Chapter 96: 96
The appearance of the Japanese version of the Type 3 tank was a new source of concern for China, which was already barely able to stop the Japanese army.
Compared to the tanks owned by Europe and the United States, the performance of the Type 3 tank was mediocre, but the opponent was China. For the National Revolutionary Army, which had a hard time even against tanks such as the Type 94 light armored vehicle, the Type 3 tank was no different from a heavy tank.
"They're running away!"
"You guys don't have anything like this, do you?"
When a Type 3 tank appeared, the National Revolutionary Army soldiers were busy running away, and the Japanese army trampled the retreating Nationalist Army to its heart's content.
However, the Type 3 was not invincible and was often destroyed after being attacked by PaK 36 or Molotov cocktails. However, the National Revolutionary Army, which was suffering from a shortage of anti-tank weapons, needed a more fundamental solution. An anti-tank weapon with more powerful firepower and a longer range.
Chiang Kai-shek wanted to find answers in Germany. The war had ended in Europe, and Germany was busy selling weapons to neighboring countries. Chiang Kai-shek sent a special envoy to Germany, calculating that he might be able to obtain new support by contacting Germany.
***
November 25, 1940
New Fuhrer's Residence in Berlin, Germany
Chiang Kai-shek's special envoy was Chiang Kai-shek's closest associate Daili, who was given the rather creepy nickname 'Himmler of China'.
Dai Li, who played an active role in the Sino-Japanese War as the head of the Southern Medical Association, which can be called China's Gestapo, was one of the few people who could communicate with Chiang Kai-shek alone. Chiang Kai-shek trusted him so much that Dai Li died in a plane accident in 1946. At this, they wailed and renamed a street in Nanjing to 'Wunong Road' after him, in memory of him. Later, when he was defeated in the Chinese Civil War and forced to return to Taiwan, the name of a street in Taipei was changed to Wunong Road to commemorate him.
Seeing that he sent his trusted closest aide as a special envoy, I was able to indirectly see how sincere China was about the talks.
"Thank you for your hard work coming this long way."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. President."
Dairi and I held each other's hands.
Dai Li handed me a handwritten letter from Chiang Kai-shek and complained about what a difficult situation China was in. Even without his explanation, I also know what hardships China is going through right now. All of the country's valuable land has fallen into Japan's hands, the coastline has been blockaded, and the Japanese military continues to bomb Chinese cities, including the temporary capital Chongqing, every day, killing them mercilessly.
In an already difficult situation, when the Japanese army deployed Type 3 tanks, the National Revolutionary Army, which was weak in anti-tank weapons, let alone armored units, faced a major crisis. Dai Li told me in a calm tone that Chiang Kai-shek wanted weapons that could overwhelm the Japanese army.
"The Chairman wants Germany's excellent weapons, especially anti-tank weapons that can destroy the Japanese Army's 'Type 3 Tank' with a single blow."
As an expert in intelligence, he spoke with particular force when talking about the Type 3 tank, perhaps because he knew that the Type 3 tank was a tank built based on the blueprints of the Type 3 tank that I had handed over to Japan.
I stopped drinking my tea and stared at Dairi's face. I couldn't feel any trace of resentment or rebuke toward me on his face. Still, since he is also Chinese, he probably feels sorry for me in this matter. A tank made based on the blueprints I handed over to Japan is ravaging my country, so I can't feel anything.
I have no regrets, as it was a necessary price for the reconstruction of Crix Marine, but I still felt sorry for Chiang Kai-shek. Instead of making lame excuses, I chose to tackle it head on.
"Type 3 tank… ...I have nothing to say about that. "I'm sorry."
When the words of apology came out of my mouth, Dairi was embarrassed. He probably never dreamed that I would apologize to him.
"If I may make an excuse, the reason I handed over the blueprints for Panzer 3 to Japan was because Japanese technology was essential for the reconstruction of our navy. But as a result, so many Chinese people died, so even ten mouths have nothing to say. "I'm embarrassed to even say it, but I hope that the relationship between Germany and China is not damaged by this incident."
