USSR 1941

  Chapter 95 Communications

   Shulka certainly knew what General Kirponos said.

  In fact, that’s what Shulka meant when he said tanks are the main force...

  Tanks cooperate with infantry or infantry cooperate with tanks. It sounds like there is no big difference. Both tanks and infantry go together, and even the organization has not changed much.

  But in actual combat, there is still a big difference:

  Tanks cooperate with infantry, that is, the infantry is the main body to launch an attack. The infantry charges forward like ants, and the tanks are scattered among the infantry and follow behind. Then the tanks are pulled up when they encounter key points that the infantry cannot conquer.

  In this case, it is redundant or even unnecessary to equip the tank with radio equipment.

  Because there is no need for coordination between tanks and tanks, but more coordination between tanks and infantry.

  The Soviet infantry is rarely equipped with radio stations, just like the 333rd regiment, only the regiment headquarters has a radio station, so it is impossible to achieve radio communication between infantry and tanks on the battlefield.

  The Soviet army had their own set of methods, such as using tracer bullets...machine guns to shoot out a string of bullet lines to indicate the target for the tank, or using signal flags, or infantry directly climbing on the tank to tell the tank soldiers what the target was.

  Under this tactic, it is not very meaningful to equip each tank with radio communication equipment, and the formation of its mechanized troops is also of no practical significance, because they are always dispersed among the infantry in wartime to coordinate the infantry charge.

   But if infantry cooperates with tanks to fight, it will be different.

  This requires groups of tanks to form a whole, and they can flexibly assemble, divide troops, encircle, intersperse, etc. on the battlefield.

   This obviously requires unified command and dispatch, so each tank must have radio communication equipment that can at least receive orders.

  Otherwise, once the hatch of the tank is closed, the inside and the outside are like a double-isolated world. You can’t hear and can only see a little bit of the outside situation at the same time. How to fight is completely guesswork, which obviously doesn’t work.

Therefore, the biggest obstacle to Shulka's tactics of using tanks as the main force is actually the communication equipment. Without communication equipment, it is only on paper and it is impossible to fight a "blitzkrieg" like the Germans, because the Soviet tanks simply cannot be integrated to form a war. a force.

  This is a tricky problem, because the way to solve this problem is to install a radio communication device for each tank, which is obviously unrealistic for the Soviet army with extremely weak communication devices.

   But of course Shulka has considered this issue.

   "Use the signal flag!" Shulka said.

   "What?" Admiral Kirponos was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head and replied, "This is not a good way, Sergeant!"

"Tank crews have very little vision!" On this issue, Major Gavrilov sided with Admiral Kirponos: "And their vision is more often in the direction of the enemy, they cannot see behind Signal flags waved by the infantry!"

   "They don't need to see it, Comrade Major!" Shulka replied: "We can arrange two to three infantrymen on the rear armor of each tank. They can provide cover and warning for the tanks as well as convey orders!

   "You mean..." Major Gavrilov said: "Let these infantrymen observe the signal flags in the rear at all times, and then tell the tank crew?"

   "Yes!" Shulka replied.

"It may be feasible!" Major Gavrilov still shook his head: "We can arrange these infantry, and these infantry can indeed see the signal flag at any time. The problem is that it is difficult for them to convey orders to Tank crews, unless they keep the hatch open and poke their heads out..."

Shulka can understand what Major Gavrilov said. When the tank motor is started, it will "rumble" straight, coupled with the sound of gunfire on the battlefield, if the tank hatch is closed, no matter what the infantry shouts outside can't pass the order in

  So, the method of Soviet infantry to pass orders is usually to use the butt: one tap on the left side of the turret means to go left, one tap on the right means to go right, and two consecutive taps means to stop...

  Of course, this can only transmit some simple orders, and it is helpless for complex orders, and sometimes it is even misunderstood, because bullets and shells passing by the armor of the tank often produce a sound similar to that of a gunstock.

  So, if you want to convey orders accurately, you have to open the hatch and even poke your head out to communicate, which is obviously very dangerous in combat...The tank crew with their heads out would be an excellent target for German snipers.

   "No, we don't need to do that!" Shulka said, "We don't need to put tank crews at risk!"

  Major Gavrilov couldn't help laughing: "Then, what else can we do to pass the order in, you know, it's a tank!"

   "We can use the phone, Major!" Shulka replied.

   Major Gavrilov did not understand what Shulka meant.

   "Phone?" He looked at Shulka in confusion: "How can we call them..."

   "It's very simple!" Shulka replied: "Install a telephone in the tank, install another on the rear armor of the tank, and then connect the inside and outside with a telephone line..."

  Admiral Kirponos and Major Gavrilov couldn't help being stunned on the spot.

   Then, Admiral Kirponos exclaimed excitedly: "This sounds feasible, and the cost is very low. We only need to install a telephone instead of a radio for each tank!"

"Yes, general!" Major Gavrilov laughed, and he patted Shulka on the shoulder and praised: "Very good way, Shulka! This way we can convey the order to everyone A tank, effectively directing them to attack in their respective directions!"

Major Gavrilov's words are a bit exaggerated. After all, the signal flag is different from the radio. It cannot effectively command every tank. It is more commanded by the company, otherwise the rear will be everywhere. It is the waving signal flag, and no one knows which one is the order for him.

   But even so, it will be much better than relying entirely on guessing the target to attack the target before performing tasks and relying entirely on tracer bullets.

   "Just do it!" Admiral Kirponos said without hesitation, "I'll have them install telephones on every tank right away..."

   "It's best to install the phone at a lower position!" Shulka said: "In addition, the communication rope should be longer, so that even if the infantry is not on the rear armor of the tank, it can pass orders even if it follows behind!"

   Admiral Kirponos nodded repeatedly in agreement.

   "This is a pioneering work, Comrade Sergeant!" Admiral Kilponos sighed: "I believe this modification will soon sweep the entire army!"

  (end of this chapter)