Chapter 504: The Beginning

After the annexation of Austria-Hungary, the Germans snatched the light 38T tanks from the Spartan factories in the Czech region that had been in production. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. biqUgE怂 info There are also a lot of firepower, but its armored defense is like tissue paper anti-tank artillery in front of the Ming army, etc.

These light tanks can even be regarded as toys in front of the armored forces of the Ming army. These are all equipment that can be worn by one cannon, and they simply send people to the head and let the crew of the Ming army's armored forces brush the data.

The main force of the Ming army's armored forces is the Tiger, the Leopard, and the No. 4 tank, which are powerful in all aspects of firepower, mobility, and defensive strength. Even the worst tank No. 4 of the Ming army started from 30 tons, and the artillery equipped with it also started from 75 mm. In this case, after the armoured forces of the two sides met, the German light tanks were basically left to accept the ravage.

Among the German army, the only ones that can really compete with the Ming armored forces are the new Mark V and Mark VI, as well as Ferdinand's assault artillery, Rhino destroyer chariots and other new combat vehicles produced in small quantities. Of course, the Rat tank, as a superweapon, can also confront the armored forces of the Ming army, or the powerful rat can completely destroy any type of Ming tank.

It is a pity that the Rat, a super-heavy tank with extremely poor maneuverability, belongs to the side of Germany, which has weak air power. This super tank is just a live target without air supremacy. Its huge size makes it difficult to camouflage and conceal on the battlefield. Once the trail was discovered, there was only a dead end for the heavy bombs dropped by the Ming dive bombers.

Although the Germans did not lack the courage to defend their homeland and a sufficient amount of weaponry. However, they were much worse than the Ming army in terms of combat capabilities. Most of the elite troops that had been painstakingly trained before the war had now been exhausted after one failed campaign after another. At this time, it was difficult for the German army to resist the attack of the elite troops of the Ming army.

And don't look at the number of Ming troops, but the Ming army is still able to achieve full mechanization. This is true even for its colonial and vassal forces. The Ming Dynasty's strong automobile production capacity provided the Ming army with enough vehicles. This fully ensured the mobility of the Ming army.

The Germans, on the other hand, had their own production and the support of the Americans. However, most of their troops still rely on their legs to hurry, and the mainstream logistics supply vehicles are still horse-drawn carriages!

Compared to a car that can run with fuel and can repair and replace parts in case of various problems. The carriage is too expensive.

Horses in Europe were not castrated from generation to generation like horses in the Central Plains, resulting in more and more deterioration of bloodlines, and in the later period, they were like donkeys. Horses in Europe were mostly tall and powerful, and their dragging carriages were capable of pulling even tons of supplies. This has directly led to the long-term use of horse-drawn carriages as the main means of logistics transportation in European countries.

Horses are actually very delicate creatures, and it is not easy to take care of them. Not only does it cost a lot of valuable food and materials, but it also needs to waste a lot of human resources. And these are what European countries desperately need.

The logistics transportation before the Ming army was also the world of horse-drawn carriages. But it wasn't until the Industrial Revolution began that powerful mechanized equipment appeared. The profit-seeking conglomerates soon introduced a variety of mechanical vehicles into the army. Compared with horse transportation, vehicles that could be easily driven with a little training began to be popularized among the Ming army on a large scale because of the convenience of production.

Especially after Zhang Cheng took power, he immediately abolished the use of horses in the army. With the exception of a very small number of units that remained as honor guards, all other units such as cavalry and carriages were abolished. All transport forces were converted to vehicle transport.

Because it has a high level of universal education, and cars are very popular in Daming. With a little training, the officers and men of the Ming army were able to master the techniques of driving vehicles and simple maintenance. This gave the Ming army a fully mechanized foundation. Whether it is the movement of troops or the transportation of materials, the Ming army occupies an absolute advantage.

In the early morning of 29 May, before dawn, at hundreds of large and small airports in Poland and the Czech Republic, a large number of ground crew members had already gotten up early to inspect and repair all the fighters, and at the same time to refill them with various types of ammunition. Fuel trucks were driven into hangars to refuel the fighters.

The need for logistical support in modern warfare has reached a very terrifying state. It is like a jet fighter, and there are at least a dozen officers and soldiers who provide it with various logistical supports. And the material consumption is even more sea. Heaven consumes far more fuel at one time than the tank known as the oil tiger.

However, the combat capability of air power is very strong, and a bomb can basically return to its original cost. Besides, with Daming's wealth, he doesn't care about this consumption. Wealth does not mean mere wealth. If you really want to talk about wealth, what role can precious metals and paper money, stocks, bonds, etc., play in times of war?