"W-what are you saying! No one in China dares to blame Führer Hitler. Is there any country that has helped China both materially and spiritually as much as Germany? "The Nanjing Massacre would have remained unknown forever if it had not been for Germany's revelations."
Dairi's gaze was definitely softer than before. It was clear that I had feelings of regret over the Type 3 tank incident.
I offered to sell to Dairy at a low price the PaK 38 anti-tank gun, which is more powerful than the PaK 36 used by the National Revolutionary Army, and the Gewehrgranatengerät (rifle grenade launcher) and suction mines, which were rejected for adoption in favor of the Panzerfaust. .
Dairi also wanted to sell Panzerfaust, but I refused, citing various reasons.
"I'm sorry, but Panzerfaust seems difficult. "It is a precious weapon that we, Germany, have only obtained through many trials and errors, so it is difficult to sell it carelessly."
"Is that so?"
Dairi licked his lips with regret.
In fact, there was a separate reason for refusing to sell Panzerfaust. This is because there was concern that if Panzerfaust was sold hastily to China, it would be leaked to Japan or the Soviet Union.
If the Panzerfaust were captured in battle or fell into the hands of Japan and the Soviet Union through corrupt soldiers or officials secretly receiving money and selling it to foreign countries, I would not be able to handle the repercussions. Although they maintained friendly relations with the Soviet Union, when war broke out for some reason in the future, they did not want to see the Soviet Army firing Panzerfausts at Wehrmacht and SS tanks.
In actual history, even if Germany had sent the suction mines and blueprints to the mainland on a U-boat, I don't think that Japan, which due to its lack of technical skills could create bizarre imitations of plunger depth charges instead of replicating them, would perfectly replicate them if it got its hands on the Panzerfaust. No.
However, Japan had the ability to at least produce a weapon with a similar principle, even if it lacked Armaman's technological capabilities.
Even if it is a downgrade with better performance than the original version, it will be of great help to the Japanese army, who had to charge US tanks with explosive charges or grenades. Naturally, the damage caused by the U.S. military will be greater than in history, and there is a possibility that our country's independence will be delayed even a little longer. The longer the war lasts, the more people will die or suffer.
As long as I live and breathe, I will never see that.
Actually, if you look at it that way, you shouldn't sell PaK 38 or rifle grenades, but I'm still very anxious about the Panzerfaust, which is much more powerful than the previous ones, is cheaper, and is relatively easier to make than tanks or anti-tank guns. Therefore, I pass on Panzerfaust.
Dairi wanted other weapons besides anti-tank weapons, especially the MP40. One of the most necessary weapons for the National Revolutionary Army, along with anti-tank weapons, was a submachine gun that could project strong firepower in a short period of time. Therefore, it was natural for Dairi to set his sights on the MP40.
"Hehe, it looks like you prepared thoroughly before coming to Germany. "It seems like you are more interested in our weapons than I am."
"Isn't it natural since it's an exhibition?"
After negotiations, I agreed to sell 50,000 MP40s and 10,000 MG34s to China. In addition to direct sales, the company also gave permission to build an MP40 production plant in China, and promised to send the engineers needed to build the plant to China next spring. Dairi bowed his head and thanked me.
"And I would like to ask you about the tank."
"okay. Tanks are the most important. What do you want specifically? "Please tell me."
"The chairman wants to purchase German Panzer IV, Hatcher, and self-propelled artillery."
"Hmm, what is the specific quantity?"
"He said the more the better. "First of all, we want about 60 units."
First of all, I'm in my 60s, hmm.
"He said half of the price would be paid within two years and the other half within 10 years."
After I was silent for a while, Dairi added quickly.
"… .Okay. "Let's do that!"
10 Panzer 4s and 20 Hatchers. And 15 each of Grille and Vespe. In addition to tanks and self-propelled guns, they wanted 50 reconnaissance armored vehicles, Bf109s, Stukas, and He111s. However, due to funding issues, unlike tanks, aircraft could not be purchased in large quantities, and only a handful of quantities were ordered.
The China of the time I lived had a lot of money, to the point of overflowing, but unfortunately, the China of 1940 was a country so poor that it was desperately poor. Even before the war broke out, living conditions were not plentiful, but when the war broke out, the country was devastated and 90% of the coastal area was taken over by Japan, and many people became so poor that they had to worry about food. Dairi also found this very deplorable.
