Chapter 654: Necessary Compromise
Akado was in an excellent mood when he woke up the next morning. After all, the opportunity to spend a night frolicking with two stunning beauties like Mercedes and Anna, enjoying the bliss of having both, was not a frequent occurrence. He felt refreshed and, in high spirits, was proudly helped into his clothes by the two women, ready to meet with the officers from the weapons design bureau as scheduled.
He was to hear a progress report on the army’s newest weapons. The person coming was the famous Colonel Demond, the current head of the King Tiger tank project. With the Stalin tank already inflicting casualties on German soldiers at the front, Akado felt that the development of German weapons needed to be accelerated.
Because the King Tiger tank incorporated a large number of new technologies in its design, and because Akado had stipulated that the design department must pursue reliability and practicality while also considering ease of production, its design cycle had been extended.
In fact, the problem that gave the German tank experts the most headaches was the turret. The 105mm cannon and the firing-on-the-move stabilization system were the biggest challenges. Either the entire gun system was overweight, or its reliability was too low, leading to frequent system failures.
Akado was aware of this, as it was related to the turret design of German tanks. For the sake of protection, the front of German tank turrets used a heavy gun mantlet, an exceptionally thick and massive one. It was an extremely difficult task for a stabilization system to adjust a tank cannon burdened with such a huge mantlet.
In another timeline, the American Sherman M4 tank also had a gun stabilization system, but the thickness and weight of the Sherman’s gun mantlet were not on the same level as a German tank’s. Therefore, the weight this stabilizer needed to bear was relatively small, and even so, the system’s reliability still had some issues.
“My Führer.” Like most mid-level German officers, Demond held a fanatical admiration for Akado. As a renowned German engine expert who also had his own unique research on artillery and many other weapon systems, he stood respectfully at the door and gave the German salute when he entered the office.
“Ah, Colonel Demond, it’s a great pleasure to see you,” Akado said. For truly capable personnel, Akado was willing to give sufficient respect. His willingness to forgive the treacherous Einstein and to act as a pimp for the quirky Turing was proof enough of this.
“My Führer, for you to take time out of your busy schedule to oversee the progress of the King Tiger tank’s research truly makes me, as the project head, feel ashamed. Please believe me, I guarantee with my life that I will have the King Tiger in official mass production within a month,” Demond said, standing before Akado and beginning his report on the tank’s design progress. He was a technician of outstanding ability, so his presentation was very fluent.
The design work on the King Tiger’s chassis had been completed very smoothly. After all, Germany had a wealth of experience in tank design, and with Akado’s future knowledge to guide and advise on the new tank, the lower half of the King Tiger could be said to be a model for the classic main battle tanks of a later era.
However, limited by the technology of the time, the method of using composite armor to reduce the tank’s weight was not feasible in the short term. Therefore, the frontal armor of this tank was still a homogeneous steel design, and the weight of the chassis was slightly over the design specifications.
Another problem was the tank’s diesel engine. This engine, which used new materials, was satisfactory in terms of reliability and power output, and was relatively simple and convenient to manufacture. It was more than enough to compensate for the King Tiger’s increased weight. The only frustrating thing was that its fuel consumption had increased slightly, giving the new King Tiger a maximum range of only 210 kilometers, a full 150 kilometers less than the Panther’s 360-kilometer maximum road range.
German tanks generally did not use external fuel tanks, so their range appeared shorter. But in fact, this was the common range for this period; it couldn’t be said that the Tiger and Panther were short-legged.
“The key problem is still the turret,” Demond said, a little dejected. His technical department had been studying that turret all day long without making any real breakthroughs. What was even more despairing was that the 105mm cannon was incompatible with the current stabilization system. It was plagued by frequent failures and low efficiency, making it completely unable to meet the strict equipment standards set by the Führer.
“The night-aiming system is relatively stable and could be put into combat testing. If it comes to it, we can also cancel this design, since it’s not the primary aiming system anyway,” Demond said, complaining about the 105mm cannon before bringing up the infrared night vision device.
