Empire in Progress

Chapter 58: Test (2)

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"Oh, really?" Lin Wei stayed where he was and smiled stupidly.

With one day to go until the presentation, the number of guards surrounding "Forster Reed Park" was at least tripled. There are also a large number of German military police hiding in the dark. Hitler, Goering and several Wehrmacht generals such as General Ludwig and General Guderian were chatting cordially by the pool next to the park. It was a circle. Lin Wei's father, Gustav, was talking to a few people in suits who looked like bosses.

"Gustav, your son is really amazing. He has become the leader of the SS in a short period of time. He is much better than that ineffective child in our family. Your daughter-in-law is also pregnant. Your Krupp family can succeed him in the future. Someone is here." A fat man complimented Gustav with a smile on his face. Lin Wei gave up the idea of going there to see after hearing this.

"The kid Lampard is today because of his own hard work and has nothing to do with me. Besides, Joseph, your son is now a second lieutenant in the National Defense Force. He is young and promising. Don't belittle yourself." Gustave still said A consistent tone.

As early as June last year, large German companies including Mercedes-Benz, MAN Heavy Equipment Company, Krupp Steel United, Rheinmetall, etc. received notices from the Reich Transport Administration and the Ordnance Procurement Bureau, asking them to produce The four markings are accompanying vehicles of 5 tons, 10 tons, 15 tons and 20 tons respectively.

This is the first time that Germany has independently developed and purchased combat vehicles since the Treaty of Versailles. For these companies with a long history, this simple notice not only means that their companies have a large number of orders and a large number of Banknotes also represent a great honor, the honor of serving the empire. Therefore, many German machinery manufacturing and arms companies are gearing up there, and they are working hard to prepare for a big fight.

After Hitler finished chatting with the generals of the Wehrmacht, these generals immediately became the targets of the bosses of the big companies present. No matter which company they were, they wanted to take this opportunity to promote their products. In an instant, Gustav was by his side. The bosses all disappeared. Seeing Lin Wei walking over, "Father, them?"

"Stop talking, Lampard, the mall is like a battlefield. They are not wrong, but they are destined to be in vain this time. I have brought No. 4." Gustave said with confidence.

"Lampard..." Lin Wei saw that it was Guderian who was greeting him.

"Oh, your friend called you, I will go and test it first, you go first" Gustav patted Lin Wei on the shoulder and said.

Seeing Guderian coming, Lin Wei first stood at attention and gave a military salute to Guderian. Generals who serve their country wholeheartedly deserve Lin Wei's respect at all times.

"What about your father?" Guderian asked.

"Yes, our vehicles are also here to participate in the exhibition," Lin Wei replied.

"Lampard, your family is also participating in the test? How about revealing it first?" Guderian asked with a smile.

"General! For the sake of fairness, I'd better not say anything. Besides, you will know by then!" Lin Wei smiled slightly at the other party and then said: "Then see you later!".

Early the next morning, various companies, including Krupp, were ready and waiting to start testing. The first model tested was a small 5-ton model. This tank, which was already under project in November 1933, was named Small Agricultural Tractor. Since the purpose of this tank is to be used for tank troop training, the technical project is very simple. Correspondingly, the design period is relatively short. In addition, the number of orders is relatively large, so a total of four companies participated in the competition. Henschel, Daimler-Benz, Rheinmetall, Augsburg-Nuremberg Machine Works (referred to as MAN Industries). Moreover, each company has proposed three prototype vehicle designs, but they remain the same. This kind of tank only needs to be simple. Convenience and practicality are enough.

The Krupp family's farm tractor had long been left in a garbage dump by Gustav.

With the raising of a red signal flare, all the tanks began to slowly start. However, since it was the first time to test so many vehicles, the scene was inevitably a bit chaotic.

Although everyone was in high spirits, the terrain at the Swabia test site was different from other places. The muddy ground, irregular and large rocks, and wide trenches became a nightmare for all participating vehicles. In the end, Rheinmetall's tank won.

