Canteen System Assistance Notes

"So, Comrade Liu He, the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, a force in North China, has simply dispersed and vanished without a trace?"

"Yes, no matter whether a full-scale fight broke out or whether Lao Xi likes it or not, the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army will probably become a chapter in the history books." Liu Helian closed his eyes and slowly put together the disassembled weapon parts on the table. Finally, the pile of parts turned into a submachine gun.

Click!

Liu Helian cocked the bolt, loaded the submachine gun, and then aimed at a half-length target at the far end of the range and pulled the trigger, firing short bursts. A series of rattling gunshots followed, and dust and smoke billowed from the target 50 meters away. When the smoke cleared, the target announcer came in and called out the score of 23—meaning Liu Helian had knocked down 23 of the 35 half-length steel targets.

Those who had destroyed Fu Yisheng fled, those who had defected to Tang Keqin left, and those who had defected to the Japanese also slipped away. The rest were either taken in by our new army system or taken in by Zhao Daiwen, the elder who followed the Jinsui Army. But Governor Zhao had no source of income, and this kind of gathering wouldn't last long. His own health was deteriorating, and probably, after that, this last bit of the Jinsui Army would disperse and disappear.

Liu Helian removed the magazine from the still smoking submachine gun, checked the chamber, and then handed it to "Mr. Bear" Belsky standing nearby:

"Do you want another round?" The Red October's firing speed is slightly faster than the Type 81, and its automatic mechanism moves more violently. The center of gravity shifts significantly when firing, making it slightly more difficult to control.

Dmitri Anatolyevich Midyvedovsky, the liaison officer's full name was long and difficult to pronounce. For some strange reason, Liu Helian simply called him "Belsky." "No, no, I almost vomited from firing those two guns."

Bielski quickly waved his hand and refused. "When the decision was made to go to war with Finland, the delegation had already taken the two rifles back, but the test results from the Tula factory were not yet in. I was asked to give my personal opinion—and by then, I had fired nearly 1000 rounds of ammunition each with the 'Red October' and the 'Type 81'!"

"So, what's the feedback from the Artillery General Administration? Have they decided on which submachine gun to use?"

*Well... Belsky hesitated for a moment. "Dear Comrade Liu He, your estimate may not be quite right on this point. Well, everyone obviously prefers the Type 81 designed by you rather than the Red October you like." "Huh?"

As a part-time designer, Liu Helian "designed" a lot of firearms, accessories and tools. The M/45 submachine gun blade originated from the later Swedish Gustav Arsenal was nominally his work in this time and space. As the natural technological evolution of the Eighth Route Army's MP18 and MP28 production plant, it became the main submachine gun in service.

The "Red October" was derived from the Soviet Union's "Popos 43° submachine gun. Due to its ease of production, it was adopted as equipment for troops using the German missile system, maintaining a medium-speed production and equipping troops in parallel.

Both rifles were noticed by a Soviet delegation visiting China, and Pyotr Kirillovich Koshevoi, a former cavalry officer, brought five of each back home and submitted them to the Main Artillery Directorate for testing. However, due to the lingering influence of Tukhachevsky's "submachine gun uselessness" theory within the Soviet artillery industry, testing progress was slow.

Later, there was the "Soviet-Finnish War" which made the Russians extremely embarrassed.

A few months ago, before the February Revolution broke out, the Russians, who had been troubled by the Finnish "Suomi" submachine gun, suddenly found that the submachine gun, which "could be completely replaced by semi-automatic rifles", had become a vital weapon. Faced with the need for front-line troops to engage in water-throwing and shooting at "talking snowdrifts" in the Karelian forests, the Russians searched for submachine guns everywhere, starting with the sealed "Popod" submachine gun.

To dig out the "Federov automatic rifle" to come to the emergency... The submachine gun seemed to be in

Overnight, it became a hot commodity.

At this time, someone finally remembered that in Zagorsk near Moscow, weren't there two submachine guns designed by fraternal parties being tested?