“Is the development of the 105mm tank gun really that problematic?” Akado had originally thought that for Germany, which in a later era could develop the classic 120mm tank gun, researching a 105mm would be a piece of cake. The result had caught him somewhat off guard; the problem was precisely with this gun.
“My Führer, this cannon is a joint project between the White Orchid Group’s subsidiary, Rheinmetall, and the Krupp company. The penetration and destructive power are astonishing, but the recoil and weight are unsatisfactory,” Demond said with a sigh. “Especially the weight. If it were just the gun itself, it would be acceptable, but the King Tiger’s gun mantlet…”
Akado thought about the solutions for tanks in a later era and suddenly said something that made Demond not know whether to laugh or cry: “Well then, Colonel Demond, if German tanks were to get rid of the gun mantlet, wouldn’t that reduce the gun’s own weight, and then the stabilization system could be installed?”
“My Führer,” Demond continued, explaining to this Führer whose ideas were either too advanced or simply idiotic, “If we remove the gun mantlet, the frontal protection of the tank turret will inevitably be reduced. Even if we find a way to solve that, the structure will have to be redesigned, and we won’t see any results in the short term.”
“Well, what if we install the same 88mm cannon as the Tiger tank?” Akado finally decided not to take any more risks with the King Tiger and to adopt a more conservative design approach. To put it bluntly, he would use a more mature, existing gun system to accommodate the more advanced new turret design.
“To be honest, my Führer, it’s not impossible to use the 88mm cannon. We have privately studied this option, and we have to admit that it would solve a lot of technical problems and allow our King Tiger to be more reliable and enter service faster.”
His tone shifted, and he continued, “However, the Soviets are currently expanding production of their advanced Stalin-type tank on the Eastern Front. The protection level of this tank is a leap forward compared to our previous enemies, and it is equipped with a newer 122mm cannon, whose power is comparable to our own tank guns…”
“It doesn’t matter. Continue the research on the 105mm gun. The first batch of mass-produced King Tigers will use the 88mm gun for now. Get them into service as soon as possible,” Akado said, waving his hand. “There is no evidence to suggest that Germany’s tank guns cannot handle the impending threat. Even the 75mm tank gun is not incapable of penetrating a Stalin tank!”
In fact, at the most common tank engagement ranges, German tanks could penetrate the armor of a Stalin tank. Moreover, the German army now had armed helicopters, a new weapon for dealing with tanks. The need for a new tank gun was not as urgent as imagined. The 75mm cannon commonly equipped on German tanks already had a record of destroying Stalin tanks, so Akado was not worried that the Stalin could suppress the German armored forces.
“But it is a pity. The King Tiger is a work into which I have poured a great deal of effort. Such a compromise will make it feel less than perfect,” Demond said, the stubborn German nature surfacing again. That obsessive-compulsive need for perfection made him feel uneasy. He quickly stood up and said to Akado, “Perhaps, we should try again…”
“Only God has perfect weapons. We just need to do the best we can. If our soldiers can’t fight unless they have better weapons than the enemy, that would be truly despairing,” Akado said with a smile. “Besides, we can improve the weapons in our hands, improve them until they become perfect!”
“I hope so. After all, I really want to present a perfect weapon to our soldiers. They are willing to die for this country, and we must do everything we can to keep these brave men alive!” Demond said, somewhat dejected. His previous work, the Tiger tank, was an absolute classic of tank design, successfully balancing the various aspects of a tank’s performance and giving the Germans a significant lead over their opponents.
“Your thinking is correct, but nothing can be rushed!” Akado stood up, quite satisfied with his subordinate’s performance. He patted the engine expert on the shoulder. “Trust me. In the afternoon, let’s go and see the King Tiger’s production workshop. When mass production begins, I’d like to see it with my own eyes.”
He led the way to the door of the conference room, turned his head, and said to Demond with a smile, “Sometimes, compromise is not shameful. It can save the lives of more soldiers. If we have to bear a little of that ‘shame’ ourselves, it’s not a bad thing, is it?”
Demond was taken aback, then laughed along with him. “You are right, my Führer!”
Published: 2025-09-15T05:55:44.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2026-02-09T18:38:17.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c654-138920545
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