readx; When the 1943 105mm APDS shell flew towards the M4 tank, in an instant the M4 tank was a small flame, and then the interior of the M4 tank was a burst of smoke, and then you can see that the hatch of the tank was opened, and several tank factory crews were quickly climbing out, and at this time the M4 tank had already begun to spark, it was obvious that the shell just now not only hit it, but also caused serious damage inside, There is even a possibility of causing the detonation of ammunition. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

Sure enough, it didn't take long for the smoking M4 tank to suddenly come out with a violent vibration, and violent flames erupted from inside, and the entire tank had turned into a ball of flames.

At a distance of less than a kilometer, an M4 tank, in fact, the T18 tank does not use tungsten alloy APDS shells, and ordinary cap hollow armor-piercing shells (APCBC) can also penetrate it, but it is clear that the T18 tank is not willing to increase any risk, and directly uses APDS shells as soon as it comes up.

In fact, although China's tanks and anti-tank artillery are equipped with a variety of armor-piercing shells, such as the old traditional AP armor-piercing shells that still have a large inventory in the early days, the cap-piercing shells APC, the empty cap-piercing shells APBC and tungsten alloy high-speed armor-piercing shells (APCR) are still in service in the army in large quantities, and the inventory of these shells produced in the early years is too large, although it is said that the 1945 is old and outdated, but the inventory is so large that it cannot be thrown away casually. Therefore, these shells are still in service in large numbers in the second-line troops and the troops of the secondary front. However, in the elite troops, it is difficult to see these old armor-piercing bullets, the anti-armor units of the Chinese Army stationed in Europe are all cutting-edge ammunition, the armor-piercing bullets made of ordinary materials are hollow armor-piercing bullets (APCBC), and the special material is tungsten alloy made of sub-caliber shell-piercing shells (APDS).

According to the anti-armor engagement manual formulated by the Chinese Army, if your tank encounters an enemy heavy armored target, such as the German King Tiger and Tiger, the IS2 and KV series of Soviet Russia and the M26 tank of the United States, it can use APDS armor-piercing shells. When encountering ordinary targets, such as the T34 of Soviet Russia, the German No. 4 and Leopard and the American M4 tanks, it is not necessary to use expensive APDS, and APCBC armor-piercing shells made of ordinary alloy steel are used.

However, in actual combat, the anti-armor personnel of the Chinese Army rarely use APCBC armor-piercing shells, and as soon as they find that the target does not care about 3721, they basically directly apply tungsten alloy APDS armor-piercing shells.

The reason for this is very simple, because the battle between tanks, if it is good at a long distance, but if it is a medium and close combat, then the most important thing is the first shot, that is, the first shot must hit and destroy the enemy, otherwise it is yourself who dies. Those tank crews are also afraid of death, but they don't want the first gun to not destroy the target because of the use of ordinary shells, as for the high price of APDS, it is not a problem for them, anyway, they can be replenished in time, no need to use it in vain.

The top brass of the army is also helpless about this situation, and it is impossible to stipulate that it cannot be used, or to restrict the supply of APDS shells from the supply point of view! Moreover, although the price of APDS shells for the Chinese army is much more expensive than ordinary shells, compared with the countries of Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union, the price is not worth mentioning.

During 1942, the price of tungsten ore has risen more than ten times compared with before the war, and the price has risen higher after the ordinary application of APDS or APCR armor-piercing bullets in various countries, and China not only restricts its own tungsten ore exports, but also restricts the export of tungsten ore from Myanmar and Thailand in Southeast Asia, which makes the tungsten ore shortage in the world market even more, and today in 1945, the price of tungsten ore has risen more than 30 times compared with before the war, and you can't buy it if you have money. The rise in the price of tungsten ore has doubled the profits of Spain and Portugal, which are the main exporters of tungsten ore among the neutral countries in Europe and were the main suppliers of tungsten ore to the Axis powers and the United Kingdom during World War II.