"I remember we were converting the Borgwarden MP28 production line to produce the rifle?" Bielski found a seat near the shooting range and pulled a report from his briefcase. "Because they all used PA ammunition, I remember production capacity was very low at the time, so the first batch of 200 rifles was transferred from active troops. On the other hand, Red October's production capacity increased rapidly, and we quickly had 200 rifles."

"Afterwards, I coordinated the air force to fly over and transport it away!"

Bielsky was filled with pride when he recalled the rumble of the Luftwaffe's TB3s flying in and then roaring back with a belly full of submachine guns. He didn't even bother hauling bullets; Mauser and Parabellum rounds were easy to find in the Soviet Union. Four hundred submachine guns could have equipped at least two regiments on the front lines!

"Yes, the natural extension of Borgward's technology was the Type 81 I designed. Since we were planning to produce large quantities from the beginning, our production equipment was designed to produce at least 10,000 per day, and we converted production directly from the MP28 factory. While its cost was lower, the production time was slightly longer, so naturally, it was slower."

Because he'd copied so much, Liu Helian had become so adept at lying that his lies were completely imperceptible. He took the Russian report from Belsky, which contained extensive feedback from frontline troops. "The Red October's production cost is significantly higher than the Type 81, but it's simpler to produce, requiring minimal labor. It can be put into production in a small workshop first, so producing 200 of them would actually be faster."

----—--—

Liu Helian read the report, written entirely in Russian and translated into Chinese by Belsky. It was a summary of interviews, divided into two parts: one from the small arms designers and weapons experts at the Zagorsk test site in Moscow, and the other from the test units that had used the Type 81 and Type 81 Red October submachine guns directly on the front lines.

The tendencies of the two reports are in stark contrast.

In the rear test center, the "Red October" (also known as the Bobos-43), which is simple to produce and has a very short production process, has received unanimous praise from engineers, technicians and designers. They believe that although the cost is slightly higher than the "tube gun" Type 81, the production time of the "Red October" submachine gun is incredibly short.

At the same time, only a small amount of equipment needs to be added to existing arsenals or even furniture factories to form a production line for the "Red October" submachine gun, and it will not even affect the production capacity of existing military factories. After all, it is a bit wasteful to occupy large equipment for such a simple and reliable weapon, so it is better to set up a new factory to produce it.

In addition, they also put forward some opinions and suggestions, some of which made sense and some were a bit strange: for example, chrome-plating the inner wall of the barrel to increase the service life of the submachine gun, using welding to replace the riveted sleeve, and canceling the triangular fixings on the magazine well; replacing the steel folding buttstock that "is uncomfortable to touch the cheek in winter" with a carbine-style wooden buttstock, or extending the barrel to improve accuracy at the end of the range.

The frontline soldiers and NCOs, on the other hand, preferred the heavier Type 81, which was easy to control and highly accurate. Veterans who had used the Popod submachine gun could, in full-auto mode, fire a full burst of bullets into a tree 50 meters away, or into a snowy den where a sniper lay. It was also highly resistant to dirt; to clean it, simply pour a cup of hot water into the muzzle, and dirt would flow away through the channel under the receiver.

Of course, this wasn't the main reason. Liu Helian was surprised to discover a rather surprising advantage in the report—some Soviet frontline repair shops, having discovered that this thing and the Finnish Suomi submachine gun used the same ammunition, began to consider adapting the Finnish seven-round drum magazine. They removed the retaining pins from the Type 7's magazine well, then polished and reshaped it, and actually managed to install the large drum magazine. This transformed this 36-round capacity rifle into a powerful close-combat beast capable of firing 71 rounds continuously, earning the favor of the frontline soldiers.

Historically, the Swedes had intended to make the M45 compatible with the Suomi magazine's ammunition feed, but later canceled the plan... These Russians actually came up with this "I thought" modification. Liu Helian covered his face with his hands. In addition to suggesting that the grip be narrower for easier grip, these soldiers kept saying "I want a larger drum magazine."

"Finally, Comrade Stalin decided to prioritize the re-barreling, finalization, and production of the Type 81 submachine gun, based primarily on the recommendations of the frontline soldiers. The Tula Arsenal in Tula Oblast will be responsible for the re-barreling design and process improvements," said Belsky. He stood up and gave Liu Helian a big hug. "The new submachine gun will be named 'ППП-40,' where 'П' stands for your name."

