Canteen System Assistance Notes

At the time, the General Staff also consulted Soviet heavy tank expert Kotin. Based on the Soviet Union's tank construction level, Kotin estimated that this heavy tank would have 180 mm of front armor, which would be immune to direct fire from all Soviet anti-tank guns at any distance. The Soviet Union believed that this might be the upper limit of the protection of German heavy tanks.

The General Staff also consulted with a comrade from a friendly party who was doing business overseas and had extensive dealings with Germany. This man, Mr. Moneybag, had connections with Krupp and was aware of some of the information. He said, "German heavy tanks, not counting the gun mantlet, have front armor that's at its thickest point probably over 100 millimeters, right?"

Even if this thickness is taken as the lower limit of the protection of German heavy tanks, 100mm is enough to make most Soviet tanks suffer a setback. Perhaps the front line is losing too quickly and we don't see such heavy tanks?

The GABTU Armored Forces Directorate, which was responsible for developing tanks, and the GAU Artillery Directorate, which was responsible for producing artillery, joined forces. While continuing to verify the authenticity of the "potential German heavy tank intelligence" with the General Staff, they also began to research stronger anti-tank means in anticipation of the enemy.

—The field test kicked off at the Nizhny Tagil test site in the Ural Industrial Zone.

In order to fight against the heavy German tanks with the thickest front armor of 180 mm and the least of 100 mm, the Soviet Union's most powerful anti-tank guns gathered together.

Lined up in a row.

除开缩在场地一角的某种火炮外，被寄予厚望的7O倍径的M75型107毫米"钓鱼竿"炮排在最前边，紧随其后的是少量生产的107毫米M60师属加农炮--这是一种目前产量只有二十来门的稀有火炮。同前边的M75一样，它们都能发射超过1000米初速的高速穿甲弹头。

第二方队是准备投产的Zis3型76毫米加农炮和Zis2型57毫米反坦克炮，他俩的总师格拉宾算是主场作战。不过就格拉宾自己的理解，76毫米的Zis3几乎是不需要测试那个200毫米靶板的;而57毫米的"打孔机"倒是很有希望能在作战距离上戳穿105毫米的装甲板，甚至可以在近距离挑战一下200毫米靶。

The third formation was quite a bit more unusual. They were the Red Navy's coastal artillery, deployed under the coordination of the General Staff. A 100mm naval gun and a 130mm naval gun were mounted on concrete scaffolding, trained on distant test targets. Compared to the first two formations, the "black-haired" troops in their sailor shirts appeared more confident.

Under the watchful eyes of GABTU observers, the test was personally conducted by the Chairman of the GAU Artillery Committee, Horlov.

Large and small artillery pieces fired in sequence according to the testers' records, aiming at a target one thousand meters away and firing three times in a row. Statistics were then taken - those that were able to penetrate were observed for damage and destruction, and those that could not were reduced in distance, from 1000 meters to the nearest test position of 100 meters.

The roar of artillery, each of varying intensity, echoed. The artillery pieces present were primarily long-caliber, high-pressure cannons, their blasts powerful enough to flatten a patch of grass. The projectiles rushed forward, eventually sending huge metallic sparks flying off the target. After a morning of firing, the work of firing, moving targets, and interpreting the targets was complete.

Both 107mm guns penetrated the 105mm target, which represented the lower limit, at a distance of 1000 meters, and also succumbed to the 200mm "semi-infinite target". And perhaps because

The problem with the ammunition design is that after the distance is shortened, the 107mm gun has a high

The muzzle velocity was not released smoothly by the AP bullet, and instead, signs of projectile fragmentation were observed.

主场作战的格拉宾57毫米炮表现优秀，同样在1000米完成了任务，但同样被2O0毫米靶所阻碍。至于陪跑的76炮Zis3

Finally, it penetrated the 105mm target at a distance of 100 meters, retaining

The last bit of ability to fight back.

The two guns brought by the Red Navy proved to be a pleasant surprise. Despite their light weight, the 100mm and 130mm naval guns' capped semi-armor-piercing shells were both capable of penetrating a 105mm target at combat range. At closer range, both guns achieved probabilistic penetration of a 200mm target.