During World War II, the supply of tungsten ore in other countries except China has been very scarce, the United States and Soviet Russia mainly rely on their own tungsten ore supply, Britain mainly relies on colonial supply, and Germany relies on the strategic reserves imported from China before the war, and at the same time imports a part of tungsten ore to Portugal and Spain. To a certain extent, their tungsten ore production is enough to supply their industrial consumption, but if it is said to be used for large-scale production of armor-piercing bullets, it is basically unlikely, the United States desperately increased its own tungsten ore production in World War II, and now it is only about 5,000 tons of output a year, and the tungsten ore that Britain can obtain in the major colonies is about 4,000 tons, and Soviet Russia has only one or two thousand tons of output because it does not have Central Asia and Siberia. Germany had to import tungsten ore from Spain or Portugal or even China for a year, producing less than 1,000 tons a year during 1944. In other words, the three major military blocs of the Allies, the Axis and the Soviet Union, had access to only about 15,000 tons of tungsten ore worldwide.

However, during the same period, China's annual tungsten ore production was 250,000 tons, and in 1944, China's domestic tungsten ore output in Siberia, Central Asia and other regions combined. At the same time, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and other countries under the control of China have a combined output of about 10,000 tons, and at the same time, they import about 3,000 tons per year to the global markets such as South America, Spain and Portugal.

In other words, the annual output of tungsten ore controlled by the coalition forces with China as the core has reached more than 260,000 tons, accounting for about 94% of the world's annual output.

In fact, China's tungsten ore production is not exhausted for industrial consumption alone, and so much tungsten ore in China is basically used in the defense industry, such as the manufacture of armor-piercing bullets. Moreover, in order to further reduce the supply of other tungsten ore, China not only does not export itself, but also restricts Myanmar, Thailand and other countries from exporting tungsten ore to other countries.

After so many measures, it has led to the fact that although Britain, the United States and Germany and other countries have APCR or APDS technology, they cannot produce a large number of APCR armor-piercing bullets made of tungsten alloy. When the basic Allied tanks were in combat, each tank could only carry a few APCR or APDS armor-piercing shells made of tungsten alloy. As for Soviet Russia, for the time being, the technology of APCR and APDS armor-piercing shells has not been developed, Germany has the technology but no tungsten ore, and their APCR uses alloy steel as the core of the armor-piercing projectile.

When China's armored forces are fighting, basically half of the armor-piercing shells attached to each tank are APCR or APDS armor-piercing shells made of tungsten alloy, and in combat, these expensive tungsten alloy armor-piercing shells are often used first, and ordinary shells are rarely used.

Otherwise, how could outsiders say that China's armored forces are a loser, this APDS is hit, it is equivalent to throwing a large piece of gold directly.

The current behavior of this T18 tank is typical of the behavior of a loser, and it even uses APDS armor-piercing shells made of tungsten alloy at a distance of less than a kilometer. This makes the British, American and German tank commanders see it, and they will all shout, is this distance worth it for you to use tungsten alloy APDS, it is enough to use cheap APCBC.

The T18 reversed quickly, counterattacking in reverse, and luckily their first shell blew up the M4.

At this time, on the right side of the T18 tank, several other M4 tanks also turned their turrets in unison, and the guns on the door were emitting flames one after another.

And after an instant, the T18 tank in the reverse suddenly stopped, and then a closer look can find that the right track of this tank has fallen off, it is obvious that in the attack of the M4 tanks just now, one of the shells damaged the track of the T18 tank.

Inside the T18 tank, Sergeant Bao Erqing, the commander of the vehicle, felt the car stop and shouted loudly: "What's going on with Yangzi?" How to stop! ”

The driver, Private First Class Yangzi, was also sweating profusely: "It should be that the track has been broken!" ”

"Damn, I'm going to die now!" Private 1st Class Black, the loader in the back, was busy carrying out a 1943-style 105mm APDS armor-piercing shell and stuffing it into the chamber of the gun, shouting as he spoke.

