Iron Cross

As soon as this conversion plan was formulated, Germany's supply pressure was relieved a lot. Speer also stuffed some Italian tanks on top to make up the numbers, including:

67 KV-1\\KV-2, they are combined with another 89 T-70 and T-60 tanks, converted to 134 tanks;

47 Churchills and 61 Matildas (not distinguishing between Types 1 and 2). They are combined with another 98 Crusaders and Valentine tanks, which is converted into 216 tanks;

34 French B1 tanks, 51 M3 General Grant tanks were combined with 28 38T, 313, and 37 M3 Stuart tanks, which converted into 170 tanks;

330 T-34 tanks, which are the only tanks that are not discounted;

214 German Panzer 3 tanks, converted into 150 tanks - these were replaced by various German troops last winter. Except for some of them given to the Axis brothers, the remaining gaps were all filled with this one.

In addition to these complete bodies, some parts, accessories, and artillery dismantled from damaged vehicles were also given to Japan. With the Japanese's shrewdness, it was not difficult to piece together dozens of tanks from them.

After Speer's dispatch, almost all the tanks captured from other countries in the German army's existing inventory were released. Of course, the T-34 cannot be completely captured. Currently, the Czech production line managed by Skoda can produce 300 T-34s a month. Hoffman believes that the T-34 is very suitable for the Japanese. He summarized the advantages in four aspects: first, the Japanese soldiers are small and will not feel crowded when squeezing into the T-34; second, Japan’s existing tanks Most of them use diesel engines, and they are quite satisfied with the T-34 diesel engine, and Japan has no shortage of diesel engines. Thirdly, Japan and the Soviet Union are neutral and mainly fight against Britain and the United States. The use of T-34 will not cause identification problems. Fourthly, The T-34's combat effectiveness is enough to compete with most Allied tanks, including the Sherman, and it is enough for Japan.

The only British and American captured tank that Germany liked and was willing to keep was the Sherman. Several major armor commanders looked down upon its combat capabilities, but they all acknowledged that it was a relatively mature and easy-to-use tank that could be used for modification. It is very suitable to become a logistics vehicle. A large number of Shermans have been transformed into rescue tanks, bridging tanks, bulldozers, cranes, etc.

Compared with tanks, it is more difficult to capture enemy aircraft, so the 1,000 aircraft are mainly made in Germany and are mainly distributed as follows:

200 Bf-219s;

120 He-218s;

80 Ju-98;

147 captured P-40s, Hurricanes, P-39s, and Warriors;

150 Italian MC-202s and RE-2001s, prepared to be exchanged for Bf-109s and Italians, giving the leader some advantages;

100 Fw-190A;

70 Stukas;

79 Do-17, 54 Ju-52.

Originally, the Do-17 and Ju-52 could be converted into two aircraft according to the agreement between the two parties. Considering that they are old models, this is not bad. After all this trouble, the Do-17 in the Air Force was completely withdrawn.

After reading it, Hoffman nodded with satisfaction: "The aircraft are to be allocated between the Japanese army and navy. You handled it appropriately. Can you provide the three new carrier-based aircraft in stock?"

"It will all be completed by the 15th of this month." Speer said. "Are you planning to deliver it all at once? I thought it would be at least divided into several batches."

"With these, Japan can confidently and boldly attack India, so don't delay them. It is a waste of our own time. As for steel and ships, we are also very nervous, so let's deliver the goods in batches." Hoffman Asked, "Have the experts seen the captured American Liberty ship? How does it compare to our Will wheel?"

"Ours is stronger, regardless of speed and load capacity, and of course the construction level is not as good as that of the Americans - the Americans can build ships too fast." Speer added, "But the United States also has an upgraded version of the Victory Ship. , better than the Will Wheel, should we continue to upgrade?”

"No, let's reduce the man-hours and costs first, and then consider upgrading when it matures."

Early the next morning, Horikichi, accompanied by the trio from Liude, watched the live drill of the new aircraft with great interest.

"Sir, this is so good, I can't believe it." The number one ace of the Japanese Navy's crit attack aircraft, Takashi Egusa, quickly mastered the operation essentials of the He-218 with the help of the German HNA pilots. After several tests at the La Island land airport, shipboarding exercises began immediately. According to the German explanation, the biggest difficulty of the He-218 is landing. If a novice does not grasp the speed well, it is easy to fall on the deck. But there was no difficulty under an elite like Egusa Takanoge. He stopped steadily on the deck of the Hayabusa - even the Hayabusa had no problem. Shoukaku and Zuikaku were bigger and wider than the Hayabusa. There is no problem.

