mesbooks Chapter 119: Training of the M10 'Wolverine' Tank Destroyer Crew (Part 1) (Please Give a G
Chapter 119: Training of the M10 'Wolverine' Tank Destroyer Crew (Part 1) (Please Give a G
Time passed quickly, and the Battle of Guadalcanal came to an end at the end of February 1943. The Japanese completely lost the initiative in the ocean, and what followed would be a series of passive beatings.
On the European continent, the Battle of Stalingrad also came to an end on February 2.
汉斯国第6集团军司令保卢斯元帅（1月30号刚拿到元帅权杖），步兵第4军军长普费费尔中将、第51军军长库尔茨巴赫中将、第295师师长科尔费斯少将等23位将官集体投降。
Two thousand officers below the rank of colonel and more than 90,000 starving and freezing soldiers were captured. This brutal battle resulted in the death of about 140,000 elite soldiers of Hans, many of whom were even frozen to death in the merciless ice and snow of the north.
Only more than 30,000 wounded were evacuated in the previous air transport, which was the credit of Air Force Marshal Hans Meyer, but how much of this could change the fate of the Third Reich's war situation?
On Zhang Chi's side, the situation in Pegu did not change much. The injured Japanese soldiers retreated into hiding, training puppet troops while waiting for reinforcements from the country to arrive, trying to regroup.
On April 19, the weather was clear and cloudless, and the 1st Self-Propelled Anti-Tank Company was training on the cross-country training ground.
The sun shines on the tank, and the metal body shines brightly. At any time, the protection of the armor always gives people peace of mind.
"Radio check!" The voice of the train commander Lou Jianbai rang out in the crew channel, clear and powerful.
"Driver, take your position!"
"Co-pilot, take your position!"
"The gunners are in position!"
"Loaders, get in position!"
The voices of the other four crew members sounded one after another in Lou Jianbai's headphones, clear and firm.
Lou Jianbai immediately ordered: "Sparrowhawk No. 1 tank, first gear forward!"
"Driver, read it, first gear, forward!" As the driver responded, the [M10 'Wolverine' tank destroyer] (pictured at the end of the chapter, author said) shifted into first gear and started to move slowly, like a beast ready to attack.
The tank commander Lou Jianbai half of his body was sticking out of the open turret, and fresh air hit his face, and he had a good view.
While directing the driver through the microphone to drive the tank towards the off-road section of the training ground, he recalled in his mind the instructor's explanation of the technical indicators of the tank.
作为一款专职于反坦克作战的高速坦克歼击车，权重3.3的【M10‘狼獾’型坦克歼击车】在战争雷霆系统白鹰科技树中接在【M4A3（105）中型坦克】后，与专注于用105mm榴弹炮支援步兵的后者不同，M10‘狼獾’装备了一门76mm M7高速加农炮（高速指炮弹初速，不是说射速）。
其可发射初速高达792m/s 的 M62 型被帽风帽穿甲弹，在1500M距离上可击穿106mm 垂直匀质钢装甲，意味着其恰好能击穿不摆角度正面对敌的汉斯6号虎式坦克的100mm前装甲。
与之对比，未来44年驻印远征军的主力【M4A1谢尔曼中型坦克】的75mm M3型主炮只能以618m/s 的初速发射 M61 型被帽风帽穿甲弹，其在1500M距离上只能击穿 75mm 垂直匀质钢装甲。
As for the main force of the Zhangchi Armored Battalion, the 105mm M4 howitzer of the [M4A3 (105) Sherman medium tank], the initial velocity of the M67 armor-piercing shell it fired was only 381m/s, and the ballistic drop was very serious, making it almost impossible to carry out long-range shooting at heavily armored targets.
The famous Hans-made Sd.Kfz.181 VI Tiger heavy tank's 88mm anti-tank gun fired a PzGr 39 capped armor-piercing round with a muzzle velocity of 773 m/s, capable of penetrating 127mm of vertical homogeneous steel armor at a range of 1500 meters. It remains one of the best performing and deepest tank main guns available today. (The Tiger, without its superior long-range gun, would have been a complete idiot if it hadn't charged into melee combat.)
(The APFSDS fin-stabilized discarding sabot (FSDS) armor-piercing round fired by the modern ZTZ99A's 125mm smoothbore gun has an initial velocity of 1700 m/s and minimal ballistic drop, enabling the tank to conduct moving-on-moving fire from several kilometers away.)
The M10 'Wolverine', with a total weight of 29 tons, was driven by a 410 horsepower engine and quickly reached an off-road top speed of 30 km/h on the off-road training ground. The five crew members in the vehicle, including the commander Lou Jianbai, were all dizzy from the shaking.
After passing through muddy roads many times, the brand new tank destroyer that Zhang Chi had just spent 22,000 Silver Lions to buy from the system soon became in a mess.
After crossing the off-road section, the M10 Wolverine arrived at the firing range. Tank Battalion Commander Li Hongbo's voice rang out over the radio: "Sparrowhawk 1, the infantry targets have been erected. The firing range has been cleared. Please immediately operate the anti-aircraft guns to fire at the targets. The timer will begin immediately."
Hearing this, the tank commander Lou Jianbai didn't care about the mud in his mouth. He first wiped off the mud-stained goggles (the ones equipped to tank soldiers are similar to those for motorcyclists), and then immediately picked up the 12.7mmM2HB anti-aircraft machine gun on the roof and began to search for infantry targets.
Five wooden targets, each only about the height of a man, were randomly placed at a distance of 300 to 600 meters from the M10 'Wolverine'. Lou Jianbai pulled the bolt, but the vestibular receptors in his inner ear protested at this moment. (Motion sickness)
Lou Jianbai suppressed the feeling of nausea, held the machine gun tightly, pulled the trigger and started firing.
(Tank off-road driving is much bumpier than driving a Land Rover off-road. Those who can still shoot immediately after the bump are tough guys.)
The dizzy Lou Jianbai fired several bursts of shots, and the deafening sound of gunfire continued. He finally broke four targets, but when he aimed at the fifth target, the only sound from the machine gun in his hand was a crisp clicking sound.
"Report, the shooting of the Sparrowhawk No. 1 machine gun has ended, and the 12.7mm ammunition is exhausted." Lou Jianbai began to report on the radio according to the procedure.
"Very good. A box of 50-round ammunition belt has destroyed four infantry targets. Now we will circle the field again and prepare to shoot at the tank targets." In the headphones, the word "very good" by Battalion Commander Li Hongbo was full of irony.
"This is unfair, commander, you have performed very well. Who can shoot accurately after being shaken half to death... Ugh..." The loader who was standing up for justice vomited before he finished speaking.
"Damn it, Xiao Liu, I just cleaned the inside of the car, and you went outside to vomit..." Lao Zhou, the driver who always took good care of his car, cursed.
The sour and rancid smell of vomit immediately filled the narrow tank body. Lou Jianbai shook his head and said nothing more.
He knew that this irony was the battalion commander's encouragement to himself. After all, the more sweat you make during training, the less blood you will bleed during battle.
When the Japanese rush up with explosive packs or anti-tank mines, they don't care whether your crew is carsick, nauseous or want to vomit, or whether the temperature inside the car is over 40 degrees and it is very hot and noisy.
On the battlefield, the enemy will only take advantage of your misfortune and deal you the final fatal blow when you are in the most pain, helpless and uncomfortable, so any complaints will be useless.
The most important thing is to practice diligently.
Lou Jianbai, fully aware of this, silently endured the ridicule and directed the crew to drive onto the off-road section filled with mud, dirt slopes, and hidden potholes to carry out the next training...