Canteen System Assistance Notes

Although the German army lost a lot of vassal troops and main forces such as Paulus's Army Group B, it objectively shortened the logistical distance and consolidated the defense line, which was conducive to resisting the Soviet attack after switching to defense.

After the front line stabilized again, the historical "Kursk salient" was not formed. The Soviet and German sides re-formed the control line along Kastornoye (Soviet control), Izyum (German control), Stalino (now Donetsk, German control) and Voroshilovgrad (now Luhansk, German control), and confronted each other.

On the long front of the Soviet-German battlefield, except for the Sevastopol fortress area where fierce fighting was still going on, it was unusually quiet at this moment.

The German army began to build defenses near the existing control line, relying on rivers, villages and terrain. It had no ability or intention to launch an offensive for the time being. The Soviet army began to prepare supplies and troops. Apart from finishing off some unresolved German-occupied areas, it also had no ability to launch a large-scale offensive for the time being.

However, everyone knows that such a quiet situation will not last long.

The German army, which still retained considerable strength, hoped to launch a counterattack, while the Soviet army, which had learned war in the war, was eager to apply the new experience to the next battle. The Soviet Union had now recovered a lot of its vitality, and after just 3-4 months of stockpiling, the Soviet army was able to launch the next offensive.

But where will you choose next time?

The Soviet headquarters and the German command both focused their attention on the central area, which still had a large-scale salient.

Chapter 760 "This is the entrance to hell"

When the clock turned to February 1943, the North African battlefield, which seemed to have always been dominated by the "Desert Rally", finally ushered in a large-scale battle again.

After the Battle of El Alamein, the German-Italian North African Corps could no longer maintain its offensive momentum, and the Allied "Torch Landings"* on the German-Italian coalition's flanks further forced the German army into the predicament of fighting on two fronts. Consequently, as the Allies advanced eastward and westward, the German-Italian coalition, once covering thousands of miles, was compressed into the Tunisian region, facing a pincer attack from both sides.

This was undoubtedly a major strategic disadvantage, but due to a series of unavoidable and intractable factors, such as the need to maintain the alliance and unclear strategic resolve, the German-Italian coalition was forced to do everything in its power to maintain its presence in North Africa. In short, they had to defend and could not leave.

However, just as the invincible Force always has its dark side, powerful psychic powers always attract evil spirits. The strategically surrounded German-Italian coalition also gained the advantages of reduced mobilization distance, convenient internal maneuvering, and reduced logistical pressure after the defense zone was reduced.

Moreover, although the Allies quickly seized control of the sea off the coast of Tunisia, during the period when the French Governor of Tunisia was "playing dirty", the German-Italian coalition replenished a large amount of supplies through emergency transportation, including a lot of critical fuel, and the logistical problems that had been difficult to solve also improved to a certain extent.

Now, my supply distance is even shorter, so I'm going to fight back!

——-——-—-

Compared with the original time and space, the strategic situation of the German-Italian Allied Forces and the British, American and French Allied Forces has not changed much.

Therefore, the battlefield was still chosen on a wide front of 40 kilometers south of Tunisia; the cautious Montgomery and the British Eighth Army attacking from east to west were still a very difficult opponent. Even Rommel, who had cured his stomach problems by drinking strange "anti-tank medicine" (now Pa.K-43, "Chinese Solution-Produced in 1943"), did not want to fight them at the "head" of the narrow strip of land.

The Allied Western Front Group, consisting of the British 5th Army, the French 19th Army and the US 2nd Army, was "turned over" by the two German front-line commanders Arnim and Rommel, and became the primary target of the German-Italian coalition.

However, Rommel and Arnim disagreed on which part of the Western Front to attack. Rommel believed that the US Army should be targeted, as it was a newcomer to the war and was inexperienced.

Arnim formulated the "Ox Head Plan", intending to select the British Fifth Army in the northern mountains as its target. After all, they were the Allied target closest to the port of Tunis and posed the greatest threat to the German-Italian coalition forces: defeating them would gain crucial strategic depth for the port of Tunis.

Of course, apart from very important personal grudges, both the Italian and German armies themselves believed that Rommel's plan to launch a 200-kilometer deep raid, occupy the Allied logistics core of Tebessa, and directly disintegrate the southern front of the Allied Western Front Group was too risky.

