"Uh this"

Just now he was only complaining about how badly the German armored soldiers maintained their car companions. Karamov, who was very dissatisfied with the way these Germans cared for their cars due to his own professional problems, was only complaining about it, completely forgetting that Malashenko also Questions posed to myself.

With a slightly annoyed expression, he raised his right hand and scratched the back of his head. Karamov, who was a little overwhelmed by these German tanks in poor condition, found it difficult to give the answer Malashenko expected.

"I can only say that I will do my best, comrade commander. The tank fuel of these Germans is not the same as ours. The antifreeze and winter lubricants we use do not know whether they will work on these guys. Individual tanks are in During the inspection just now, we found that they were damaged. We lack the original parts and supporting skills of the Germans to repair these guys. Maybe we can only take away the tanks that are in relatively good condition. "

The words that the situation was bad but expected did not surprise Malashenko. The German armored troops who set foot on Soviet soil for winter operations for the first time did not expect to encounter such a cold winter. Otherwise, Otherwise, these latest German Panzer III tanks would not be frozen to death and unable to move.

"Then try your best to recover them, Karamov. There are still many battles to be fought to defend Moscow. I believe these German tanks will come in handy when the situation is most critical."

Malashenko, who was clearly aware of the entire process of the Moscow Defense War, knew very well how little tanks the Soviet army fighting under the city of Moscow at the end of 1941 had.

At the critical moment that was imminent, even a God-of-War figure like Zhukov directly called the Kremlin behind him and urgently requested more tanks from Comrade Stalin, the loving father who was in command in Moscow. This was the first time that a victorious Soviet tank unit had been forced to do this.

Although these improved German Panzer III tanks that are not as good as the T34 and KV1 are somewhat unmentionable, after all, this is only relative to the Soviet tanks that have an absolute quality advantage.

The Panzer III J1 type equipped with a 60 times caliber long barrel 50 mm tank gun, if the Soviet tank force is ignored, it would definitely be ranked second in the comparison of the entire world's medium tank rankings in 1941. Or, the stupid American Six Brothers coffins and British Bull Crusader vans are simply not comparable to these elite German tanks.

The situation will only get more difficult for Malashenko. At the most critical moment, it is very likely that Malashenko will need the most elite tanks in the hands of the German army to fill the void of battle losses. Some use the supreme truth that it is better than being an infantry even in future generations. The future will never be outdated.

"Understood, Comrade Commander, I will try my best to repair these German tanks, although even I don't have high hopes."

After getting the best answer from Karamov, Malashenko stopped asking any more questions. He had never personally experienced the environment inside a German tank since he traveled to the Soviet-German battlefield and was quite curious. The heavy Malashenko immediately walked towards the No. 3 J1 tank closest to him, grabbed the cold and biting armor through his black leather gloves, and then climbed up with his legs stretched out.

"Comrade Commander, do you want to go in and take a look at this German tank?"

Facing the question of Iushkin who was standing on the turret and cleaning the thick layer of ice, Malashenko, who was already a little impatient, answered almost without thinking.

"The opportunity to see with your own eyes the tanks that conquered all of Europe cannot be let go in vain. This is a matter of course, Iushkin."

As he opened his mouth to answer, Malashenko jumped in along the rear-open turret hatch. From the turret into the interior space of the No. 3 tank, Malashenko felt that his eyes suddenly opened up.

"Fuck! The German tank is so fucking spacious! Compared to the T34, it's like a luxury touring car!"

It was not some illusion that Malashenko had such a first impression as soon as he entered it.

Although the German Panzer III tank, which was designed with a small inclination angle and mostly vertical armor defenses, was inferior in defensive performance, it did have a spacious internal combat space that the Soviet T34 could not match.

The Panzer III tank, which uses a three-person turret, two-person hull, and a total five-person combat crew, not only does not appear narrow, but the spacious design with at least fifty centimeters between each crew member gives it an excellent Human-machine efficacy. The German armored soldiers who felt a little awkward and uncomfortable during the battle could completely stretch out their fists and legs to relax, while the corresponding Soviet T34 tank found it difficult to even turn around in the crowd.

He twisted his shoulders and felt the comfort and spaciousness of the German Panzer III tank from the commander's position. Malashenko, who was also very interested in other functional parts of the turret, moved to the gunner's position. He had not operated it for a long time. The steering gear, height machine turntable and main gun sight immediately appeared in front of Malashenko.

Stretching out his hands to fiddle with the steering gear and the steering wheel that were unfamiliar to him because he hadn't touched them for a long time, Malashenko, who habitually stepped out with his right foot and wanted to step on the main gun firing pedal, was very surprised. One step missed.

"I remembered, the German Panzer III tank didn't use a firing pedal. If I remember correctly, the main gun firing device should be here."