The so-called wealth refers to its strong industrial production capacity, strong product supply capacity, and strong raw material extraction. It's like the Allies shot down 100 Ming fighters in a day's battle, but the Ming army produced 200 fighters in this day. That's what it's to be rich, it's what it's to be

At about four o'clock in the morning, the wake-up whistle sounded in the pilot's quarters. Many of the pilots, who had rested early last night, climbed out of their beds. Once you're dressed, it's time to wash up, and then it's time to head to the pilot's dining room for a hearty breakfast.

The treatment of pilots is the best among all branches of the armed forces, and it is even better than that of officers and men of the submarine force. This can be seen from the fact that all pilots have the rank of officer. Even a rookie pilot who has just come out of a flight training school and is assigned to the army will receive the rank of second lieutenant after entering the unit. If you do well in school, you will most likely become a lieutenant.

The breakfast was very rich, even among the Ming army. Hot milk, fluffy white bread smeared with honey, fried beef, and boiled eggs are all served open. And everyone has to drink a large cup of hot chocolate to replenish enough energy.

After breakfast, the pilots put on thick leather jackets and lint hats and boarded their respective planes. It's the end of May, and the weather in Europe is starting to get hotter, but the pilots still have to wear very thick clothes. In the high altitude, there is not only a lack of oxygen, but also a lack of heat. If the body temperature cannot be guaranteed, the pilot will most likely faint from the cold.

Before the night faded on Europa, thousands of Ming warplanes took off from various airports. Circling in the sky, forming a huge formation, they flew towards the territory of Germany in the west. They will open the passage for the ground assault forces to advance.

At the same time, near the Line of Actual Control between the Ming Army and the German Army, more than 10,000 large-caliber heavy artillery pieces had already lost their armor, and the muzzles of black holes were slowly raised on the artillery positions as the artillerymen turned their winches.

On a long front stretching from the Baltic coastal seaport of Melno in the north to Priceburg in the south. Tens of thousands of tanks and armored vehicles, as well as millions of troops, were ready to attack.

In the imperial capital, thousands of miles away, Zhang Cheng, who was quietly reading the newspaper in his official residence, could not calm his mood. Zhang Cheng, who had no appetite for lunch, finally put down the newspaper in his hand, got up and left the living room with Xu Xuan, who had been with him, to wander in the garden.

"It's rare to see you look so worried." Xu Xuan, who has been a wife for many years, raised his hand to collect the cloud-like hair around his ears, and said softly, "In my impression, you have always been confident in everything you do. No matter what the situation is, I never see you frowning. Was it difficult this time? ā€

"It's not difficult." Zhang Cheng eased his frowns, put his hands behind his back, looked at the many colorful flowers in the garden, and said, "I'm not worried about the final victory or defeat of the war. Because our strength is strong enough, the final victory must be ours. ā€

"Then why ......," Xu Xuan asked suspiciously.

"I'm worried about casualties." Zhang Cheng's words shocked Xu Xuan's heart: "The combat effectiveness of the Germans is not comparable to those countries before. Moreover, although Germany was blown up by the Army Airlines, they were still able to barely support themselves with the assistance of the Americans. Although they had already inflicted heavy losses on the elite German troops before, they still had millions of troops at the moment. And the supply of materials can basically meet the needs. ā€

After a pause, Zhang Cheng raised his head and looked at the white clouds in the blue sky, sighed and continued: "The mainland area of Germany is actually not large. With so many troops invested by both sides in this battle, there is basically no possibility of large-scale mobile operations. The only way to do that is to fight hard. ā€

"If we want to consume millions of German troops, how many sacrifices do we have to sacrifice to defeat them?" There was a hint of depression in Zhang Cheng's words. Although Zhang Cheng didn't have much feeling about the casualty figures at this moment, as long as he thought about the upcoming tragic casualties, it would still make his heart heavy at the helm of the Ming Dynasty. Even the most conservative estimate would have to cost millions of casualties!

Xu Xuan was silent, she was just a woman, and she had no room to speak about this kind of war that was related to the country's plans. But at this time, as a wife, what she has to do is to cheer up her husband, who is a little depressed, "Let's go see Yun'e and Taeyeon." They reacted so badly that they didn't eat at noon. ā€

"Okay." Thinking of the two confidantes who were already pregnant, Zhang Cheng's mood immediately improved. Turned to look at Xu Xuan, "Thank you for your hard work." (To be continued.) )