..... GAU's suggestion is to continue developing Zis2 as an improved medium tank gun, and to modify the navy's 100mm gun and try to install it on heavy tanks... "GABTU's observer looked bitter, "It's just that we now

Some tank turrets may not be able to accommodate it, so new ones need to be developed.

"Comrade Grabin, is it really impossible to reduce the man-hours and costs of Zis2?" he asked with the last glimmer of hope.

"I'm afraid so, Mr. Representative."

"The artillery that can penetrate is either four or five tons, as heavy as a soka bear; or it is expensive and requires a lot of labor. Even if you spend your last ruble, you can't equip it on a large scale." Chairman Khorov's face was as dark as a slice of black bread.

"Otherwise, the shells we fired were so soft, not even as hard as bread! Are we powerless against those damn Nazi heavy tanks?"

"Fortunately, our current artillery can handle the Type 3 and Type 38t tanks without any problems," someone consoled. "At least we still have time to find anything that can be used to counter tanks."

There was another silence in the meeting room. During this period, they had lost a lot of hair in order to deal with this possible imaginary enemy.

"How about...we try Comrade Kurchevsky's artillery system?"

It seemed as if someone had made a great decision to come up with such a suggestion, but as soon as the words came out, they attracted fierce opposition.

"Leonid Vasilyevich Kurchevsky? After that guy went to China, he felt that no one could control him and acted recklessly! The Chinese comrades asked him to develop a 107mm recoilless rifle, and the GAU asked him to develop a 120mm

High and low pressure artillery... He actually had the audacity to ignore these instructions and work on his own stuff."

"Enlarging the high-pressure and low-pressure guns to 160mm caliber... Even if the guns are fine, what about the weight of the ammunition? One round weighs nearly 30 kilograms, and the loader isn't a Soka Bear!"

"This guy should be sent to jail!"

Perhaps because the sword of the "German heavy tank" hanging over their heads was too oppressive, gradually, more voices of approval were heard in the conference hall.

但是它的破甲弹可以打穿2层200毫米的靶板!它是能在100米外同时击穿两种测试靶的唯一一款火炮了。实话说，我觉得它只发射高爆弹就能摧毁纳毁粹的坦克。"“而且那160高低压炮的全重也不过是1.6吨--虽说可用射程只有2000米，但是反坦克作战的话，似乎.….也不是不行。

"Besides, its barrel is simple to manufacture, not much different from a mortar...would you like to try it out on a test vehicle?"

Yeah, how about trying to make some?

Finally, facing the urgent needs in their minds, the General Administration of Armored Forces, which was responsible for developing tanks, and the General Administration of Artillery, which was responsible for producing artillery, finally made a decision that could be considered unorthodox in World War II: while continuing to develop 57mm and 10mm anti-tank guns, they temporarily gave the green light to a strange artillery with a total weight of only 1.6 tons and a caliber of 160mm, temporarily named a special mortar.

Chapter 459: Weird Things About the Russians (Part 2) Hey! This is a machine gun!

Whether it's Polikarpov, who is about to come to China, or the troublemaker Kurchevsky, many aid experts coming to China come with a mission, including Alexey Ivanovich Sudayev.

"Dear Boris Lazarenko, when are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning's flight, Alexey Ivanovich." In the lounge at Fushi Airport, a Russian man, his family and bags laden with luggage, was resting on a chair. "We got here too quickly by bus, and Natalia miscalculated the time—let's just stay here tonight."

"Forget it, why don't you stay in my dorm for the night?" Sudayev shook his head. The man before him, Boris Lazarenko, was a young expert also assigned to China for aid. He had previously given him considerable advice on metalworking and corrosion prevention, and he had become something of a friend. "Your children are still young; it's not good for them to sleep in a chair."

"how about you?"

"I'll just go to the office."

Born in 1912, Sudayev was only 29 years old at the time. A graduate of the Gorky Polytechnic Institute, he had already demonstrated a remarkable talent for small arms design and a strong learning ability. In his twenties, he was already leading a design team and independently accepting development tasks from the GAU's Artillery Directorate.

Talented people always seem to have a bit of rebelliousness and conceit, but this may not be Sudayev's style. After being sent to China in 1940, this talented young designer not only gladly accepted the job of assisting the friendly party in the East in weapon design, but also held a very humble attitude.

