Since the close-range anti-tank group is established and used by the military commander of the local army, there are no overall official requirements and regulations for its weapons and equipment. The usual rule is that when a soldier is assigned to an anti-tank group, he should bring him with him. own rifles, and then the anti-tank weapons available locally. The team will also be equipped with submachine guns, or light machine guns will be strengthened as needed as fire support.
The tasks undertaken by members of the close-range anti-tank team often involve facing great risks. Approaching enemy tanks or waiting for them to get close enough to reach the range of hand-thrown weapons requires great courage and patience. You need to overcome your fear, and then throw explosives, Molotov cocktails, and grenades to the right location to exert their maximum power to ensure the destruction of enemy tanks. You can also approach an enemy tank from behind and place an explosive device on the tank, but this is riskier. Sometimes if the defender cannot move to a safe distance in time, he may be injured by the weapon thrown by himself.
There are mainly four types of tanks equipped by the Soviet army, namely: The T-26A light tank weighs about 80 tons, has two side-by-side turrets, and is equipped with two machine guns. A few T-26As are equipped with a 37mm cannon and a machine gun. The T-26Б light tank weighs about 9.5 to 10.3 tons. It is a single turret equipped with a 37 mm or 45 mm gun.
The БT-7 fast tank weighs 13.9 tons, has a crew of 3, and is equipped with a 45mm cannon and a machine gun. Some БT-7 tanks have changed their gasoline engines to diesel engines, and the model is called БT-7M. It was confirmed in the Soviet-Finnish War that their long-range combat capabilities have been significantly enhanced.
The T-28 medium tank has a total weight of 28 to 32 tons, a crew of 6, and weapons installed on 3 turrets, including a 76 mm cannon and 3 to 4 machine guns. During the Soviet-Finnish War, it was found that the armor thickness of this tank was not enough, so the armor was improved and a shielding layer was added to appropriate parts of the front of the vehicle body, thereby increasing the armor thickness from 50 mm to 80 mm. This thickening of the armor tanks achieved great success when they broke through the Mannerheim Line in Finland in 1940.
The T-35 heavy tank has a total weight of 50 tons, a crew of 11, and weapons installed on 5 turrets, including 1 76mm cannon, 2 45mm cannons and 5 machine guns. Due to the thin armor of the T-35 heavy tank, it was difficult to withstand various anti-tank weapons, forcing the Soviet Union to further thicken the armor. As a result, due to excessive weight increase, it was impossible to continue using the five-turret solution, so two experimental tanks with only two turrets were developed, namely the CMK and T-100 tanks. At the same time, the experimental single-turret KB heavy tank appeared. A small number of CMK, T-100 and KB tanks were field tested during the Soviet-Finnish War, and the results proved that the KB tank was the most successful.
Colonel Michel Gebermeier was worried about whether the Finnish 9th Infantry Division could pose a threat to the Soviet 163rd Division. At the suggestion of his staff, Colonel Michel Gebermeier decided to contact Lin Wei, who was still in Helsinki, to see what his leader thought.
When Colonel Michel Gebermeier contacted Lin Wei, Lin Wei was exchanging views with Finnish President Kallio in the Finnish Presidential Palace on the next stage of cooperation.
Although President Kallio was not as prepared for the Soviet aggression as General Mannerheim, he was not an ordinary person doing nothing. Perhaps he just made the same mistake as the leaders of Austria or Poland, which was too high. It is estimated that the British and French intervened.
The Soviet attack suddenly awakened President Kallio's illusions. He immediately handed over the command of the army to General Mannerheim, which had to make Lin Wei think more highly of him. So before meeting the president, Lin Wei made some preparations.
"President Kallio, on behalf of the head of the empire, I would like to express my deep respect to you," Lin Wei said politely, "The evil countries in the east rely on their strong military strength to continue to expand like weak countries. Because the empire was deceived by the Soviets some time ago and signed a non-aggression pact with them. Therefore, support for your country's resistance can only be carried out secretly. I am very sorry for this, but you have to believe that the German people are fond of It is peaceful and will not watch a friendly neighbor being annexed."
