Steel Soviet Union

In fact, the tank selected by Malashenko was none other than the IS1 heavy tank turret prototype originally equipped with an 85mm D-5T main gun.

This classic turret has been used all the way from the original KV85 prototype tank to the IS1 and later the IS2. Since the beginning of the design, the prototype turret was designed to be very wide, taking into account the need to replace the larger-caliber main gun in the future. This is why Lavrinenko had the illusion of a "small KV2 turret" when he looked at this thing.

Strictly speaking, the turret of this type, which has been used by Stalin heavy tanks throughout history, cannot be considered perfect. The front end of the mantlet has only 100 mm of physical armor thickness, let alone the 88 gun. Even the turret of the later Type IV tank The long-barreled 75mm cannon can penetrate it frontally. Relying on this semi-arc and rounded gun shield to expect ricochet defense, which is a probabilistic and lucky event, is undoubtedly a kind of war-torn and extremely cruel battlefield. Very stupid and childish behavior.

But no matter how you say it, the IS1/2 heavy tank universal turret, which is an excellent design, is still a successful design that has passed the test of cruel actual combat. When he thought that even the front armor of the Tiger tank, which the German army was proud of, was only a mere 100 millimeters, Malashenko, who knew that there would never be an invincible tank in the world, felt relieved.

"Forget it, although the 100mm mantlet can't withstand the Hawpard and Changsi, it was completely sufficient in 1941 at least. Being able to use future equipment at this juncture is already enough, and then asking for too much It seems that I am a bit greedy.”

After changing his mind, Malashenko instantly felt that he had figured it out. Then he took the lead and stepped onto the front armor plate of the car in front of him. He used his hands and feet to reach the turret and uncover it. Malashenko, who had taken off the commander's roof and stepped into the turret, then turned around and spoke to the people who were still stunned.

"Why are you still standing there? Let's start working! Comrades."

The people who were awakened by Malashenko's words immediately began to disperse.

Iushkin, Kirill and others who belonged to Malashenko's disembarkation team followed Malashenko's steps and began to board the bus. Lavrinenko, who was beside him, also led himself after hearing the sound. The crew began to walk towards the other seven prototype tanks with different turrets.

For Lavrinenko, who has fought in dozens of tank battles, it is still the first time for a young girl to get into a car. She has no information for reference. Lavrinenko, who had no "consultant" to advise him, could only make choices based on his own judgment.

As he continued to move forward, the first prototype tank that appeared in front of Lavrinenko was a boxy "square" turret tank equipped with almost vertical armor on three sides.

This one has a boxy appearance with three vertical sides. It only has a heavy tank directly in front of the turret with a curved gun mantlet that only covers one-third of the front projection area. It looks quite a bit like the design style of a German tank.

The designer under Kogin who proposed the design of this type of turret believed that the internal space of the original Soviet-made tank turret was too narrow, which not only made it difficult for the combatants inside the turret to move, but also greatly weakened the human-machine integration effect and lowered the overall strength of the tank. The combat efficiency has severely reduced the number of ammunition carried by the first ammunition rack built into the turret, which could originally carry many artillery shells.

Based on this principle, this boxy-looking prototype turret uses vertical armor in all possible positions to arrange defense. On this basis, it can expand the space for members inside the turret and improve the turret. The ammunition capacity of the first ammunition rack is built into the tail.

When fully loaded, it can carry 35 rounds of 85mm custom-made artillery shells, which is equivalent to the largest ammunition capacity of the first ammunition rack in the turret among all eight prototype turret tanks. In terms of matching, the tilted armor defense layout is eliminated. In exchange for the wider space for personnel inside the turret, the huge improvement in human-machine efficiency of this prototype turret can be said to be the best among all prototype vehicles.

At the same time, by eliminating the inclined armor with a larger surface area and adopting a vertical armor layout scheme with the highest armor distribution utilization, this type of tank turret can further increase the physical armor thickness of the turret itself while the total mass is almost the same.

The defenses on its left and right sides and the back of the head directly behind the turret are all made of homogeneous steel armor arranged using welding technology. It has a physical thickness of 80 mm, which was considered a considerable defensive power in 1941.

The armor distribution weight saved on the other three sides is concentrated on the front of the turret, which has the highest probability of being hit. The thickness of the armor on the front of the turret, which is also arranged vertically, is as high as 120 mm. With the armor, it can only cover one-third of the turret. After the 30 mm thick semi-curved mantlet with a front projection area, the defensive power at the thickest part of the armor reached an astonishing 150 mm. In 1941, this could only be described as abnormal.

But the truth that you can’t have your cake and eat it too exists in this seemingly perfect prototype turret.

The turret that completely uses 90-degree vertical armor to lay out defense not only loses the equivalent armor bonus obtained by the tilted armor, but also has a chance of ricocheting at a large angle, which is like the magical power of body protection. This means that In actual combat, this type of turret can only rely on its thick physical armor to withstand enemy firepower.

Once it is surrounded by an enemy tank, or it is ambushed to the side and suddenly fires, the completely vertical armor defense cannot expect any ricochet that can explode the character. This is hardly good news for Soviet tank soldiers who have to deal with German tanks with high mobility and love to use roundabout and flanking tactics in actual combat.

After walking around the prototype vehicle with a vertical armored turret in front of him for two full times, after much thought, Lavrinenko, who always felt that the only thing about this thing that looked like an iron bastard on the front, finally put aside his hesitation and shook his head slightly. , the result of being shot through the side armor by the Germans and killed instantly was not the fate that Lavrinenko wanted.

"Let's look at other things."

Lavrinenko, who secretly said that he was planning to compare prices, then walked towards the next prototype car, but this next prototype car appeared in front of him. It is another extreme design idea with a completely different style.