"If it weren't for the war, we would have ordered hundreds of tanks and aircraft, so it's really unfortunate."
If Japan hadn't invaded, I don't think there would have been any need to buy hundreds of tanks and aircraft. Anyway, the negotiations were concluded well, and China agreed to send the armored vehicles and aircraft it had decided to purchase, as well as the instructors and soldiers who would teach the National Revolutionary Army how to use the equipment, next spring.
"The 400 million Chinese people will never forget the kindness of Mr. President."
This was what Dairi said at the farewell dinner before boarding the train to China. Perhaps because he had achieved his purpose for coming to Germany, Dairi's expression was much brighter than when he first saw him.
At Chiang Kai-shek's request, PaK 38, rifle grenades, suction mines, fire extinguishers, and technicians were sent together by train. There was only a small quantity that could be loaded on the train, but the situation in China was so bad that even this was desperately needed.
After meeting with Dari, I received a report from Guderian that 'it' had been completed.
***
December 4, 1940
Kummersdorf test site, Germany
"Yes, this is it! "This is a tank!"
The moment I saw them, a shiver ran through my entire body, as if I had been shocked by electricity.
The 5th Panzer Panther and 6th Tank Tiger, which were masterpieces created by Nazi Germany and reigned as messengers of death for Allied tankers, were before my eyes.
Look at this beautiful combination of straight lines and slopes! What about the majestic main gun and the trajectory that looks like it could turn rocks into powder!
This is art! This is on a different level from the work done by artists who put a dot on a piece of drawing paper and claim it is art.
In addition to the Panther and Tiger, the Type 4 Panzer H equipped with the Schirzen, the Hornisse (Wasp) self-propelled howitzer, which was mounted on a Hummel hull with a 15cm normal firing gun, and the Panzerwerfer, which was equipped with a Nebelwerfer multiple rocket launcher, were also lined up. All I could see was Panther and Tiger.
The prototypes of the Panther and Tiger were released two months and two weeks ago, but the ones on display were the final products that passed all tests and corrected problems revealed during testing. It had not yet been painted, so it was still gray, the natural color of the steel, but it was stylish as is.
"The term unadorned, raw beauty would be an expression used in times like this."
I looked at the Panther first. It had the appearance of a Panther G-type with a chin added to the bottom of the gun mantlet to prevent shot traps (a phenomenon in which shells that ricochet after hitting the gun mantlet are deflected downward and hit the upper armor), but were slightly larger than the actual Panther. It was small. In order to meet the weight of 36 tons, there was no choice but to make it smaller than the original, but the body height was slightly lower and the body length also appeared to be slightly shorter compared to the original (this was the same for the Tiger).
"The 80mm sloped armor on the front of the hull can provide protection equivalent to 140mm thick vertical armor, the turret and hull side armor is 50mm, the rear is 40mm, and the side armor on the lower hull is 45mm. This figure is enough to provide all-round protection against the King's anti-tank rifle used by the British military. The upper armor was set to 16mm, the same as the 4th tank."
An official from MAN, who was responsible for the development and mass production of the Panther, followed me around and explained the specifications of the Panther.
"The 75mm KwK 42 tank gun mounted on the Panther can hit targets as far away as 3km, and the Type 39 armor-piercing round (PzGr 39) penetrated 126mm of armor plate at 2km, while the Type 40 armor-piercing round (PzGr 40) penetrated 145mm at the same distance. ."
Type 40 armor-piercing bullets are armor-piercing bullets containing a tungsten core penetrator, and are called light armor-piercing bullets. It has the advantage of having higher penetration power than regular armor-piercing shells, but there is a problem that the speed of the shell decreases sharply when it goes beyond close range, causing the penetration power to drop below that of regular armor-piercing shells. Nevertheless, it is also a valuable item that could not be used because the German army had to fight against heavily armored Allied tanks.
However, my country, Germany, has been importing tungsten from China, the Soviet Union, Spain, and Portugal for a long time, and since the war has ended, there is no problem in supplying tungsten. In other words, you can make a lot of precious light armor-piercing shells.
