"Marshal Kettel, Kettel ......" It wasn't until Hoffman shouted three times that the wandering marshal reacted and hurriedly stood up.

Hoffman had already noticed Keitel, who was in a state of distraction, and asked by name: "I think you think you can be a god, and the Supreme Command has a different opinion on this?" ”

"Ah...... No......... No, no, no...... My Führer, I mean. Keitel's stammering appearance amused a large crowd that even Speer couldn't help but laugh out loud, "What I want to convey is that if the Leopard and the Tiger have so much in common, why would we still produce this No. 5 tank, which is lagging behind the Tiger in terms of defensive performance?" Can't you go all out to produce the Tiger style? ”

As soon as these words came out, they resonated with many people present: the Führer and Speer have always emphasized production capacity, and the Weapons Bureau also has this intention, since the direction is the same, why not just produce all the Tiger type? Stimulated by the T-34 and KV series tanks on the Eastern Front, the army has been pinning its hopes on the subsequent mass production of tanks No. 5 and No. 6, hoping that the new tanks will have both quality advantages and a large number of scales. But Hoffman was well aware that this optimistic ideal had never been realized, and although the Leopard and Tiger greatly outperformed the old and sturdy No. 4 tank in terms of performance, the number and production capacity were the biggest shortcomings. Not to mention that compared with the T34 and M4 Sherman, which have a maximum production of 50,000 units, the total number of the KV series and the IS series in the Soviet Union has overwhelmed the number of Haw Par. If it weren't for this, No. 4 would not have had to fight until 1945 - it wasn't that the Third Reich didn't want more tigers and leopards, it really couldn't meet the needs of the front-line troops.

"That's a question I think I can answer." Speer stood up and said calmly, "After the implementation of the tank armament rearmament case, the high command drew up the first draft of the 1943 Panzer Division, hoping to increase the number of tanks equipped by each division from the current average of 160-180 to about 250 per division, and the SS proposed to expand several new divisions, plus the needs of the Finns, Italians, Romanians, Hungarians, etc., the cumulative replenishment needs received by the Ministry of Armaments are about 1,200 vehicles per month, If we had to complete the reorganization of several Panzergrenadier Divisions to Panzer Divisions as requested by the High Command, plus the plan I had promised to upgrade all tanks No. 2 and No. 3 to No. 4, this number might need to be increased by 500 units, but our production capacity is far from keeping up. Before I came, I asked Porsche, Henschel, MAN and Mercedes-Benz, the four companies, if according to the original design, the monthly production of No. 5 will not exceed 500 vehicles, and the production of No. 6 may only reach 200 vehicles, if all of them are converted to Tiger, I dare to guarantee that the number of armored divisions on the Eastern Front next year will only be half of this year's, of course, the generals can bet that after the new tank equipment, we can complete the task with half of the armored division......"

This figure was immediately confirmed by the Sixth Division of the Weapons Bureau, which, according to them, would be 80 per cent complete of the plan proposed by Minister Speer, even if the "three-shift system" had been implemented, and perhaps a little higher if the Führer's simplified design had been produced.

Everyone gasped, the staff officers of the headquarters were stunned, and Keitel was even more stunned and speechless: he thought that Speer's words might be exaggerated, but he did not expect that the estimates of the Weapons Bureau were even less optimistic than those of the Armaments Department, and he did not dare to accept Speer's bet, if the armored divisions of the Eastern Front were less than half, the commanders of the various army groups would have to unite and shoot him.

"Therefore, the production of tank No. 4 must not only not be weakened, but also need to be strengthened." Hoffman changed his words and took the opportunity to arrange the production task of the No. 4 tank, "The front line has responded very well to the 30mm armor attached to the head of the G tank, and also has a positive attitude towards the newly tested 48 times diameter 75mm tank gun, and it is recommended that the Weapons Bureau continue to improve and achieve the production of new models next month." With a word, the Führer released the best H type in tank No. 4 five months ahead of schedule, and the improved H model No. 4 will use 75mm KwK

The 40L/48 gun, with a thickened front armor of 80mm and a tonnage of 25 tons - was almost the limit of the No. 4 improvement.

