As early as when he was forming the initial motorized forces, Hitler decided to reuse Guderian. At that time, Guderian had become Germany's leading armored warfare theorist.
The German motorized forces had only a few old armored reconnaissance vehicles and a few motorcycle companies. By 1932, motorized units participating in exercises were still using model tanks. When it came to the tactical drill, the soldiers were still training by pushing model tanks with their hands. Usually, one person holding a flag represented a unit on the tactical field. Even Lin Wei could imagine the hard conditions even if he didn't see it.
After Guderian became director of the armored forces, the German armored forces developed rapidly. Hitler admired Guderian's theory and practice of tank warfare very much. He not only prioritized financial and material resources to meet the needs of the development of armored forces, but also personally visited the scene whenever new tanks were exercised and tested.
The exercise that Hitler asked Lin Wei to accompany him to watch was also conducted by Guderian's armored soldiers. When Lin Wei learned that he would meet Guderian in this exercise, his attitude immediately changed from disinterested to eager to try, not to mention that he might also be able to meet his classmates Vincent Stark.
This time the exercise visited the tank group organized by Guderian. During the exercise, Guderian's opponents still continued the pattern from World War I, digging trenches and building bunkers. Maxim heavy machine guns were deployed at various fire points on the position. Defense requires a lot of thought. But these moves are doomed to be in vain.
Sure enough, when Guderian's tank group began to attack, the seemingly solid defense line could not stop the tanks for a moment. Facing the overwhelming torrent of steel, the armored troops representing the German army quickly broke through the defense line and defeated the defenders. The army captured the position in a short period of time.
The first thing Lin Wei felt when seeing all this was shock. You can only feel it when you actually see a large group of tanks gathered together to make a breakthrough, instead of watching a movie. The two feelings are completely different.
Hitler left the telescope on the ground and danced happily; "Haha, yes, this is exactly what I want. Tell Guderian that Lampard and I want to have dinner with him."
"Okay, Führer, I'll go and notify Colonel Guderian right now." The secretary next to him heard Hitler's words and quickly rushed to notify him.
Hitler's face was full of enthusiasm, "Lampard, how do you feel after watching this exercise?".
Overwhelmingly, these four words immediately appeared in Lin Wei's mind, "Führer, this exercise reflects the gap of an era. This is an opportunity. If we can seize this opportunity, then we will undoubtedly be far ahead." Be ahead of other countries.”
"Oh?" Just when Hitler wanted to ask further, Guderian, dressed in military uniform, had already walked over. Although there was some dust on his clothes, it could not conceal the soldier's fortitude.
"Colonel Guderian, Lampard and I invited him to have lunch. I hope the colonel will show his respect," Hitler said jokingly.
The brief words "Fuhrer, this is my honor" revealed the tough demeanor of the German soldiers, but Lin Wei found that Guderian was holding something that did not match the environment - a book. The name of the book is "Mein Kampf".
However, it can be seen that the writing is very new, and it can be seen that he has not read a few pages at all. Lin Wei can tell at a glance that Guderian did not know where to find it from, and his basic intention was to flatter Hitler. The purpose is to form Guderian's armored forces.
Seeing all this, Lin Wei smiled. It turns out that German soldiers are also flattering, huh? Maybe he wanted to save the country through a curve. Finally, Lin Wei wanted to ask about his classmates' condition, "Colonel Guderian, I heard that my classmates Vincent and Stark are in your army. I would like to ask him how he is doing now."
Feeling Lin Wei's sincerity, Guderian couldn't help but look at Lin Wei. In Guderian's view, Lin Wei didn't look like the executioner who played the role in Night of the Long Knives at all. He was even a little childish. However, there were rumors from the outside world. Guderian was still on due alert. "Captain Lampard, your classmate Vincent is a very talented person. He is now at the Armored Forces Headquarters. Due to his excellent performance, I will prepare him after a while." He asked the lower-level troops to get some training."
"Oh, thank you Colonel Guderian." Lin Wei did not continue to ask, because Lin Wei had already sensed Guderian's vigilance.
No one said anything after that. When Lin Wei and Guderian followed Hitler to the Prime Minister's Office, it was already approaching evening. Hitler carefully prepared a dinner for Guderian, and put Chinese food on the table that Guderian had never seen before. Its exquisite style and unique taste of Chinese food made Colonel Guderian prisoner in an instant.
After the dinner, Lin Wei and Guderian were already slightly drunk. Only Hitler kept his head clear. After the meal, Lin Wei and Guderian began to talk. Lin Wei tried his best to stay awake and made some jokes. "Guderian" Colonel An, your armored force is indeed amazing. I wonder if you have any plans for the tactics of armored force theory?"
