afterglow

Chapter 574: Medium-sized universal chassis; who will clean up the bad mess?
"The floating ferry may be just a minor issue. The specific shape and layout may not be easy to figure out." Sun Mingzhi, the most senior senior engineer of Yiji Company, said thoughtfully.

This involves the issue of center of gravity. It may be fine on land, but it’s about the same. But since it is required to float into the water, it is necessary to keep the center of gravity as centered as possible.

"The armor of this vehicle is weak, and there are so many people inside. If it is penetrated by frontal fire, it will suffer heavy losses. I think it is better to put the power cabin in the front and the crew cabin in the back."

Someone first proposed the general idea - put the engine and gearbox in front to act as a shield.

The shell that penetrates the frontal armor then has to face the thick engine or gearbox, which is equivalent to an additional obstacle.

The people-oriented starting point is naturally good, but how to balance the weight becomes difficult.

"Then isn't it top-heavy? Open it into the water...pop! Plunge into the water."

"It's not such an exaggeration. It would be better if the design of the passenger compartment at the back is more fussy."

"It's better to put the gearbox in the front, the engine in the back, and add a drive shaft."

"Then how does this person get in and out?"

Seeing everyone's high energy, Zhou Changfeng, who was very satisfied, emphasized again: "Timeliness is very important. The same weapon may make a huge difference if it is used on the battlefield early or if it is used later."

This year's winter seems to be two points colder. November's Shuntian is already freezing. The cold wind from Siberia is whistling with frost, making people shiver.

Now, after a long time, I actually tasted delicious snacks such as roast duck, braised duck, fried tripe, donkey meat on fire, etc.

105. The protection capability requirements remain unchanged, and it only needs to be able to withstand US-made 7.62mm high-explosive bomb fragments and mm step-by-step machine bombs.

The powerful and experienced Zhou Changfeng has unparalleled say, and his requests will be evaluated and considered no matter what.

Everyone was full of enthusiasm, and the conference hall was filled with discussions.

11. The number of passengers remains unchanged. The crew compartment is only required to be able to carry people. Of course, the more the better.

On the other hand, several past examples have shown that Zhou's ideas and suggestions are almost always reliable, and over time people have formed a blind reliance on and belief in their thoughts.

10. The empty vehicle weight limit has been increased, not exceeding tons.

Although it was a treat from someone Zhou, after arriving at Youyun Hotel, most of the dishes were ordered by others.

"I will be able to draw the demonstration sketch next month, and the more detailed calculation verification and structural improvement work will take longer." Senior Sun Mingzhi said calmly.

7.5. Have the ability to float and basic resistance to wind and waves, and the driving speed on the water should not be less than km/h.

The atmosphere at the scene paused for half a second, and then everyone applauded.

Two years ago, he led the 1st Marine Regiment north to Kuye Island for an amphibious landing exercise. During this period, he passed through Shuntian but did not stay long.

50. It must have good passability even in complex terrain. The track should not be too narrow and the unit pressure should not exceed kPa.

"On the side, just open the doors on the left and right."

After a pause, he continued: "I feel relieved that you are so energetic. I hope that the final work will impress people. I will be the host later and treat everyone to a meal."

Focusing on the unique needs and purposes specified previously, the main technical indicators were finalized one by one. The final result was different from what Zhou Changfeng originally imagined.

"I still have to do it according to the arrangement of transmission and power in tandem." Someone patted the table confidently, "Everyone, whether it is a mule or a horse, we will compare them next month when these plans come out. Look."

Many designers are full of confidence. Everyone feels that wonderful ideas have emerged in their minds and they can’t wait to be drawn into pictures.

2.65. The width of the car body is still limited, no more than meters.

In this kind of weather, a group of people gathered together to cook hot pot, eat mutton and drink wine. It was steaming, and it felt so happy.

In addition to the current various modification plans, Zhou Changfeng also put forward the avant-garde requirement of a "22-ton universal chassis"——

In order to pursue the benefits of easy production, easy preparation, and easy maintenance, it is necessary to design a crawler vehicle chassis with good versatility, on which a variety of self-propelled artillery vehicles can be designed and manufactured.

In later generations, extreme pursuers of universal vehicles will even hope that "one chassis can cover everything". Main battle tanks, self-propelled howitzers, self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, self-propelled anti-aircraft missiles, etc. all use one chassis to achieve maximum versatility.

But this is unreasonable, because the span is too big. Forcing a main battle tank with strong armor and a self-propelled artillery that only needs basic protection to use the same chassis is too extreme, and it will limit performance.