Sudayev first completed the re-chambering design for the M/A5 "Type 81" submachine gun. Because the 9mm Parabellum and 7.62mm Tokarev rounds share a similar base, he consulted with Liu Helian, an "outstanding firearms design expert," and completed the blueprints for the re-chambered PPL-40 submachine gun in just a week. He then personally worked with the technicians to finalize the production process for the re-chambered firearm.

Unlike other experts, he did not teach and communicate only in Russian. Instead, he began to learn Chinese by himself and tried to communicate with Chinese soldiers on the front line of the battlefield.

Just like in the original history of the siege of Leningrad,

Based on the feedback from the soldiers, the expert even assisted the Eighth Route Army in modifying the rear grip of the "Type 81" which was originally too wide to make it more comfortable to hold.

After that, Sudayev began to continue working on his own project - a heavy machine gun.

—-―—--―—

In the original history, the 14.5x114mm round originated from the development of an anti-tank rifle, with development beginning in 139. In this time and space, even though the PTRS and PTRD were not urgently developed due to the emergence of a certain Turtle Fist, this high-velocity, high-armor-piercing round was still developed by the Russians for use as machine gun ammunition. Since there were no time travelers in the GAU, their initial requirements were quite outlandish:

The new machine gun was to use the 14.5x114mm cartridge, be belt-fed, fire at a rate of at least 50 rounds per minute, and have an effective range of 2000 meters. Furthermore, it was to be capable of twin-barreled configurations and be mounted on a towed mount or mobile platform. These weren't particularly demanding requirements—but at the same time, the Main Artillery Directorate (GAU) intended the new machine gun to be a dual-purpose, high-altitude and low-altitude machine gun, to be used by Soviet regiments as an infantry machine gun—a requirement that seemed a bit unreasonable.

No matter how talented and capable Sudayev was, he couldn't defy the laws of physics and objective reality. He had no way of reducing the weapon's weight to a level that could be easily supported by a regimental logistics unit, unless the Soviet regiment was equipped with sufficient trucks or simply remained in place as a defensive force. Even if they could move the gun and its mount, each 150-round ammunition belt case weighed 42 kilograms. Using mules and horses alone, they wouldn't be able to carry even a basic amount of ammunition.

But at the same time, the 14.5mm bullet's large size had astonishing lethality. Through ballistic gun testing, he knew it could penetrate a 30mm steel target (armor-piercing round) at a distance of 300 meters, and had a nearly constant external trajectory. If a machine gun using this bullet could be developed, it would surely be able to destroy Nazi armored vehicles while also sending those Stukas that dared to fly low to the ground.

Looking at the table of parts that had been disassembled and placed in the middle of the drawing room, Sudayev made up his mind.

"If you're going back, at least bring a new gun with you."

Comrade Alexey Ivanovich Sudayev returned to his office to rest. He glanced at the folding bed in the corner and sat back down at his desk. He drew aside the curtains, made himself a cup of coffee, and began to look through his last lab report.

The second version of the No. 2 experimental gun experienced a serious malfunction during its last test. During continuous firing tests, after the first box of 150 rounds had been expended and the second box was halfway through, an unusual gunshot erupted, and smoke began to billow from the crevices of the gun. The entire firing process was forcibly halted, and the gun was damaged.

Now, the gun has been sawed open and placed on the table - according to the investigation, under continuous shooting, the locking lug of the experimental gun was broken by the strong impact of the propellant, and then the entire bolt was blown out of the locked position by the recoil, hit the receiver and deformed, and finally got completely stuck in the receiver shell - in order to analyze the fault, the design team had to use a cutting machine to cut the sample gun open to see the damaged parts.

The locking strength is still insufficient...

Sudayev felt a headache. Honestly, the current situation was quite good. He had initially tried to use the common latch and barrel offset locking mechanisms found on large-caliber machine guns, but found that these mechanisms were either insufficiently strong to handle the aggressive 14.5mm bullet, or else the increased strength resulted in excessive weight and a clumsy appearance.

"Sure enough, I still have to follow Comrade Liu He's suggestion and design this thing as a machine gun, or even a cannon." He sorted out his thoughts, took out a drawing pencil and drawing board, and began to make new adjustments to the internal structure of the gun.