He walked to Horikichi in three steps and reported the advantages of what the Japanese called the "Comet Kai" dive bomber: first, it is fast. Due to the built-in magazine, the speed can reach up to 580 kilometers per hour. It even exceeds the maximum speed of the Zero War; secondly, it has a high load capacity and can carry 500 kilograms of aerial bombs, which is doubled compared to the 99-ship bomb which can only carry 250 kilograms; thirdly, the aircraft has a solid body and good defensive performance , German designers have carried out defense reinforcement and structural reinforcement of the aircraft body, which greatly exceeds the defense level of the 99-ship blast, and is also greatly improved compared to the Comet prototype; fourth, the range is good, and the maximum range has still been reached under such modifications Nearly 1,300 kilometers, only 200 kilometers less than the original Comet, basically close to the 99 Ship Explosion.

"Actually speaking, the shortcomings are that it is difficult to land on the deck and difficult for novices to master, but veteran pilots with more than 1,000 flight hours should be fine." After Jiangcao Takaban finished speaking, he said in a pleading tone, "Sir, on the way back home Let me fight with the new plane."

Horikichi smiled: "Don't worry, let's watch Zero War Kai's performance."

When he said this, the Bf-219s piloted by Saburo Sakai, Hiroyuki Nishizawa, and Toshio Ohta had already taken off from the Dragon Phoenix. At first, the three of them were a little bit reluctant to let go. They flew several subjects in a satisfactory manner, and practiced expulsion, The fight against deportations.

At this moment, the voice of Rear Admiral Kakuji Tsunoda, the captain of the Hayabusa, who is known for his bravery, reached the ears of the three people through the radio: "Hey... you three, please work harder. The commander and allied generals are watching below. Hurry up and take out the cleaning trio..."

The three of them smiled helplessly. After that performance over the US military airport, the name of the "Cleaning Trio" was officially launched. The three of them contacted each other on the radio and were ready to start. They talked about their deepest feelings about German aircraft. The level of radio communication is much better than that of Japan. It even exceeds the perception of the gap in aircraft performance. After using German products and experiencing the clear and natural voice of the throat intercom, I looked at the ones on the original aircraft that failed 8 out of 10 times. The radio station wanted to be smashed into pieces. When they were thinking this, they must not have known that the Germans also loved the American Motorola wireless communication devices and were copying them in large numbers in the country. Rommel had forgotten most of the trophies after seeing them in Alexandria. Only two items were directly taken away by him. To be packed away, one is a Motorola wireless talker and the other is a Dodge ten-wheel truck.

Soon, the three aircraft that had just been performing combat demonstrations immediately formed a dense formation and first performed three small-radius rolls at an altitude of 3,000 meters. The overall timing was perfectly coordinated, as if they were flying alone. After leveling off, the three planes immediately dived at a high speed of nearly 700 kilometers per hour until they reached an altitude of 1,400 meters before leveling off again. Then the three planes repeated three somersaults, all of which were uniform and flawless.

"Beautiful!" All the German HNA pilots, including Richthofen, stood up and applauded. It was quite difficult for one person to perform these actions. Three aircraft performed on the same stage, and the coordination was so exquisite. This group of pilots were extremely impressed. They knew the inside story - these pilots had only mastered the new aircraft for less than three days.

Horikichi also smiled and clapped his hands. After the three of them landed, he called them together and asked, "Is the new plane nice?"

"Yes, sir, it's much stronger than before."

"The set you performed just now is called the Sweeping Trio?"

"Yes..." Saburo Sakai blushed in embarrassment, and the other two lowered their heads in embarrassment.

"Interesting, interesting." Horikichi laughed, "I heard Tsukahara-kun mention the names of the three of you. It seems that you were transferred from the base air force not long ago? Are you able to board the ship proficiently so quickly?"

"Sir, you are right." When he thought that his name was still remembered by the commander of the combined fleet, he suddenly felt frightened.

"I have a task assigned to you. The commander of the German Naval Air Force asked me to send a few pilots to help them train. He specifically named you three."

"Sir, I've seen their skills and they are all very good. We don't need them!"

"We are all transferred from the Air Force pilots, so our flying skills should be fine, but we have only been training at the training base and have not actually been on the ship... In 10 days, the Zeppelin aircraft carrier will be delivered, Head of State I hope we can form combat capabilities as soon as possible," Richthofen said sincerely. "We especially hope to master the skills of quickly boarding the ship. Please give us your advice."

After getting to know each other well with the Liude trio, Richthofen also learned a bit about Japanese sophistication.

"Rest on the spot for four days, waiting for the return of the first guerrilla detachment, all pilots will change aircraft and board the ship...Then the fleet will go to Alexandria first and then to Italy."

"You still want to go to Italy?" Caolu Renyi thought he heard wrongly, "Sir, didn't you say that after the supplies are completed, we will rush back as soon as possible after getting the supplies?"

"Don't worry, let's go to Italy first." Horikichi smiled slightly, "The radar that the German head of state promised to support us has been sent to the Italian shipyard. We will go there for modification as soon as possible. The injured Zuihe also needs repairs. We won't talk about returning to China until after the New Year. Bar."