52

war (2)

November 18, 1939

New Fuhrer's Residence in Berlin, Germany

"Lili Marlene, who was personally selected by His Excellency the Fuehrer, is very popular with the soldiers. There are reports that even the British and French troops are crazy about Lily Marlene."

Lily Marlene's effect was amazing.

Not only the German soldiers, but also the enemy British and French troops called for Lily Marlene even during the trial, so much so that even radio signals were intercepted showing that the upper echelons of the enemy army were contemplating it.

One British military unit even put up a sign protesting why Lily Marlene was not played when the broadcast of Lily Marlene was stopped due to a mechanical failure.

Performance is solid.

When I selected Lily Marlene, Goebbels objected to the song's release, saying that the singer Lale Andersen, who sang the song, had made anti-Nazi remarks and was subject to Gestapo surveillance.

"Should people listen to such a monotonous song?"

Of course, I chewed those words, and afterward, Goebbels repeatedly bowed his head, saying that his thoughts were short.

"With my limited insight, I cannot possibly follow His Excellency the President's insight!"

"That's enough. And stop cheating. Do you know how hard I worked to appease your wife, Magda? "From what I heard, she said he met another woman the day before yesterday."

Goebbels, who was indifferent to women, openly cheated on himself with several women even though he had a beautiful wife, and there was no Nazi official who did not know about this.

But his wife, Magda, was no ordinary woman either.

Magda, who found out about her husband's affair, took revenge on Goebbels by having an affair with her husband's subordinate, Deputy Minister of Propaganda Karl Hanke. Goebbels, who could not tolerate his wife having an affair even though he had an affair himself, got angry and fought with Magda. .

It was not usually difficult to mediate these two who were on the verge of divorce.

It appears that their relationship has finally recovered, but just as a drug addict cannot stop taking drugs, Goebbels was still unable to stop playing with women.

This is the extent of the reduction, but I have no idea how much it would have been in its 'heyday'.

"Well, your relationship with that woman is a misunderstanding! "Don't worry, we just met briefly and talked about filming a propaganda film!"

Damn.

If you're going to lie, at least show sincerity by putting spit on your mouth. Previously, they said it was because of a propaganda department meeting, but this time, is it a movie shoot?

Goebbels suddenly remembered an important meeting and left in a hurry.

Some people can't sleep properly because of work, but their subordinates only date women. As soon as I saw it, I was shocked.

"Mr. President? There are now 5 minutes left until the meeting. "He's moving slowly."

"I understand. "My eggplant."

Putting the Goebbels problem aside, I attended a meeting with the generals.

Upon entering the conference room, Kaitel spoke in a loud voice.

"Everyone, salute the President!"

"Heil Hitler!"

······I think I've already told you several times not to do this.

Anyway, Kaitel, that gentleman should also know about his skill in flattering.

I told him not to do it because it would be embarrassing, but I don't know if he thought it was some kind of test, or if the more I told him not to do it, the more he wanted to do it, but he does this every time I enter the conference room.

Ah, it's a bit burdensome!

"Mr. President? Is there a problem? "You don't look very good."

"······Nothing. "Let's start the meeting quickly."

When the meeting began, the first thing mentioned was the achievements of the U-boat.

"The Type 21 U-boat and Gisela torpedoes have proven their excellent performance and power in combat. In particular, Captain Günther Prynne's performance on the 14th of last month contributed greatly to raising the morale of the entire German military, not just the Navy, and-"

On October 14, Günther Prynne, captain of the Type 21 U-boat U-47, infiltrated the British naval port of Scapa Flow and sank the Revenge-class battleship Royal Oak and the Linnaun-class battlecruiser Repulse.

U-47 even succeeded in sinking an additional destroyer by firing three torpedoes during its escape, and a total of three British warships.

Günter Prynne, who earned the nickname 'The Bull of Scapaflow' for his incredible criminal record, was promoted to major and awarded the Knight's Cross at the same time, becoming a national hero.

