Churchill once said: without Guderian, Hitler's war would have been lost at the beginning. Humans invented the tank during World War I, and it was Guderian who really carried it forward 25 years later. A famous German general of World War II who always performed miracles with armor tactics. Although Guderian is now only a battalion commander and lieutenant colonel, he has won Hitler's trust and appreciation.

After the politeness, everyone sat down on the sofa. Hitler said excitedly: "Thinking that we will soon have advanced tanks and powerful armored forces, I feel a sense of pride!" The war more than ten years ago made Germany lose its power and humiliate the country, and the peace treaty stipulated that the German army should not exceed 100,000 people, and the maximum number of naval ships was combat ships; 6 light cruisers each, destroyers; 12 torpedo boats each, not tanks; military aircraft; Submarines, dismantle the western border fortifications, keep the eastern border fortifications. But we must not let that perish! The purpose of this development of our light and medium tanks was to one day allow Germany to stand up straight again. Ladies and gentlemen, you must contribute your wisdom and talents to the development of the country! ”

As he spoke, Hitler became sensationally distressed, which made several people present, especially Guderian, feel a sense of grief and indignation.

Guderian stood up and shouted: "Your Excellency, Prime Minister! I am sure that your dream will come true! We do not only regard armored vehicles as a kind of infantry support weapon, but also believe that they have a tendency to gradually become motorized, and that they are a large-scale new type of war theory in the future. I am even more convinced of the idea of developing mechanized units from service arms to combat arms. The future development of the armored force is broad, and it will certainly be able to become a new branch of the armed forces of strategic decisive significance. Previously, the German Ordnance Agency provided me with an armored fighting vehicle I ultra-light tank that combined the body of Mercedes-Benz and the chassis of Krupp, but that kind of ultralight tank can't even be called a tank. ”

Hitler nodded and said, "Guderian, you have a good idea!" I think so too. The light tanks and medium tanks of the Dragon Soul Ordnance Complex have the most powerful combat power in this era, and it is necessary to pay close attention to let these two powerful combat vehicles equip the troops as soon as possible. ”

Guderian said excitedly: "Your Excellency, use the armor of the chariot to quickly attack the enemy position. By hitting our motorized cannon directly at the target, we believe that this method will lead to victory. Some say motorcycles are not a new weapon. It's just a new way to transport old tools. Of course, the internal combustion engine is not capable of firing shells, if we say that the chariot is a new weapon. Then the actual meaning is that it is a new branch of the military, just as the submarine in the navy is also called a new weapon. We believe that we are a new weapon, and that future success can leave an indelible mark on the history of warfare, and if our attack must be successful, then other weapons must be fully coordinated with us in space and time. Therefore, in order for our weapons to be fully effective, we require that all necessary units must have the same mobility as we do, and that even in peacetime these arms should be under our direct command. In order to give a greater chance of decisive battle, it is not a concentrated infantry that is needed. It's just a concentrated chariot. My original intention was to bring the infantry, artillery, and other divisional units together and work closely together so that the field combat effect of tanks and fighting vehicles could be more obvious, and the actual combat training also proved this. At the same time, a light armored vehicle was also needed for use by infantry, combat engineers and ambulance crews, as well as armored self-propelled guns for artillery and combat defense battalions. There are also other types of combat vehicles for search and communications battalions. I think that the chassis of the 15-ton light tank can fully meet this need and form a serial car family. ”

Xiao Weiguo continued: "Our Dragon Soul Ordnance Consortium is planning to do this!" These two tank chassis. It can become a carrier of weapons such as rocket artillery, small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery, large-caliber howitzers, etc., and can also be converted into armored command vehicles, communication vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles and other variant vehicles, and the application prospects are very broad. ”

Defense Minister Blomburg said: "The main restraining force to the construction of German armored forces is Germany's strategy!" What kind of tank to build! What kind of tactics to use! A country's strategy is again subject to its own objective conditions! Germany is located in Central Europe, the terrain is flat, and there is basically no natural danger to defend. At the same time, it is a resource-poor country! This determines that its strategy is to take the initiative to attack! Strive to defeat your opponent in the shortest possible time. We could not be willing to be slaughtered by the victorious powers while the British and French experimented with tanks and armour. We, Germany, are also summing up the lessons of our failures, envisaging future wars, secretly developing our own tank and armored forces.

In fact, General Sickert, while establishing the Directorate of Transport Forces, supported Germany and the Soviet Union. The Treaty of Raballo was signed. The treaty was ostensibly an economic treaty, but it also had a secret military cooperation agreement. Under this secret agreement, Germany could develop, produce and train new weapons in the Soviet Union; The Soviet Union could share the results of German research. Soon after, the German arms giant Krupp Corporation, with the financial support of the German government, set up an experimental tractor factory in Rostov-on-Don, Soviet Union, to engage in the development of tanks. In 1927, Germany and the Soviet Union opened a tank test center and a tank school in Kazan, 800 kilometers east of Moscow. Xiao Weiguo actually knows this, because he also participated in this project when he was in Krupp.

Hitler believed that the war of the future would be mechanized warfare. This is clearly stated in his book "Mein Kampf". So he was determined to build a powerful tank force. In 1933 Adolf Hitler said: If I were to attack the enemy, I would not prepare for months, but would pounce on the opponent as quickly as lightning in the night. This is where the Blitzkrieg gets its name. The determination of the highest levels of Germany made the path of development of the German Panzer Corps unimpeded, and there was no longer such force that could stop it. But determination is determination! To build a powerful mechanized force, it is impossible to build a strategic guiding ideology and a practical plan! What kind of tank to design! How to solve these practical problems of the formation of armored corps, tactics. The development of a new type of tank is the first problem, without which there is no way to train and form a practical and effective theory of armored troops. (To be continued.) )