Chapter 1,420 New Attempt
Chapter 1420 New attempt
In fact, under the conditions of World War 1, under the current technical limitations and cost-effectiveness, the prince has done almost everything he can do. Therefore, this time, the last change of clothes is very small in terms of variety, except for In addition to the Wolf tank, there is also a self-propelled artillery called the Centaur. And this self-propelled artillery uses a 128MM artillery that has never been used by the German army and navy so far!
The Prince's decision to choose this caliber was well thought out. Because from the current artillery system of the three German armed forces, there is really an intermediate-caliber artillery! The 128MM caliber is actually very versatile. It can be used as the main gun of a future destroyer, as an anti-aircraft gun caliber, as the artillery caliber of the ultimate tank destroyer, or as a field support artillery.
In fact, there is a reason why Maozi is called a fighting nation. Although some detailed things cannot be done well, the choices made in some general directions are still correct. For example, the choice of cannon caliber. At the beginning of World War II, the Germans chose the cannon caliber 105MM. For example, the very famous SK18/40 105MM artillery. In terms of performance, this artillery is actually pretty good. It weighs 5642KG, 52 Double the length of the barrel, the maximum range is 19KM.
The caliber of the Russian cannon is 122MM. For example, the famous A19 cannon has a combat weight of 7100KG and a maximum range of 20 kilometers. In terms of weight, it is about 1500KG heavier than the German SK18. The range is almost the same. But if you consider the attack effect, the A19 is better. Although the SK18's rate of fire is said to be 6 rounds per minute, the A19 is about 3 to 4 rounds per minute. The projection volume is about the same, but don't forget, the warhead of the 122M shell The weight is as high as 25KG. The general warhead weight of 105MM artillery is only 15KG. For the same projection amount, it is definitely better to have a larger single-shot weight.
As for the weight issue, in fact, if a tractor is used, the A19's more than one ton gun weight does not have a big impact. After all, taking the Soviet Union as an example, the 152MM howitzer ML20 of the same level also weighs the same. What level of vehicle should be used to tow such an artillery gun? Americans tell us that Diamond 4-ton cargo capacity truck is enough.
According to the Americans' experience in World War II, a Diamond 4-ton 4*4 truck equipped with a 106-horsepower engine can tow artillery or other towed vehicles weighing up to 11 tons. Therefore, if you use a tractor of this level to tow SK18 or A19, it will be similar and there will be no big problem. If it weighs more than a ton, it's considered heavy, so it doesn't matter. As for what kind of vehicle is needed to transport the 150MM cannon, it must be at least the American 6-ton truck. This truck is said to have a load capacity of 6 tons, but in fact it is not a big problem to load 10 tons, and the towing weight is as high as 25 tons! But the production is less than 8,000 units!
And there is another issue that needs to be considered. The SK18 cannon is close to its limit. After all, its barrel length has reached L52. If you add more, the price-performance ratio will drop rapidly. And what about A19? The length of the body tube is only 45,
There is also the potential to increase the range. Since the extra weight does not have much impact on transportation issues, why not pursue performance?
Therefore, if you have to choose an artillery in the medium-caliber range, the prince believes that the 120MM class howitzer is easier to use than the 105MM class cannon. The former is more powerful, the weight increase is within an acceptable range, and the upgrade potential is greater. To be honest, the 105MM cannon can reach 19 kilometers, which is already its limit. And the power of the cannonballs is really a bit small.
As for the main gun of the destroyer? This caliber is obviously better, right? What? Why, you ask? Damn it, isn’t this simple? Historically, among the United States, Japan, Britain, France, Germany, and the Soviet Union, who has not been equipped with 120MM to 130MM class destroyer main guns? For this reason, it is a historical necessity for artillery of this level to enter the navy!
As for anti-tank guns, aren’t the German Jagdtiger, the Russian IS-2M, and the ISU122 all using 120MM-class artillery? Whether it's fighting tanks or bunkers, it's very useful. Therefore, even for future considerations, the prince believes that the introduction of 128MM artillery is an inevitable trend. It does not mean that 105MM-level artillery cannot be used. However, considering the current speed of technological progress, if it really comes to World War II, 105MM long-barreled artillery may not be enough. After all, you may have to face the IS-2M and IS-3 that have appeared in history. As well as existences such as the T28 that did not have time to show off its skills on the battlefield. Let me explain, I am talking about the American T28 here, not Maozi's... Therefore, the 128MM artillery is very much needed, and the sooner the better!
In order to form some kind of asymmetric advantage, the prince believes that it is necessary for the German army to equip a weapon with a range and power that can suppress the legal 105MM howitzer. Judging from the current level of French artillery, the caliber of this artillery should be 128MM, and the range should be About 14KM, in this case, it can form an advantage over the French M1911 (non-historical) 105MM howitzer. After all, the latter's maximum range is only 12 kilometers. Moreover, this artillery can be self-propelled and has certain defensive capabilities (not too demanding, at least it can be anti-shrapnel.) In this case, it can be accompanied by fast troops to maneuver and break through!
If we talk about the past, a 107MM, unprotected, open-top 107MM gun on the Cricket tank site was already the limit, and there was no way to install a larger one. Then with the entry of the Wolf tank into service, a new chassis was used , the self-propelled artillery with 6 pairs of road wheels can finally meet the prince's requirements for the 128MML30 artillery.
Of course, if you want to get a fully enclosed combat compartment, forget it. It is still open-top, and the front of the vehicle can withstand 40MM-level artillery (for example, the British 2-pound gun). The ammunition load is 20 rounds, and the total combat weight is 20 tons, using an engine with an output of 150 horsepower. The warhead weight is 28KG, and the maximum shooting distance is 14,500 meters. Well, very good, very good at filling the firepower gap between Germany's 105MM artillery and 155MM artillery.
The performance of this artillery is beyond doubt. After testing at the shooting range, even the Prussian military believed that this artillery was very good both as a towed artillery and as a self-propelled artillery. Because they are almost the largest caliber land artillery that can maneuver quickly. Cannons such as the K16 are indeed powerful, but their weight of more than 10 tons in the marching state makes most of today's trucks a bit stressful. But the 122MML30 artillery with a towing weight of about 5 tons is more friendly.
Like the Wolf tank, the production of this self-propelled howitzer is relatively difficult, and it still needs to be slowly accumulated in quantity. At the same time, in order to better use it in places such as Turkey, the prince also developed some truck guns. Of course, this kind of The defense of the truck cannon is almost 0 and it can only be used for long-range fire support. If it comes to close combat, be prepared to suffer losses.
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