Chapter 563: Rainy Season

The quality of the highways in Ukraine was indeed not very good; most of them were dirt roads of low quality. And for the past two days, the weather had not been good either. The heavy rain had nearly caused the fragile transportation system in Ukraine to collapse.

Cars were stuck in the mud, their wheel rims caked with it. Soldiers, while marching, would sink into the muddy water, and when they pulled with all their might, only their feet would come out; they had to bend down and pick up their shoes by hand.

A military vehicle was parked on the side of the muddy road, the huge gear symbol on it leaving a deep impression. The experimental unit of the German technology department had always been a rather peculiar presence on the battlefield. They often deployed strange and bizarre designs to the front lines. Some were indeed impressive, while others had a touch of black humor to them.

A few days ago, a unit in Belarus had been given an experimental mission. The content of the experiment was to install two rocket boosters on an aircraft to allow the fighter to break through 800 kilometers per hour in a few minutes, becoming an “invincible fighter.” As a result, the plane disintegrated in the air due to structural problems, and the pilot had to bail out.

This time, the thing they brought was even more secret. After being unloaded from the train, it had been protected all the way by the SS garrison troops to the frontline test area. And in this test area, a security force of no less than 3,000 men had been deployed around it.

And for this test, two of the military’s aces had also rushed here from different assembly points. It was not the first time they had met, so the two quickly smiled and shook hands.

“It’s good to see you, Rein Hardt. I hear you’re doing well on the Eastern Front, but my luck in Britain was better,” Michael Wittmann said with a smile to Rein, who was standing to the side.

Rein smiled but did not speak. In half a year, he had grown a bit taller and no longer looked so small, but he was still of medium build, standing next to Wittmann in a smart uniform. He had just returned from Berlin and had not yet returned to the front. The clothes were new, issued by the Berlin propaganda department, which made him look much cleaner.

Of course, one of them had just been transferred from London to the Eastern Front and had not yet officially participated in the battle, while the other had just had a period of rest in Berlin. So at this moment, the clothes of both men were very well-fitting, and they looked like two male models showing off the German panzer officer’s uniform.

“Gentlemen, I’ve called you and your crews here because I want you to test this new, future tank here. This is an experimental model, so please take it seriously,” said Colonel Demont, an old acquaintance from the technology experiment department, who was standing to the side. This scientific madman could be said to be a rare all-rounder in the German technology field; his shadow could even be found in the design work of new aircraft.

However, his greatest skill was integrating the engine and gearbox systems of tanks, to make the entire running gear more reliable and durable. He smiled at Rein and Wittmann, then turned his head and looked at his subordinates. “Uncover the canvas and let our two tank crews see our new weapon.”

At his command, several SS soldiers with rifles began to clumsily lift the canvas covering the huge tank. When it was all uncovered, Rein’s and Wittmann’s crews finally saw the great beast. The six large road wheels looked rather wide. The entire hull of the tank was lower than the mainstream tanks of other countries at the time, but it was also wider and more slender.

The turret of the tank was a square one, similar to the Tiger’s, and still had a mantlet structure in the front. However, it was clear that this tank’s turret was slightly larger than the Tiger’s, and it was also equipped with a strange new device of unknown function.

“A 105mm cannon. The one on top is a model with a counterweight, because the real cannon is still in the experimental stage and has not yet completed the final production line model,” Colonel Demont said, pointing somewhat regretfully to the fake cannon on the turret. “And this tank is equipped with a stabilization device, which allows the tank to aim and fire while moving. This is a very great invention and design.”

“To be able to aim and fire while on the move? Really?” Andre, at the side, was clearly surprised by this design and asked, “Is the accuracy the same as when the tank is stationary?”

Colonel Demont grinned. “Of course not. This system is not as magical as you think. It just provides an emergency solution, allowing the tank to complete a portion of the aiming work while moving forward or backward. Even so, this device is already very remarkable.”

“What on earth is this thing for?” the gunner from Wittmann’s crew asked with a frown. “If this thing can’t let us fire on the move, isn’t it a useless device?”

