Note that this is only for medium tanks. From 1941 to 1942, not counting the T-54 of NORINCO, the USSR also produced more than a thousand ВИ-2 heavy tanks. So even because of Tukhachevsky's connections, the Soviet armored forces suffered huge losses in the first four months after the outbreak of the war. But with the full conversion of the three tank production centers to more advanced tanks, the Soviet armored forces could crush the Germans in both quality and quantity. The only problem was that the Soviet tankmen also needed to adapt to new weapons, and they also needed to run in.

Ustinov not only solved the problem of tank production, but also showed great capabilities in the production of other military equipment. For example, the contradictions and disputes between the long-range aviation and the front-line aviation and the territorial air defense forces in the aviation industry. That is, Ustinov tried his best to mediate, otherwise these three would inevitably fight.

Long-range aviation urgently needs more long-range bombers and fighters capable of escorting ships over long distances. Front-line aviation, however, has been saying that the number of Il-2s is not enough, and that it would be better to double or quadruple production capacity. As for the Territorial Air Defense Forces, they complained about the unsatisfactory number of high-altitude interceptors and the performance of radars.

However, the production capacity of the Soviet aviation industry was limited, for example, the production of engines, and the Il-2 series adopted the AM-34, which was also the model used by the new interceptors of the Territorial Defense Forces. To meet the needs of the Territorial Defense Forces, the Il-2, which is loved by the front-line aviation, will definitely be affected. Another example is the long-range aviation force, which calls for the vigorous development of long-range bombers, but the front-line aviation is not interested at all, and the competition for resources revolves. Both sides are already in a hurry.

Don't think that's all there is to it. The bigger problem was after the decision of the Politburo and the Military Commission to vigorously develop the helicopter industry. One more resource grabber. The Army Aviation side urgently needed more and more powerful air-cooled engines, and the main forces of the front-line aviation, the Lager-3 and La-5, also needed such engines, so both sides did the same.

These complicated conflicts of interest between the branches of the armed forces gave Li Xiaofeng a headache. But Ustinov was surprisingly able to mediate, not to mention satisfying the requirements of all branches of the armed forces (which is impossible), but at least keeping the contradictions within a reasonable range. This ability to "level a bowl of water" is simply unexpected. Even Trotsky exclaimed: "Without Comrade Ustinov, our military production would be a completely different place." It is not too much to award a dozen Lenin medals for his contributions! ”

In fact, Ustinov is also the person who has received the most Lenin medals in history, he has received eleven Lenin medals. In addition, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union once, twice Hero of Socialist Labor. The whole front chest is really full of medals, and it is enough to be used as body armor.

However, what satisfied Li Xiaofeng the most about Ustinov was not his outstanding work ability, but his ability to thoroughly implement and carry out his orders. As mentioned before, because of the war, the Politburo and the Military Commission have a lot of criticism about the 235 project (nuclear bomb), believing that the prospects of this project are incalculable and costly, and it should be dismounted in wartime to save the cost of more urgently needed projects.

Including Trotsky and Sverdlov were supporters of this view. The only one who strongly supports the 235 plan is Li Xiaofeng. Under such circumstances, the navy, army, and air force are all working on the idea of this project. Thousands of people want to reduce the share of resources in this plan. Under these circumstances, Ustinov withstood the pressure and pushed forward with all his might at the behest of a certain immortal. As recently as May 1942, the first experimental heavy water reactor in the Soviet Union was put into operation, and the fission reaction was initially mastered.

It is conceivable that in the future, after the fission reaction was verified to be achievable, the Soviet Union's nuclear engineering would be on the fast track, and the most optimistic estimate was that the Soviet Union would be able to build an atomic bomb in 1944.

Ustinov not only ensured the smooth progress of the atomic bomb project, but also took care of other advanced weapons projects to the best of his ability. For example, the anti-ship missile project led by the Red Navy, such as the jet engine project of the Red Air Force, if there is no Ustinov to help open the back door, these projects are in danger of being discontinued.