It was rare for someone to discuss the matter of armored forces with Guderian. At this time, Guderian no longer cared about being on guard and talked endlessly about his theory of armored forces. "In 1929, I was convinced that tanks acted alone or in conjunction with infantry." None of them can achieve decisive results. The study of military history, the exercises held in the UK and the exercises we used models have deepened my understanding: only when other arms supporting tanks have the same driving speed and off-road capabilities as tanks, Only tanks can give full play to their power. Within the combined arms corps, tanks should play a leading role, and other arms should act according to the needs of tanks."
After the explanation, Guderian asked Lin Wei to share his thoughts with the attitude of giving it a try. After all, everyone needs a confidant, and Guderian was no exception.
And Lin Wei did not live up to Guderian's hope. "Colonel Guderian, after listening to your theory of armored warfare, can I say this? The theory you advocate has three elements, which are surprise attack, rapidity and concentration."
Seeing that Lin Wei really understood what he said, Guderian was naturally very happy, "Yes, tanks should be used in large numbers and concentratedly in combat. Tanks and aircraft should work closely together to break through a narrow area of the opponent, followed by tanks and infantry." The combined army begins to sweep the opponent's positions and strongholds, quickly expands the occupied area, implements encirclement and encirclement, annihilates the opponent's troops, and quickly develops victory in depth."
Lin Wei and Hitler had completely become the audience at this time, like two students watching the father of German armored forces teach them.
“All tanks that are going to be prepared for fierce battles should have fairly strong armor that can not be destroyed by the opponent’s defensive firepower; if you want to win, try to make the tank move as fast as possible and keep moving forward regardless of the enemy’s obstruction. The enemy was unable to establish a new line of defense and finally pushed the offensive deep into the enemy's rear. Firepower is the most important feature of a tank weapon. Its artillery can fire when the tank is stationary or in motion. When the tank moves forward, it can carry its firepower with it. Let's walk together. Unfortunately, now we don't have enough tanks to support the same intensity of war." In the end, Guderian's expression looked a little lonely.
"No, Colonel Guderian, we do," Lin Wei said affirmatively.
"Oh? Do we have it?" Guderian asked, but Guderian can't be blamed. Germany's secret resumption of military production is a secret, and Guderian has no way of knowing.
"Haha, Colonel Guderian, Lampard is the heir of the Krupp family. If he says there will be one, there will definitely be one. Don't forget what the Krupp family is famous for," Hitler interjected.
"Really?" Guderian looked like a pervert who wanted to see a beautiful woman.
"Of course, Colonel Guderian, I can guarantee that you will be able to see him in just one year," Lin Wei said while hiding, because Guderian's expression at this time really scared Lin Wei.
"Oh, Lampard, my friend, you are an apostle sent by God." Guderian seemed to have completely forgotten that Lin Wei was still an executioner who performed the Night of Long Knives in his heart that afternoon.
"No, Colonel Guderian, you have given me an award. How can I dare to bear this title?" Lin Wei said humbly.
After being polite, the two of them began to discuss the performance of the tank again. Some of Lin Wei's ideas surprised Guderian, and he even gave up some of the principles of German industry, specifically in terms of manufacturing and maintenance: Tanks must It uses cast turrets, sloped armor, requires relatively wide tracks, promotes the design of diesel engines, and even abandons the weapons manufacturing industry that Germany has always been famous for, advocating balance in all aspects and winning by quantity.
Lin Wei knew the problems of later German tanks. Their high failure rate made it difficult for other countries to match. In the war, many of the tank's losses were due to breakdowns such as engine overheating, so its opponents often only had to wait for the German tanks to break down on their own. , you can win.
Germany's strengths are precision machining and unparalleled welding technology, so all German tanks have welded turrets. However, several of his opponents, the Allied forces in World War II, all used cast turrets. Judging from the results of the war, the cast turrets won.
If it is a small local war, there is no problem in using welded turrets. But what awaits Germany is a world war, which is simply a bottomless pit. Considering the huge advantage in production efficiency of cast turrets over welded turrets, Lin Wei still feels that it is more cost-effective to use cast turrets.
German military industrial enterprises have always advocated precision machining. Even in the early stages of the war, they would definitely not design tanks with cast turrets. If the mistakes were discovered after the war began, it would be too late to correct them. Therefore, Lin Wei wants to correct this problem in Germany before the war begins.
As for the diesel engine, it is mainly to save fuel. It is more efficient and has strong maneuverability. Mobility is even more crucial for the armored forces under Guderian. As for why Lin Wei attaches such importance to fuel saving, it is mainly because Because Germany did not have oil fields, in Lin Wei's memory, in the late war, Germany had powerful armored forces but no oil. Several plans failed because of lack of oil.
In the end, Lin Wei and Guderian reached a consensus that the combat effectiveness of a tank is mainly reflected in its mobility. Firepower and armor defense must be balanced to ensure sufficient vitality and armor protection. The tank with the best mobility is the German Army's most powerful tank. Tanks needed.