If the German armored forces of World War II were "swarms of tigers and leopards", then there is basically only one type of Soviet tank series that can be related to animals, and that is the BT series of fast tanks. Pen~Fun~Pavilion www.biquge.info Soviet armored soldiers like to call it "running wild rats", of course, this is an unofficial name.

Powerful power combined with a reliable Christie suspension system gives the BT series fast tanks unrivalled speed and maneuverability, and although its thin armor is vulnerable, it is a successful design.

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January 30, 1937, at a tank test site outside Kharkiv.

Lin Jun is driving a BT-7 (1935 Improved) fast tank. I have to admit that driving this fast tank that has just left the factory and running wildly on hard ground at a speed of more than 50 kilometers per hour is very exciting, although Lin Jun's head wearing a tank cap has hit a few big bags, and the oncoming strong wind brought by driving with the window open is also blowing enough for him.

The voice of the commander Anderov came from the headset in the tank cap: "Comrade Andrey, you are simply a genius who drives tanks, what a waste not to be a tank driver!" ”

"Haha, genius can't say, you have to stuff me into the cockpit first!"

Today, Lin Jun inspected the production line of BT-7 and asked a lot of questions to his comrades, and the tanks that were being transferred in the huge workshop also gave Lin Jun an intuitive understanding of the Soviet army's mass production of tanks again. Later, Volynov took Lin Jun to the tank test site outside Kharkov, invited him to feel the actual operation of the BT-7 fast tank, and also found the most experienced crew of the tank test site to be Lin Jun's "coach".

As an "active" element, Lin Jun was already able to fly the BT-7 in just half an hour, and of course he was not proficient. It's just that his figure of more than 1.8 meters has become a "huge" obstacle for him to "squeeze" into the tank. Although I managed to get into the cab with the help of others, I still had to open the window to drive, because half of my head was still outside.

The design of Soviet tanks has always been very compact, but it has also caused restrictions on the size of tank crews, especially the drivers, who are generally no more than 1.65 meters tall, and many Soviet tank drivers are comrades from several union republics located in Central Asia, because these comrades are relatively short, but not less robust. But this also caused a rather big problem: because many comrades do not know Russian!

As an army of a multi-ethnic state, the mechanized and tank units of the Soviet Red Army, like other units, faced the problem of an overly complex ethnic composition of the troops. For example, the tank units of the Red Army were composed of personnel from 24 nationalities, and at least 15 of them did not know Russian, and it was difficult for the troops to teach them to drive tanks within the specified deadlines. The question is how to train these comrades who do not understand Russian, how to explain to them the structure of tanks and the technology of radio operation.

Although it is very exciting to drive a tank wildly, the oncoming cold wind is also enough for Lin Jun to choke, "If you drive any further, you have to get typhoid fever", Lin Jun was thinking. Turned the tank around and drove back to the starting point.

A group of comrades on the side hurriedly ran over and dragged Lin Jun out of the cab.

"How does it feel, Comrade Andrei." Maksalyov looked at Lin Jun, who was huddled in a ball of cold, and asked.

"Cool! It's a good tank, and it's exciting to drive! Lin Jun rubbed his frozen face, and the dozens of minutes of running just now had already formed a layer of frost on the tank cap.

"The BT-7 is a good tank, but the armor is a little thinner, but then again, if the armor was thicker, it wouldn't have such outstanding maneuverability. When the new medium and heavy tanks are mass-produced, we will reduce their production. Later, its task was to detect and develop victory after other tanks had broken through the enemy's lines, so it did not need to take risks to break through the enemy's defenses. By the way, what new instructions does the Ministry of Armament have for the production of BT-7 now? ”

"We have been asked to slow down production by 20 percent, and the raw materials and a small number of spare parts produced by other factories have also been reduced, presumably in preparation for the production of new tanks."

"This decision is correct, Comrade Koshkin's design is the tank that is most in line with the future war, balanced in all aspects."

Maksalyov looked at Lin Jun who was still a little unsatisfied, and said, "Comrade Andrey, do you want to go to the shooting range and fire a few shots?" ”

"Good! Of course! Lin Jun has long been eager to try, even if Mark Salev doesn't say that he will ask for it, there are not many opportunities to fight tank guns in person.

The Type 7 (46 Caliber) 45mm tank gun equipped on the BT-46 rapid tank was a development of the Type 5 (L42) 45mm tank gun of the BT-1932, while their earliest prototype was the 45mm rapid-fire gun on small warships and torpedo boats of the Soviet Red Navy, which was converted into a tank gun because of its excellent anti-tank performance. This type of tank gun was a very effective weapon for its time, capable of dealing with all potential opponents' light tanks at the usual engagement distance, and posed a great threat to most medium tanks.

Moreover, its rate of fire reached 12 rounds per minute, and with the strong mobility of the BT-7 and the carrying capacity of the main gun of 133 rounds, it has the ability to fight continuously for a long time. Its reserve of 133 rounds was the result of equipping the radio and other new equipment, and the prototype had a reserve of 188 rounds. Of course, the tankers still liked this new model with a "small" reserve of ammunition equipped with a radio.

This time, Lin Jun didn't need to drive the tank to the shooting range, but now he has gotten into the running tower and occupied the position of the gun commander, and Commander Anderov on the side is explaining to him how to use the tank gun.

The use of this tank gun is difficult to say, and it is easy to say that it is simple. Lin Jun wanted to have a good time, so he just learned the technique of direct shooting, which only needed to figure out the secret position, distance measurement, and advance amount. Besides, it was only a fixed target, and three shots were fired at a distance of 500 meters, and the firing hit the target, which made the comrades who came to "watch the battle" in cars applaud loudly. To tell the truth, Lin Jun played well, and it was very rare for a person who came into contact with tank guns for the first time to have such a result, and even the commander comrade said that Lin Jun still had the "talent" of being a tank gun commander.

Crawling out of the fighting room full of gunsmoke, looking at a group of comrades who congratulated him, Lin Jun said: "Comrades, don't boast anymore, I know how many catties and taels I have." I aimed at the cannon for a long time before firing, and if it was at my level on the battlefield, the comrades would have been reimbursed a long time ago, hehe. ”

Lin Jun's words once again made the comrades of the factory feel the approachable and "honest" side of this "special envoy", and some leaders who came to "test the gun" in the past did not "blow" in the case of "a few in one".

"Comrade Maksaryov, this modification has a good idea of installing the M-17T engine, which will solve the problem of increasing the thickness of the armor and increasing the weight of the vehicle. The improvements to the hull and turret shape also enhance the bulletproof effect. ”

"We intend to rename this improved tank BT-7 to Type 1937, which has already been reported, and it is estimated that it will be approved in the near future."

Lin Jun's affirmation of his factory's products made Mark Salyov very happy, and he knew that Comrade Stalin would also know these "affirmations".

While the crowd was still talking at the tank, a Gas-2 sedan drove towards us.

The comrade who got out of the car told Lin Jun that the Kremlin had called him just now, and the other party asked Comrade Andrei to call back as soon as possible.