The Navy, which has not had much opportunity to play an active role in the past due to the Army and Air Force, is very encouraged by its first great victory in a long time. Dönitz was especially pleased.

The U-boat that he cherished so much had proven its usefulness in combat, and he himself had been promoted to captain thanks to that achievement, so of course he couldn't help but get a kick out of it.

"-Therefore, we request that resources be allocated preferentially to U-boat production. "If we had 300 U-boats, we could win the war."

"I understand. However, since this is too important an issue to make a hasty decision, I think it will be difficult to give an answer right away. "Please understand."

"All right."

After Dönitz, it was Guderian's turn.

He had been awarded the Knight's Cross for his actions in the Battle of Poland and had been promoted to senior captain, so like Dönitz, his shoulders were full of strength.

"Production of the new Type 4 Tank, commonly known as Type G, equipped with a 75mm long-barreled main gun is progressing smoothly, and work to convert the existing Type A into Type G is also progressing without a hitch."

"hmm."

That's satisfying news.

The Type 4 Tank A, equipped with a 75mm 24 caliber main gun, had no problem dealing with Polish armored units armed with light tanks such as Tankette and Vickers, but had no problems against British and French tanks such as Matilda and Somua S35. could not guarantee superiority.

However, the story was different for the G type equipped with a 75mm 48 caliber main gun.

Type A has a maximum penetration of 50mm at 100m, but Type G penetrates 97mm at 1km and 130mm at 500m.

It is possible to destroy all existing types of tanks with a single blow, that is!

Since the main gun of Type A was changed to Type G, I ordered that all Type 4 tanks be converted from Type A to Type G.

The 75mm 24-caliber guns that became surplus due to the conversion to the G type were mounted on Sd.Kfz 251 and Sd.Kfz 232 armored vehicles and converted into simple anti-tank self-propelled guns for infantry support.

"And the 38(t) tank destroyer Hatcher has also completed all testing and entered mass production. As you instructed, work is underway to stop production of the 38(t) and renovate the 38(t) production plants to produce hatchers, and it is expected to be completed before December."

"Very good."

In addition to the No. 3 assault gun, mass production of the Hatcher, a luxury tank destroyer with excellent cost-effectiveness, also began.

It debuted much later than the No. 3 Assault Cannon, so its performance was somewhat lacking, but when it comes to cost-effectiveness, the Hatcher is far superior to the No. 3 Assault Cannon.

Although the 75mm main guns mounted on the two vehicles are technically different main guns, there is no significant difference, so their firepower is the same and the maximum speed of both is 40km/h, and the 60mm sloped armor on the front of the Hatcher provides more protection than the 80mm vertical armor of the No. 3 Assault Gun. This is better.

The weight of the No. 3 assault gun is 24 tons (based on the G type) and the Hatcher is 16 tons, so the Hatcher is lighter, and the unit price of the Hatcher is also lower than that of the No. 3 assault gun.

Equivalent firepower and speed, excellent defense, and even cheaper? Isn't this a true blessing?

The only thing that makes the Hatcher worse than the No. 3 assault gun is that the interior is narrow, so the crew suffers, but this is an unavoidable problem since the original, the 38(t), is a light tank.

Rather, although its weight class is a light tank, its protection is limited to the front and is comparable to that of most heavy tanks, so you should be very careful.

"And the plan to develop a new medium tank and heavy tank that you ordered earlier."

"Oh, right. "That was it."

Following the development of the 4th Panzer and the Hatcher, I gave instructions for the development of medium and heavy tanks that would become the core force of the German armored forces in the future.

The medium tank was planned to replace the Panzer 4 as the main tank of the German army, and the heavy tank was planned to be used as an offensive weapon, such as breaking through the front line.

As you may have noticed, the medium tank refers to Panzer No. 5, and the heavy tank refers to Tank No. 6, Tiger.

Although they do not have official names yet, they are called the new medium tank and new heavy tank, respectively.

"After careful discussion with relevant departments, we estimate that development will take some time. As His Excellency the President said, it is impossible to complete it by next summer."