Comrade Liu He, this is such an honorable thing....In the face of such sincere

Are you really not considering returning to the Soviet Union to carry out your work?"

"Oh, my dear Mr. Xiong, although I will visit the Soviet Union later, my homeland is here after all. I still need to work here. I need to rely on the collective wisdom of my comrades here to come up with all kinds of creative ideas. So, with the information I asked you to convey last time about supporting a team of firearms designers and technicians in Fushe, have you made any progress now?"

Liu Helian pushed away the burly Mr. Xiong. As long as this guy didn't drink, he was actually a very easy person to get along with.

"Don't worry, my comrade. Comrade Stalin has approved it. We will send a cutting-edge firearms design and engineering team here to assist with the design and improvement of the P.P.-40 submachine gun. We will also help you train your own firearms designers and even lead you in designing your own new weapon."

"Then, may I ask who is the leader of this new design team?"

"No problem, he is Comrade Alexey Ivanovich Sudayev."

Chapter 293: Turtle's Choice

Although both the "Red October" and "Type 81" rifles were designed by Liu Helian from later sources, cost little, and the Russians denied any patents, and the Eighth Route Army would receive a cut of each rifle, as the saying goes, "It's better to give timely assistance than to add icing on the cake." When the Soviet front lines were crying out for submachine guns, the Eighth Route Army's first batch of airlifted submachine guns, followed by subsequent aid via the Northwest Corridor, including submachine guns, recoilless rifles, high- and low-pressure artillery, as well as some thermal clothing, high-calorie canned food, vitamin candies, and other supplies, truly alleviated the urgent needs of some troops.

These reports flew from the front to the Kremlin, and they were among the few good news Dalinzi saw amidst the dismal battle reports. Therefore, in 40, when the situation on the Soviet-Finnish battlefield became clear and the February Incident began and ended, Stalin's direct instructions accelerated some work related to the Eighth Route Army.

Or rather, some wonderful changes have taken place.

The first thing the Eighth Route Army felt was the delivery of an order.

In the first half of 39, Liu Helian, on his way back from the Soviet Union, took Dong Shaozhong, who was studying there, to a Soviet light weapons exhibition. At the Moscow venue, Liu Helian showed General Dong a variety of new Soviet-made weapons, including rocket launchers, anti-aircraft machine guns, and high- and low-pressure artillery.

During this time, due to Dong Shaozhong's sudden inspiration, the middle-aged marshal who was proficient in four foreign languages, English, Russian, German and Japanese, "ran away on his own initiative" and talked with the Soviets for a while.

, bought 3000 new SVT-38 semi-automatic rifles and prepared to test them

Experimentally put one or two into the infantry squad to increase the firepower of the infantry squad.

Then, Maozi packed up 32,000 of them.

The Eighth Route Army soldiers who unpacked the guns quickly discovered something was wrong. Although the guns were well-maintained and had all the necessary accessories, and even one gun came with four magazines, these were not Svt-38s!

The comrade in charge of receiving the goods hurriedly checked the information and discovered that it was actually the Avs-36 semi-automatic rifle that the Soviet Union had previously produced and sealed. A telegram was quickly sent, but the Russians on the other end of the telegraph line were completely unconcerned: "No problem, the two guns are similar in use, and this one can even fire continuously!"

Our comrades argued: "No! There's no difference between the two. One was designed by Mr. Simonov and finalized in 36, so it's an old gun. The other was designed by Mr. Tokarev and finalized in 38, but it's new. They don't have the same father, so how can they be the same?"

The Soviet side responded very straightforwardly: "Yes, there is no mistake in sending it. We will not charge for the extra 30,000, they are given as a gift." Our comrades immediately replied: "Yes, Big Brother, you are right."

-------one

Tens of thousands of guns were not a difficult task for the Eighth Route Army, which now controlled most of the Northwest Passage. The total weight of over one hundred tons could not even fill the available cargo capacity of a motor vehicle regiment. Soon, these guns were pulled to the border area and underwent simple testing.

