66_66280 The air battle lasted for more than 4 hours, and the planes of both sides followed one after another. It was not until the German Sixth Panzer Division completely got rid of Xu Huaide's attack that the Luftwaffe withdrew from the battlefield. For the first time in this air battle, the Luftwaffe experienced the complete loss of a flying squadron in one day. In addition to the wreckage of various tanks and vehicles, the wreckage of aircraft can also be found everywhere in the battlefield. "Just that night, the incomplete statistics sent to me can already be described as shocking, in just one day, we lost more than 40 fighters and more than 30 bombers! In addition, dozens of aircraft were badly damaged. Many of these fighters were not shot down by their opponents, but because they did not have enough fuel to return home after a long period of aerial dogfighting. Coupled with the previous battles, one of our fighter wings and one medium bomber wing were forced to withdraw from the battlefield for reorganization. This unexpectedly large-scale air battle shook the entire air base on the Western Front, and we were forced to go on the defensive in some places. ”

Kesselring wrote in his diary. And the Chinese side, as the victor, also paid a heavy price. Nearly 40 aircraft were shot down and damaged. Five fighter squadrons were disabled and forced to temporarily withdraw and then regroup the remaining aircraft. There are different opinions in military historians about this air campaign, with one side believing that the Luftwaffe's actions succeeded in saving the 6th Panzer Division from destruction. Appreciative of the actions of the Luftwaffe. On the other hand, the air force was too desperate to fight and put the Allied air force on the Western Front at a disadvantage for a long time. This has a great impact on the later stage. After all, hundreds of planes were shot down and damaged. This is almost equivalent to the annihilation of an entire wing. So some people laughed that the Germans exchanged expensive planes for cheap tanks! After all, the cost of a twin-engine aircraft is more than 2 times more expensive than a tank!

Xu Huaide successfully realized his plan, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he has already achieved victory. Even by the strength he can now use, it will not be difficult to defeat the Turks. Then there were the Austrians, and if the opponent was smart, then they should have chosen to evacuate quickly before the 5th Panzer Division of the Chinese moved north. In fact, after receiving information about the crushing defeat of the German 6th Panzer Division, the Turks and Austrians immediately withdrew to the west without saying a word. However, what Huaxia did not expect was that after the successful blockade in the north, the attack of the Zhou Xuan armored division in the south was not smooth. Guderian is a master tactician. The attack was vigorous and resolute, and the retreat was also very well arranged! He even bit Zhou Xuan twice at some point.

A moving Type 29 tank destroyer suddenly shook. Billowing black smoke then billowed from the lower part of the car. With the sound of the track falling, the steel behemoth, which had just been unstoppable, tilted to the side. As the crew and the oncoming maintenance vehicle tried to rescue the vehicle, mortars from a distance interrupted the repair process again and again. Without warning, a Chinese armored unit entered the minefield.

The attack was launched in a somewhat hasty manner. Huaxia did not prepare too much special demining equipment, there were no mine-sweeping tanks, and there were not many engineering demining equipment such as detonating cords, not to mention that they would be hit by the opponent's mortars and snipers during the operation. "1 platoon of Type 29 tank destroyers and 1 platoon of tanks bypassed from that side. Cut off the opponent's mortar positions. Pay attention to the defense of the opponent's anti-aircraft artillery and battle defense artillery. "Accompanied by the order of the battalion commander. Several vehicles pulled out of the queue and cautiously outflanked them.

The tank destroyer is in front, the tank covers the flank, and the Chinese Army is very confident in the defense of the Type 29 tank destroyer, and intentionally or unintentionally uses it as MT! But this time, with a low roar of artillery, a hammer-like blow followed. One of the two attacking Type 29 tank destroyers was disabled, while the front armor of the other was pierced, and a flash of fire poured out of the breach. Then billowing smoke poured out. The slender barrel was also crooked to the side.