The ecstasy soup that Lin Wei poured out obviously did not fascinate President Kallio. As a president, he has seen many hypocritical politicians, so he is not opposed to this rhetoric. He said tepidly, "I wonder what kind of help the German government can provide to Finland?"
"Sure enough, he is an extraordinary person. He never mentioned anything about the alliance!" President Kallio's evaluation in Lin Wei's heart was even higher. Lin Wei suddenly smiled and said, "There are 20,000 soldiers fighting in Finland now." , is the best sincerity expressed by the empire to Finland. You must know that these 20,000 soldiers are Austria’s best soldiers, and Mr. President is no stranger to them. As early as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austrian soldiers’ jungle warfare and mountain warfare were It is already well-known in the mainland."
"Finland still needs greater support. We are facing hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers equipped with modern weapons, and our strength is too small," President Kallio said helplessly.
Lin Wei also knew that what Kallio said was indeed true. The disadvantages of the Soviet Union were the terrain and acclimatization, but they had a large number of people and their weapons and equipment far exceeded those of Finland. The most important thing is that Finland only has one Mannerheim. Generals, and the Soviet Union had countless generals.
From the Battle of Nomonkan in the Far East to the Soviet-Finnish War, people often attribute such a huge difference in the Soviet army to the factors of the commander. In fact, these two battles really have nothing to do with the commander. Some people say that the Soviet army did not fight well in the Soviet-Finnish War because of the incompetence of the commanding officers, while the Nomenkan Soviet army fought well because of Zhukov's command. In fact, this is a sign of ignorance. Among the military commanders in the Battle of Nomonkan, only Zhukov later became Marshal of the Soviet Union.
At least now Lin Wei knows that there are four Soviet commanders currently in charge of commanding the war against Finland that he has heard of. They are Timoshenko, Meretskov, Chuikov and Govorov. Among them, Timoshenko served as the commander of the Northwestern Front, Meretskov served as the commander of the 7th Army, Chuikov served as the commander of the 9th Army, and Govorov served as the chief of staff of the Artillery Command of the 7th Army.
Listening to President Kallio's constant complaints without any intention of stopping, Lin Wei had to interrupt President Kallio and said, "Mr. President, if Finland and Germany form a military alliance, I can Convince the government to give Finland greater aid.”
"Ah..., Mr. Lampard, the policy we pursue in Finland is non-alignment, and since we are in our position, non-alignment will not arouse the anger of neighboring powers," President Kallio said.
"No alliance?" Lin Wei sneered, "There is no alliance in Finland now. Didn't the Soviets come over in the same way? What needs to be seen in alliance or non-alignment is the specific form and time, rather than an unchanging policy. Mr. President, I'll take my leave now!" After saying that, Lin Wei stood up and walked out.
"Lampard, please wait..." President Kallio tried to persuade him. He was now afraid that Lin Wei would get angry and run back to Germany with 20,000 well-trained soldiers. What President Kallio didn't know was that even if he drove Lin Wei crazy, Lin Wei would not let the Northern Combat Group go.
"What's the matter, Mr. President?" Lin Wei turned around and asked.
"Is there a problem that we can solve slowly?" President Kallio said softly, "We still need your help regarding weapons and equipment!"
"No, President Kallio, you made a mistake. Germany will not give you weapons that are obviously produced in Germany. The Panzer IV tanks are among them. However, Gatling guns and Panzerfaust anti-tank rocket launchers can be provided to you. "You guys?" Lin Wei immediately saw President Kallio's intentions and immediately refused.
