The wind was howling, the tracks were roaring, and more than 30 sturdy and sturdy tanks were speeding from the east, and the sides of the hulls were sprayed with huge iron cross logos without exception. On the pig-headed turret with a good bulletproof shape, the thick and strong guns are pointed proudly at the distant battlefield, whether it is the length of the barrel or the longitudinal caliber, the main weapons of these tanks are obviously a grade higher than their US counterparts. And if the French soldiers were present, they would have been reminded of the scene in front of them: more than half a year ago, it was the steel torrent of these chariots that destroyed the allied front, and swept the entire French plain in just one month!

Behind these tanks, thousands of infantry are following in small steps, and the iconic wild gray uniforms and large-eared steel helmets also clearly indicate the camp to which they belong. Compared with the appearance of the American infantry in the offensive, their actions appear to be more skillful and watertight, whether it is a rapid advance or anti-artillery concealment, you can see the obvious gap between these soldiers and the American army. Since the Hohenzollern family appeared on the stage of history, the core of the highly professional Prussian army has been almost the most combat-oriented armed in the whole world, only the French army commanded by Napoleon, and the British expeditionary force that was the first to arrive in France during the last war can be more powerful. At present, this army has surpassed the first French emperor in its heyday and has become an unshakable existence; In the battle of France, they showed their powerful power vividly and vividly in 5 ∧!

"Boom!" The earth-shattering loud bang exploded in anger on this battlefield, and the flames rolled up one after another, and the air rushed to the sky. Even if you are hundreds of meters away from the explosion point. You can still feel the strong shock wave rushing towards you. The terrifying power of large-caliber naval guns was undoubtedly revealed in the support of the other side. Each bombardment was like a thunderbolt, stirring up a magnificent scene like a fire erupting from the ground. After a day of competition, the German-Italian fleet finally relieved the threat of the attacking American fleet and submarines to the transport ships, and began to draw firepower to support the paratroopers engaged in a fierce battle on land. Although the accuracy of the fleet's heavy artillery is difficult to guarantee due to the long distance, the psychological deterrence it has on enemy soldiers is incomparable. The attacking American soldiers were immediately frightened and panicked, and a large number of American soldiers just clinged to the ground, lest the opponent's large-caliber artillery shells affect them.

Reinforcements finally arrived. The morale of the remaining German paratroopers was greatly boosted, and most of the exhaustion and pain on their bodies seemed to be washed away by the rain of bullets amid the roar of guns. Forced by the fierce fire of the opponent's automatic weapons, the offensive of the American infantry came to a standstill for a while. And the U.S. Sherman tank, which was almost invincible on the battlefield just now, finally tasted the iron fist of armor from the opponent. An IV tank slowly stopped its 32-ton body and opened fire after adjusting the muzzle pointing; The first shell whizzed past the target's turret, sending a tumbling wave of earth hundreds of meters behind it. And just 8 seconds later, the 88mm L50 gun once again erupted a ball of golden-red light, and the 780m/s discharged shell thunderbolted through the 51mm inclined armor on the bow of the Sherman tank, and the whole tank immediately burned violently like a furnace.

In May last year. The German armored forces swept through all of Western Europe with a near-invincible posture; The US side, which is located on the other side of the ocean, is not only shocked and angry, but also deeply feels the huge gap in the armored strength of the two sides. With the breakdown of armistice negotiations between Germany and the United States. The U.S. Army urgently needed a tank that could stand up to the German armored forces to deal with the next battle, and the M4 Sherman appeared in front of the U.S. Army top brass in advance under the huge historical inertia. With a total combat weight of 31 tons and a 400-horsepower gasoline engine, it was slightly inferior in weight and maneuverability to the diesel No. 4 tank. The only difference from historical facts is that the 76mm L52 gun, which has a stronger armor-piercing ability, was chosen at the beginning of the design: because the US Army was facing severe anti-armor pressure, the original 75mm L40 gun was immediately rejected without suspense when the plan was first proposed.

Although in the eyes of the U.S. Army's top brassives, the Sherman's offensive and defensive performance is still far from their ideal vehicle, but this is already the best that the Ordnance Bureau can come up with within the three-month time limit they have set. The Pershing, a heavy tank with a total combat weight of 42 tons and a 90mm L53 gun, is still in the initial stage of development, and its suspension, firepower, protection, and weight have been greatly improved, resulting in a complete overhaul in the field of design; The U.S. Army is clearly unable to wait until a year after the design and testing of the M26 Pershing to carry out large-scale mass production of tanks. The threat of the Germans is imminent, and the armored forces must quickly form combat effectiveness, even if they are inferior to the other side! After hastily completing off-road tests and making minor improvements, the Sherman entered full production in October 1937. Today, the U.S. Army has received nearly 2,000 tanks of this type, and its unexpectedly reliable and durable has relieved the high-ranking Army commanders who were originally chasing ducks to the shelves, and they can't help but sigh in their hearts that war is indeed the best catalyst for science and technology.

