Stuart. Sergeant Hesty was probably one of the first tankers in the British Army, and on September 15, 1916, when tanks first appeared on the battlefield stage, Sergeant Hesty was still a private, and he took to the battlefield in a male Mark I tank.

To be honest, Sergeant Hesty has a bit of a hard time remembering that battle. The reason for this is that the Mark I male tank is a terrible weapon, in his words: "Completely lame!" Each Mark I male tank had eight crew members, and we had to wear not only a leather helmet, but also large goggles (for reasons later), and a chain-like visor made of metal (in case of damage from jamming, sparks from the shots, and ejected shells). These damn junks are so heavy and heavy that you can't even lift your neck, and sometimes they affect your breathing! ”

Hedis was chosen as a pilot because of his pre-war experience operating tractors, and in his recollection, driving a male Mark I tank was a laborious chore.

“…… The steering of the tank is achieved entirely by braking the track differential on the left and right sides, and the joystick is quite heavy and requires excellent arm strength. To be honest, after leaving the army, I found that my wrists were a lot thicker...... When the tank starts, it takes four brothers to work together to shake it vigorously, and after the engine starts, well, the temperature in the cabin will quickly rise to about 50 degrees Celsius, and in the summer it will be even higher...... This is not the most sinful, the most sinful is that when the war starts, as long as the machine guns and cannons are fired, the cabin will become a miasma, and the smoke of gunpowder and the exhaust fumes of gasoline engines and carbon monoxide will combine to ravage your lungs, which is much more dangerous than inhaling second-hand smoke! Let's put it this way. It's a common thing for us tankers to faint during the battle! ”

"Except for the poor air quality. The noise in the cabin was overwhelmingly loud. There is no separation between the people, the engine, the gearbox, they are all huddled together, and if a brother wants to express something, the most common thing to do is to find a wrench or hammer and hit the bulkhead so that everyone will know that you have something to say. At this time, the person who wants to speak can make a gesture or write something on the clipboard. What, you said that it was equipped with a walk-around later? Hey, silly boy, can you speak normally in an enclosed space with hundreds of decibels? That thing doesn't do anything at all! ”

Speaking of which. Heidis smiled bitterly: "Relatively speaking, the environment of the commander and driver is not bad, the most pitiful thing is the gunner and loader, in the male tank, the gunner and loader can't sit down or stand up straight at all, they can only bow there, to be honest, this posture is very bad." My good friend Vic was a gunner, and when he left the army, he had a herniated disc in his lumbar spine, and he was just 22 years old! ”

"The gunners and loaders are not only awkward, but they are also quite guilty of their work. When the gun needs to do pitch movement, the gunner has to hang on the tail of the gun like a monkey. Lift the muzzle with your own body weight. As for the loader, after each shot, the poor boy had to throw the hot cartridge casings out of the opening at the bottom of the turret with his bare hands! ”

Speaking of the six-pounder gun on the male tank, Hasty smiled wryly, because this weapon was really not very useful, and in his words, "it is impossible for this weapon to hit any target while it is on the move, even if it is only ten yards away...... As for firing at rest, hehe, remember the goggles I mentioned earlier? When the gunner put on that thing, he became blind, and he couldn't see the situation outside the car at all, so he could only shoot blindly! ”

Speaking of this, Hesty shrugged his shoulders and said, "Actually, machine guns are more effective, and most of the time we are more happy to use machine guns against the enemy. It wasn't until the Mark IV tank was replaced with a Lewis machine gun that we used more artillery. Karl (commander of the British 1st Tank Brigade) has killed us badly! ”

All in all, Hesty was a veteran of combat experience, and his unit was one of the first tank units to be involved in the Battle of Warsaw. In this battle, the veteran Hesti and his comrades made Tukhachevsky suffer.

The battle first began on the outskirts of Warsaw, and Hasty's car followed the company commander and slowly pressed towards the Red Army positions behind the farmland. The Mark IV. Male tank's Hatch Chase 6-pounder rapid-fire gun was as ineffective as ever, and after a few blind shots at the Red Army, this futile effort was stopped. Because the deviation was so outrageous, each shell deviated from the target by at least thirty meters.

Hesty, who was driving the tank, was accustomed to this situation, and it was only strange if the gunners hit the target during the operation, and generally speaking, the shooting between the marches was more of a deterrent, used to scare the enemy machine gunner, and if he was frightened and turned around and ran, then the purpose of the cannon was achieved.

Of course, under normal circumstances, this deterrence is quite weak, except for the first time when the tank came to the battlefield to scare the German leopard who had never seen the world, other times, the firing of artillery on the march was more to make their tanks uncomfortable.

In Hasty's words: "The commander quickly stopped the gunners from continuing to fire, because the smell of gunpowder was permeating the whole carriage, it was so choking!" ”

It was at this time that Hesty suddenly noticed that several armored cars suddenly drove up on the road behind the farmland, and they were speeding briskly down the road, compared to the tanks "rolling" in the muddy and soft earth, the armored cars looked so elegant and comfortable.

