Planning 2

"Damn it!" Wilhelm muttered quietly. This is not how a time traveler's story is supposed to end, right? Others who have traveled through time have conquered the world, enjoyed wealth and glory, and lived a life of indulgence. Why does he have to die and carry the burden of infamy like a certain dictator?

"What should I do?" Wilhelm pondered. In January 1940, Khoshkin personally led a long-distance test drive from Kharkov to Moscow, Smolensk, Kiev, and back to Kharkov to test the prototypes of the newly manufactured T-34 tanks. This left a deep impression on a certain Stalin who observed the experiment in Moscow.

Since that's the case, can I eliminate these two tanks halfway?

Wilhelm first considered the feasibility of this action.

Russia is already vast and sparsely populated. Sometimes, you can drive hundreds of kilometers without seeing a single person. From the Ural Mountains to Moscow, many places along this distant journey are uninhabited. Even if he launches a surprise attack on a convoy in the middle of the road, it's unlikely anyone would know, not even if he dropped a nuclear bomb.

It seems like dispatching a special forces team can cleanly accomplish the mission and withdraw successfully.

But what would be the consequences if the operation succeeds? Would the Soviets suspect Germany's involvement? Putting aside the enormous leap of logic that would require, even if Wilhelm blatantly left evidence pointing to Germany's actions, what difference would it make? Would the Soviets declare war on Germany? So be it. Who's afraid of whom?

He still recalls that, due to overwork, Khoshkin died of pneumonia on September 26, 1940, without witnessing the magnificent performance of the T-34, his masterpiece. His assistant, Morozov, took over his work and eventually completed development.

And what if I eliminate this assistant as well? It could at least delay things for a year or more, right? Even if it's just a six-month delay, it's still something.

As Wilhelm thought about it, he couldn't help but slap his forehead. In reality, there's no need to go through so much trouble. Why not eliminate them both a few years earlier? Although the prototypes may have some shortcomings and flaws, they have already been produced. Unless he bombs the entire factory, the workers involved in production and the design blueprints are still there. Improving the design doesn't seem difficult.

Wilhelm then abandoned the plan for a surprise attack halfway and started considering an assassination operation instead.

The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. Although he doesn't know where this Mikhail Ilyich Khoshkin is at the moment, he knows that next year he will be studying at the Leningrad Industrial Institute.

If he finds a way to leak the design plans for the Ratte tank to the Soviets, it's likely that the bearded man would go crazy, right? Not only the Ratte tank, but also the Gustav gun, the Yamato battleship, the Mammoth aircraft, the Litol Govieta mortar, and so on. He would give them all to the Soviets, letting them waste their scarce steel production on these useless things.

Speaking of wasting, Wilhelm suddenly got up, found some paper and a pen, and began to doodle.

The next morning, Göring came to report. "Your Highness, we have just received news from the homeland. The Crown Prince and his wife have returned."

The Crown Prince and his wife? Wilhelm paused for a moment, then realized that it was none other than his own incompetent father and mother.

In the original timeline, Wilhelm II had seven children, but in this timeline, he only had one son.

Well, to be precise, not just one son.

When the Emperor was young, he traveled abroad and met a woman there. They quickly fell in love.

That woman named Susan unexpectedly gave birth to a daughter for him.

However, Friedrich III had arranged a political marriage for Wilhelm II a long time ago, so Susan couldn't become the German Empress. Moreover, to prevent the beloved Wilhelm II from being embarrassed, she never set foot in Germany throughout her life. Wilhelm II also felt guilty for her, and after ascending the throne, he privately asked the royal family to look after her and her daughter.

Clearly, Wilhelm II was a ruler who loved his country more than he loved beautiful women.

Unfortunately, Oscar Hohenzollern, who should have been Wilhelm III (his current father), is an oddball who has no interest in the emperor's throne. His only interest lies in traveling around the world with his equally eccentric wife, indulging in adventures and rarely returning home for years.

Wilhelm II, the second emperor, is also helpless when it comes to this incompetent son. Fortunately, this bastard son has given him three grandsons. Wilhelm II can only pin his hopes on the eldest grandson, but unfortunately, a car accident took away his most cherished grandchild, leaving the third grandson with severe brain damage and only Wilhelm unscathed.

"Are they somehow not okay?" It's not that he disrespects this royal prince, but the original Wilhelm used to ask this question whenever he heard news about his father and mother.

"The Royal Prince and his wife are doing well."

"That's good." Leaving these words behind, Wilhelm continued with the planned itinerary from yesterday and arrived at the Kharkov G Tank Factory after breakfast. This is the Soviet Union's main tank design and development institution, where a special T2 workshop has been built for tank production. The tank design team formed in 1927 has become the core of the newly established T2K Tank Design Bureau led by Ivan N. Aleksenko. The engineers involved in designing, manufacturing, and testing the T-12 and T-24 tanks have also joined.

When Guderian saw the T-24 tank being assembled in the workshop, he almost drooled.

It is a medium-sized tank with a combat weight of 18.5 tons and a crew of five. Although these tanks are nothing more than worthless junk in Wilhelm's eyes, Germany, constrained by the Treaty of Versailles, couldn't produce tanks, so Goodrian is quite envious. In his eyes, this tank is already quite advanced.

Seeing Guderian drooling, Wilhelm couldn't help but cough lightly to prevent him from embarrassing himself further. Guderian also remembered the prince's previous order and began pointing out the flaws of this tank. "I believe this tank can't be fast. After all, its suspension system is not advanced, or rather, it's outdated."

Wilhelm furrowed his brow slightly and scolded, "Major Guderian, we are guests here. Watch your words."

Their exchange piqued Tukhachevsky's curiosity. "Royal Prince Wilhelm, don't blame Major Guderian. He is right. The mobility of this tank is poor. I wonder if Major Guderian has any suggestions for the best suspension system?" They dared to showcase this latest tank to the Germans for an important reason—it is a failure! Only a few dozen were produced!

This tank uses a row of small-diameter road wheels, inherited from a bulldozer's suspension system, severely limiting its maneuverability.

Even more damning is its turret, a multi-turret tank.

The main turret is equipped with a 45mm tank gun, and on top of the main turret, there is an additional machine gun turret. In addition, there are four 7.62mm machine guns mounted on the main turret, secondary turret, and front of the hull.

It may appear to have powerful firepower, but in reality, it's useless!

Tanks are meant to do tank things! What should tanks do? Attack, attack, attack! Therefore, tanks need large-caliber cannons! They need intense firepower, but as for machine guns, they are not needed in such abundance!

Moreover, this multi-turret tank is quite tall, and if it goes too fast, it's more prone to flipping over!

Although it's a failed prototype (only used for training and review purposes), this tank allowed the KhPZ factory to gain initial experience in tank design and production. These experiences were successfully applied when the factory was tasked with producing the American Christie tank (BT tank) in 1931.