President Kallio's eyes lit up. The Gatling gun was exactly the weapon that Finland needed most at the moment. The Tomanaheim defense line needed this weapon right now. Although the Panzerfaust anti-tank rocket launcher is not as famous as the Panzer IV, it is mainly because the opponents faced by Germany do not have many tanks. At present, Finland's opponents are mechanized troops. As a weapon installed together with the Panzer IV, President Kallio doesn't believe it
This Panzerfaust anti-tank rocket launcher is a parallel import, because German weapons have always been known for their high quality.
Compared with other weapons, what Finland needs most now is anti-tank weapons. This is what worries President Kallio the most, because this morning, a battle report was just sent back from the front line. It is the Mannerheim Line of Defense, which is the Soviet army. Battle reports of the main attack positions.
The station newspaper wrote, "The anti-tank guns were suppressed during the enemy's attack in the morning and could no longer perform their tasks. The enemy tanks patrolled back and forth in front of the defense line without any scruples, bombarding our trenches and bunkers. Our troops counterattacked at close range. The tank crews had no way of approaching them in the open, so they had to lie in wait in their foxholes and wait for them to approach."
"This situation is unbearable. The infantry can only stand in the middle of the battle, waiting for the enemy tanks to cut into the defense line, and then cut off the trailing infantry so that the anti-tank group can close to destroy the enemy tanks. The enemy breaks through to the main defense line Before, some tanks were destroyed by anti-tank mines. Finally, at dusk and midnight, the infantry drove the enemy infantry out of our defense line. The anti-tank team could finally get close to the enemy tanks. About 20 tanks were destroyed. Destroyed between the 1st and 2nd defense lines, the remaining ones retreated back to their positions. The enemy's attack was defeated again. The enemy tanks were no longer invulnerable. The victory increased the combat confidence of the infantry and anti-tank groups. .”
"The Soviet army advanced to the Suma area of the Mannerheim Line of Defense between December 6 and 7, 1939. On the 12th, artillery preparations to destroy obstacles began. On the 16th, artillery preparations were intensified and continued until the 17th. On the 18th, the Soviet army continued to strengthen artillery preparations and conducted a series of exploratory attacks. 19 Japan launched another large-scale attack, but was repulsed again, and in the following days there were only small-scale attacks."
Although the Mannerheim Line of Defense is safe and sound so far, if the Soviet army continues to attack, there will definitely be a point that the Finnish army cannot withstand. To deal with Soviet tanks, the Finnish army can only use risky methods and make their own explosive bags and Molotov cocktails. Used against Soviet tanks. So when he heard Lin Wei talking about anti-tank weapons, President Kallio immediately asked with bright eyes, "Mr. Lampard, I wonder how much Iron Fist anti-tank rocket launchers you can provide to Finland?"
"Enough to destroy all Soviet tanks!" Lin Wei replied coolly.
"That's great!" President Kallio said excitedly, "As long as we have this kind of weapon, the Soviet tanks are nothing to fear."
"President Kallio, what about the alliance?" Lin Wei asked.
"Uh... Mr. Lampard, I can't make the decision on this matter myself. I need to discuss it with other members of the government," President Kallio replied.
"Then I'll be waiting for the good news from Mr. President! I'll take my leave first and see you later, Mr. President!" Lin Wei bowed politely, turned around and walked out the door. "Much easier to deal with than that guy from Mannerheim!" Lin Wei commented in his heart.
As soon as Lin Wei left President Kallio's office, the staff officer waiting outside immediately came up and said, "Leader, a telegram from Colonel Michel Gebermeier asking you if you want to cooperate with the plan mentioned above." The staff officer immediately came up and said, Take out a telegram and show it to Lin Wei.
Lin Wei glanced hastily and said, "Tell Colonel Michel Gebermeier to trust his allies."
"Yes, leader! I will reply to Colonel Michel Gabermeier immediately." The staff officer immediately took the telegram and went out.
