Compared with the rapid pace of equipment adjustment of artillery and infantry units, and even when the required equipment was already in place just after the formation of the troops, the adjustment and expansion of the armored units was delayed for a period of time because of equipment and training reasons. It was not until the beginning of the campaign that all the equipment was completed.

Although the expansion of the armored corps is given the highest priority. However, in the case that the Anti-Union was unable to produce tanks on its own, in addition to making every effort to repair the original battle-damaged tanks, and organizing the 100 T34 tanks transferred by the Soviets into two medium tank regiments. The rest of the expansion required insufficient equipment and had to wait for the arrival of British tanks.

Fortunately, the speed of the implementation of the agreement this time was so fast that the British, who were extremely unexpected by Yang Zhen, did not let the Anti-Japanese Federation urgently need to replenish equipment and enrich the armored corps to wait too much. On December 3, just two days after his return to Harbin, the British not only delivered all the tanks they had promised, but also gave them some extra help.

The Anti-Japanese Federation used a total of 250 British tanks, as well as the M14 tanks among the Italian tanks captured by the British, to temporarily fill the gap in the equipment needed for the expansion of the armored corps. It's just that the speed of the Matilda II tank, which was the largest number of tanks provided by the British, was too slow, so that the Anti-Union did not dare to concentrate this batch of infantry tanks with a total of 200 units.

These 200 Matilda II infantry tanks, which were equipped by the Anti-Union with three non-frontal armored independent brigades for non-frontal use, were equipped with two battalions for the breakthrough of the Xinjing battlefield.

Of the other 140 tanks, 20 were left for training, and the remaining 120 were organized into four separate battalions for use by infantry divisions as a means of breakthrough. And the two armored divisions, as well as the 1st Panzer Brigade, which was prepared for a rapid assault on the Western Front, were not equipped with a single one.

The armor of this tank is thick, and the structure is quite leathery. But the biggest weakness is the speed of 24 kilometers per hour on flat ground, which is too slow for a quick assault. This tank is quite worthy of its name as an infantry tank. Its 80 mm thick armor and 24 kilometers per hour speed are just right for infantry.

However, the action is too slow, and the characteristics of being slower in off-road situations, with armored forces as the main means of rapid assault, are not as thin as armor, but the speed is fully able to meet the needs of rapid breakthrough, and the T-26 light tank modified by the Anti-United Nations and the Crusader tank provided by the British are easy to use.

Considering the characteristics of this operation, Yang Zhen vetoed Chen Hanzhang's original decision. It is better to have an armored division continue to use Soviet-made light tanks first, and the independent 2nd Panzer Brigade, which was originally going to receive these Soviet-made tanks, and the 3rd Panzer Brigade, which has already set up a shelf, to use old Italian tanks and French tanks first, rather than agree to use these slow-moving British tanks as the main equipment of the panzer division.

What are you kidding, let this batch of slow infantry tanks be used as the main equipment for fast and long-distance attacks, or interspersed with detours in a large area, and a careless problem will create a disjointed problem? The other tanks were already far away, and they were still slowly hurrying behind.

The establishment of the armored forces of the Anti-Union is different from that of the British. The usual tactics of the British on the battlefield were to use infantry tanks to cover the infantry to break through in the front, and fast cruiser tanks to outflank them. So among their armored forces, the number of infantry tanks is very large.

This tactic has advantages but disadvantages, the advantage is that the speed of the infantry tank is exactly in line with the rhythm of the infantry's attack, which can cover the infantry to break through from the front. Using the high speed of the cruiser tank to break through on both flanks, it is possible to form a three-sided flank attack, so that the opponent will lose sight of the other.

If the opponent lacks heavy anti-tank weapons, or does not have tanks to compete with, it is relatively easy for these infantry tanks to break through frontal positions. Coupled with the fact that the fast cruiser tanks were outflanked on both flanks, as long as one point was breached, the enemy could be shaken along the entire line.

This tactic is not insignificant in the face of undetermined armies and the lack of large-caliber anti-tank weapons. This tactic was repeatedly effective when the British faced the Italian army in the North African theater. However, once they encountered the German army, which was stubborn and tactically flexible, and the key was to use the high-powered anti-aircraft guns used as anti-tank guns, their tactics were easily disjointed.

Infantry tanks that move slowly in the middle will slow down the entire offensive speed. These slow infantry tanks, unable to run, were a bunch of live targets in front of the long-range range of the German 88-mm anti-aircraft guns and the 4th tank, which was equipped with 75-mm guns.

And the high speed of the cruiser tank, used alone to flank assaults, made it impossible for the infantry to keep up with the pace of the attack. In the face of a strong position and a stubborn resistance, as long as the opponent's anti-tank artillery is sufficient, there is a high probability that the flank assault without infantry cover will fail.

At the same time, using this tactic, the consumption of tanks in battle is also quite large. Especially for infantry tanks that break through head-on, the losses will be enormous. And when it was time to retreat, these sluggish infantry tanks could only be thrown away. The British have this foundation, and they don't care about losing hundreds of tanks in a battle, but the Anti-Japanese Federation doesn't have their own background.

What's more, although the Japanese army did not have the anti-aircraft guns that could be used as high-power anti-tank guns like the German army. But the madness of the Japanese infantry was not comparable to that of the Germans. Japanese soldiers holding Molotov cocktails were a greater threat to these sluggish infantry tanks.

