GEORGE FLOYD - SAVIOUR OF HUMANITY - страница 4

Meanwhile, the Third Reich was also forming its own forces. The first to appear was a Tiger with an 88-millimeter gun. The Andres type was chosen from two options. "Tiger", first appeared on April 20, 1941. The quick victory over Britain accelerated the development of the heavy tank, so the Germans had much more resources. In addition, Hitler alarmed by Russia's capture of Moldavia, sharply accelerated the development of more powerful machines. Before the "Tiger" entered service, the "Tiger" -2 was already being developed, with a longer-barrelled gun, slanted frontal armor of 150 mm, and a more perfect shape. Only while still with the traditional German tank construction location of the transmission in the front, and the engine in the back. Which increased the height of the tank, although it made it easier to control. But the car turned out to be heavier, with all the German technology of production. The tiger weighed fifty-six tons, which was a minus with a 700-horsepower engine.

The Panther was also made faster. It turned out to weigh forty-four tons, much heavier than the T-34-76, but with a more armor-piercing gun of 75 mm, a barrel length of 70 EL. And the best head-on booking. The forehead of the tower is 100 mm, the body is 80 mm under the slopes.

Such a tank could fight with Soviet equipment. And the "lion" was even more powerful at ninety tons in weight and a 105-millimeter gun in 70 EL, which will break through everything. In the first half of 1942, the USSR produced more than four and a half thousand tanks, of which the newest over three thousand. Appeared and KV-4, in the heaviest modification weighing 108 tons, and the thickness of the frontal armor in 180 mm when armed with KV-5. And a 1200-horsepower engine.

While the USSR was strong. The third Reich produced in 1941 more than five and a half thousand tanks and twenty-five thousand aircraft. And in the first half of 1942 already more than eight and a half thousand tanks using the capacity of both Europe and America. Of these, most fell on the long-barreled T-4 ,and "Sherman" with a gun. "Tiger", produced more and more, but only gained momentum. "Panther", just began to enter the series by the end of the half-year. The lion arrived even later. In the second half of 1942, the "Tiger"-2 began to enter the series.

Due to the unavailability of the newest tanks, Hitler postponed the beginning of the war with the USSR to the summer of 1943. The Germans also developed both aircraft and artillery. Including gas cannons and jet.

Serious forces were being deployed. The USSR produced approximately twelve thousand aircraft in the forty-first year. In the forty-second edition of aviation in the USSR reached eighteen and a half thousand. But the Third Reich released more than forty-five thousand with the colonies. So the fascists bypassed Russia in the total number of cars. In addition, the Krauts appeared more advanced Yu-188, which could accelerate, over six hundred kilometers per hour. And the production of Focke-Wulf developed. The USSR produced in the second half of the forty-second year about six thousand tanks of all types, and four thousand of the latest heavy and medium. But this was not enough, since the Third Reich already produced one "Shermans", approximately comparable to the T-34 in armor and weapons, up to a thousand a month. The production of the latest vehicles and T-4, with a longer-barrelled gun than the T-34, was rapidly increasing, which means that it penetrates the armor better. Hitler wanted to make the Panther the most massive tank, but so far this machine was losing out in the complexity of the T-4 and the Sherman, and had a lot of childhood diseases. Although it could break through from two kilometers T-34, and KV-1 and KV-2, and itself in the forehead did not break through these tanks. Only KV-3, could penetrate the "Panther" from a greater distance than the "Panther" is a tank, but the Soviet, but also heavier. And KV-5, and KV-4, "Panther" could only take a calibrated shell close.