Lin Wei greeted another staff officer next to him and said in a low voice, "Go and contact Heydrich and ask his Gestapo to contact the Nazi organization in Finland. I want to know Kallio's experience and things that most people don't know." ! By the way, I sent a message to the country, saying that Finland is in urgent need of anti-tank weapons, and asked the head of state to allocate some Panzerfaust anti-tank rocket launchers to be shipped over!"
"Okay, leader." Since he was in Finland, the staff officer did not raise his hands, but saluted a military salute and walked away.
After all the things were arranged, Lin Wei let out a soft breath and secretly thought about what he still had to do. After thinking about it, it seemed that the only problem he had was that the old man in Mannerheim had some difficult problems, and Finland When no one in the army can replace him, Lin Wei can't touch him yet.
After receiving the order from Dollinwe, Colonel Michel Gebermeier immediately began to study how to cooperate with the attack of the 9th Finnish Infantry Division.
Although most of the residents of the small town of Suomusalmi have evacuated, some residents are still willing to stay to help the army resist the Soviet invasion, although they do not understand the management of the unknown where they come from. The army of language is a little scary. But when they saw these foreign troops resisting the Soviets, the residents also expressed their respect, constantly inquired about information for the Northern Combat Group, helped them build camps, and taught them how to survive in the snow.
December 25, 1939, Christmas. During the holiday, Christians from all over the world held grand commemorative ceremonies. Christmas was originally a Christian holiday. Because people paid special attention to it, it became a national holiday and the country's most grand holiday of the year.
Every household in every country is decorated with Christmas colors when Christmas comes. The red ones have Christmas flowers and Christmas candles. The green one is the Christmas tree. It is the main decoration of Christmas and is decorated with tower-shaped evergreen trees such as felled fir and cypress. Colorful lights, gifts and paper flowers are hung above, and Christmas candles are lit.
But Colonel Michel Gebermeier and the 18,000 soldiers of the Northern Combat Group are still holding on to their positions in the small town of Suaumusalmi. As for Lin Wei, he has already spent two years abroad. It's Christmas (last time in Spain...), but the residents of the small town of Suomusalmi have not forgotten who is protecting them. The hunters went out to hunt a few prey, and the residents who had wine at home also took it. Come out and share with the soldiers.
At this time, no one cared about where they came from. The residents of the small town only knew that during the most brutal period of the war, a group of foreign volunteers came to protect them from thousands of miles away. Compared with them, their own Some wine and barbecue, there’s nothing you can’t pass up.
At this time, no one cared about where they came from. The residents of the small town only knew that during the most brutal period of the war, a group of foreign volunteers came to protect them from thousands of miles away. Compared with them, their own Some wine and barbecue, there’s nothing you can’t pass up.
Some elderly people even dressed up as Santa Claus, took out the small things they had collected in their early years, and of course gave gifts to the soldiers of the Northern Combat Group.
The Soviet soldiers camping in the wild can finally have a quiet rest. Although they believe in Orthodox Christianity and Christmas and Catholicism are not the same day, they believe that on this day, the Finnish army will also use this day to rest and recuperate. Take a good rest and stop worrying about the omnipresent white grim reaper.
But tonight was destined to be a sleepless night, and Colonel Michel Gebermeier had decided to take advantage of the Christmas holiday, when the Soviets might be unprepared. Get rid of the Soviet 163rd Division in front of you. And he has told his idea to the commander of the 9th Finnish Infantry Division, Colonel Silas Vuau. Colonel Silas Vuau also expressed his approval of Michel Gabermeier's plan.
Although the Soviet 44th Division faced by Colonel Silas and Wuao was blocked by himself and could no longer support the Soviet 163rd Division, the Soviet 44th Division did not give up supporting the 163rd Division. In response to the division's plan, the 44th Division of the Soviet Army tried to take a shortcut to rescue the 163rd Division. However, it itself was unable to maneuver due to harassment by the Civil Defense Team and was trapped on the road about 8 kilometers east of Suao Musalmi.