As the first generation of automatic loading rifles, the Avs-36 is very similar to the M14 rifle equipped by the US military 21 years later in this time and space. It has all the problems it should have - the operation is more cumbersome than bolt-action rifles, the automatic mechanism is prone to failure due to dirt and requires more frequent maintenance, continuous shooting can easily lead to structural overheating... and the recoil is almost uncontrollable when in full automatic mode: even the strongest soldiers in the Eighth Route Army, with lingering fear, compared that when firing in full automatic mode, it felt like holding a wild boar in estrus in spring and roaming around on the ground.

In other words, there is no full-power, fully automatic weapon that does not have this kind of inherent problem - the Eighth Route Army spent 1 month testing and figured out these things with the experience of later generations, the Russians spent 5 years playing and figured out these things with more experience, and the United States wasted more than 20 years to figure them out.

Come back to the senses.

However, even such an old and imperfect semi-automatic rifle, compared with the "Old Mo" that fired one shot and pulled one round, made a very obvious difference to the firepower of the entire infantry squad. The soldiers who participated in the trial reported that if there was a support environment, the alternating firing of two semi-automatic rifles could even suppress the charge of more than ten people. Even in normal times, an additional emergency firepower point could make the "three-three system" squad's tactical choices more flexible.

Therefore, when forming many field army units, the Eighth Route Army would distribute these semi-automatic rifles to each squad at a rate of one or two rifles. After a supply from the Soviet Union, these more than 30,000 rifles were basically consumed by the Eighth Route Army all the way until the end of World War II.

"It's a pity that we're not as wealthy as those industrial powers. Otherwise, we could try to build the automatic rifle that uses the new bullets that Xiao Liu mentioned in his information!"

For the Eighth Route Army, any change in equipment, if it is to be popularized throughout the army, will inevitably become a major matter involving millions of people.

Therefore, when most of the field army troops were equipped with Soviet weapons, a large number of other weapons would be kept in the hands of the Eighth Route Army and equipped to the troops in an organized manner. At present, the Eighth Route Army can probably ensure that the field troops at the division level and the local troops at the regiment level use a unified type of rifle bullet and a unified type of pistol/submachine gun bullet, either three-line bullets, German Mauser pointed bullets, Japanese Yuwa bullets, or 9mm Parabellum or Mauser pistol bullets.

The Japanese pistols were automatically handed over by the Eighth Route Army to the guerrillas, who were not very interested in them.

Among them, most of the captured Japanese weapons and miscellaneous weapons were concentrated in local troops and guerrillas, becoming the main force to resist the Japanese and puppet troops' sweeping into the countryside. At this time, the huge stock of German weapons in the country were used more to arm the field armies of the A and B levels. The sources of these German weapons were very mixed. The Eighth Route Army had stocks inherited from the Red Army era, and some were spoils of war captured from the Kuomintang and puppet troops.

It can even be said that there are many more "imported products" recently.

Yes, the Eighth Route Army also "imported" some German weapons. They also came from the Soviet Union, from some strange exhortation of Stalin and the imagination of Soviet bureaucrats.

And there is the temporarily disappeared Poland.

Starting from February 1940, the Eighth Route Army's office in Xinjiang Province began to receive a variety of Soviet-conveyed Polish weapons.

These weapons were in different states and of complex models. It looked like the Russians had simply collected them and loaded them onto the trucks after capturing them. After collecting the transportation fee charged by the Eighth Route Army based on the number of wagons and the quality of the wagons, they packed up the huge pile of weapons and put them on the trucks.

The equipment was piled up at the port and left for the Eighth Route Army to deal with themselves.

As a last resort, the Eighth Route Army had to send a working group of an entire battalion to inventory and sort the various light and heavy weapons made by the Soviet Union.

First, a large number of Wz rifles that resembled the German G98 and 98K were counted, and most of them were short-barreled "carbine" versions. These rifles were engraved with the designs of two Polish state-owned arsenals, FB Radom and FB Warszawa.

