Chapter 6 The Sorrow of T34

Compared with the cut and welded armor used by German tanks, the advantages of the integral cast turret used by the T34 tank are obvious.

The one-time molded integral cast turret not only greatly reduces the manufacturing process of the tank turret, but also shortens the working hours required for turret manufacturing.

At the same time, it also avoids the waste of leftover materials caused by cutting and welding armor and the cumbersome remelting process. In terms of production costs, the price required to manufacture a turret is reduced to the lowest, laying the foundation for the subsequent mass production of the T34 tank and the steel torrent tactics. A solid foundation was laid.

But at the same time, due to the unavoidable technological backwardness of the Soviet tank military industry compared to the German tank military industry, as well as the inherent attribute defects caused by the integral cast turret itself.

The interior of the T34 tank's turret armor often suffers from impurities, dust, and a large number of bubbles mixed in during the production process of the integrally cast turret, which ultimately affects the overall armor quality of the formed turret.

Generally speaking, in the early days of the Soviet-German war, this weakness was not yet reflected in the face of the Germans' short and weak short-barreled tank guns and the almost powerless armor-piercing ability of the armor-piercing projectiles fired by the 37 Knocker.

But once you encounter another German anti-tank artifact, the FLAK36/37 88mm anti-aircraft gun, the PZGR capped armor-piercing projectile fired by it has the ability to penetrate 125mm vertical armor at a distance of 500 meters. Terrible power.

And this is simply fatal to the 1941 model of the T3476 medium tank, which has a gun mantlet with an armor thickness of only 90 mm and a 45 mm thick cheek area on both sides of the turret front.

The overall cast turret armor of the T34 tank, which is filled with many impurities and bubbles inside the armor, will immediately reveal the fatality of its insufficient armor quality when faced with the German 88 gun whose armor penetration depth far exceeds its defensive capabilities. weakness.

The poor quality of the turret armor often caused the German 88mm anti-aircraft guns to penetrate directly without any suspense. Compared with the theoretical armor defense thickness on paper, the overall cast turret was almost unable to withstand any attack from the German 88mm guns.

Although during today's daytime battle, the German troops who encountered a Soviet surprise attack during the repair process and hurriedly responded to the battle did not dispatch their anti-tank artifact 88 guns.

However, during the battle, due to its unique and sturdy appearance that was significantly larger than the surrounding friendly BT series fast tanks and T26 light tanks, the No. 177 T34 tank was naturally "expected" by the German anti-tank firepower. Priority care”.

The turret part of the No. 177 T34 tank that was hit by various German armor-piercing shells was naturally the first to be hit. After many rounds of repeated firing, the front armor on the right side of the turret was finally buried due to the integral cast turret. Serious armor fatigue and fragmentation occurred due to hidden dangers.

In the end, the original commander, Captain Brasovsky, died from the collapse of his vehicle and the splash of armor fragments. This was the scene that Lin Jie witnessed with his own eyes when he just traveled to the battlefield.

Lieutenant Colonel Petrov, who is the division-level political commissar of the 20th Tank Division, is naturally aware of the hidden dangers of insufficient armor quality caused by the integrally cast turret of our own T34 tanks.

But a small lieutenant colonel naturally has no ability to change the situation of insufficient armor quality.

The strategic policy of simplifying the manufacturing process, reducing production costs, and shortening the manufacturing hours of a single tank is ultimately used to form a torrent of steel and use the absolute numerical superiority of the armored forces to crush the enemy. This is the Soviet Army's established armor strategy approved by the great leader Comrade Stalin. .

As a grassroots commander and political commissar of the Soviet Red Army, what Lieutenant Colonel Petrov has to do is how to better fight this Patriotic War under the existing conditions, serve the country, and mobilize the morale and stability of his troops. Stay in the military heart.

As for those strategic issues, they are not issues that a small lieutenant colonel like him can and should consider.

But even so, Lieutenant Colonel Petrov, who deeply felt the weight of his responsibilities and the need for Lin Jie to win the honor corresponding to his military exploits, finally reached out and patted Lin Jie's shoulder slowly. And responded with slightly warm words.

"Tell me, Comrade Malashenko. How many enemies did you and your boys kill during the day's fighting today?"

Lin Jie, who was a little confused by the political commissar's tone that seemed to have turned 180 degrees in an instant, was stunned and finally gave a slightly conservative and uncertain answer through the memories in his mind.

"There are about 9 enemy tanks and at least 7 anti-tank guns. Most of them are German Panzer III tanks and 38T light tanks. There are two Panzer IV tanks, maybe three. The anti-tank guns are all those small ones. The small Sanqi is a stepping stone. Fortunately, the Germans in the village did not carry their 88mm anti-aircraft guns. Those bulky big guys are indeed not suitable for rapid field advancement. "

"Ah, very good"

After hearing Lin Jie's answer, he showed an appreciative look and nodded slowly to express his approval. After a pause, Lieutenant Colonel Petrov asked again.

"Are there accompanying friendly units that can prove your achievements? Comrade Malashenko. You know, if so many battle results are reported, it will inevitably make some jealous people suspicious. For your own sake, but also for the sake of our division. It would be best if the accompanying friendly units could witness and testify to these results.”

Everything was exactly as Lieutenant Colonel Petrov said.

So far, in the Barbarossa invasion launched by the German army, the Soviet Western Front Army Group, which hastily responded to the battle, has been defeated in a row and is very useless. To declare a victory report with such outstanding achievements under such a general background, it obviously requires the testimony of some eyewitnesses to silence the jealous and suspicious mouths of some people.

Lin Jie had already guessed that Lieutenant Colonel Petrov would ask such a question, and Lin Jie, who had already prepared the corresponding answer, immediately answered.

"Yes, Comrade Political Commissar. In the subsequent actions when the leading troops of our division were in place and launched the counterattack, the No. 311 BT7 tank and the No. 202 T26 tank have been accompanying my vehicle in the coordinated attack. They can all prove what I said."

After hearing this, Lieutenant Colonel Petrov, who no longer had any scruples in his heart, was completely relieved.

At the moment, what the Soviet army, which has suffered successive defeats and retreats, needs most is a hero like this Lieutenant Malashenko.

Once his genuine military exploits are properly packaged and whitewashed and publicized throughout the Red Army, the heroic role model and leading role he can play will be immeasurable. This is exactly what Lieutenant Colonel Petrov used his own power to do. It is one of the necessary responsibilities of the division-level political commissar.

Thinking of this, Lieutenant Colonel Petrov, who felt it was necessary to discuss the matter with the acting division commander Colonel Chernyaev and report the results, then spoke to Lin Jie again.

"Comrade Malashenko, if possible, I think you should go to the division headquarters with me. Comrade Chernyaev will definitely want to meet the fighting heroes of our division."