Steel Soviet Union

The entire 11-ton Tiger turret can be driven by itself by simply stepping on the pedal, without any hand movement at all.

For Iushkin, who has always driven the turret with a hand-operated steering wheel and has already developed a unicorn arm, this is as exciting as if A Zhai got the two-dimensional figure he wanted most on his birthday. .

"It's moving! Comrade Commander! Oh my God! How did the Germans do it? This thing can actually move by itself by stepping on the soles of its feet. Why can't our tanks do this? This is unbelievable! "

Malashenko, who was also a gunner, could understand why Iushkin was so excited.

People who have never been a gunner cannot experience the excruciating pain of turning the steering wheel. Here, a German tank was killed with one shot, but the next German tank suddenly appeared sixty degrees away and turned towards you. muzzle.

At this time, the gunner must use his hand speed to turn the steering wheel in his hand faster than masturbating. The slow or fast turning speed determines who will win after one shot.

With the memory he inherited that was not his own, Malashenko still remembers that when he was in tank training school, he was almost eaten alive by a vicious instructor because his hand speed was not fast enough and the steering wheel turned too slowly. As a grandson, it would be an understatement to say that the scene at that time was bloody.

And now, the black technology of the electric turret steering machine that the Germans have liberated on the Tiger tank has once and for all solved the problem of the gunner's arm being sore and not turning fast enough.

Treading forward with your toes will cause the turret to turn left, and leaning back with your heels will cause the turret to turn right.

This extremely simple method frees one arm of the gunner once and for all, eliminating the need for the gunner to be busy with both hands at the same time, and the mental and physical tension is always high.

From then on, the German gunners who controlled the Tiger could focus all their arms on the height adjustment wheel. To put it bluntly, this not only helps improve combat efficiency, but can even make the gunner's aiming process less tense, smoother, and more accurate.

Newly promoted gunners can quickly get started with Tiger tanks and improve their gunnery proficiency quickly, while veterans like Iushkin can improve their gunnery skills to a higher level, making their already accurate guns more accurate. The vicious blow became more deadly. The improvement brought about by a simple change from a hand-operated steering gear to an electric steering gear is so great.

Malashenko understood Iushkin's excitement when he got a new toy, but he wanted to roll out the design of the electric turret steering gear on a large scale and apply it comprehensively on Soviet tanks, which prioritized large quantities and sufficient supplies. , it is indeed too early to say at the moment.

"Our tanks cannot yet use such advanced configurations, Iushkin."

"The electric turret steering gear of the Germans is very sophisticated in design. First, the engine must be started to drive the motor. The motor generates electricity and then drives the turret hydraulic steering gear. If any link is disconnected in the middle, it will malfunction. If there is a problem with any piece of equipment, the electric steering gear will be caused. The machine failed."

"So the Germans have a backup design in case of accidents. The steering wheel you wanted to turn just now is used to manually rotate the turret when the electric steering wheel fails. Of course, it feels like manually turning the 11-ton turret. It’ll definitely make you want to curse, not all designs are perfect.”

Malashenko's small classroom is here to popularize knowledge for Iushkin. Lavrinenko, who is staying in the loader's position, is not idle either. He is fiddling with the right side of the 88mm main gun's breech tail. A small trigger button to play with back and forth.

Click—click—

The crisp sound of the trigger button being pulled up and down echoed in the turret. Lavrinenko, who was confused about what such a small object was used for, immediately raised his head and asked.

"What is this thing for? Malashenko, we don't have this button in our tank."

Malashenko, who was looking up and fiddling with the commander's control tower in his position, glanced at Lavrinenko's position and immediately realized what it was that made his old classmate question it.

"That's what you said, it's the main gun safety."

"The German Tiger tanks are different from our tanks. The 88mm main gun uses an electric primer. The thing you are fiddling with is the main gun's safety button."

"If there is a bullet waiting to be fired in the gun chamber, the safety button will be open when it is pushed down. At this time, Iushkin cannot fire no matter how hard he pulls the trigger. The conductive circuit of the main gun has been disconnected. If it is pushed upward, the safety will be closed. This At this time, Iushkin can shoot hard at any target. It's that simple. The reloading is responsible for managing the main gun safety. "

Lavrinenko was astonished by the long list of explanations from Malashenko.

"What do these German guys think about using a conductive primer to fire the main gun? What if the tank loses power? Don't tell me it's impossible, this will definitely happen on the battlefield."

The issues that Lavrinenko could take into account, Henschel's group of tank engineers could naturally take into consideration. After hearing Lavrinenko's second question, Malashenko immediately raised his finger and pointed at Iushkin's left hand. On the inner wall of the side turret, the focus of sight is fixed on a black control panel on the inner wall of the left turret.

"There is a manual firing button on it. If the tank loses power, Iushkin only needs to use that thing to fire. It is much easier than you think."

After hearing this, Lavrinenko immediately tilted his head curiously and looked at the control panel on Iushkin's left hand side. As expected, he could find a button similar to the safety trigger on his side, but after such a look, Lavrinenko figured out a different flavor.

"The Germans are quite thoughtful, but isn't this design very troublesome? During the war, people are so busy running around, who can bother to get these extra things."

Lavrinenko, who learned more and more about the design of the Tiger tank, began to complain about the complexity. In fact, even Malashenko himself felt that it was unnecessary to take off his pants and fart.

"Believe me, old classmate. Those German armored soldiers driving Tigers are not the ones I want to curse the most. The ones I want to curse the most are the logistics maintenance soldiers who are responsible for serving Miss Tiger."

"A bucket of coffee and a pack of cigarettes can repair a Tiger in a day."

"This is not just talk. Don't let the German logistics and maintenance soldiers catch Henschel's designers. Otherwise, even the lives of the designers' mothers will be in danger."