"Mmm."

I guessed it to some extent, but in the end, it seems impossible to complete it by next summer.

Although it is a pity that we will never be able to see the Panther and Tiger tank units racing towards Paris in reality, I was not very disappointed because I also expected that it would be impossible to produce the two tanks by next summer.

For the British Army, Panzer 4 and Hatcher are enough.

"So how far has it progressed so far?"

"The rough design has already been completed, and the engine, torsion bar suspension, and main gun are under development."

Although development of Panzer 3 was discontinued after only a few prototypes were made, research on torsion bar is still ongoing, as we know that the torsion bar suspension system applied to Panzer 3 was later applied to Panther and Tiger.

The leaf spring suspension of Panzer 4 has the advantage of being cheap and easy to manufacture, so it can be made in large quantities, but it is less durable than a torsion bar, so there is a limit to weight increase.

Therefore, most tanks made by the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as the Panther and Tiger, use torsion bar suspension.

The M1 Abrams, the strongest tank of the 21st century, and the ROK Army's K-1 tank, which is considered a smaller version of the Abrams, also roll on a torsion bar suspension system.

The 88mm 56 caliber main gun to be mounted on the Tiger was completed quickly as it was a product that required only minor modifications to the 88mm anti-aircraft gun, but the Panther's 75mm 70 caliber main gun was a completely new type of product and had just begun production.

"Also, MAN, which is responsible for developing the new medium tank, is said to have no choice but to increase the weight in order to produce it in accordance with the requirements presented by His Excellency the President."

The original Panther weighed 45 tons. Considering that the Soviet Union's IS-2 weighs 46 tons and the U.S. M26 Pershing (later reclassified as a medium tank, but was a heavy tank during World War II) weighs 42 tons, it is at the level of a heavy tank that is only a medium tank in name.

Although the Panther's performance was excellent, its weight of 45 tons was clearly a disadvantage, so I fixed the weight of the new medium tank at between 30 and 35 tons.

The body armor is the same as the original (Type G), with 80mm on the front, 50mm on the sides, and 40mm on the rear.

"To what extent?"

"MAN believes 40 tons is appropriate."

40 tons, 40 tons. Hmm...

Considering that the actual Panther weighs 45 tons, just reducing it to 40 tons is a significant benefit.

but,

You shouldn't sound weak already. Don't you know that Germany's scientific power is the best in the world?

They gave me a raise because I worked overtime a lot, so shouldn't I get my money's worth?

"40 tons is almost the same as a heavy tank. "36 tons, I think that's appropriate."

Considering that the M26 Pershing, which had better protection than the Panther, was 3 tons lighter than the Panther, and that the M4A3E2 Sherman, also known as the 'Jumbo Sherman', which also had better protection than the Panther, weighed 38 tons, I don't think it is an entirely impossible request.

Does it make sense to weigh more than the guys in front of you, but actually have inferior defense?

Even the Russians, who looked down on you as an inferior race, created the T-54, which has the same protection as the Koenigstiger with only 36 tons of weight! You should be ashamed!

Not everything can be achieved just by trying hard, but nothing can be achieved without at least a minimum of effort.

"It doesn't matter if you reduce the size, so keep the weight as low as possible. We will also provide more support for development costs. "If necessary, I will even use my own money to procure it."

"There is no need to do that."

Hensel, which produced the Tiger, also spoke about the need for increased weight.

It is difficult to meet the requirements required for a weight of 45 tons - 100mm of front armor and 80mm of sides and rear - so the armor must be reduced or the weight must be increased.

"48 tons. "No more."

The final conclusion was that the Panther weighed 36 tons and the Tiger weighed 48 tons. The rest will be taken care of by the gongdols.

In addition to the Hatcher and Grille, Nazi Germany's APC Kätzchen (Kitten) and the 38(t) flamethrower tank, which were made by modifying the 38(t), have been completed and are being tested, as are the No. 4 rescue tank and the No. 4 bridge tank. It is nearing completion.