Sergeant Bao Erqing also had a premonition, through the periscope, he could clearly see that the M4 tanks more than 800 meters away were circling, it was obvious that they also knew that they could not completely destroy themselves in the front, and wanted to go around to their flank.

Although the level of frontal protection of the T18 tank was comparable to that of a heavy tank of fifty or sixty tons of the same period, its flanks were as fragile as all other tanks, and any tank equipped with a long-barreled 75-mm tank gun could penetrate its side and rear armor.

"Immediately request the No. 36, No. 38, and No. 39 cars to come to the rescue, and request the company for help!" Although the commander Bao Erqing was very anxious, he still calmed himself down, and then gave an order to the communication soldiers.

Not only him, but the crew members of the 137th tank, which belonged to the second platoon of the 3rd Tank Company of the 13th Tank Battalion, knew that they were in the biggest crisis when they learned that their tracks had been damaged.

Now they were not fighting with friendly forces, but they were alone and sent to the low bush to conduct fire reconnaissance, and the other three friendly tanks of their tank platoon were still hundreds of meters behind, and due to the terrain, they had to go around to see themselves.

In other words, they cannot get direct fire support from friendly forces now, and if their tank tracks are not broken, then with the excellent frontal protection and mobility of the T18 tank, they can fight on the side, and then join up with friendly forces before fighting.

But now the tracks are broken!

Bao Erqing knows that it is now the most critical moment in the eight years since he joined the army, and this one is estimated to be martyred here, although the T18 tank he commands is strong, known as the world's first surname, but it is definitely not invincible, the Chinese Army landed on the Balkan Peninsula at the beginning of the year and fought with the German army for nearly half a year, and lost more than 100 T18 tanks before and after, a small number of which were destroyed by the German King Tiger tank or the Tiger Hunting anti-tank gun with a long body of 88 mm tank guns of 71 times the caliber at a long distance. Most of them were destroyed from the side by the Germans after bypassing the flank, and many T18 tanks were unlucky enough to be destroyed by the German bazooka men approaching and firing rockets.

Since the tank has completely stopped, and now Bao Erqing's weight No. 137 tank has become a live target, and at the same time, because of the stop, a stable launch platform has been obtained, and now Bao Erqing has to fight back and prevent the Americans' M4 tank from going around his flank.

After the loader finished loading and the gunner aimed, Bao Erqing gave the order to fire, and in the next moment, the muzzle of the 105 mm main gun on tank No. 137 freed up another ball of flames, and another 1943 APDS armor-piercing projectile flew out. However, Bao Erqing didn't hear the explosion he expected, and through the periscope he didn't see the target tank being hit, so he knew where the shells were flying.

"I don't want to die here today, so I'll aim at Lao Tzu!" Bao Erqing shouted and scolded, and in the face of the crisis of death, Bao Erqing couldn't care about any gentle attitude in Pingyue, and directly shouted and scolded.

Then I thought about it and felt that I was still not at ease, and then climbed directly to the gunner's position: "I'll come by myself!" ”

Bao Erqing, as a veteran non-commissioned officer who has been in the army for eight years, has been playing tanks for so many years, and his skills are not comparable to those conscripts who have only served for less than three years.

At this time, the signal soldier also reported loudly: "Car No. 36 is also exchanging fire with the enemy, car No. 38 is supporting them, and car No. 39's turret transmission system is malfunctioning and cannot fire." ”

Hearing how the communication soldier reported, Bao Erqing's eyes were about to burst into flames, and he scolded in his heart, relying on all the bad things to huddle together: "What about the company's side, how to say it!" ”

"The company has replied that car No. 314 has been dispatched to support, but they are far away from us, and it is estimated that it will take a few minutes to arrive!"

"A few minutes? In a few minutes, Lao Tzu will be finished! Bao Erqing scolded in his heart, but for the sake of morale, he still didn't scold, but said: "Brothers, hold on, there are already people in car 314 to save us!" ”