章 335: Chapter 412 Planning (End)
Wilhelm was aware of three models of airborne tanks from the original timeline of the 1940s and 1950s.
The first model was the ASU-57 airborne tank destroyer, an ultra-light self-propelled gun developed by the Soviet Union for its paratroopers in the early 1950s. At that time, the carrying capacity of Soviet transport aircraft was insufficient, so the ASU-57 was designed to be as compact and lightweight as possible, weighing 3.4 tons. This vehicle had no turret and used an open combat compartment, with a front armor thickness of 6 millimeters and side and rear armor thickness of 4 millimeters. It was equipped with a CH-51 type 57mm anti-tank gun (a development model of the ZIS-2 anti-tank gun from World War II) and powered by an M-20E type 4-cylinder water-cooled gasoline engine. Although the vehicle could be considered small and exquisite, it had many drawbacks, such as thin armor that could only withstand rifle bullets and shrapnel, and an open combat compartment that was vulnerable to attack.
However, its greatest advantage was that it could be airdropped. When airdropping, it was fixed on a platform connected to a drogue parachute and four main parachutes with a diameter of 30 meters each. Moreover, due to its compact size, it could even fit into a Mi-6 helicopter for air transport.
The second model was the M22 Locust tank.
It was an airborne tank developed by the United States in the 1940s. The project was temporarily halted due to the lack of suitable transport aircraft. After the British learned of this, they actively promoted it, eventually persuading the U.S. military to resume development. The Marmon-Herrington company produced the first prototype in May 1941, called the T9 light airborne tank, later named the M22 "Locust" airborne tank.
The American M22 "Locust," as the world's first specially designed airborne tank, was very suitable for airborne combat in terms of firepower, mobility, and protection, and it had significant reference value for the development of airborne tanks by other countries in the world.
Its combat weight was 7.72 tons, with a crew of three, a length of 3.94 meters, a width of 2.25 meters, and a height of 1.84 meters, making it quite compact. The turret was made of cast homogeneous steel armor, with armor thickness around 25 millimeters; the body was a rolled steel armor welded structure, with the thickest front armor at 25 millimeters and other parts ranging from 10 to 13 millimeters. To ensure the total weight did not exceed 7.5 tons, designers had to reduce the armor thickness as much as possible. It can be said that weak protection was the fatal weakness of the M22.
Overall, the M22 "Locust" light airborne tank had good mobility, but its firepower was clearly insufficient, and its armor protection was also poor. Additionally, air transport was troublesome (requiring the turret to be removed), and various inherent defects limited its use in actual combat. However, compared to the Soviet Union, Germany, and Britain (whose airborne tanks were all modified from ordinary light tanks), the M22 "Locust" was the world's first specially designed airborne tank, considering the needs of airborne combat in terms of firepower, mobility, and armor protection from the beginning of its design. This had important reference value for the development of airborne tanks by other countries in the world and had a profound impact.
The third model was Germany's own Panzer I Ausf. C tank, with a combat weight of 8 tons, equipped with a 20mm cannon with a 60-caliber barrel, and a 7.92mm machine gun. Its front armor reached 30 millimeters, side armor was about 16.5 millimeters, and it could reach a top speed of 75 kilometers per hour.
As for the British "Tetrarch" airborne tank, Yannick straightforwardly dismissed it.
In Normandy, the "Tetrarch" tank's mission from start to finish was to demonstrate what "embarrassment" meant. Some were lost during the descent, some were damaged by mines, and when encountering German Panzer IV tanks and Panzer III tank destroyers, they could not advance. The "Tetrarch" tank's most suitable job was to provide minimal fire support during infantry battles between the British and German armies.
In August 1944, most of the "Tetrarch" tanks in the British airborne forces were replaced by the "Cromwell" cruiser tank. In November, the remaining "Tetrarchs" were replaced by the American-made M22 "Locust" airborne tank.
Wilhelm would have liked to airdrop the "Jackal" tank or the "Hetzer" tank destroyer, but that was just wishful thinking.
Even in later times, the maximum airdrop weight for the most thoroughly researched, technologically advanced, and operationally experienced countries like the United States and Russia was only 18 tons. The maximum manned airdrop (integrated vehicle and crew airdrop) weight was 14.5 tons, which was a unique technology of the Russian airborne troops, unparalleled globally.
Heavy airdrop technology, developed from the 1940s to later times, underwent more than 70 years of development. The latest progress was the use of computer-controlled automatic precision airdrops and rocket-buffered landings. There was no significant breakthrough in airdrop weight, and 18 tons (the maximum single-item airdrop capability of the U.S. military) was the limit for the world's top heavy airdrop technology in later times. If it was a manned airdrop, the weight would have to be reduced further. The United States had no plans for a manned airdrop over 15 tons, and Russia, as strong as it was, did not dare to attempt it—simply put, overly heavy equipment would crash into a pile of scrap metal. Russia and the United States had already experienced countless failures in heavy airdrops; the technology did not allow it, otherwise, Russia would have already pursued light tank integrated airdrops.
Therefore, with current technology, it is impossible to airdrop larger tanks. To transport tanks, paratroopers would have to seize enemy airports to expand the front line, then transport the tanks to the airport by transport aircraft. Moreover, even if an enemy airport was captured, there were no sufficiently large transport aircraft to carry main battle tanks.
Germany currently has two large transport aircraft. The first is the Me 323F "Gigant" transport aircraft.
It has a wingspan of 55.2 meters and a length of 28.46 meters, powered by six 1340 horsepower Jumo 211R engines, with a maximum carrying capacity of 18.3 tons.
This large transport aircraft, developed from a glider, became an easy target for fighter planes due to its heavy body and slow speed. However, its large-volume, low-floor cargo hold, openable nose door, and multi-wheel landing gear design are considered the forerunners of modern military transport aircraft.
The other is the BV 222 "Wiking" seaplane, the largest military seaplane of World War II, with a wingspan of 46 meters, a height of 10.9 meters, and a length of 37 meters, one and a half times the length of a B-29. The engines are six 1000 horsepower coaxial diesel engines, with a maximum carrying capacity of 18.5 tons.
Therefore, even if tanks are air-transported, they will not exceed the 20-ton class.
In the original timeline, the Zeppelin company collaborated with a French company to develop the ZSO 523 "Super Gigant," "ZSO" being a combination of the initials of the two companies. It had a wingspan of 70 meters, a length of 40.25 meters, a full machine weight of over 50 tons, and was planned to carry 35 tons of cargo. Powered by six 2200 horsepower Gnome-Rhône 18R engines, it had a maximum speed of 340 kilometers per hour at an altitude of 3800 meters, with a cruising speed of 310 kilometers per hour and a planned range of 2200 kilometers. When the German army retreated from Paris, the ZSO 523 was in the stage of making a wooden model of the same size.
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