But who came up with this plan? It was the famous "Desert Fox" Erwin Rommel! This battle tactic was not reckless, bold, or gambling.

Is it his style?

But now, the objective reality is here. Even Rommel himself cannot complete this plan alone - he must get the support of friendly forces and Italian allies.

The two war marshals had a disagreement. Field Marshal Kesselring, who could have coordinated and reconciled the conflict, flew to Rome with the battle plan to coordinate with the Italian friendly forces. This created potential concerns for the German-Italian coalition in the battle.

However, the Allied forces were pressing in and could no longer allow the German and Italian forces to linger.

Because the battlefields were relatively independent, the two German generals began their own actions.

On February 14, the German Fifth Panzer Army from the north launched Operation Spring Breeze, leading its troops to raid the Faid Pass guarded by the US II Army in the south. This was a supporting battle for Operation Bullhead launched in the north, intended to confuse the Allies and make them misjudge the main direction of the German attack.

In this battle, although the German army did not deploy "reward units" such as the 501st Heavy Panzer Battalion equipped with Tiger tanks, the German army with its Type 4 tanks and self-propelled artillery still easily penetrated the American front-line defense. Although the commander of the US front line quickly dispatched an armored battle group equipped with Sherman tanks on the 15th with the intention of retaking the mountain pass, these fledgling tank units were first attacked by 88mm "anti-all guns" and then saw flying armor-piercing shells and flank attacks from tank units.

The US military discovered that even when attacking German anti-tank positions that seemed to lack close combat firepower, the German infantry would take out a "funny" thing like a giant lollipop from the trench and blow up the unsuspecting Sherman tanks from the front, while the US 37 and 75 mm tank guns could never penetrate the German tanks.

For a moment, an entire battalion and company of American tanks caught fire, a large number of reconnaissance vehicles and half-track vehicles were destroyed by the German army, and only two of the more than 5 American tanks in the entire battalion escaped back - the German army sent them the first greeting from a higher version of land warfare.

But, as always, there is a "but".

Despite achieving a very good exchange ratio in the opening battle, the German Fifth Panzer Army from the north, under the command of General Arnim, did not actively expand its gains after opening the battle, instead turning further north to attack the largely unhelpful Fundug Pass. Rommel, hastily arriving from other directions to launch a deep assault, received orders to advance through the Kasserine Valley, simultaneously splitting his forces toward the logistical core of Tebessa and the flanking node of Tara, "waiting for an opportunity to strike."

The Italian High Command issued this order, stating that only if they agreed would the Italian forces cooperate with Rommel in a deep offensive. This meant that Rommel, who had originally intended to concentrate all his forces on one front, had to split his forces to attack two different directions simultaneously.

After driving out the Americans from Sbeitla, Rommel was left with insufficient troops. He was forced to report to headquarters and request that Arnim's unit in the north send the German reserve 10th Panzer Division to join the battle. However, even after Rommel arrived at Kasserine Pass on February 19, the 10th Panzer Division was still unable to arrive in time for the offensive due to problems such as "tank maintenance and transportation scheduling."

If the original development of time and space had been followed, Rommel, who lacked tanks, would have waited and waited but still received no reinforcements. He would have been able to infiltrate and attack towards Tebessa with his limited mountain infantry and armored vehicles, in cooperation with the Italian Centauro Armored Division.

Although the Italians' combat effectiveness was often ridiculed during World War II, the Centaurus were no pushovers—their elite mechanized infantry units fought fiercely in this battle, even briefly exceeding the German assault depth. However, during the precious time wasted by the German hesitation, the Allied forces, finally reacting, were able to redirect forces from their rear to the frontline mountain passes, using forces several times greater than the enemy's to halt the German-Italian offensive.

However, in this changed time and space, Rommel had another choice.

Because the Luftwaffe's transport fleet's fuel situation was better than expected, the number of "Giant" transport aircraft sorties increased. As a result, Rommel had an additional armored battalion composed of a mix of Panzer IV G and Panzer IV F2 tanks. By extracting several additional anti-tank artillery battalions originally intended for infantry—"I" micro-tanks using the Panzer II chassis and 80mm Russian high- and low-pressure guns—and combining them with the 2nd Battalion of the 104th Panzer Grenadier Regiment, equipped with KsW-42 assault rifles, Rommel was able to temporarily form a regimental-level armored assault group.