Because of this, Zhou Changfeng only plans to design a universal chassis for self-propelled artillery. In fact, this is more than enough.

His idea is basically equivalent to the WZ321 medium-sized universal artillery chassis of later generations, but it is a youth version or a beggar version.

基于WZ321底盘的装甲车辆多不胜数——83式152㎜自行加榴炮、80式双联装57㎜高射炮、89式120㎜坦克歼击车等等。

After three rounds of wine and five tastes of food, the drunken crowd chatted and enjoyed themselves.

"The Intelligence Office of the Governor's Office has new clues, saying that the US military is developing a heavy tank, weighing more than fifty tons, with an 80mm sloped armor on the front, which far exceeds the current various tanks and combat defenses of our army. The upper limit of the cannon's armor-piercing ability," Zhou Changfeng said suddenly.

what?
Is it so terrible?
The atmosphere in the private room was solemn for a moment, but it was only for a moment.

Immediately, a disinterested voice came out, "Hey, that's quite bluffing. How are they going to transport such a heavy car to the island for use?"

Some people said calmly: "Don't be anxious! There is nothing to be afraid of. I will call the old guys at the Shenyang Artillery Factory and ask them to come out with more powerful cannons and keep this big iron can safe and secure!"

The rosy-faced Sun Mingzhi chuckled and said disdainfully: "It's unnecessary. If necessary, just use the 80mm anti-aircraft gun as a combat anti-aircraft gun. Who was that before... I can't remember it for a while, no. Do you have this plan?”

"It's too conservative and not strong enough. If they really mess with such heavy tanks, how can we show weakness? We should also send new heavy tanks over! Soldiers will fight against generals."

A maid refilled the wine glass that Zhou Changfeng had just finished drinking, and the latter simply picked it up.

Zhou Changfeng wanted to drink it all in one gulp, but at the end of the drink he couldn't drink it anymore. As a result, he choked and coughed, which shocked everyone. "Hey, I made everyone laugh." He wiped his mouth in embarrassment.

Someone hurriedly said: "Give me another full cup, and treat it as a tribute to Zhou Qian for the imperial edict!"

This time of chatting and talking freely is particularly fun and enjoyable!

The dinner is not over until the moon rises above the willow trees.

child time.

It was in the dead of night that the rapid knocking and doorbell rang, waking Zhou Changfeng from his deep sleep.

Half drunk, half asleep, and half awake, he learned some bad news. He immediately woke up and his tiredness disappeared.

"Prepare the car! Go to the Governor's Mansion!"

"Uh... Zhou Taizhao, this is Shuntian..."

The highest military command system covering Beizhili and Shanxi is the Hebei Dudufu, which can directly communicate with the Dudufu in Beijing.

The night breeze after going downstairs made people shiver. Zhou Changfeng looked up at the cold night sky and saw only a bright moon and a few stars.

The motorcade left the hotel and sped towards the Hebei Governor's Office.

Zhou Changfeng was not too surprised. He was mentally prepared for the sudden bad news - the 14th Division's landing on Molokai Island encountered major obstacles and the situation was not good.

He lamented: "You are so confident that if you don't hit the wall and don't look back, you are asking for trouble!"

After a hard-fought battle to seize Oahu, the Ming army has become a tired force after long battles. The main force of the Ming navy has almost become a scrap metal fleet. It must be overhauled. It will definitely not be relieved in less than half a year.

The navy is really unable to organize a large-scale force to attack again in a short period of time, but the army and air force can continue to fight - the existing supplies on Kauai and Oahu are basically enough to support one or two battles to seize the islands.

Because of this, many people in the military and political circles tend to pursue the remaining bandits bravely and work harder to clear out the US troops on the other islands and completely occupy the Hawaiian Islands.

A very popular view is that capturing Hawaii equals a complete victory in the war, because no matter how powerful the US fleet is, it cannot enter the Pacific without any transit base.

Therefore, as early as August, the Metropolitan Governor's Office and the Ministry of War had conceived the plan to continue to seize the island - doing their best to piece together a fast fleet with dual aircraft carriers and dual battle cruisers to cover the ground troops for landing operations.

This unreasonable idea was not rejected at the subsequent imperial meeting, and only minor adjustments were made - there was no need to send aircraft carriers, it was too risky, only battle patrols were needed.

However, even this seems not cost-effective, because the Ming Navy has too few heavy cruisers, and it is already very difficult to deal with the large number of US heavy cruisers. The battlecruisers Yongyuan and Yuanxing bear important outpost tasks, whether it is Whether running around doing chores or fleet battles, they are indispensable.

