Chapter 333: Introduction of Russian Armor Part II
Two of the Russian Tsar’s daughters had accepted his offer to take a look at the Russian Army’s newest prototype. It was a domestically manufactured tank design based upon observations made in the field.
Like everyone else, there were many things being copied from the German design that were very forward thinking, obviously within their own manufacturing capabilities. And eavesdropping on this conversation had been the Tsar’s only son, who was equally as interested in the venture.
Because of this, the Tsar and three of his children took an armored motorcade to the factory where the prototype was currently laying dormant. The three children, the oldest of which was actually now an adult, gazed in awe at what they saw.
The Russian tank prototype was a far better design than the allied Mk II. For starters, there were plenty of Russian Engineers in the field deployed alongside German soldiers. They were given a far greater capacity to observe the German tanks and how they functioned.
Copying a torsion bar suspension was actually quite easy, as it was ironically enough the most easy to produce of all the major tank suspension types. And oddly enough, had not really begun to see service until the latter half of the second world war.
Ease of manufacture, and requiring far less rare earth metals to manufacture it was ideal for the Russian Industry, which was lacking compared to that of the German Reich. In addition to this, the armored hull was sloped and welded. Which was a vast improvement over the Allied Mk II, which had a semi-sloped design and was made of thin riveted steel plates.
While not as advanced as the rolled homogenous armor in used by the Germans, it was most certainly a tank capable of sustaining fire and dealing deadly blows. Lessons also learned by the Germans was the introduction of a rotating turret.
Due to the commonality of ammunition being mandatory, Russian and Austro-Hungarian arms developed resembled that used by the Germans in many ways. As such, the main gun on the turret was a 5cm gun that largely resembled the Soviet 45 mm anti-tank gun M1932 from Bruno’s past life.
In fact, the overall design and shape of this new light tank resembled the Soviet T-50 Light Tank in many ways. And when the Tsar’s children laid eyes on it, they were astonished. The first domestically produced tank was a major sign of Russia’s increased prestige on the global stage.
Currently, only three nations had managed to field a tank. The Germans had both the most advanced tank in the field, and the highest number of them. While the French and British had combined their resources to field their own domestically produced armored vehicles.
Tanks were the modern symbol of a major power. Such weapons changed with the era. Just ten years prior, Dreadnought Battleships were such an icon. But as times had swiftly changed, and the nature of warfare with it.