Anyway, those defending troops can hold their positions with 75mm guns, 88mm guns, turtle fists and "Delstave" recoilless rifles!

While reporting to Field Marshal Kesselring that "Arnim was not cooperating with me and delaying the battle," he used the newly established Grimm battle group under the guise of a reconnaissance operation, coordinated with all his available armored units and the Italian Centauro Armored Division, and launched a fierce attack on the Kasserine Pass-Tebessa line that evening!

The American troops, who had no time to deploy troops to strengthen their defenses, were frightened by Rommel's assault. The Type 4 tanks, which served as the spearhead of the armored carbine, were equipped with grid and spaced armor that had been tested on the Eastern Front, which almost neutralized the American anti-tank grenades and the very few "bazookas". The American infantry, who did not even have 57mm anti-tank guns, were unable to intercept the German tanks and flew into the air in front of the "Type 2 Self-Propelled High and Low Pressure Artillery Carrier" that accompanied them for support.

At the same time, the grenadiers accompanying the armored forces used assault rifles to shoot into sieves all the brave American soldiers who wanted to approach the tanks with "anti-tank sock bombs" (the US military did not have standard anti-tank grenades at the time); the Italians wandered and ran on the mountain trails, removing the US artillery and observation posts on the commanding heights, demonstrating very strong combat effectiveness.

In just one day and one night, Rommel punched through the approximately 75 kilometers between Kasserine Pass and Tebessa. The defenses, manned by a single engineer regiment and two armored companies, were barely able to stop the advance. With the fall of Tebessa, the entire US II Army's front was practically shattered, and even the entire Allied Western Front was shaken!

"Take the trucks away, take the fuel! Full fuel drums are paramount, take the water buckets too! Stuff the food in the glove box!" "Take away all the tanks and artillery that can move! Remember to lay down the Iron Cross flag!"

"Don't rush with those wader magazines! Bullshit! Get more papers!"

In just three days, from the 21st to the 24th, when Rommel's troops were looting, destroying and "stealing gold" in Tebessa, the Allied generals in charge of the Western Front Corps finally reacted.

The American commander, Fredendall, finally found his armored division commander and coordinated them to gather the dismantled and scattered tank battalions in order to gather enough strength to fight back against the Germans. At the same time, the US Army Air Force, with an average of 2000 to 3000 sorties a day, withstood the heavy losses caused by the German air interception and began to bombard the Germans along the entire front.

was coordinated to contact General Montgomery who was advancing step by step on the Eastern Front.

They were asked to speed up their pace and advance as quickly as possible while the main force of the German army was not in sight.

But all this came to an abrupt end on February 25th.

Realizing they could not hold Tebessa for long, Mr. Fox drove off with numerous trucks, hauling away all the fuel they could, blasting the American stockpiles of ammunition and food, and, having determined that Tebessa would no longer be used as a logistics hub in the short term, quickly retreated to the Kasserine Valley. After reuniting with their support troops, the Germans, armed with American trucks and half-tracks laden with fuel, canned goods, and waders magazines, retreated without hesitation to Sbeitla and began constructing a defensive line to fend off further Allied attacks.

Rommel's main armored forces took the railway and returned to the front line to confront the British Eastern Front Corps.

The entire battle ended in such an eerie calm that the Allied advance on the Western Front had to be delayed for at least three months, leaving the Americans, whose troops and confidence were shattered, alone and in disarray in the dust of North Africa.

Chapter 761: Look at Your Tank (Part 1) Soviet Beast

Because the famous Panzer VI and Panzer V tanks were named "Tiger" and "Panther," the German tank and armored forces in World War II were often nicknamed "Zoo." However, no matter how numerous and wild the beasts in a zoo are, they are generally confined within the zoo's walls for human viewing. The Iron Cross armored forces, which roamed the plains of Eastern Europe, were probably not so easily dealt with.

However, this is probably a serious statement of fact for Tiger tanks No. 100, 124 and 121 - as Soviet trophies captured by Rurik on the Leningrad battlefield, these three Tiger tanks were quickly sent to the Soviet Kubinka testing ground after the war for analysis and testing by the Soviet army.

Well, now I really have become a "tiger" in a cage.