Krupp's factory in Magdeburg was the main producer of tank No. 4, but its production potential had not yet been fully realized, and although the factories in Vomag and Nibelungen were also involved in production, they were not enthusiastic about switching to the new No. 5 and No. 6 tanks soon. Although Hoffmann did not decide whether Henschel or Porsche would take on the Tiger production task at the meeting, he believed that Dr. Porsche would have read the implication that Henschel would need to spend far less effort than Porsche when it came to modifying the design, and even though the Bureau of Weapons announced that there would be a final comparison in November, it was clear that Porsche's design had failed. In order to save Porsche's face and appease the technocrats of the Sixth Division of the Weapons Bureau, he spoke: "Doctor, I hope that the factory in Nibelungen will increase the production of tank No. 4 to at least 400 units per month, and this order will continue until at least 1944." ”

Porsche nodded gloomily, he was a smart man, and he would not be foolish enough to ask, "Is the war going to continue beyond 1944?" The only consolation is that the Führer has given Porsche a large number of orders in the face of his previous friendship, although this is only the improved No. 4, but the number is quite a lot.

This was the first time that the Führer had made a public statement on the prolongation of the war, and the propaganda that everyone had heard in the past was that as long as the Russians were dealt another fatal blow, the war would soon be over. Although not many people believed this argument that Goebbels preached so many times, hearing the Führer say that the war would not be until at least 1944 and that everyone's minds would inevitably become heavy.

Colonel Tomall plucked up his courage and timidly asked: "Führer, do you mean that the war will continue for a long time?" ”

"That's right, the Americans' entry into the war gave Stalin and Churchill two bastards a shot in the arm, but this is only a dying throe." Hoffmann scanned the room with a piercing gaze, trying to give them courage, "but I believe that the final victory must belong to the glorious National Socialism and the German people." ”

"In order to ensure the ultimate victory, the number of tanks produced must be increased, the monthly production of 2,000 vehicles required by the Ministry of Armaments must be reached, and in the future the production of tanks will be simplified into three types, including 1,000 vehicles for the No. 4, 750 vehicles for the Leopard, 250 for the Tiger, and other deformed vehicles. Before the mass production of the new tank, each production line gave priority to assisting the Ministry of Armaments to complete the renewal of the old model and the supplementary production of No. 4. Hoffman frowned and gave instructions to Keitel, "The High Command should adjust the structure of the Type 1943 Panzer Division: an Panzer Division should have 2 Panzer Regiments and 1 Heavy Armored Battalion, one of which should be equipped with Tank 4 and one Regiment with Leopard, the Heavy Armored Battalion should be composed entirely of Tiger tanks, and an Panzergrenadier Division should have at least 1 Panzer Battalion equipped with Tank 4. The formation of new armored divisions is not considered until the replenishment of these formations is completed. ”

Keitel was overjoyed, and the Führer's proposal was even better than the High Command had hoped, and he stole a glance at Speer—he should have been the one who was uncomfortable now.

Perhaps infected by the atmosphere of the meeting, Kurt, the representative of the Henschel factory, who had been silent and did not move? Dr. Arnold suddenly raised his hand and spoke: "Honorable Führer, since you want to consider improving productivity, do you consider changing the production process of nickel alloy armor of the Tiger tank from cold-rolled forging to casting?" Although the strength characteristics of cold-rolled forged steel are 6-8% higher, cast car bodies and turrets are clearly easier to produce. ”

This is a difficult trade-off, and after several discussions, the Weapons Bureau has rejected this suggestion, and Hoffman finally said: "The Leopard tank should be cast to increase production, but the Tiger tank is to fight for control of the battlefield and suppress the opponent's tanks, and the number is small, and it must be maintained at the highest level, and the cold rolling forging must still be retained." ”

The meeting was coming to an end, taking advantage of the good atmosphere, Colonel Tomaler originally wanted to continue to solicit the Führer's opinion on the design ideas of the follow-up heavy tank (that is, the original "Tiger King"), Hoffman had just started, Keitel suddenly received a telegram from the adjutant, after a glance, his brows were furrowed, his face became very ugly, and he handed the telegram to Speer, the latter's expression was more exaggerated than Keitel, and he was so angry that he almost wanted to shoot the case, seeing that the posture was not right, Colonel Tomaller ignored Hoffman and was still on stage, The adjournment was hastily announced.