The new antifreeze lubricant protects the engine and allows it to run even in extremely low outdoor temperatures.

Historically, the German army used conventional lubricating oil, and before starting the engine, it was necessary to find a way to heat up the engine and re-open the solidified lubricating oil circuit, otherwise it would not only fail to start the engine, but also cause serious damage to the cylinders and other moving parts.

On some extremely cold days on the Eastern Front, German tankers could only build a bonfire under the tank to thaw the icy engine lines and ensure that the engines could start normally.

This is not a special invention of the Germans, the situation of the Red Army on the opposite side is similar, although the Red Army has a special antifreeze lubricant, but not every tank can be spread, especially the freezing point of diesel is relatively high, it is easy to decipher and solidify at extremely low temperatures, and it needs to be heated by the outside world to start.

Gasoline does not solidify until minus 75 degrees Celsius, but it is very easy to be ignited by open flames, and if you encounter some tanks with leakage problems, every time the fire heats up, it is like passing through the ghost gate.

Now the German tankers have a new type of equipment, the technicians in the original water cooling system to install a gasoline heater, using the method of heating the coolant of the water tank, to preheat the engine, although a long time to open will consume part of the fuel, but the tanker no longer needs to start the engine every few minutes on a cold winter night, the overall calculation not only saves a lot of fuel, but also reduces the loss of the engine and starter.

The cooling water in the corresponding engine water tank was replaced with ethylene glycol antifreeze, which avoided the failure of the cooling water to freeze and expand at low temperatures, damaging the water tank, engine block and piston cover. Historically, the Germans did not pay attention to this problem, which led to the loss of combat capability of many tanks due to damage to engine cylinders.

Ethylene glycol antifreeze is not a new idea, Shell and Faben have mature products, but at that time most of Europe did not use antifreeze, people did not have this concept, and this thing is toxic, and the people are usually more repulsive, so the market demand is not much, and enterprises can not increase production. But now that Farben is starting to produce antifreeze in full force, which is a considerable order, the number of motor vehicles owned by the Wehrmacht has made the executives of Farben sleepless at night.

Tank IV was equipped with an electrically heated fan that used iron pipes to supply warm air to each combat position, especially to the driver and radio operator, and when the engine was not started, it could be operated on the vehicle's battery.

This device was unanimously welcomed by tankers, especially when parking in the snow, this hot air blower is like a gift from an angel, warming everyone's hearts, but because this thing consumes more electricity, it cannot be turned on for a long time when parked to avoid consuming the electric bottle. But even a minute or two drive in the middle is the ultimate enjoyment of life for a tankman who is frozen half dead in an iron shell.

Tankmen, like infantrymen, were given a new type of glove, the prototype of which came from the historical American army, this kind of fingerless windproof glove that appeared in the hands of the Germans two years earlier because of the wings flapped by a certain apostle.

The gloves are made of woolen material and have leather pads on the back of the hands, which looks no different from regular fingerless gloves, but if you turn it over, you will find that there is an extra finger sleeve on the inside of the glove, just enough to fit an index finger.

This design not only ensures the excellent thermal insulation effect of fingerless gloves, but also does not prevent the soldier from using his index finger to pull the trigger or pick up some small objects.

Subtle improvements have also been made to the interior of the tank, with a layer of fireproof cloth glued to some areas that are easily accessible to crew members to prevent skin from freezing on the cold steel surface if it accidentally touches it.

Then there are the half-track personnel carriers, all of which are now fitted with a canvas roof that can be quickly removed, which is not airtight, but can also provide protection for the soldiers from the biting ice, snow and cold wind, and the compartment has a kerosene heating stove with an iron protective rack on which the soldiers can boil boiling water and food, and can also provide some extra temperature to the cabin.

The German kettle had a felt sheath, which had a certain thermal insulation effect, but in the severe cold of the Eastern Front, this layer of felt did not play much role. On the battlefield in the ice and snow, boiling water is simply the source of life, and a cup of instant hot soup or coffee can quickly dissipate the fatigue after the battle.

Instant coffee is not a new invention, the U.S. military in World War I has already distributed similar products, and Nestle's instant coffee has been sold in the world for two years at this time, and it has also registered a patent in Germany.

The Wehrmacht is not short of money now, so the German High Command placed an order with Nestlé to provide 500 tons of good instant coffee for trial in the army. At the same time, the German Ministry of Commerce is also discussing with Nestlé a joint venture plant in Germany to manufacture instant beverages suitable for the taste of the German army in Germany.

Germany does not produce coffee beans, but Germans are very fond of coffee, and fragrant coffee is probably the second favorite drink of Germans after beer.

Historically, due to the blockade by the British, Germany could only obtain the supplies it needed through third countries, and coffee beans were not a necessity, so they were not on the list of priority imports, and the coffee stocks before the war were quickly snapped up, and most of them were collected by the military for the Nazi government and the army to enjoy.

As a result, by the end of the war, even the military's coffee was gradually extinct, and the German people came up with a whole bunch of strange alternative recipes, such as burnt peas, to relieve the suffering of not having coffee.

Germany lacked the conditions to make instant coffee, and the army had always used the traditional brewing method, with small coffee mills becoming an indispensable item in officers' carry-on luggage, and a small bag of good South American coffee beans was sometimes even more valuable than gold.

Whenever the German soldiers had free time, they would use all kinds of rudimentary utensils to make coffee on the battlefield, not only to satisfy their own appetites, but also a cup of fragrant coffee would remind them of the smell of family and make them feel alive.

After the lockdown was lifted, coffee was no longer a rare luxury in Germany, and coffee beans and cocoa from South America were pouring into Europe like a tidal wave, and the price on the market was plummeting, and it is believed that it will soon return to the level of the Second Empire.

Nescafe instant coffee allows soldiers to taste the aroma of delicious food anytime, anywhere, and the meaning of this can only be understood by those who have spent time on the front lines.

Now with instant coffee, German soldiers only need to find hot water to brew, under normal circumstances, the troops will have a logistics department to provide hot water, and the field cooking vehicles are designed with special water heaters, which can meet the boiling water needs of one platoon at a time.

It's just that if there is a stalemate in the war, the supply line is likely to be cut off by the enemy's artillery fire, and at that time, not to mention boiling water, even ordinary drinking water is difficult to guarantee.

Some people say that the snow is full of water, and it is not enough to catch a handful of snow to melt, but the problem is that the Eastern Front is not only in winter, but also in the season when the sun is like fire and rain, and the snow is not melted and drunk by taking it, especially after the outbreak of battle, a layer of gunpowder residues and frozen soil often falls on the snow, and the water is full of sulfur saltpeter after melting, who dares to pour this thing into the mouth casually.

The rations of the German soldiers included small bottles of alum water purification tablets to purify the drinking water, but this was only a stopgap measure, and the safest way to dispose of it was to boil the water.

In between battles, infantry could use a small folding stove that they carried with them to boil water, but tankmen did not have such conditions, so the German Führer came up with a small invention, a simple electric heating pipe, which could be put into various containers, the big name electric heater, the nickname "hot fast".