Because they were captured in battle, the conditions of these three tanks were very different: the first captured, No. 121 tank, was captured without any resistance and was in the best condition; although the No. 124 tank was in good condition at first, after being captured, it was half-buried in the ground by the Soviet army and used as a bunker due to the urgent situation of the battle, so it was hit by the German 88mm and 75mm tanks in turn and was in very bad condition; and the No. 100 tank was a command vehicle. In the process of releasing the smoke screen and retreating, it panicked and crashed into a large snow pit - this caused its "charge armor" kit to deform, jamming the tank's front driving wheel, and was hit on the butt by a shot from the pursuing T-43 tank. Apart from the engine explosion, its condition was also very good.

Therefore, after recovering the wreckage of several remaining Tiger tanks on the battlefield and removing as many useful parts as possible for "organ donation-style repairs", the Soviet army obtained two usable Tiger tanks, several intact armor plates, and a Tiger tank with a complete appearance that could be used for armor testing.

The first test is the "attack" test.

From ML-2O to M-3O, from 100mm guns to 85mm guns, and then from KPV machine guns and 37 and 23mm aircraft guns, and even anti-tank mines began to appear in turn, firing at the No. 124 tank, which was already in poor condition, and several Tiger tank armor plates arranged on steel frames.

The test of chemical energy ammunition was quickly completed. The 107mm recoilless gun armor-piercing shells were proven to be able to penetrate the Tiger tank in most cases despite the interference of the grid armor; the 82mm high and low pressure and recoilless ammunition, and the shoulder-fired "turtle fist" were easily interfered with by the submachine gun armor (the principle of spaced armor) and grid armor, and occasionally the ammunition fuse failed, the explosion height was interfered with, and the tank could not penetrate the tank.

Among the kinetic ammunition, the first to hit was naturally the 100D-10T, which was confirmed to be the main firepower of the next generation of medium tanks. At a distance of 1500 meters, the seemingly indestructible front armor of the Tiger tank succumbed to its hooded armor-piercing rounds;

此后，85毫米炮也被证明可以在正面100米左右的距离威胁虎式坦克的正面，美制M3坦克炮、57毫米Zis-2火炮也被证明可以在600米、1000米左右的距离威胁虎式坦克的侧面。

The 76mm F-34 tank gun, which was the largest in the Soviet army's inventory at the time, could hardly threaten the front and sides of the Tiger tank at any possible combat distance (above 500 meters).

This result also happened to the "Type 4 H Tank" being tested next door - this new German tank was captured on the Soviet-German southern front battlefield and was a new type of equipment improved from the chassis of the Type 4 tank.

在火力配置不变(KwK40型75毫米坦克炮)的前提下，德国人大幅加强了坦克的防护水平∶其首上50倾斜、首下45%倾斜的6O毫米装甲板、8O毫米/10倾斜的新式炮塔同样能在正面免疫76毫米坦克炮发射的Br350系列穿甲弹，而其75毫米炮则能够轻易击穿T-34坦克的正面装甲。

The T-34/76 has gradually fallen behind. Ah... the Germans are still the same Germans. The experts from GABTU and GAU sighed and said with emotion.

After a round of "torturing" the Tiger tanks with various weapons, the two intact Tiger tanks were brought out and prepared to begin shooting tests against Soviet tanks used as targets. Because the front armor of the KV-1 and T-34 tanks was completely vulnerable to the Tiger tanks' 88mm gun, the focus of the test was mainly on the newer T-43 tank.

The T-43, a cutting-edge weapon finalized in December 1942, was designed by tank designer Alexander A. Morozov and produced at the Nizhny Tagil-Urals Tank Plant. At this time, at the suggestion of certain comrades from the Eastern fraternal parties, Morozov significantly improved the tank's transmission and suspension systems, essentially designing a completely new chassis based on the original T34M design.

The innovative use of a transverse engine and a planetary gear transmission structure significantly reduced the vehicle's height and weight. At the same time, the large turret ring, with a width of 1800 mm, facilitated the carrying of a larger turret and heavier firepower. Following the advice of the Main Directorate of Artillery Equipment, Morozov installed a rotating floor, a three-man turret, and a 100mm D-10T modified from naval artillery, giving the tank firepower equal to or even exceeding that of heavy tanks.