However, the disadvantage of this tank in performance has been unreservedly exposed with the current confrontation with its German counterparts. Since the gearbox was placed at the front of the hull, the long propeller shaft had to run from the bottom of the hull to the front and rear, which significantly increased the height of the tank itself – which obviously directly affected its armor protection. The front of the Sherman's hull is tilted at 51 mm at 47 degrees, and the turret front has only 63 mm of vertical armor, and the 88 mm L50 gun on the German Tank IV can penetrate it from a distance of 1,000 meters. Its 38 mm side vertical armor is only against anti-tank guns, and unless the angle of incidence of the armor-piercing projectile is extremely large, it will inevitably form a fatal penetration.

In the face of the 60 mm 60 mm 60-degree inclined hull bow of the IV tank, the 76 mm gun equipped by Sherman was powerless in the face of the equivalent thickness of up to 175 mm armor, even with the use of hard-core armor-piercing shells APCR, hitting the front of the opponent's hull was only a crisp rebound. U.S. tankers can only seek to penetrate the front of the opponent's turret with APCR within 500 meters, or attack their relatively weak side armor. Since the IV tank also has a 60 mm thick defense on the sides of its hull, this extends its immunity zone against Sherman to a range of 30 degrees to the left and right (if you can't understand it, please reconstruct the spatial geometry by yourself); To get a flank attack from a small angle, the American tank crew had to pray that he would not be discovered and destroyed by a well-trained opponent during the approach!

Due to the huge disparity in performance, the tank battle quickly turned into a one-sided battle. At the cost of losing 4 tanks, the Germans destroyed 18 Shermans, whose tall stature was easily captured by the German gunners' scopes, and 8 of the 10 destroyed vehicles would be in flames due to the deflagration of the propellant. After the battle, Sherman was nicknamed the Langson lighter by the American army, and the Germans called it Sam's Barbecue. The American troops, who had suffered heavy losses, were forced to stop advancing, and the officers and men were full of frustration and wonder: in addition to the huge gap between their own tanks and combat qualities and the enemy, they were more concerned about why this German armored force appeared here. Have they already taken Balacoa and thrown a large number of heavily armed troops on land?

"It is reported that the 107th Airborne Regiment has been reinforced by an armored battalion and an infantry battalion, and at present the defense line of the division is becoming stable, and the second wave of landing troops is quickly disembarking with an expanded probe in Tongguò!"

At the front-line command post in Puerto Rico, the German generals who heard the news all showed excitement on their faces, and Kesselring, who was born in the Air Force, breathed a sigh of relief, and the tense feelings in his heart were finally relieved. Since the radio station of the 107th Airborne Regiment had been damaged in the second hour of fighting, no unit in the rear knew that the landing position had greatly shifted the position of the Airborne Regiment in its original position, and Kesselring had even prepared for the worst, which was to lose the unit in full formation. Although the airborne regiment suffered more than 40 percent casualties, they were finally saved by the crushing of American tanks. After a period of recuperation, they were able to return to the front lines to continue fighting.

"Send a telegram to Field Marshal Scheer, asking him to send more warships to carry out defensive warfare near the landing beachhead. The Americans will not sit idly by and watch our landing in Cuba, and they will certainly use a force at their disposal to prevent the invasion of Cuba by our troops; The large amount of supplies piled up on the beachhead, as well as the transport ships still moored there to unload, will be the targets of the Americans. If they take advantage of the night to sweep the landing grounds, the troops we have already landed will be at risk of being driven back into the sea. Kesselring calmed the excitement in his heart and immediately ordered his adjutant. Although his air force can suppress the enemy fleet to a certain extent during the day, it is powerless at night, and at this time, he must also rely on the help of the navy.

To Kesselring's relief, his own navy, which had incorporated the Italian and Austro-Hungarian fleets, had enough strength to defend the landing grounds. A sizable light fleet soon set out from San Juan to reinforce Siriacs, and the radar sonar of the cruisers and destroyers closely monitored the nearby waters in the darkness. On the soft sand, the unloading and handling of goods continued nervously, and every box of bullets and mines delivered to the front-line troops added a valuable boost to the German battle. (To be continued......)

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