Episode 122 Half-track, Forward!

The train left the factory area and drove for another one or two minutes, and the scene on both sides gradually opened up, there were no factories, no houses, no farmland, just endless wasteland, and from time to time you could see barbed wire drawn far and near, with signs hanging on them, and warning sentences written on them. Large and small pits can often be seen on the ground, not like they were dug out, but obviously blown up, like craters.

The train slowed down, eventually let out a long breath and stopped.

"Lord Xiang, everyone," Zhang Shaoheng stood up and said with a smile, "Our weapons test site has arrived. ”

The group followed him off the train. There is a simple little platform, a few houses, a few cars parked, and a ring of concrete bunkers on the perimeter, similar to the kind of observation fort on the Yangtze River defense line.

Xiang Xiaoqiang and the others stood on the concrete platform, and watched as the workers quickly dismantled the steel cables, removed the wooden blocks, and then laid the wooden planks, and drove the two armored vehicles down with ease. Xiang Xiaoqiang watched a series of actions, and the more he watched, the more he liked it. They drove the armored car off the train, and it was as easy as driving the car out of the garage. This shows that this is an armored vehicle that is extremely suitable for offensive warfare in great depth. It can be transported over long distances, over a wide range and quickly with the help of railways. And this characteristic was indispensable for the attack on the Manchus in the north.

The two armored vehicles stopped next to the railway, and surrounded Xiaoqiang and a group of people accompanying him, and had close contact with the armored vehicles.

Xiang Xiaoqiang's hand "snapped" on the armor plate, and "clanged" knocked. Although he is already a well-informed armored "old player", when he sees the new product in front of him, he still can't help but want to touch it.

After knocking around in a circle, I felt that the armor plate in front was the thickest, and it was very dull to knock. The armor plate at the rear was much thinner, at least half thinner, and the hollow tremor could already be felt when knocked out. The armor plates on both sides should be the thinnest, knocking almost like knocking a bulletproof car. It should be only a few millimeters. However, the armor plates on the sides were obliquely added. This approach was still new in this era, and it was able to use thinner armor plates to provide a bulletproof effect on thicker armor plates.

Next to Tai Ping Kee, the expert introduced the basic performance:

The total weight is 7.2 tons, the maximum speed on the road is 55 kilometers per hour, the maximum speed is 31 kilometers per hour off-road, the maximum travel distance is 320 kilometers on the road and 180 kilometers on the off-road. The armament is two 7.92mm Woodpecker machine guns, one in the front and one in the rear, one of which can be detached for use as an infantry squad machine gun.

The front armor is 18 mm thick, the rear armor is 8 mm thick, and the box plates on both sides use the design of 1 layer of steel plate and 1 layer of Z-shaped folded steel plate. This design not only improves the elastic resistance, but also reduces the weight.

Xiang Xiaoqiang listened to the expert's introduction while staring up and down the armored car. A noticeable feeling: this armored car is shorter than the classic German SDKFZ251 halftrack. Xiang Xiaoqiang has no actual contact with the German SDKFZ251 half-track car, but when he used to play World War II games, he often had close contact with the SDKFZ251. When I "walked" up to it, I had a strong feeling that it wasn't too tall. At least more than a head taller than a person, and you can't see inside when you jump. Not to mention that in the actual battlefield, even in the game, the towering figure of SDKFZ251 can be found from afar.

But the Hurricane-36 in front of him is only about the same height as himself, that is, one meter seventy-six or seventy-seven. Xiang Xiaoqiang knew that the height of the sdkfz251 was a little more than two meters, so the wind 36 was only thirty centimeters shorter than it, and it felt much shorter.

