Steel Soviet Union

Kogin actually knew clearly about the news that the Germans had invested a new type of infantry anti-tank weapon in actual combat.

It has been mentioned in the combat reports of other front-line tank units received before, but there was no urgent protection upgrade requirement like Malashenko's.

Most reports from front-line combat units only stated that the German infantry had a new portable anti-tank cannon that could pose a greater threat to the side armor of heavy tanks at close range.

But when many front-line commanders and fighters wrote their reports, they just thought it was no big deal.

It's just an ordinary weapon that can penetrate the side armor of the Red Army's heavy tanks at close range. It's not much different from the German anti-tank gun. At best, it sacrifices the poor range and the same accuracy as pissing, in exchange for a little bit. It's just portability, not worth mentioning.

Moreover, neither of them can gnaw at the frontal main armor of the Red Army heavy tanks, which means that the current armor protection problem is not big, and such armor protection is enough.

Therefore, Malashenko was the first to seriously propose to Kotin to upgrade armor protection.

Kogin, who had not actually seen this kind of weapon and was not very clear about it, thought for a moment. After thinking about what to say, he faced Malashenko and spoke again.

"You can first talk about your ideas, such as how you plan to upgrade armor protection.

"I want to explain one thing in advance. I think it would be inappropriate to just add armor to the vehicle. We already discovered this problem when we tested the IS4 prototype before leaving the factory. The mobility of the IS4 is not as good as ours. According to the expected indicators, our original plan was to make it have the same mobility as the IS6 heavy tank, but the result is obviously not the case.”

"At the base camp meeting last week, Comrade Stalin also suggested that our bureau should consider the mobility of tanks. Many frontline commanders and fighters said that the improved mobility of the IS6 heavy tank made them feel a huge increase in combat effectiveness, and they hope to This high mobility advantage will continue to be maintained in the design of subsequent heavy tanks, so this is something we must consider in subsequent designs.”

He wanted to improve the protection but could not add weight to the tank. Kogin, who made the ugly remarks first, actually felt that it was inappropriate, and he regretted it as soon as he said it.

But the reality is that the situation is like this. Kogin, who has a keen political sense, has noticed that Comrade Stalin has begun to pay attention to the mobility of the Red Army's heavy tanks, and no longer only focuses on stronger firepower and protective performance as in the past.

Kogin, who has always been prosperous with his keen political sense and has been firmly seated as a popular figure next to Comrade Stalin for a long time, does not want to disobey Comrade Stalin because of such a trivial matter.

Wherever you should follow the leader's will, you still have to follow the leader's will. It has nothing to do with whether you think about it or not. This is the rule and truth of how to behave in the world.

But when Kogin returned from a regular meeting and report in Moscow, he thought about it carefully and felt that there was something wrong with this matter, as if he had dug a hole and buried himself in it.

The dramatic improvement in mobility of the IS6 heavy tank compared to any previous heavy tank is the result of its own design. Now, because of the actual combat feedback from many frontline commanders and combatants, Comrade Stalin has beaten himself in advance and taken precautions on the issue of mobility.

This has taken a long way to trace the source, isn't it just that I dug a hole for myself?

You are the one who improves your mobility, and you are the one who takes a beating in terms of mobility. What the hell do you think this is? It’s so sukka!

Kogin, who thought of this unpleasant incident as soon as he mentioned mobility, was really distracted. He didn't notice the confident look on Malashenko's face when he heard what he said. He almost had "Brother, I'm prepared" written all over his face. expression.

"Like you, Comrade Kejing, I have also considered mobility issues myself. After all, the prototypes of the IS4 have been tested at my place. I know best how the mobility of this thing performs in actual combat. It is indeed very difficult. There are some problems in keeping up with the offensive rhythm of IS6 heavy tanks. "

Now that Kotin has begun to evaluate the shortcomings of his work, Malashenko does not mind pointing out the minor problems that are not serious, but the real point is still behind.

"We have a misunderstanding now, Comrade Kogin. That is that adding armor to a tank will inevitably increase the weight. But there is a plan that is not like this, or the degree of weight increase is very limited. That little bit of weight increase is insignificant. The powerful defense bonus gained is completely within the acceptable range.”

""

Kogin, who was speechless and didn't know how to answer the conversation, suddenly felt that the Malashenko in front of him was a bit strange. He had been saying things that he was confused about since the beginning of the conversation.

What does "adding armor to a tank but barely increasing its weight" mean? What kind of black technology is this? Anti-gravity technology that can offset the weight of armor?

If the motherland had such black technology, would it still have such a difficult time fighting against German sticks? Red flags have long been planted all over the world, and the proletariat has liberated the world, right? The German stick is a fucking piece of shit!

Malashenko knew that Kogin's mind was probably very messy at the moment. No matter what he was thinking about, he just couldn't figure it out. It was time to add some real firepower to Kogin.

"Start with the materials, Comrade Kogin."

"Imagine, we don't necessarily have to pile steel armor on the tank. What if we replace it with other materials that are lighter than armored steel but have better defense against chemical energy metal jets? Have you ever thought about this possibility? ? Once implemented, we can perfectly resist the German chemical anti-tank weapons without adding too much weight, it is that simple.”

""

Unknowingly, Kogin, who had actually been introduced into an unknown advanced field by Malashenko, blinked his eyes, looked a little confused, and tentatively asked back with a very skeptical tone.

"Are you sure this kind of armor material really exists? It can greatly improve the defense without adding much weight. This is simply a fantasy! Do you know what a huge change this will bring to tank design? I can guarantee that, If this is true and once successful, our Red Army’s tanks will be the best in the world! Well, it is still the same now, but the number one position will be much more solid.”

Ignoring the cold joke at the end of Kogin's speech, Malashenko, still wearing a mysterious smile, finally spoke to Kogin again.

"Our steel armor is already completely immune to the Germans' kinetic armor-piercing projectiles, and is much higher than the enemy's armor-piercing firepower. So the only thing that needs to be considered now is to withstand the attack of chemical energy armor-piercing projectiles and improve the chemical energy Defense Strength.”

"The materials needed to solve this problem are very simple and common. Although they were very scarce in the early days of the Great Patriotic War, the Americans gave us a lot of support, and our own military production capacity was also comprehensive. After mobilization, there is definitely no shortage of this material today, and it is definitely cost-effective to use some to protect precious heavy tanks.”

Kotin, who listened carefully to every syllable, no longer wanted to stay here and continue playing charades with Malashenko. He couldn't wait to know the real answer, and he wanted it now.

"Tell me, what exactly is this material?! I'm not in the mood to guess anymore, tell me now!"

The mysterious smile on Malashenko's face was still there, but the simple answer he gave immediately after was something Kogin never expected.

"Easy, rubber."