“This stabilizer can guarantee that the tank can hit its opponent when moving at a low speed and on not-so-complex terrain. In fact, this is the predecessor of a two-way stabilizer. We are currently testing the subsequent models,” Demont said after a thought, deciding to speak the truth. “At this stage, we do not intend to invest the effort to mass-equip our tanks with this immature stabilizer, so only the experimental vehicles are equipped with it. We have removed it from the production models.”

So they absolutely won’t use it if it’s not mature? Cautious as always, and considering reliability and the production process. Rein smiled, thought of the Führer who always treated him like a child, and couldn’t help but shake his head. “Anything else good?”

“Actually, what we are really preparing to put into mass production is this!” Demont indeed had something good hidden up his sleeve. Hearing Rein’s question, he pointed to a strange device on the turret and said proudly, “Our latest vehicle-mounted night vision system. It can detect infantry at a distance of 200 meters and can effectively identify enemy tank targets at a distance of 300 meters.”

“A night vision system? That’s a very good idea. This way, we can continue to fight at night,” Rein said with a nod, taken aback for a moment. Beside him, Wittmann seemed to like this device even more and kept looking up at the strange little contraption.

If the German Panther and Tiger tanks were said to be of the same design philosophy, then this new tank was a brand-new, super killing machine. The entire chassis used a torsion bar suspension system, which was more space-saving, more reliable and convenient, and also had better shock absorption performance.

The entire vehicle used a new diesel engine, and for the first time, the gearbox adopted a rear-mounted design to lower the height of the hull. So the overall height of this tank was significantly lower than the mainstream tanks of the current era.

Wider tank tracks, better tank shock absorption. The chassis of this tank had indeed been completely finished. Not including the turret, which had a lot of new technology, the entire chassis of the tank used relatively mature technology and was very easy to produce. This was the consistent style of Germany’s weapon systems now, and also the fundamental reason why the number of German tanks was increasing.

Because the entire tank had almost nothing new in terms of armor, only a part of the ballistic shape had been changed. The thickness of the frontal armor had been increased by 10mm, and no other changes had been made. So the total weight of the tank was only 38 tons, not much of an increase. Therefore, the engine of this tank was still the same as the Tiger’s, with only a slight improvement.

“Driver, go and take it for a spin. Let’s see how the mobility of this tank is,” Wittmann said impatiently to his crew member. “This chassis looks good. The power should be very strong too.”

The power of this tank was similar to the Tiger’s, and so was the weight. The only difference was that the center of gravity of the new tank was further back, and there were some minor changes in the details of its operation. After the driver from Wittmann’s crew had driven it for a while, Baumann also conducted a driving test on this tank.

“A very good chassis. The driving feel is excellent, and it’s much smoother than the Tiger when passing through mud,” Baumann said, full of praise for the chassis’s performance as he jumped off the tank.

The main thing being tested here was the ability to pass through muddy ground. To be able to get better test results was, of course, a happy event for everyone. Everyone was evaluating the various performance aspects of this tank. Many were useful suggestions, and many were extravagant hopes that could not be fulfilled. But the staff around them were still constantly recording the feedback from these frontline soldiers.

For example, some tank crew members hoped that the thickness of the tank’s armor could be increased by another 20mm, which would make them feel more secure. However, this suggestion would increase the total weight of the tank by more than 5 tons, directly pushing the new tank’s weight over 40 tons.

And some other suggestions were more trivial, such as the location of the ammunition storage inside the tank, the position of the electric buttons, and the placement of individual self-defense weapons. These seemingly minor improvements were all lessons learned from the soldiers’ countless life-and-death struggles on the battlefield. They could allow many people to seize the last glimmer of a chance on the cruel battlefield and survive.

Of course, all the problems had to be summarized, re-graded by the design department, and then improved or rejected. Some good improvements would be reflected in the new tanks, while some unnecessary directions would be cut back or even canceled.

“Are we really going to switch to a 105mm cannon?” The person most concerned about the cannon’s caliber was not Andre, but the loader, Marcus. This burly man was the most sensitive to changes in cannon caliber, because every shell was pushed into the breech by his own hands. In the cramped space of the tank, he could even distinguish the type of shell by the slight change in the feel of his palm.

“Yes!” Colonel Demont nodded. “We want to ensure that you can penetrate anything you want to penetrate.”

Published: 2025-09-06T04:21:49.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2025-12-30T18:35:56.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c563-rainy-138253820

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