Zhang Shaoheng seemed to see what Xiang Xiaoqiang was thinking. He also slapped the armor plate twice and said with a smile:

"Xiang-sama, the height we designed according to the average height of Oriental people. The total height is 1.76 meters, the total width is 2.2 meters, and the total length is 5.5 meters. The front cockpit can carry two drivers, and the rear can carry 10 soldiers. Once you're inside, the flaps on both sides are just high enough to completely cover your head. Our height was well controlled, the total height of 1.76 meters was not too short to protect the soldiers in the car, and it was not too tall to make the silhouette less conspicuous on the battlefield. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded, stepped on the tracks, and climbed the upper baffle to take a look at the inside of the car.

"Lord Xiang," Zhang Shaoheng smiled and made an inviting gesture, "Are you interested in boarding the armored car and experiencing the test drive in person?" ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang's heart immediately itched, and he was very excited. But he was still silent on the surface, nodded lightly, and said:

"Well, that's fine. Crane Gong, a few of you can also come up and experience it for yourself. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang took Wang Hexiang and a few of his own experts, and Yuguan boarded the standard Hurricane-36. Zhang Shaoheng finally climbed up and took them to experience it in person.

The inside of the car looks a little more spacious and deeper than the outside. Two rows of bench seats, which sit very hard, and behind the seats are long rows of glove racks, which should be able to hold some weapons, ammunition and soldiers' bags. It is conceivable that after the glove rack behind you is filled with a backpack, it can also play a certain role in bulletproof and protect the back of the soldier.

The front, rear, left, and right are gray armor plates that cannot be seen outside, and overhead is a square piece of sky. Think about it, on the battlefield of bullets, surrounded by armor on all sides, staggering forward, with the sound of "clanging" bullets and shrapnel in your ears...... It's a great sense of security!

Xiang Xiaoqiang once had the honor of riding a military Humvee in later generations. He was impressed by the large space inside the military Humvee, the stiff lines, the uncomfortable feeling, and the faint smell of gasoline. Right now, in the Hurricane-36 armored car, Xiang Xiaoqiang found that feeling again.

"Are you ready, sir?" Zhang Shaoheng asked.

Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded and ordered:

"Forward."

The engine vibrated again. The armored car under him roared, the steel plates under the buttocks, under the feet, and on the back, vibrated and a stream of gasoline diffused, and then a strong inertia pushed everyone to the side - the armored car rushed out.

Good guy, very fierce, very energetic, very fast.

Although Xiang Xiaoqiang is the commander of an armored force, he really doesn't have many opportunities to ride tanks and armored vehicles in person. He sits a lot, that is, the kind of fully enclosed armored command vehicle. But that one is towed, it has no power on its own, and the interior of the car is much more comfortable. However, it can't be compared to this, and it doesn't have the strong "super fierce" feeling it is now.

Xiang Xiaoqiang made up his mind, and when he went back, he must find a chance to sit in the tank. Since he came to Daming, he hasn't sat in a tank in person. Wouldn't it be a pity to be the commander of the armored forces myself. The feeling of the tank is definitely even more enjoyable than it is now.

The bumps and shaking under his body were very violent, and everyone in the car pressed their arms against the seats on their sides, trying to sit firmly. Xiang Xiaoqiang grabbed the box board on one side and stood up.

Having stood up, the side armor plates were flush with the chest. Holding the armor plate with both hands, watching the bushes and barbed wire speeding outside, coupled with the fact that the armored vehicle under him was up and down, driving "wild", it was really wonderful.

As soon as Xiang Xiaoqiang stood up, the other people in the car also stood up. Everyone is also holding the baffle and experiencing the feeling.

"It's the top speed off-road!" Zhang Shaoheng shouted loudly next to him, "31 kilometers per hour!" …… Attention adults, you're about to cross the obstacle! ”

Everyone looked ahead. Ahead was a large pile of broken bricks and rubble, several meters high, forming a small hill of ruins that was still quite steep.

The armored car rushed to it, without the slightest pause, and climbed up with a roar. The first two or three seconds climb more slowly, because it's just the front set of tires gripping the ground. But a few seconds later, the tracks behind also grabbed the pile of rubble, and suddenly the whole armored car arched to the top of the big pile of rubble, as if it had grown legs.

