Chapter 634 Self-rescue Wood
Charles originally thought that there was little need to explain to Matthew, he just needed to produce the steel ropes and prepare the logs.
But when I thought about it carefully, I felt that something was not right.
If nothing was said, Matthew would have no idea about the specifications and hardness of the logs, as well as the strength of the steel ropes. These data must be determined through multiple tests before they can be mass-produced.
So, Charles patiently explained to Matthew:
"A tank weighing 31 tons is bound to cause many problems when it is on the move, especially in certain extreme climates."
"For example, in winter when there is heavy snow, a tank may get stuck in a pit and may slip and become stuck."
"And during the rainy season, tanks often get stuck in the mud and can't move forward."
Matthew nodded in agreement, saying that these problems had repeatedly appeared on the Saint-Samond self-propelled artillery.
but……
"What does this have to do with logs and steel ropes?" Matthew looked puzzled. "You mean, they can get the tank out of trouble?"
Charles nodded affirmatively.
Matthew was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "You are kidding, General. With the tank trapped, one log is far from enough. We need at least dozens of logs."
What he had in mind was placing dozens of logs on the muddy road to allow the tanks to pass.
Charles said nothing. He took Matthew to the desk, took a pen and paper, and explained while drawing:
"We can do this if the tank is stuck in a pit or mud."
"First, tie the logs to the tank tracks with steel ropes."
"Then start the tank, and the tank tracks will carry the log backwards..."
(The above picture shows the self-rescue wood parts and the state when they are tied to the track)
(The picture above shows the self-rescue wood carried by the tank)
Matthew suddenly realized: "Then the reaction force of the log will pull the tank out of trouble."
"Yes," replied Charles.
"But there are a few things to note. The log must be strong enough, otherwise it will be easily crushed. It must be slightly wider than the tank so that the steel rope can be tied to it."
"At the same time, the steel rope must be strong enough, otherwise it will be easily torn apart."
"The most important thing is to stop once the log runs under the road wheel, untie the steel rope first and then continue to move forward, otherwise the log will rotate with the track and hit the vehicle body."
Matthew stared at Charles blankly, not knowing whether he was listening or not.
After a while he suddenly woke up and asked:
"General, how did you know this method?"
"This tank has just been produced and it has not encountered similar difficulties yet."
"I mean, shouldn't we first encounter difficulties and then find ways to solve them?"
Charles, the solution to the problem has already come before the problem arises.
"The same thing happens to the 'Char A1' occasionally," said Charles. "The usual method is to fill it with stones and then use other vehicles to help it out. At that time, I wondered if there was a simpler way to save myself."
Matthew nodded slowly, praising from the bottom of his heart:
"It's really a simple solution, a very good solution."
“It does not require any auxiliary vehicles or manpower and can be completed by itself.”
"This is very suitable for use on the battlefield, because there is often no condition to rely on other people at that time."
During a battle, everyone is busy attacking the enemy and it is unlikely and impossible to rescue a tank stuck in the mud.
Even in the second line or even in the rear, if a unit has multiple tanks trapped, it will easily get stuck in traffic or fall into chaos.
If the tank could save itself at this time, it would undoubtedly save a lot of trouble.
Charles pushed the sketch in front of Matthew and said, "What you need to do is to trial-produce the self-rescue wood and do some necessary tests. Once it is suitable, apply it to the tank. Is that ok?"
"No problem." Matthew answered affirmatively.
Then Charles took the sketch again and said thoughtfully: "In addition, we can also install a telephone at the back of the tank."
"Phone?" Matthew looked at Charles in surprise: "Who can I call after installing it?"
Tanks are mobile, but can we expect them to drag telephone lines along?
"No, Matthew." Charles replied calmly: "No need to call anyone, just the infantry to call the tank soldiers in the tank to enhance the coordination between the infantry and the tank."
Matthew suddenly realized it, and stared with his eyes wide open for a while before exclaiming:
"Good idea, Charles, install the telephone."
“It’s not expensive or high-tech.”
"But it can make a qualitative leap in infantry-tank coordination. You are a genius, Charles!"
(The above two pictures show telephones installed on the rear of modern tanks, used for infantry-tank coordination.)
In fact, Charles had the idea of installing telephones on tanks a long time ago.
Since the invention of the tank, coordination between infantry and tanks has always been a big problem, especially in interspersed warfare, when tanks sometimes have to fight at night, such as the attack on Antwerp.
Equipping tanks with telephones can effectively solve the problem of infantry-tank coordination, and even give them basic night combat capabilities: infantry can use the phone to instruct the tank to move forward and indicate its targets.
But Charles never did so.
The reason was that the Germans had greater difficulty in coordinating their tanks.
The "A7V" tank has up to 18 crew members, the "Upper Silesian" tank has 5 crew members, and even the recently developed LK1 light tank requires 3 tank crew members.
The "Char A1" tank has only two crew members.
Fewer members means easier coordination, not to mention that the "Char A1" has advantages in all aspects of performance, and the First Armored Army has spent a long time training infantry-tank coordination.
If Charles had moved the telephone to the tank at this time, the Germans would have benefited more.
By then, the "Char A1" not only failed to gain an advantage over the enemy tanks, but was likely to narrow the gap.
The situation is different with the "Char B1" heavy tank, which requires a crew of four people, making coordination difficult.
More importantly, the 75mm gun of the "Char B1" tank is mainly designed to cooperate with the infantry, and adding a telephone to enhance the coordination between infantry and tank will have many benefits for it.
Even if the Germans learned it and used it on their tanks soon, by then the German tanks would no longer be facing the "Charr A1", but the powerful "Charr B1".
"Is it okay to start mass production next month?" asked Charles.
"No problem." Matthew nodded heavily.
Then he seemed to remember something: "By the way, you asked me to send a few people to the Brest Shipyard to study..."
Charles had almost forgotten about it.
He just sent a telegram to Matthew, which didn't give any detailed information. Matthew was probably confused and had no idea why a tank builder had to go to a shipyard to learn naval technology.
"A dual-directional stabilized fire control system." Charles answered simply, "It will be useful. You can think of the tank as a ship and equip the turret with dual-directional stabilized fire control."
Matthew was stunned. Is this possible?
Isn't this a bit too exaggerated?
If this technology succeeds, will German tanks still be a match?
(End of this chapter)
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