As a result, the final battle plan removed the two and replaced them with two Zhenguan-class battleships that were in better condition and did not require major repairs for the time being.

Roughly speaking, the plan is very simple. It is to send a force to land on Molokai Island under the cover of the fleet and eliminate the enemies defending the island.

The 14th Infantry Division has been shipped to Oahu from the mainland for less than a month, but the soldiers of the entire division are quite confident, determined, and have high morale. They even write collective letters of blood from time to time, trying every possible means to win the opportunity to fight.

In their eyes, the hardest bone to crack has been smashed by friendly forces, so what else is there to fear? The soldiers and horses of the so-called first industrial power are nothing more than chickens and dogs.

In the end, they succeeded in getting this opportunity, but they didn't expect that it was the door to hell!
【Picture】

11月17日凌晨，大明陆军第十四步兵师的先遣部队乘坐5艘登陆舰和8艘货轮，在8艘扫雷艇、2艘登陆火力支援舰、13艘驱逐舰、2艘轻型巡洋舰、1艘重型巡洋舰、2艘战列舰、1艘医院船的护航下启程，扑向仅仅相隔五十多公里的莫洛凯岛。

Operation codename: Insomnia.

Because the distance was so close, the Ming army assembled under the nose of the US military was completely exposed. Therefore, after dawn, the Ming army fleet that was about to land was attacked by overwhelming US aircraft in turns.

The Ming Dynasty Air Force, which was responsible for supporting the landing operations, resisted with all its strength, and the advance troops of the 14th Division immediately launched an assault ashore under cover.

During this period, the U.S. military defending the island fired tens of thousands of artillery. The 25th Infantry Division stationed on Molokai opened fire like crazy. Tens of thousands of artillery shells fell like raindrops, completely obscuring the firelight and smoke. the entire beachhead.

An advance force that strengthened the size of the regiment gained a firm foothold after losing 23% of its personnel, 40% of its heavy weapons, and 77% of its supplies.

Under such circumstances, as follow-up troops arrived one after another, everyone believed that the matter was settled and that their side had won.

The central part of Molokai Island is fertile plain farmland, the west is gentle hills and rare white sand beaches, the south is dense pine forests and woods, but the east is a different scene - the rocks and land are covered with green and furry Moss, narrow valleys with towering cliffs extend directly into the sea, making it impossible to go around.

The U.S. military gave up defense in the plains and retreated decisively to the eastern mountains. Here they spent three months building numerous permanent fortifications and solid support points. The reporter then proudly named it the "Concrete Jungle"!
In three months, the U.S. military transported more than 500,000 tons of military supplies from the mainland to Hawaii, of which a considerable amount of steel bars, I-beams, and cement were used for construction of fortifications.

This is a cruel reality for the 14th Infantry Division. The battle is extremely difficult, and every step forward has to pay a huge price.

The infantry of the Ming Army regarded the cutting-edge Type 40 recoilless rifle as a treasure and were full of confidence - the infantry detachment could easily solve any civil fortifications encountered during the advancement process.

However, no one would have thought that bunkers made of expensive, high-grade concrete would be everywhere?
Not to mention the 80mm recoilless rifles, these sturdy bunkers can even sustain a few rounds of direct bombardment from the 144mm howitzers. Moreover, hundreds of bunkers are located in the corners of the corners, and they are arranged in groups of two as each other's horns. !
At this time, the officers and soldiers of the 14th Division could only rely on flamethrowers, explosive bags, and blasting tubes to approach and remove them. They also suffered a lot of unnecessary losses because they had been stationed in the country before and lacked actual combat experience.

At the same time, because the air force could not 100% repel the invading enemy, the fleet was always under threat from US aircraft. Over the past three days, most of the warships were damaged, and many minesweepers and landing ships were hit. Shen.

Therefore, the fleet had to retreat, and the 14th Infantry Division remaining on Molokai had to fight alone. Because a large amount of supplies were lost due to air strikes and artillery shelling, the exhausted 14th Division was forced to suspend the attack and stay put. Waiting for a turnaround.

In fact, the Ministry of War wanted to use the 1st Marine Brigade to carry out this task, and the reason was very reasonable - the 1st Marine Brigade had experienced many battles and was very suitable for landing and seizing the island!

But without any suspense, he was sternly rejected by Zhou.

Coming in a hurry and leaving in a hurry, Zhou Changfeng returned to the capital Yingtian Mansion overnight.

As soon as he entered the meeting hall of the staff office of the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion, he sneered at the serious-looking generals: "I have already said that we should not rush to fight. Who will clean up the mess now? I don't know how to clean up the mess." go!"

(End of this chapter)