Moreover, for the long-distance running and large-scale tank interspersed operations that will be taken in this battle, this kind of slow-moving tank is really not up to the task. Yang Zhen didn't want this kind of tank to slow down the entire interspersed attack speed used for interspersed and roundabout armored forces.

The tactics and formation of the British were not suitable for the use of the Anti-United Nations. Therefore, Yang Zhen thinks that this batch of British infantry tanks is actually more suitable for infantry. In fact, this kind of British infantry tank, in the British army and in the Soviet army, another large user, was strengthened for infantry use.

After careful consideration, Yang Zhen still did not agree with Chen Hanzhang to incorporate these British tanks into the armored force. Instead, several tank battalions were independently formed and used as mobile forces to be used in frontal assault operations. This tank can be used to match the speed of the infantry's attack, as well as the relatively thick armor, to cover the infantry to attack the Japanese frontal position.

The 1st Panzer Division, which was to be used as the main force in the westward assault operation, belonged to two tank regiments that were all equipped with Soviet-made tanks. Of the 100 T 34 medium tanks handed over by the Soviets, all but 10 were transferred to the training base, and the remaining 90 were all assigned to the 1st Panzer Division.

The division was subordinate to two tank regiments, each of which was armed with forty-five T-34 medium tanks, as well as thirty-five T-26 light tanks. Divisional armored reconnaissance battalions, on the other hand, are equipped with Soviet-made BA armored vehicles and BT fast tanks. That is to say, the 1st Armored Division, except for the American-made cars, all the main battle equipment is all Soviet goods.

As for the two tank regiments under the 2nd Panzer Division under the 2nd Panzer Division, which were originally planned to attack the main force of the Japanese Kwantung Army along the Zhongchang Railway in Shinkyo and contain the main force of the Kwantung Army, one regiment was equipped with 50 Crusader cruiser tanks and 40 Italian Type 14 tanks equipped with British two-pounder guns. The 90 tanks belonging to the other regiment were all equipped with Soviet-made T26 light tanks.

Among the two armored independent brigades, the 1st armored brigade is all Soviet-made T26 light tanks. And the 2nd Armored Brigade, at the moment, is even equipped with only two BT tank battalions. The remaining two battalions are still using old French tanks and Polish-made tanks as temporary equipment.

The 3rd Armored Brigade, which had just been formed, simply had only one battalion of T26 tanks for temporary training. For the three independent tank regiments, each regiment has only one company of equipment, and the rest of the troops are temporarily empty-handed. On the contrary, the two independent tank regiments formed by Yang Zhen for the advance army have been fully equipped under the priority care.

The reason why the 2nd Panzer Division was also equipped with Soviet-made light tanks and Italian tanks, as well as mixed British cruisers, was because Yang Zhen was still waiting. He was waiting for the end of the defense of Moscow, in which the Soviets had now begun a full-scale counterattack, and the Soviets handed over the captured German tanks to the Anti-Union in accordance with the agreement signed with the Anti-Japanese Union.

According to his plan, if the German-style tanks captured by the Soviets arrived, the 2nd Panzer Division would all be converted to German-style equipment. Soviet-made light tanks, with the exception of one company per regiment for reconnaissance, will all be withdrawn from the formation of armored divisions. The Italian and British tanks were all replaced.

Despite the detailed refitting plan, Yang Zhen still did not dare to risk letting the 2nd Panzer Division wait for the Soviets to hand over their captured German equipment. Instead, the existing Soviet, British, and Italian light tanks were used as main battle equipment for the time being.

Because he did not know how many tanks the Soviets would capture in the defense of Moscow, which was about to end. And among the trophies of the Soviet Union, how many vehicles will be transferred to the Anti-Union. Even if the Soviets fully fulfilled this agreement, could all the German trophies they captured be transported to the Resistance Union base area to ensure the rearmament of the 2nd Panzer Division before the battle began.

These questions, at least for now, are unknown. There were already three months left in the preparation stage of the campaign, and Yang Zhen did not dare to take this risk lightly. In the event of a default by the Soviets, when will this division become combat-ready. The shape does not wait for anyone, and time does not wait for anyone.

For the sake of safety, after careful consideration, Yang Zhen would rather take the trouble of adjusting at that time, and did not let the Second Panzer Division have personnel and other equipment, let alone equip the division with the Matilda II tanks transferred by the British, or equip the division with Soviet-made tanks and British and Italian tanks.

Rather let the Second Armored Brigade and other equipment that was originally planned to receive this batch of Soviet-made light tanks, Yang Zhen did not dare to let the Second Armored Division, which was prepared on the Eastern Front as the main means of breakthrough, etc. At least until the booty provided by the Soviets is in place, this division can first form combat effectiveness. It will not affect the formation of troops and even the investment in the campaign because of the careful thinking of the unreliable Soviets.

As for the dozens of German-made tanks provided by the British, Yang Zhen did not directly integrate them into the troops, but used these tanks to form two training battalions. In addition to one for the 2nd Panzer Division, which is preparing to replace with German tanks, the other is for the Armored Training Corps, which has been upgraded to an armored training base.

These German-made tanks were used to train the operators and maintenance personnel of the German-style tanks, and to prepare for the reception of German tanks and self-propelled assault guns transferred by the Soviet Army and the United States and Britain in the future. For the formation of new armored forces in the future, it is necessary to make advanced technical preparations.