The hidden anti-tank guns suddenly attacked. The Huaxia tank group, which was not attacking well, was struggling between minefields and deadly artillery fire, so it rationally chose to retreat. After several trials, the Chinese commander in charge of the attack finally realized that he was facing a defensive line composed of mines, unknown high-powered artillery, and mortars. It was obviously difficult for a small armoured force to break through such a line, coupled with the Luftwaffe's interdiction attack. Heavy artillery and rocket artillery in the rear were delayed in arrival. So the offensive slowed down at once. Although Guderian could not block all the roads, this greatly delayed Zhou Xuan's attack speed, and finally the siege and annihilation battle turned into a pursuit battle.

"That's too much, isn't it? Judging by the caliber, this is at least a perforation left after an anti-aircraft artillery shot. When Zhou Xuan inspected the wreckage of a Type 29 tank destroyer, he couldn't help jumping twice when he saw the huge bullet holes on it. Relative to Stockhouse. Guderian's preparation was undoubtedly sufficient, and many anti-aircraft guns naturally had some of these weapons of mass destruction, and these towed anti-aircraft guns were definitely not easy to use when attacking. But when it comes to defense, it is the gods who block and kill the gods and the Buddhas who block and kill the Buddhas. When Guderian led his troops to retreat, the minefields laid by the engineers, the anti-aircraft guns, and the cover of the air force made the Chinese army from afar a small heel. Although it managed to eat a German armored battalion after losing more than 30 tanks of various vehicles, this was really insignificant compared to the previously expected results.

In the end, Guderian successfully withdrew to the starting field, and three days later, Xu Huaide's Fifth Panzer Division and the attacking Turkish and Austro-Hungarian armies also returned to the original point. The confrontation between the Western and Northern Fronts resumed. After a round of attrition and confrontation, the two sides seem to be back to the starting point, and the seemingly same situation has actually changed the situation of the offensive and defensive sides a lot.

Although Guderian retreated very decisively, he lost two and a half armored battalions in the whole campaign, counting the time when he began to kick the iron plate. Although an armored battalion was then put in place so that his armored forces would not be overtaken by the opponent. However, the huge attrition, especially the helplessness of the Type 29 tank destroyers in a defensive state, made Guderian not sure that he could launch a new offensive, although the anti-aircraft artillery could destroy them. But the number of anti-aircraft guns of this caliber was inherently small. In addition, more than 20 doors were lost when intercepting Zhou Xuan. The rest of the anti-aircraft artillery was overstretched for defense, let alone offense. If you take into account the ammunition and fuel consumed after the attack, although the main force remains, it is facing the opponent's defensive line. Guderian didn't have a good idea.

As for the Kirkuk direction? How so? It can be described as the lost harvest of the Mulberry Elm in the eastern corner, the operation in China failed to severely damage Guderian's troops on the southern front, but it succeeded in inflicting heavy losses on the German army on the western front, especially the Sixth Panzer Division. Although Huaxia also needs to adjust its deployment and accumulate supplies. But if there is no foreign force to enter, then Huaxia only has to face the Turks and Austrians!

That's right. And the Americans, the US Army finally achieved a complete victory. Although it was only a tactical victory, and although the weapons they used were still provided by Huaxia, and almost every tank platoon had Chinese officers and soldiers fighting with them, this did not prevent the American propaganda organs from coming up with exaggerated articles one after another on this basis and adding a lot of brains. "Hopefully after that. The Americans can buy more of our tanks and tanks. Xu Jie said after seeing an American newspaper that during the Great War in history, whoever won the war would have some water, and bragging was not the patent of the Axis powers. The U.S. and British air forces are also very capable of filling water. The so-called drinking water does not forget to dig wells, you are happy, and by the way, send us some dollars!!

"This was the greatest defeat in the history of the Imperial German Army, and in the battle that just ended, our most elite armored units were harvested like scarecrows! After four years, the equipment gap between us and Huaxia has not narrowed but continues to widen. The strength of the other party was beyond our expectations. We must not cover our ears anymore! When Guderian and Stockhouse's war reports reached the Army headquarters in Berlin, the Army top brass present were shocked by the contents of the document. The complete loss of more than 200 tanks brought more than just a loss of materiel and lives. It also threw the pride of the German Army into the North Sea! And in astonishment and frustration, Ludendorff uttered such a passage.