The current experimental gun's multi-tenon locking mechanism has shown some success, but given that multiple tenons still aren't enough to control recoil energy, perhaps adopting artillery-style partition threads might be an option. While this would increase the time required, it might also reduce the weapon's weight. Sudayev compiled a series of data to be calculated, intending to submit it to the "Large Mechanical Calculator" at the "Ye Computing Data Service Center" tomorrow.

At this moment, there was a sudden commotion outside the design office. There was a knock on the office door, and a Chinese colleague poked his head in: "Comrade Sudayev."

"Hello, Fugui, comrade," Sudayev replied, "what can I do for you?"

"Oh, Comrade Sudayev, that drunk Mr. Bear last time, Representative Belsky, is here with a special envoy from the Soviet Union. Please go and gather outside.

-―-—―---

Dmitri Anatolyevich Midyvedevsky, also known as Belsky, was once the bilingual translator for Kosygin's delegation to China and is currently the director of the Soviet border office. However, at this moment, Comrade Belsky was standing with his hands clasped beside a "special envoy" wearing a blue hat, while a number of people were already seated on the chairs and benches in the open-air venue.

"Boris, Natalia, and little Lisa! Weren't you waiting for the plane? Why are you here?" Sudayev was a little surprised to see the Lazarenko family, whom he had just met outside the airport, returning with confused expressions. "Aren't you planning to return to the Soviet Union to work?"

"Yes, I'm confused now. This special envoy just flew to Fushe Airport. As soon as he saw us, he brought everyone here." "Ahem, comrades, good afternoon!"

The man in the blue hat took out a stack of documents and stood at the podium. Because of the outbreak of the Soviet-German War, many Soviet experts from various industries in the border region had gathered here, preparing to board Northern Airlines flights back to the Soviet Union. He was now greeting these experts who had come to China to help.

"Some of you are here today, and some aren't. But that doesn't matter! I'm here on orders from the Council of People's Commissars to announce the new work arrangements to you all!

He turned the page of the document in his hand and began to read it one by one:

"Comrade Alexey! Engine Power Plant, Liyang, Shaanxi Province, China!"

"Comrade Elena, Shihezi Aircraft Factory, Xinjiang Province, China!"

"Comrades Boris Lazarenko and Natalia Lazarenko, Fushi Precision Processing Plant!"

The special envoy read out the items one by one, skipping over those who were not there. He spoke clearly and loudly, but he kept mentioning "China--"

.....China"

"China!"

"The Soviet people need you comrades to continue to play a role in China!"

Chapter 460: Memorandum on Bipartisan Matters

(Update)

The river of time is surging and the long river of history is flowing. In the period of mid-1941, many important things happened in sequence.

With the outbreak of the Soviet-German War, the Soviet side gradually withdrew its previous aid personnel and experts to China, sent back in batches the instructors and volunteers who were originally stationed in various troops for training, and began to hand over the last batch of supplies to China; some required money, some did not - of course, this was for preserved fruits.

Regardless of one's stance, as long as one doesn't lie, it's hard to deny the significant role Soviet aid played in the early stages of the War of Resistance. While essentially hoping that Chiang Kai-shek's administration would hold off Japan in the Far East, ensuring strategic security and safeguarding the Soviet Union's own national interests, the Soviet Union ultimately provided substantial assistance through low-interest loans, debt-in-kind swaps, and grants. Many Soviet volunteers even shed blood and sacrificed their lives in China's struggle for independence and prosperity. Now that their own country is being invaded, returning to fight is perfectly justified and beyond reproach.

In an unchanged history, Soviet aid to China would have been dormant for a long time. However, during this period of time, some events that were different from the original history also occurred.

Unfortunately, the legitimacy and status of China's legitimate government was still controlled by the Nationalist government. Even if the Eighth Route Army had trained themselves in Stalin's test and received high scores while Guo Pu had handed in a blank paper, the Soviet Union would not have handed the CCP's regime to the Soviet Foreign Affairs Committee at the Kuznetsky Bridge.

Therefore, the cooperation agreement between the CPC and the Soviet Union during the war could not use the words "treaty" or "agreement". The two sides could not even use the form of an open inter-party agreement. They could only use the bland "Statement of the Chinese and Soviet Peoples on Mutual Cooperation in the International Anti-Fascist War" to represent the intention of both parties to cooperate, and then use a series of practical "memoranda" to stipulate the responsibilities and obligations of both parties.