Mixed with a small number of German originals, they are widely used in China and can be directly taken away for use. The Eighth Route Army Working Group counted for a long time and found about 100,000 long and short "Mauser 98" in good condition, and even found more than 4,000 "Commission"

Committee", and handed them all over to the transport team to be taken back.

Secondly, what the Eighth Route Army found was the Wz28 light machine guns produced in Poland and Belgium. This American-made rifle was licensed to FN Belgium, and then licensed to Poland for production. In essence, it was a German version of the Bar rifle.

It was an unexpected surprise to find this thing. You know, there are no more than 2 of these in Poland. The quality is quite good. In history, both the Soviet Union and Germany have direct records of using them. Among these batches of Polish weapons, there are eight

The search ultimately yielded over 6000 Wz28s. Unfortunately, most of them were versions with fixed barrels, with only a few being improved versions with replaceable barrels.

Finally, there were a variety of other weapons, numerous and confusing. Among them, the Eighth Route Army found French rifles, German water-cooled heavy machine guns, and a variety of strange and bizarre pistols with good and bad performance.

方面，八路主要选择了法制81毫米迫击炮、博福斯37毫米战防炮和75毫米高射炮。81迫基本上就是国内82迫的原型，可以很简单地改造成通用状态; 37战防炮则可以通用缴

The 37mm German anti-aircraft artillery shells obtained were used to carry out regional garrison and personnel training tasks; and although those anti-aircraft guns had a high probability of going through the war without firing, they could still be used for key air defense work.

In addition, there were several Skoda 100mm howitzers among the spoils sold by weight. The tactical performance of this artillery was quite good. It was a pity that there were no shells when the Russians handed them over, and the Eighth Route Army did not intend to organize its own production. In the end, these

Most of the artillery pieces were taken to the artillery school for practical training. However, some of the older Schneider M1917 howitzers could see some use, as they were being used with the 155mm French artillery ammunition that the road was planning to purchase.

This wave of "junk collecting" continued until mid-1942, ceasing only about a month before the start of the Soviet-German War. These weapons, along with Nationalist weapons captured in various incidents, became a powerful support for the Eighth Route Army's subsequent field army units. Supported by the burgeoning ammunition production capacity in border areas and various base areas, and supplemented with domestically produced accessories, these weapons could equip at least seven or eight divisions, sustaining their use for a long time.

Just as this group was preparing to disband, an urgent telegram arrived one day in late 1940 from Xinjiang Province to the Railway Protection Army Headquarters and the Central Military Commission. The content of the telegram was very brief, and even after translation, it was still very short, indicating that the matter was very serious:

"Quickly dispatch a fleet of 20-ton tank-towing transport vehicles to transport ultra-large caliber, ultra-heavy artillery components." "Priority support, extremely urgent!"

Chapter 294: Thoughts on the Braised Body

The February Incident was a brand new experience for the Eighth Route Army and a basic test of the physical fitness of the field army. Naturally, even if they won the battle, the Communist Party would always conduct a serious post-war summary.

But everyone knows the basics of the Communist Party's summary: it's a concerted effort from all levels of units, starting with the soldiers' firsthand perspective. Documentation will compile experiences from squads, platoons, companies, and regiments, and gather records from artillery, air force, health, logistics, and even technical reconnaissance systems. Ultimately, this results in a thick, detailed report and a shorter internal reference. The lessons learned from this report will be disseminated and promoted throughout the army, fueling the rapid growth of this learning-oriented military.

So, what about our main force in the war of resistance, the preserved fruits?

They also wrote reports, and they were quite detailed. However, due to their lack of understanding of the battlefield situation, their lack of military literacy, the constraints of personal connections, the loss of face and pride of some people, and some unclear relationships, this report has a sense of fantasy history. After the negotiations ended in March 1940 and the KMT and the CPC exchanged telegrams, the Eighth Route Army's intelligence system soon received three identical KMT reports.

Attached is Chiang Kai-shek's instruction: one is a photo, one is a scan, and one is a

This is an internal publication of the National Army.