For this reason, Ustinov was criticized more than once by Trotsky, who believed that he had failed to grasp the main contradiction and wasted many valuable resources.

However, no matter how much Lao Tuo pressured Ustinov, the latter always fought for reason and persevered to the end. So much so that Lao Tuo later said helplessly: "You are the People's Commissar of Weapons and Equipment, and you will be listened to in the production and research and development of weapons, okay!" ”

For Li Xiaofeng, what else can he not be satisfied with? Therefore, it is inevitable to vigorously promote Ustinov. According to Li Xiaofeng's arrangement, by 1945 at the latest, he had to make Ustinov a member of the Central Committee, and in 1950, let him enter the bureau.

Of course, these are all later words, Li Xiaofeng called Wufeng Yevich, Ustinov and Bulganin this time, with only one purpose, to let Wufeng and Ustinov meet and deepen their understanding, in the future, the two of them will inevitably be Li Xiaofeng's ministers. We have to recognize our own people, we can strengthen cooperation, and secondly, we can reduce internal disputes.

Misty Wind Jevich quickly understood the mind of a certain immortal, although the sudden squeeze in of Ustinov made him feel a lot of pressure (the two are close in age), who would dare to say that Ustinov is not his spare tire for Misty Wind Jevic?

Therefore, he was quite cautious and cautious about the kindness of a certain immortal, and secretly reminded himself to come up with better grades and never die again.

Also feeling the crisis was Bulganin, who last time he was a wall-to-wall and secretly moved closer to Sverdlov, which turned out to be a bit of a two-pronged approach. Li Xiaofeng was not satisfied with him, and Xiao Si did not fully trust him, but blocked the path of progress. In the blink of an eye, a junior like Ustinov was promoted again, who would dare to say that this was not a certain immortal who deliberately knocked on the mountain and shook the tiger?

All in all, Bulganin was frightened and began to consider whether it was necessary to change his attitude quickly. Of these, only Ustinov feels the most wonderful, as mentioned earlier. He can be said to have been promoted by rocket. Before that, in Soviet politics, he was not even a small character. It can be said that it is a nameless rat.

A little mouse did not expect to be hit by a pie falling from the sky, and this happiness was so sudden that Ustinov could not believe that it was real. So at this moment, he was a little dizzy, and his face was flushed, as if he was drunk.

Don't think that Ustinov is getting carried away, he is not the kind of fool who gets carried away after jumping to a high position. On the contrary, Ustinov's city was deep, after a short period of excitement and ecstasy. He soon came to his senses, and in his work in the land, he had seen too many examples of this kind of one-time triumph and destruction. It's better to laugh early than to laugh best, and the most important thing in the mixed political arena is to keep a clear head!

What's more, Ustinov knows very well that his current status is simply insignificant, what is an alternate member of the Central Committee? Even members of the Central Committee like Kirikazevich can be said to be defeated when they are defeated, and even Politburo bigwigs like Stalin and Kalinin will fall once they fall. How can he not be conscientious?

The difference between Ustinov and Misty Wind Jevich is that he has different experiences, and Ustinov has climbed from the grassroots level step by step. Before winning Li Xiaofeng's favor, he relied entirely on his own efforts, so his experience was even richer. I cherish all that I have gained.

And Kirikaze jevic is different, from the beginning he took the high-end route. There has always been a certain immortal boss who is taking care of him, so his success has come so smoothly that he is a little disappreciative and fluttering. So it's not surprising that they sometimes choose to die. Fortunately, a certain immortal gave him a stick in time, otherwise, it is a question whether he can take over in the future. And I'm afraid that even if he takes over, he will be as untenable as Malenkov.

Therefore, Li Xiaofeng deliberately arranged such an internal meeting, which still has a role, sometimes people must be a little stressed, and there is no motivation without pressure.