However, in terms of protection, Morozov did not fully utilize the new suspension because he intended to use the existing T-34 production line to speed up the conversion process during wartime.

The potential brought by the new body, but maintain the body 75 mm / 64 degrees, the first

The vehicle's design was conservative, with 75mm/441-degree lower turret, 90mm/58-degree turret front, and 75mm hull sides. To protect against the increasing number of armor-piercing rounds, gaps in the hull, sides, and turret were reserved for the installation of "inert armor" supplied by Chinese comrades. This provided the vehicle with an additional 30mm of penetration resistance and 250mm of armor with a 20%-50% reduction in penetration resistance.

This essentially provides a one-time, shaped-charge "shield" for the tank's incoming projectiles. Furthermore, in addition to defending against armor-piercing rounds, this additional armor also demonstrated good resistance to high-explosive grenades before being completely destroyed in 88mm grenade tests, helping to prevent the occupants of the vehicle from being killed by the overpressure effect.

至于穿甲弹测试的结果很快就出来了∶在使用Pzg.39型穿甲弹的时候，附加装甲齐全的T-43坦克可以在600米以上的距离使用车体挡住射弹，而炮塔则是要在10米内才会被击穿;但是如果附加装甲已经被高爆弹、破甲弹炸完，39型穿甲弹将可以在1000米左右的距离打穿T-43的正面

In addition, if the Germans used tungsten alloy armor-piercing shells, the 88mm gun would be able to penetrate the T-43's turret at a distance of 1500 meters. Even a 75mm/48x tank gun would be able to "open the can" of the T-43 at a distance of about 800 meters. However, considering that the T-43 is just a medium tank with a relatively low cost, the German heavy tanks can use precious "gold coin shells" to deal with it.

It is already a success in a sense.

"Based on the results of this test and after discussion by the Council of Ministers, the GAU has made the following arrangements for the production and development of new tanks for our army in 1943...

Joseph Yakovlevich Kotin quickly flipped through the new instruction report.

As a famous Soviet tank designer, he was actually not unaware of the test of German tanks and the discussion on "what tanks" the Soviet army would use in the future. He even participated in it personally and submitted many suggestions.

For example, given the excellent performance of the T-43 tank chassis, the existing T-34 tank production lines should be gradually converted to production without affecting the war. Since the 76mm gun of the T3476 is no longer able to penetrate the armor of the German army's new medium and heavy tanks, the existing T-34/76 chassis that have not yet entered service need to be modified and converted into "self-propelled mortars" and "self-propelled artillery" such as the SU-160/122/85...

Kotin also suggested at the time that since the cost of the T-43 tank chassis was not much higher than that of the T-34 and its potential was very good, it would be better to try to use this chassis to develop "self-propelled artillery" to replace the SU-76, an old gadget that was no longer in line with the times.

Of course, what Kotin was more concerned about was actually the part about heavy tanks.

After the prototype of the T-43 tank was produced, a strange voice arose, including within the Kotin Design Bureau, that there should be a "universal tank" similar to the T-43 tank, which is a simplified version of a heavy tank or an enhanced version of a medium tank, so that it can perform the tasks of both medium and heavy tanks.

The idea is good, but we are in the middle of a war and there is not much time to discuss and research this new tank.

Considering that the firepower and protection levels of the heavy tanks currently under development no longer meet the needs of war, it has been decided to develop a new heavy tank: its firepower level must exceed that of the T-43 medium tank...using a 122mm tank gun or a 130mm tank gun;

The power system of the SS-10 should be a B-11 water-cooled diesel engine, and the protection level of its key components should be able to withstand the tungsten alloy armor-piercing rounds fired by the German Tiger tank's 88mm tank gun and the long-barreled 75mm gun at combat range, with an appropriate margin of safety.

"The frontal armor of the hull must be no less than 110 mm, and the equivalent frontal protection of the turret must be no less than 200 mm... The vehicle weight must not exceed 47 tons..."

Oh, a new mission, a new steel beast. Kokin thought so.

Chapter 762: Look at Your Tank (Part 2) German Suture

(Equipment Chapter)

Mr. Heinrich Knippkamp, ​​senior advisor and assistant to the director of the German Weapons Office, has been feeling agitated and anxious lately. First, his "coffee candy" has recently run out.