Ultimately, however, this was a major diplomatic breakthrough for the Chinese Communist Party. After a series of intense yet well-organized negotiations, Chinese representatives to the Soviet Union, Chen Yunxian and Cai Xianzhao, met in the Kremlin and ushered in a new phase of Sino-Soviet exchanges and assistance.

Compared to the one-page statement, the attached memorandum was a whole stack, describing in detail the areas of cooperation between China and the Soviet Union in the subsequent war.

First, the CPSU and the CCP would establish a cooperation committee at a high level between the two parties to coordinate various matters. Considering that both China and the Soviet Union currently needed to transport foreign aid over long distances, the CCP would calculate the "return tonnage" of supplies from the Hexi Corridor and hand over primary control over its allocation to the Soviet Union, which would primarily determine the types and tonnage of supplies shipped back from the border regions.

At the same time, the CCP will follow the Northern Airlines model and establish a Sino-Soviet joint transport company with the Soviet Union, with each holding a 50% stake, to facilitate the transportation of supplies beyond the borders of China and the Soviet Union. In this way, under Soviet coordination, China can use the Trans-Siberian Railway to transport US and Canadian supplies via the North Pacific route and air corridors in the future; and transport another portion of supplies provided by the Commonwealth and the United States via the Central Asian Railway and the Caucasus route to adapt to the upcoming Lend-Lease Act.

The tonnage used on these routes would be determined jointly by the Sino-Soviet Cooperation Committee, encompassing air, road, and railroad carloads. While China wouldn't have complete unfettered access to Soviet rail, the existence of a basic coordination mechanism and a guaranteed minimum available transport capacity would undoubtedly facilitate smoother implementation of the transport plan.

Secondly, the Soviet Union would transfer a series of relocatable industrial facilities to the CCP, following the model of wartime rear-area industrial centers and utilizing existing infrastructure. Thus, the fate of many Soviet factories and research institutes, originally destined for remote areas like Siberia, became tied to this ancient Eastern nation.

For example, in aviation, the 51st Aviation Factory, originally producing trainer aircraft and fighter jets, will be transferred to the Touhunhe Aircraft Factory, which is under the control of the Eighth Route Army. The Polikarpov Design Bureau, currently developing a long-range escort fighter with heavy firepower, will bring its low-speed scale wind tunnel and statics laboratory to the Liyang Aircraft Factory in Shaanxi Province, which boasts a full suite of aluminum processing facilities. Soviet experts and technicians will similarly be transferred as White Russian "anti-counterrevolutionary personnel" to the Liyang Power Plant and the Xingji Aviation Power Plant, assisting the Eighth Route Army in integrating the Pratt & Whitney-authorized "Wasp" radial engine family.

In addition to the existing contingent of aid workers, the Soviet Union would dispatch more workers and experts from the east to the border region to participate in production and construction in various industries, including aluminum smelting, steel smelting, and mining. They would also participate in cooperative scientific research projects to help the border region develop sufficient productivity. According to the agreement, these assets would be jointly owned by China and the Soviet Union during the war. After the war, China could redeem them at a discounted price, and the Soviet Union would ensure the smooth transfer of these industrial and scientific research assets.

In return, the Eighth Route Army was required to pledge to utilize its existing superior production equipment to provide the Soviet Union with a certain quantity of aviation aluminum alloys, standard alloy ingots, special-shaped components, and advanced finished products. For example, alloy samples from the electroslag furnace nearing completion and preparing for trial production would be provided to the Soviet Union, a certain portion of the R2800 advanced engine would be supplied to the Soviet Union, and a portion of aviation aluminum alloys produced in northwestern Shanxi would be provided to the Soviet Union.

As for why the Soviet Union didn't provide more economical standard aluminum ingots... The Soviet Union's only three major aluminum processing centers—Boksitogorsk, Volkhov, and Zaporizhia—were threatened by the Nazis, along with their mines and factories. Amidst the widespread industrial relocation, the Russians currently lacked even the capacity for secondary aluminum smelting, forcing them to resort to pre-processed aviation aluminum alloys.

Of course, the material exchanges between the two sides go far beyond this.