For example, the Americans, before receiving the T-34-76 tank from the Soviet Union, the American imperialists were very satisfied with their M3 Grant tanks, believing that the performance of the M3 was enough to compete with other first-class tanks in the world. As for the M4 Sherman, who has just been finalized and put into production, he couldn't be more satisfied.

However, after receiving the T-34-76, the American armored corps passed the actual driving and live-fire tests, and immediately cooled down half-waisted. Whether it is M3 or M4, the equipped 75-mm attack T-34-76 is very ineffective!

This discovery shocked the American armored forces, because according to intelligence, the T-34-76 was not the best Soviet tank, and not even the best in the T-34 series. According to the intelligence transmitted by MI6, the T-34-76 firepower and armor-reinforced model T-34-85 has already reached the production line and is in mass production. That is, this modified T-34 has more powerful firepower and armor than the prototype!

And MI6 also said: "The T-35A tank also has increased armor and firepower, and it is reported that the thickness of the armor is better than that of the T-34-85." And the Soviet T-54 heavy tank had an overwhelming armor superiority on the battlefield......"

It's not better than not knowing, it's more frightening. Obviously, for the Americans, when it was difficult to deal with the outdated T-34-76, the thicker armored Soviet tank must have been a nightmare. And what else did the British say about the new German tanks, such as the Panther and the Tiger, whose armor thickness was not below the T-34-85!

In other words, an American tank armed with a 75-mm tank gun would probably be beaten if it ran into the Germans. So the Americans also began to be vaguely worried: is our anti-tank firepower insufficient?

From a historical point of view, it is indeed insufficient. After September 1944, when the Americans really encountered the main armored force of the German army, they realized the cruelty of the battlefield on the Eastern Front. When a large number of M4 tank destroyers armed with 75 mm tank guns and M10 tank destroyers armed with 3-inch (76.2 mm) anti-tank guns were hung by the German armored troops, the Americans reacted - the anti-tank firepower was not enough!

And in 1942, the American armored and artillerymen squatting at home, even after seeing the T-34-76, still did not think that the anti-tank firepower was not enough! Why? Let's start at the beginning.

From the beginning, the American armored elite believed that the main task of the tank was to destroy the enemy's infantry, vehicles, and fortifications. As for the anti-tank mission? Anti-tank is the task of an anti-tank destroyer (subordinate to artillery). So in World War II, you can see that the American tank destroyers are completely different from Germany and the Soviet Union, whether it is the Elephant, the Tiger or the SU-85 and SU-100, they are completely different from the American M10, M18 and M36. The latter seems so nondescript.

And the reason why it's so weird. Exclusively for the exotic anti-tank needs of the US military. They believed that the anti-tank defense line composed of traditional towed anti-tank guns was such a thin line that could easily be broken through and easily lead to the collapse of the defense line. In order to change this unfavorable situation, the Americans considered it necessary to adopt a new anti-tank weapon - mainly concentrated behind the line of defense, and after understanding the enemy's main operational intentions, they carried out a rapid maneuver in accordance with the orders of the command and went to the direction of the enemy's breakthrough to block the gap.

To put it bluntly, the Americans demanded this new weapon just that: faster than tanks. The firepower is stronger, but its own armor defense can be weaker. In addition, the U.S. armored corps strongly opposes the use of more expensive tanks to carry out anti-tank missions (the reason is that it is not worth it), so the anti-tank mission of the U.S. Army is actually thrown to the artillery. And the American armored forces really turned into a pure assault force.

Since 1940, the American artillery has been vigorously developing anti-tank destroyers, such as the unsuccessful M9 (using the M3 Grant chassis with the M1918 3-inch anti-aircraft gun), of course, this program was canceled due to the insufficient number of 76.2 mm anti-aircraft guns. By 1942, the Americans replaced the chassis of the M3 with the chassis of the M4, and then replaced it with a 3-inch M7 gun, and it was all alive. This was the later M10 tank destroyer.