Before, the engineers accompanying the German 52nd Heavy Armored Battalion would always mail him some of these Russian gadgets, but recently, the 5D2 Heavy Armored Battalion suffered a complete defeat. Not only was there only one remaining Tiger tank left out of the 9 remaining ones, but only one could be towed back from the lost tanks. Even the unit's No. 100 command vehicle was lost - the crews were either dead, wounded, or captured, so naturally there was no one to give the engineers the Russian coffee candy.

Secondly, his work is very busy and stressful.

While successfully promoting the "4H" tank equipped with sloped armor, Mr. Heinrich Kniepkamp was also the proponent of the "Universal Development Equipment" plan, commonly known as the "E" plan. In addition to including plans for several "E.XX" tanks, destroyers, and armored chassis, another important task was to coordinate the standardization of processes, standards, and logistics among several major tank manufacturers.

Compared to discussing and "setting up" the fictional tank, the latter task is much more difficult.

Knippkamp visited several manufacturers, intending to start by unifying the processes and standards of existing equipment, but ended up being repeatedly rejected by several companies. New Era, New Shareholders - Chapter 263 https://kdocs.cn/l/cncaGCrHYhAD

Take the Panzer V (also known as the Leopard), for example. While the chassis of the tanks produced by MAN, Daimler, Hannover Industrial Manufacturing, and Demag all followed the same design, they developed four separate process documents, employing three different tooling and processes. The armored hulls were produced by manufacturers like Krupp, Dortmund Helder United Steel, Sino-German Steel, Baile Steel, Linz Steel in Austria, and Ruhr Steel, each developing their own welding and assembly plans. This myriad of issues resulted in varying details and uneven quality for the Panzer Vs produced by different manufacturers, a truly unsettling outcome.

This happened once when the Panzer IV H was put into production, and it happened again now: Mr. Knippkamp just wants to say "I'm tired of it, I don't love it anymore, so let me just give up."

at last......

The final reason, of course, was that the latest batch of captured tanks and feedback on the battle situation on the front line were returned to the Kummersdorf testing ground in Brandenburg - this meant that Knippkamp had to continue working overtime to study these captured tanks and analyze reports from the front line.

The Kummersdorf testing ground was responsible for testing many of the German army's tanks and armored vehicles, and was also responsible for analyzing and studying the enemy's equipment.

This time, the first thing that caught Mr. Knippkamp's eye was a KV-1 tank with a strange-looking turret: there was a huge hole in the front of its hull, which was obviously penetrated by a 75mm shell, and there were two bullet holes on the turret from 50mm shells. The research institute responsible for the preliminary inspection drew a circle next to it with a pen to indicate that there was no penetration here.

This was not the first time he had seen a K-1 tank, but compared to the slow and heavy KV before, the front and side armor of this KV-1 had been artificially thinned, with the thickest part being only 75 mm and the average thickness being 50-60 mm. It basically had only the protection of a Type 4H tank.

Knippkamp believes that this may be an attempt by the Russians to improve the mobility of the tank and reduce the suspension failure rate. On the front line, armored units equipped with 4H tanks complained that the suspension of the first two pairs of road wheels of the tanks always had problems. After investigation by the Armored Forces Command and the Army Weapons Bureau, it was found that this was mainly because the crews welded the grilles and skirts on the front of the tanks on their own, and stuffed shells in the glove box outside the vehicle, causing the vehicle to be overweight.

The Russians seem to be facing the same problem.

But compared to this, what attracted his attention more was the main gun of the KV-1 tank.

This is a 100mm main gun. The barrel is not long, but it is very powerful. After a simple test, this gun fired a wind cap armor-piercing shell.

It can penetrate the front armor of the Panzer IV H and Tiger tanks at a combat range of 20200 meters.

A. The "Black Panther" tanks currently in production will be even less able to withstand its power and will be easily penetrated.

The results of the infinite target test showed that when the target was tilted at 60 degrees, the armor-piercing projectile fired by this gun had a penetration depth of 105 mm at 2000 meters; when the target was vertical at 90 degrees, the penetration depth increased to 126 mm.

After sending the gun to Krupp for further analysis and research, this established ferrous metallurgical company fell into a long period of silence after a busy period. When Knippkamp called to inquire about the progress, Krupp's staff simply replied:

"Damn it, the Russians are a generation ahead of us!" "We can't build this."

this.......