Immediately afterwards, the armored car did not stop for a moment, and rushed directly from the opposite side. The people in the car clung tightly, sticking their heads to watch the tracks under the car turn wildly, like the claws of a leopard, grabbing the bricks and rubble "gurgle". If you're just sitting in the car, you're swaying from side to side, and it feels like you're about to overturn. But when you stand up and look out of the car, you will know that the armored car is quite stable even when rushing down the slope.

Rushing down the heap of ruins, the speed was up again. rushed forward a few hundred meters, and saw a lot of things piled up in front of him. When I got closer, I saw that it was a pile of scrapped steel rails.

This time the rails were not as tall as the ruins had just been, but they were more than a meter high. The armored car roared, and the front wheels hit the pile of rails, turning wildly like a four-wheel drive off-road vehicle, pulling the rails down one by one, "clanging".

Unlike the ruins pile, the rail pile will slide down. However, after being "picked" off a dozen rails by the front wheels, the front of the long armored car was lifted up at once, and it relied on the strength of the front wheels to climb the rail pile. Immediately after that, the tracks in the back made a lot of effort, grabbing the rails "in a hurry", and pushing the whole car to the top at once.

The noise was harsh, like the unloading of steel on a construction site, and the armored vehicle spewed green smoke and roared over the pile of steel rails more than a meter high, and continued to rush forward. Looking back, the pile of rails had been flattened by the armored vehicle for nearly half a meter.

Xiang Xiaoqiang grabbed the baffle, excitedly exhaled in his heart, and also admired the armored car under him. The rest of the people in the car, even those in their forties and fifties were the same as Xiaoqiang's expressions, obviously appreciating the car. At least praise for its movement system.

Zhang Shaoheng looked at the reaction of the passengers and was also very satisfied. He glanced forward and shouted:

"Everyone, hold on, you're going to cross the trench ahead!"

As soon as the words fell, I heard the tearing sound of "clanging" and "crackling" under the car, as well as the sound of wire whipping. The crowd climbed the baffle and looked down and saw that the armored vehicle was passing through the barbed wire fence area. The ground under the car was crisscrossed by dense barbed wire. If it were an infantry attack, it would be impossible to quickly pass through such a barbed wire area. And because the purpose of the barbed wire is to delay the impact speed of the infantry, so that the defender's machine guns can easily open fire.

However, now these barbed wire fences have been easily broken and torn under the impact of Wind-36, as if they were not tough wires, but soft pumpkin seedlings.

Rushed through the barbed wire fence area, revealing a trench ahead. The armored car slowed down slightly, drove in front of the trench, and the front wheels suddenly drove into the trench, and the whole car seemed to be stuck in a big pit, and the front part fell sharply.

The armored car roared, the front half was stuck in the trench, the front wheels turned, clutching the dirt from the trench wall. Xiang Xiaoqiang and the others grabbed the baffle, looked down, and sweated in their hearts. It seems that this trench cannot be passed.

Then again, this can't be blamed on the half-track, crossing the trench was originally a tank thing. People are fully tracked, even if the front is stuck in the trench, it can be turned up at once. The front of the halftrack car is a tire, and if you get stuck in it, you can't turn it over. In fact, when charging, the tank also rushes ahead, and after rushing over, the infantry can pad the half-track and let it follow.

Xiang Xiaoqiang was looking for a reason for this beloved armored car, and suddenly his body suddenly flattened, and the front of the armored car was raised. Before he could react, the whole car drove through the trench.

Everyone was shaken down. They clung to the baffle and looked at the ditch in the distance behind them, as well as the deep marks on the wall of the trench that had been "gnawed" by the front wheels.

Xiang Xiaoqiang was conquered by this half-track. As a half-track, the front wheels are its shortcoming. But a good half-track can make this short board as long as possible.

The car I'm sitting in is a typical example.