Objectively, the firepower of the M10 tank destroyer is quite enough against the T-34-76. In particular, the T4 High Speed Armor-Piercing (APCR) with a tungsten carbide core can penetrate the Panther's turret at a distance of 1000 yards (914 m), and it is no problem against the T34-85.

Of course. In 1942, there were no T4 high-speed armor-piercing bullets, and some only had M62 armor-piercing shells, and their performance was really poor. However, the T-34-76 is also inferior to the T-34-85, so for the artillery that acts as the main anti-tank force, the firepower is still sufficient (limited to the T-34-76). Naturally, American artillery, of course, did not have much incentive to increase firepower.

Historically, in October 1942, when the U.S. Army Ordnance Bureau was preparing to develop a more powerful tank destroyer (M36), it was opposed by General Bruce, the head of the tank destroyer unit. The reason for this is "well-founded", he believes that the M10 is already powerful enough. In June 1944, when the U.S. Ground Forces Command contacted the U.S. War Department's European Theater Command to ask if they needed the M36, the answer was still no!

Note that this was in June 1944, when the Germans were not satisfied with the 128 for the long-barreled 88, and when the Soviets used the D-10 series of 100mm guns, the heads of the US Army actually thought that the 75 and 76 guns were enough! I really don't know where they got this kind of confidence, or how wise the army elites of the US imperialism may be as wise as they imagined, and how stubborn they are in sticking to the old ways and sticking to the old ways!

Of course, the Americans were quickly taught a good lesson, and when they found out that the M10 and M18 were completely incapable of taking on anti-tank tasks, they had to temporarily cling to their feet. For example, the T4 high-speed armor-piercing projectile mentioned earlier. In January 1945, the U.S. European Theater Command urgently applied for 43,000 rounds of T4 to China, and then in February, it was the U.S. Army European Theater Command, and they again urgently applied for 10,000 rounds of T4 to the country, so that in March, the factories in the United States reported that there was a shortage of tungsten. And in the end, only 18,000 T4s were delivered to Europe.

In fact, this T4 armor-piercing bullet is far from being easy to use, although its armor-piercing power is greater than that of the M62, and even higher than the British 17-pounder gun (when using AP shells), but the accuracy is limited, and the Americans in the development of 76.2 mm tank / anti-tank guns, in order to save money, two more versions, such as the M10 is equipped with a 3-inch M7, and the M18 is equipped with its simplified and lightweight improved version. Note that the caliber of the two is the same (76.2 mm), but for the sake of distinction, one is called three inches and the other is called 76.2.

Why make a special distinction? Because the ammunition between the two is not universal! The 3-inch chamber pressure is higher, and the propellant used is more violent. The lightweight version used by the M18 sacrifices power (and versatility) at the expense of weight. So there are actually two versions of the T4 armor-piercing projectile, one is for the M10, which is more armor-piercing, and the M18 is less powerful.

Therefore, the Americans are actually quite nonsense, they do not have the so-called forward-looking and wise wisdom of democratic countries, and their choice of weapons in World War II can only be said to be a good job. For example, this time, even if you get the T-34-76, you can't pay enough attention. On the contrary, it was Germany, the enemy of the Americans, who was unusually attentive to the changes that occurred on the battlefield, because it was only after the actual confrontation with the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front that we knew how cruel the Eastern Front was and what a real strangulation war between tanks looked like.

At Hitler's strong request, Speer had to launch the Tiger 2 and Black Panther 2 projects, the former developed into the Tiger King, and the latter was cancelled due to various reasons, but its related technology was still used in the improvement of the Black Panther and the later E series.

Of course, the Germans were also forced to go a little crazy, creating a bunch of unrealistic monsters in an attempt to resist the steel torrent of the Red Army, which proved to be a dead end...... (To be continued.) )

PS: Sorry, there was too much time in the morning and there was no time to update.

Bow and thank you to hzwangdd, feixin, sweet potato in the melon field, gundam0080, tianwen2018, ji/swastika/life, and comrade juventus!