In addition to the materials needed by the military industry, according to the requirements of the "Memorandum", the Soviet side also asked the Eighth Route Army to provide medical supplies such as high-efficiency sulfonamides and medical alcohol, warm sleeping bags, cold-proof clothing and other bedding, and even asked for products such as vitamin candies, functional beverage powders and packaged canned goods.

Among these, canned goods were to be produced by a friendly individual's overseas factory. Besides the popular "Red Star Panda" brand of sour cream-flavored sardines, tuna, and prawns, the Soviet Red Army also specified specific production standards. Orders for Soviet-standard canned goods were placed with the "Eighth Street" company. Pork "Tusanka" and "Pickled Lard" were the two most common varieties. The Soviet Union explicitly stipulated that neither of these products could be flavored with spicy food.

At the same time, the Soviet side will ensure that the Eighth Route Army will be provided with key strategic raw materials such as chromium sand, electrolytic nickel and platinum group catalysts that can be transported at a price not higher than the domestic planned supply order, so as to maintain the smooth production of some high-end industrial products.

All of these materials will be recorded at fair and reasonable prices. China and the Soviet Union will continue to use the previously effective bookkeeping trade method, offsetting each other's total import and export prices and settling accounts annually - now it is just a matter of expanding the scale and recording the overseas portion separately in US dollars.

In addition to the scale of these material transactions, the memorandum also stipulated matters such as the transfer of organizational relations of members of the Soviet Communist Party in China to the Chinese Communist Party and the assembly of Chinese Communist Party personnel in the Soviet Union and their return to China.

Thus, in July 1941, the "Statement of the Peoples of China and the Soviet Union on Mutual Cooperation in the International Anti-Fascist War," along with a series of "Memoranda of Understanding" between the CPC and the CPSU, were signed and would be formally implemented in the future. Interestingly, while there were still some voices in China expressing the strange sentiments of "Germany's destruction of France and Britain will make it difficult for the Chinese to survive, so it's better to ally with Germany" and "The Chinese are not good people for aiding the Communists," Shao Lizi, the Chinese ambassador to the Soviet Union, was actually present at the signing of the "Statement" itself (excluding the memorandum), expressing the resolve and will of China and the Soviet Union to collaborate against fascism.

This veteran of the Tongmenghui did give Guosi a little extra points in diplomacy.

Chapter 461: Originated from the Ordinary (⑴) Those who look up to the sky walk on the earth

As the wind swept leisurely across the grassland, the sun, like a fisherman pulling back his nets, gently shattered the morning glow, blending it into the gentle currents of wind and spreading it across the grassland. The restrained atmosphere of the night seemed to be invigorated by this gentle breeze and sunlight, instantly imbuing the lush green grass with vitality, urging it to grow taller and complete its cycle of life before the arrival of autumn.

Sixteen-year-old Sudiya, however, had risen early and stood alone, facing the rosy grasslands. She was calm and composed, her mind at peace. The magnificent scenery before her was commonplace in her daily life, and perhaps the housework and chores around her were her only concerns.

His father and mother had already gotten up and put cow dung cakes and tinder together, preparing to make a fire and cook; his brother was walking towards him from a distance, leading a horse, with two iron kettles stuffed in the camel bag on the horse's butt, making a gurgling sound.

Inside, the kettle clattered, and the aroma of sour rice and milk curd wafted from the stove, emanating from the earthen hearth and blending into the morning air, tinged with cyan and azure. Everything seemed so peaceful and tranquil, yet the little girl, Sudiya, was completely focused on the object before her—a wooden box with a lattice and a straight, whittled wooden pole. Atop the pole was an aluminum wind cup, and an arrow-shaped weather vane, delicately moved, tinkling.

This thing is very different in style from the tent bag with patches and fences, and it is completely incompatible with the tanned girl. It seems like they come from two different worlds, but Sudiya is its manager and monitor - as the watch on her hand turned five times, she read the speed on the wind speed dial, and then began to clumsily write it out in vertical form in the notebook.

"Wind speed 3.5 meters per second, force three." Sudiya carefully checked the calculation and found it was correct before adding, "Southwest wind." "The lowest temperature is 17 degrees Celsius, and the highest temperature has not yet been reached. Yesterday's temperature was 27 degrees Celsius, the hottest time of the year. Well, it didn't rain yesterday, and the air pressure..."