This battle was very similar to the one in which Hube lost his halberd in the Italian campaign, and the front-line commanders could not be blamed at all. Guderian started playing very smoothly. In the end, in the face of an opponent who is in a defensive state, life or death is not moving. What's the solution? A group of wolves can't beat a group of African elephants, which can't be blamed on wolves for not being smart, it can only be said that the disparity in strength is too great! As for Stockhouse? The two sides fought an encounter and began to be washed by the opponent's ultra-long-range rocket artillery. Then the two sides collided together, in this case it can only be a hard fight, and the quality of both sides is about the same. The equipment is a big difference, so there is no suspense in the battle situation. It's unreasonable for the Germans not to kneel!

In fact, Ludendorff may not be all right. The Type 29 tank destroyer is nothing more than a derivative of the original tank. From a horizontal point of view. The Type 29 and No. 4 tanks actually belong to the same level, but Huaxia has seriously tapped the potential of the modified chassis and sacrificed mobility to improve firepower and defense. A tank destroyer suitable for defense was produced. And because the Germans focused on the Tiger tank, the potential of the No. 4 tank was still relatively limited. Later, the No. 4 tank destroyer, which was born on the basis of the chassis of the No. 4 tank and was equipped with an 88mmL56 gun, shone in the early days of World War II, which fully proved this point of view.

And from the point of view of climbing the technology tree, the Germans are actually a little faster than the Chinese. There are no tanks of more than 50 tons in the current tank design program of Huaxia. The root cause of this is still the engine. Huaxia aircraft engines have the British Morin and the American Twin Wasp. But the tank engine did not have the German Maybach. Engine problems delayed the increase in the weight of the Huaxia tank. Thus limiting the emergence of heavy tanks, although in the end it is certain that an engine of more than 550 horsepower can be made, but in fact, in the development progress of heavy tanks, Huaxia is lagging behind the German Tiger tank. Although the Germans did not make a Tiger yet, the development of the subsystem has been completed, and the prototype is also being tested. Mass production models can be produced in a maximum of one year. Then after the run-in, it was put into the troops for redressing.

However, in any case, the Chinese armored forces have gone ahead of the Germans in terms of defense and firepower. In the face of the heavy 88mm armor with a 55-degree inclination and the powerful 90mmL45 main gun, all German armored units trembled in front of it! Anti-aircraft artillery can also only destroy opponents at close range. If it is not a defensive operation but an encounter battle, then most of the unprotected anti-aircraft artillery will have to kneel! Therefore, the tiger that is being tested must focus on two problems, on the one hand, it can be penetrated, and on the other hand, it can be carried out!

In terms of firepower, although the Tiger tank used the same 88mml56 gun as in history, in addition to the same barrel length, the shell specifications used are different, and the projectile cartridge used in the historical 88mml56 anti-aircraft gun is. And the projectile cartridge on this plane is long. Second only to the length of the cartridge of the historical FLAK41 type 88mml71. The shells used in this Dimensional Tiger tank reached almost 1 meter in length! Other things being equal, the penetration depth naturally exceeds that of the artillery used by the tigers in history!

As for armor protection? The upper part of the frontal armor of the Tiger reached an inclination of 55 degrees. The first lower part is also 70mm and tilted 45 degrees. The front of the turret is. This armor thickness was enough for a 90mm class gun to scratch and blind. The thickness of the side armor was up to 60 to 80mm thick. Such terrifying statistics allowed the Tiger to withstand almost all existing artillery attacks from the front, including the powerful anti-aircraft guns. The flanks can withstand almost all 75mm class guns in real combat. One of the biggest problems caused by such a powerful design was the increase in the weight of the Tiger tank, from the original 50 tons to 58 tons!

Thank you for the reward of zhouyu1976 ~~~, and the book friend is not okay, sczboy's monthly pass support ~~~. I don't recommend it next week.,I can only ask for the support of all book friends.~~~~~。 (To be continued).