The report was drafted by the Director's Office of the Gaojing Headquarters and summarized by the Military Commission of the Temporary Capital. It was printed in lead type, and some of the text had apparently been photographed by the Communists before it was even dry. At first glance, the title, "Summary of the Suppression of Banditry by the First, 90th, and 16th Armies in February 1939," begins with large, regular script, along with the names of several generals, giving it a rather formal appearance.

But then, something weird started to happen.

Logically, as the defeated side, they should analyze the reasons for their own defeat and the reasons for the enemy's victory from multiple perspectives, learning from their strengths and overcoming their weaknesses, so as to avoid making the same mistakes again and falling into the same pit twice. However, after reading the first half of the article, our intelligence department comrades saw only a short poem filled with it:

"It's not that our army didn't work hard, it's just that the Communist bandits have XX"

So, what exactly do the Communists have?

The report submitted by the 16th Army included a large paragraph in bold font:

.....The bandit army uses land-stained ammunition and fires it day and night. This weapon poses a great threat to us. "Between the lines, there is a mixture of fear and praise for this "land-stained bullet."

"This bullet is very powerful and can penetrate several sandbags and even explode after penetrating several people.

Even if they missed, the weapon could explode in mid-air, making a loud noise. If it struck from behind our positions, it would come from all directions, day and night, without stopping... This caused great mental torture to our officers and soldiers, making it difficult for them to sleep, leading to their defeat...

The article then included a cross-sectional view of a "Danlu Bullet," a bullet as long as a palm. This hand-drawn illustration shows the bullet complete with fuse, charge, and firing tube, resembling a miniature artillery shell. The 1st Army report also thoughtfully noted, "This bullet can be fired by the enemy's water-jet rifles, revolving guns, and heavy machine guns. It can penetrate and explode, and has a wide range of uses. This ammunition must have been provided by the Soviet Union, and it is advisable for our army to copy and use it, giving them a taste of their own medicine."

After all, the ammunition fired by the Red Bandits' guns could explode, making a loud noise and having great power. Therefore, as the 16th Army, which had the least number of people annihilated, the largest number of prisoners, and the most complete surrender organization, it seemed that it did not fail in its duties on the battlefield.

The report continued, saying that the reports collected from the 90th Army were the fewest and the most sloppy. Perhaps because the vast majority of their troops were surrounded and divided by the Eighth Route Army and completely annihilated, these reports could only be obtained from scattered deserters and officers. However, most of the statements in them clearly pointed to one important point:

artillery.

"The Red Bandits' artillery has a very long range, capable of accurately firing at distances of fifty miles, far exceeding the range of our army's field artillery. This is why our army is often caught off guard by artillery fire while on the march. The Red Bandits' ammunition is very powerful, often capable of bombarding several acres with a single cannon. Countless officers and soldiers have been killed or wounded, leaving no part of their bodies intact. It's extremely cruel..."

"The Red Bandits also concentrated their fifteen-gun artillery pieces into a hundred, bombarding them in groups, pushing them fifty to a hundred meters apart, advancing in layers. Our officers and soldiers were unable to escape and could only hide in the fortifications.

They took shelter in civilian houses; but heavy shells contained a lot of explosives, and wherever they hit, cars would be

Vehicles, fortifications, bricks and stones were all reduced to dust. Those who hid inside died with blood spitting out of their mouths. No one escaped...”

At the end of the paragraph, the 90 military highlighted what they considered to be the key conclusions, word by word:

"The Red Bandits have powerful artillery. They have hundreds of Fifteen-Year-Old Cannons, which can collapse mountains and split rocks when a hundred are full. They are unstoppable and cannot be confronted head-on."

So, what did our "Number One Army in the World," one of the few fully Soviet-equipped offensive armies, the 1st Army, write about?

As a First Army unit that had an entire division annihilated and half a division disarmed before the city of Haojing, the report actually displayed a bit of Party-state arrogance. They summarized several objective reasons in their report: "The timing of the campaign was very unreasonable. The weather was too good in the dead of winter, with direct sunlight, and it failed to hinder the Red Bandits' mobility; the loess soil in northern Shaanxi was hard and

The dense ravines not only split our army's formation, but also made it easier for the Red Bandits to overthrow us.

Behind the mountain..."