Soon the commander noticed the uninvited guests, and the dude immediately slammed the bulkhead with a large wrench, and the harsh sound made Hesty's eardrums hurt. He tilted his head slightly, and could see the commander dancing and gesturing, as if to have the gunner and machine gunner destroy the armored cars. However, the appearance of the captain waving a large wrench made Hesty want to laugh, but after the captain glared at him viciously, he quickly suppressed his laughter.

Hesty slammed on the brakes while holding back a laugh, as mentioned earlier, shooting on the move is to listen to the sound, and if you really want to play the power of the Mark IV. tank, you have to stop.

Gunner Doherty stroked the mask on his head. With all his strength, he controlled the not-so-obedient six-pounder cannon. After some hard work. He finally adjusted the muzzle of the gun to the right direction, and through the narrow observation slit he slowly made the final fine adjustments, this job had to be very careful, because whether to hit accurately or not depends on the experience of the gunner!

The atmosphere in the car was a little frozen, and the rest of the crew, including Hasty, looked at the gunner and machine gunner with bated breath, and after a few seconds, the Lewis machine gun broke the silence first, and the sound of fried bean-like fire sounded so neat. But everyone in the car knows. The Heavy can't get many bursts, and soon he will have to stop!

Why? This has to start with the automatic principle of the Lewis machine gun, which in field conditions is indeed lighter and easier to use than the bulky water-cooled Vickers machine gun. It's a pity that after this air-cooled weapon is installed in a tank, the advantages of air-cooled lightness have become a big trouble!

Because the air-cooling circulation method of the Lewis machine gun is exactly the opposite direction of the air circulation of the internal cooling fan of the Mark IV. tank, that is, after each shot, the scorching gunpowder gas and muzzle smoke emitted by the Lewis machine gun will hit the shooter's face, do not underestimate the temperature of the muzzle smoke. This thing is really hot!

So, the machine gunners of the Mark IV. tank did not dare to shoot continuously. Because it's almost burning their faces!

Soon, the Heavy who had gritted his teeth and fired a dozen bursts of fire stopped firing with a scream, and Hesty could tell that the thing was definitely burned. It is not difficult to see from the sharpened teeth on his gritted teeth that he must be greeting Baker at this time. Eight generations of ancestors of Lieutenant Colonel Carr.

So did the attack carried out by the machine gunners at the risk of burns have any results? It can be said that no, because the armor car on the opposite side is really well protected, Lewis light machine guns can't penetrate their steel plates, and from Hesty's angle, you can see sparks from the shell of the armored car on the opposite side, but after a while, the machine gun tower on its head begins to fire back violently.

Compared to the Mark I. model, the Mark IV has reinforced armor and is still easy to resist machine gun bullets, so Hasty can calmly sit in the tank and observe the enemy's attack through the observation slit. Anyway, he would never have dared to do this before, because the Mark I used not a "rudimentary" observation slit, but a tall "observation window".

However, the quality of these "viewing windows" was so poor that they quickly cracked and scattered under the blows of machine guns and shrapnel, and many hapless tankers were directly destroyed by these viewing windows. Having learned the lesson of blood, the British hastened to replace the viewing window with rudimentary viewing slits.

The Lewis machine gun could not help the armored car, and the Makqin on the armored car of the Red Army could not help the Mark IV., and the two sides did not have any results except for sparks.

However, the situation will soon change, because the Mark IV has a cannon, and although the 6-pounder Hatch Chase rapid-fire gun is a terrible tank gun from the perspective of later tank guns, it is still powerful enough in this year.

Speaking of this artillery, it has to be mentioned that there is a slight difference between the Hatch Chase 6-pounder gun used on the Mark I tank and the Mark IV tank, the Mark I uses a long barrel model, while the Mark IV has a short barrel.

Isn't it weird? From the perspective of later generations, if the barrel becomes shorter, the muzzle velocity of the shell will inevitably decrease, and the kinetic energy will naturally become smaller. Later generations were trying to increase the power of tank guns, how did the British do the opposite? Could it be that the British are brain-dead?

Of course not, at least the British felt that there was a good reason to do so, first of all, the shortening of the body tube greatly reduced the workload of the gunner. Secondly, they argued: "It is common for tanks on the battlefield to fire when they are close to the target, rather than trying to fire from a distance...... The most important effect of tank shelling is to frighten the enemy with sound and light, and no one expects them to hit the target on a regular basis! ”。

Even though the Mark IV uses a short-barreled Hatch Race, it is powerful enough to destroy normal machine gun fire points and normal armored targets. This time too, Hesty's gunners, after some careful aiming, opened fire on the armored car more than a hundred meters away.

With a loud bang and a slight shock to the hull, a six-pound projectile flew towards the enemy, hitting a meter or two in front of the Russian armored car, although it did not achieve a direct hit, but the projectile produced by the explosion still made the Russians suffer a lot, and the bare tires, suspension system and shock absorbers were beaten to pieces under the baptism of shrapnel.