In the case of a mine clearing tank, there is no need to modify the tank as the mine clearing device can be attached to the front of the tank, and the Broom Bear is also performing that mission as a combat engineer tank.

"It is a matter of disposal of the last captured Polish tanks."

While conquering Poland, the German army captured hundreds of Polish tanks and vehicles.

There was no problem using trucks, cars, motorcycles, and bicycles, but the problem was the tanks.

Older tanks such as the Renault FT-17, TKS, and Vickers can be eliminated from the 2nd tank, and even the 7TP, which is considered the most powerful among the Polish army's tanks, is at the level of our team's 35(t) at best.

Although it is not as overflowing with tanks as the United States or the Soviet Union in its heyday, it is relatively plentiful compared to the original German army, which always suffered from a shortage of tanks.

This figure excludes those under maintenance, but even in the Polish war, we only lost about 60 tanks, including tanks 2, 4, and Czech made.

In other words, there is absolutely no reason to roll these guys. It's not technically outstanding, so there's nothing to salvage even if you tear it apart.

If so, you should sell it.

"Which country are you thinking of?"

"First of all, aren't we our friends Slovakia and Hungary? There is also Bulgaria. Oh, by the way, I heard that Sweden and Finland are also very interested in Polish tanks."

I decided to put a reasonable price on them and sell them all, leaving only a few to display as souvenirs in museums and for training and base security in the Air Force.

All but 10 7TP units were sold to Sweden, Finland, and Bulgaria, while TKS and Vickers were moderately modified and sold in full to Finland. Renault FT-17 was donated to Slovakia.

That's enough about tanks, now it's time to move on to anti-tank weapons.

In real history, HASAG, which was in charge of the development and production of the Panzerfaust, was instructed to develop an anti-tank weapon that could be carried by infantry using black powder.

To avoid strange combined weapons like in some novels, I added specific conditions.

It will be easy for infantrymen to carry, and the combined weight of the warhead and launch tube will be less than 10 kg, and it will be simple to use. Still, I even drew a detailed picture just in case.

It would be a shame if it ended up being just a one-time use, so it would be better if it could be fired multiple times.

The Panzerfaust was originally a disposable weapon that fired only the warhead and discarded the launch tube, but considering that the launch tube ultimately led to money, it was a waste to use it only for one-time use.

As a result of development starting in 1937, a prototype was finally produced.

"The name is Panzerfaust. The warhead weighs 2kg, the launch tube weighs 4kg, and the total weight is 6kg, making it suitable for infantrymen to carry around. The penetration power is 140mm, so if you hit it right, you can destroy all existing tanks in one hit. "It's very simple to use, so anyone can use it, regardless of gender or age, as long as they know how to read."

HASAG officials were proud and continued their explanation.

All you have to do is pull out the safety pin according to the instructions written on the warhead, set the sight, and press the button to fire.

It's so easy, right?

Overall, I was satisfied, but since it was an early product, the range was only 50m, and although it was reloadable, the misfire rate increased if used more than 6 times.

Still, it is much better than items such as suction mines that can only be used when close to a tank or anti-tank grenades that are heavy and difficult to throw, so it is nothing short of a blessing for infantrymen. We can gradually correct the shortcomings.

"Thank you for your hard work. "You saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of Germany's sons."

"Thank you, Mr. President!"

Even though it had not yet been put into actual combat, I awarded the Battlefield Achievement Medal (Kriegsverdienstkreuz) to all the engineers who participated in the development of the Panzerfaust in consideration of their contributions.

Production and distribution of StG39 are also progressing well thanks to the efforts of Todt and Speer.

The Kar98k, previously the German army's main rifle, was repurposed for sniping, and production of the MP38 was reduced to a minimum.

The grand dream of producing as many StG39s as possible and supplying them to the entire army before the start of the Western Front is already becoming a reality.

German troops armed with the StG39 and Panzerfaust in an armored unit composed of Panzer 4 and Hatcher.

My heart is suddenly filled with grandeur.