"How many shells can you load?"
"65 rounds."
65 rounds. In reality, the Panther carried approximately 80 rounds, so this is a decidedly low number. Since the body of the car is smaller than the original, it is natural that the ammunition load will also be reduced. So there are no complaints.
Other differences from the actual Panther include that the machine gun on the front of the car body and the co-axial machine gun on the turret are MG40 rather than MG34 (MG34 can also be installed), and the thickness of the bogie wheels has been increased, rather than three layers like the actual Panther. It was two layers.
This was a last-minute solution as engineers were furious that they could not give up the cross-type road wheels, which are effective for load distribution and rough terrain. Although this would be extremely complicated for maintenance workers, it would take less time and effort to maintain than the actual Panther.
The engine was the same as the original, a 700 horsepower Maybach HL230 engine. According to officials, it can run at a speed of 55 km/h and, as long as there is enough fuel, it can drive up to 2,000 km on its own without maintenance.
With this level of performance, it is the GOAT among contemporary medium tanks and is capable of crushing even most heavy tanks.
This Fuhrer is happy!
Like the Panther, the weight of the Tiger was reduced to 48 tons, and the ammunition load was reduced from 92 to 76 rounds. The cross-type road wheels were changed from three layers to two layers, and instead of the cylindrical cupola, which was said to have many problems, a new cupola was equipped with a monocular sight that was only applied to the final model. The upper armor at the bottom of the body was increased from 60mm to 30mm, and the upper body was 26mm. The thickness of the top of the turret was changed from 40mm to 25mm. The engine is the same as the Panther, HL230.
"The 88mm KwK tank gun can penetrate 117mm at 2km using Type 39 armor-piercing shells, and 140mm using Type 40 armor-piercing shells, Mr. Fuhrer."
"Hmm, the penetration power is slightly lower than the 75mm main gun mounted on the Panther."
Since I already knew this, I didn't feel disappointed or anything. Although the Tiger's 88mm main gun is inferior to the Panther's 75mm main gun in terms of penetration power, the 88mm gun, which has a thicker caliber, has greater grenade power. And until the end of World War II, only a handful of tanks were able to block the 88 from the front, including the IS-2, M26 Pershing, and M4A3E2 Jumbo Sherman. It is said that most tanks could be destroyed with a single hit.
"Now that Panther and Tiger have come into the world, I think I can sleep with my legs stretched out for three years even if I can't. Ha ha ha ha ha."
"What do you mean, three years?"
Guderian blinked, not knowing what to say. Well, this guy doesn't know the history I know.
"I don't mean to disrespect the hard work of our engineers, but the Soviet Union and the United States are just as focused on tank development as we are. I predict that in the next 3 or 4 years, they will release a tank with performance equivalent to ours. "I didn't say anything with that in mind."
"Still, I think three years is too short."
It's because you don't know what's going on. World War II was a rare war in which weapons changed every year?
Well, since we are not at war with the Soviet Union or the United States, it is not unreasonable to say this. After looking at Panzer 4, Hornise, and Panzerwerfer, which had been neglected by the steel beasts, we moved to the banquet hall prepared to praise the hard work of the officials.
While moving to the banquet hall, Deputy Foreign Minister Ernst von Weizsäcker approached him (Ribbentrop had been on vacation for two days).
"Mr. President, we have received a request for a meeting from the Japanese Ambassador."
"Japanese ambassador? "When did you say you wanted to see me?"
"I hope to meet you as soon as possible."
Dogo suddenly wants to meet me. Why does it feel eerie... .
"Is it because of a previous meeting with the Chinese delegation?"
"I'm not sure, but it doesn't seem to be related. Should I decline the request?"
"… ..no. There is no need to refuse. "Tell them to meet you in two days."
"All right."
***
The ominous premonition has never been wrong,
This time too, my expectations were met exactly.
"I personally feel very sorry to have to convey this news to the President."
While saying this, Dogo stared at me with a hard gaze.
"iced coffee. Of course. "I understand the ambassador's feelings."
The second round of Among Us against Japan has begun.
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