The leaky armored car quickly leaned to the side. The Red Army in the car seemed to be hesitant. I don't know whether to leave this iron coffin or continue to stay and fight. And their hesitation gave Hasty's little friend a chance.

The loader quickly threw the hot shells out of the car. Then he hurriedly stuffed another shell into the chamber, and after a slight adjustment, the gunner did not hesitate to attack again.

Rumble!

The cannon hit the paralyzed armored car, opening a visible hole in the front of the car, and soon the car began to catch fire, and if nothing else, it would soon find a new location in the garbage dump.

However, Hasty didn't have time to be happy for his little friend, and under the command of the commander wielding a large wrench, he adjusted the body of the car slightly. So that the gunners on the left and right can calmly shoot at the next target.

The Russians soon suffered, the armored cars had almost nothing to do with the tanks, and the outcome of the battle was almost one-sided. When armored vehicles are named, and when they begin to bomb one after another, the first line of positions of the Belarusian side on the outskirts of Warsaw will inevitably be breached.

And during this period, the only thing that could cause problems for the tankmen was the shelling of the Red Army, the mechanical failure of the tanks themselves, and the muddy ground and the depletion of fuel tanks.

For example, Hesty's tanks, after breaking through the first line of Red Army positions and assisting the trailing infantry in repelling the counter-charge of the Cossack cavalry, were distressed to find that the fuel tanks had bottomed out. At this time, a funny scene appeared, the commander ordered Hesty to choose a favorable position to park, and then walked back to the rear with two oil drums to "refuel".

I have to say. The armored assault operations of those years were not only lacking in theory, but also logistical support. A large number of tanks were abandoned on the battlefield for various reasons. Small problems such as running out of oil and broken tracks often cause big losses.

Fortunately, this time the British faced the Red Army, which lacked firepower, otherwise these live targets staying on the battlefield really wouldn't want to go back.

"The situation is quite serious! It took only one morning for the enemy to break through our perimeter defenses, and at this rate they will soon be able to storm the city of Warsaw! ”

Tukhachevsky was both surprised and speechless at the warning of the Chief of Staff, who was amazed that the Entente's assault capabilities were so strong that the tanks easily ran over his carefully arranged defensive line and crushed his most valuable armored assault force, the armored car battalion. Compared to tanks, armored cars are simply a crappy toy.

And what is it that leaves Tukhachevsky speechless? It was Ubolevich and Triandafilov who had warned him before, reminding him to pay attention to the armored forces of the Entente, especially the tank forces.

Unfortunately, Tukhachevsky did not take tanks seriously at that time, and even thought that his armored vehicles were good enough to compete with enemy tanks. And as it turned out, he was wrong, very wrong!

And it is precisely because of the excellent performance of the tank that Tukhachevsky's total passivity is guided that he sincerely regrets not being in the first place. According to Tukhachevsky's previous plan, his troops would use Warsaw as a buffer, using the fortified city of Warsaw to slightly block the advance of the Entente forces, so that the previously scattered Belorussian Front would have a chance to regroup.

To put it bluntly, Tukhachevsky wanted to buy himself a little time with Warsaw, and he was going to fight a blocking battle in Warsaw with a small number of troops, while his main forces would regroup, rest and build a stronger defensive line in the rear, and then he could turn the tide in this decisive battle.

According to Tukhachevsky's plan, Warsaw had to be defended for at least ten days and a half months, and the outermost defense line had to be carried for three or five days. But who would have thought that in just one morning, the outer defense line would be in jeopardy. At this time, his troops were still nervously fortifying the city of Warsaw, and were not ready for battle!

What's even worse is that Tukhachevsky can't do anything about it, he can't let the troops in the city who are rushing to repair the fortifications go out of the city to block the eye-catching, right? Even if it can be blocked, how can the city's defenses be solved? The previous battle had already told him that in a field battle with the Allied army, the Red Army really couldn't bear it! Without the protection of strong fortifications, the enemy's superior firepower would reap the lives of the Red Army fighters like the scythe of death, and Tukhachevsky already had no spare forces to fill the pit!

The situation is very critical and inexplicable, at least Tukhachevsky can't think of anything for the time being, the only thing he can do is to call for help, hoping that Frunze will pull him along. At this time, Frunze was also in a hurry, his Ukrainian Front was already rushing in the direction of Warsaw at any cost, but how fast could an army of more than 100,000 troops be even if it was a rapid march?

And based on the previous experience and experience of the Belarusian Front, Frunze did not dare to underestimate the role of artillery, without artillery, even if the Red Army was outnumbered, it would be crushed into scum by the Entente. So Frunze also had to bring the bulky guys, and that would be even slower.

Let's put it this way, whether it is the Politburo, Tukhachewski, or Frunze, they are vaguely aware that the decisive battle in Poland is likely to fail, and it is almost impossible to re-establish a defensive line in Poland to block the advance of the Entente. Unless the Entente stopped pursuing, this possibility would not exist no matter how you look at it...... (To be continued......)

PS: Bow and thank you for drinking a thousand cups of people who are not drunk!