Guderian also ran over and stared at a tank, looking left and right. First of all, Guderian knew it. Just ask about the power of the engine and the configuration of the gearbox, he could know the actual speed of the tank and its off-road capabilities. speed. Secondly, he is the chief of staff of the armored force, so his opinions are very important, so these tanks must be carefully inspected.

The highlight is still to come, because what is being tested now is just a training vehicle for training ordinary armored troops. It is impossible to let these vehicles go on the battlefield in actual war. The 20-ton vehicle tested later is the backbone of the German armored forces. Most of the generals came here for this reason.

Since the birth of the No. 4 tank, Gustav suddenly lost interest in light armored vehicles. He only wanted to make the tank heavier, so the Krupp family did not participate in the previous tests, which made the Rhine Metal and other companies are very confused, because the Krupp family's strength is so great that no one can figure out what medicine they sell.

Despite this, the competition was still fierce. MAN, Mercedes-Benz, and Henschel all tried their best. In the end, Henschel won the key tests.

Lin Wei quietly left the test site and came to the nearby warehouse. He saw Gustav directing the workers and designers of the Krupp family to conduct final debugging. However, the Panzer IV tank looked obviously overweight.

Lin Wei walked up to Gustav and asked, "Father, is this No. 4? Why is it obviously overweight? I think it's almost thirty tons, right? I don't know if this counts as cheating."

Gustav glanced at Lin Wei, "It's less than thirty tons, it's a twenty-ton light vehicle."

"Father, no, you are actually cheating." Lin Wei helplessly covered his eyes.

"Don't worry, I have removed all the redundant parts, and now the total weight is only about 24 tons. I am very impressed by the expressions of Henschel and others when they saw No. 4, haha" Gusta Fuyin smiled.

"Oh, okay, father, I'll see you later." Lin Wei couldn't say anything when he saw Gustav like this.

After the first three tests, it was already noon. Everyone was a little tired all morning. Fortunately, the beautiful scenery of Foster Reed Park made these generals and officials who usually work in the noisy city After experiencing a rare picnic, these generals and senior officials chatted with their friends in small groups.

The miserable Lin Wei and Heydrich had no choice but to order the SS military police to stay on guard and divide the meal into two groups. Regarding the question of who would eat first, Lin Wei and Heydrich couldn't give in. In the end, they decided to guess the outcome. After winning two out of three games, Lin Wei hummed a tune and enjoyed today's lunch, leaving a dull Heydrich looking at his fists and muttering to himself, "Why should I punch?".

The brief disturbance could not offset the atmosphere of lunch. Just as Lin Wei was munching away, Guderian, Chief of Staff of the Armored Forces, interrupted Lin Wei's desire to continue eating.

Guderian looked at Lin Wei's ridiculous eating posture and couldn't help laughing and said, "I didn't expect that the national leader of the SS, His Excellency Lampard and Krupp, would eat in such an inelegant posture."

"General Guderian, I don't think you came here just to see how I look when I eat... It's as simple as that." Guderian was startled, but the sausage got stuck in his throat before he could eat it, causing Lin Wei to drink it quickly. Drooled.

Of course Guderian didn't come to see Lin Wei for dinner. He came here for only one purpose, which was to find out from Lin Wei what the vehicle the Krupp family was testing this time was like, so he put on a show that he thought A friendly smile: "Lampard, we are friends, right? Can you let me see the test vehicle of your Krupp family this time?"

Seeing Guderian like this, Lin Wei spoke with a smile on his face, but his tone of voice was very stiff, "General Guderian, you will know when we bring him back for the test." After speaking, Lin Wei coolly stood up and prepared to replace Heydrich, leaving Guderian with a dull face, unable to recover for a long time. "Oh, this little guy?" Guderian said helplessly. .

After lunch, the fourth round of field testing began. This is the last test of the day - the twenty-ton test vehicle. This is undoubtedly the top priority. Guderian also pays special attention to this test. The people who participated in this test There are Krupp, Rheinmetall, Henschel and Daimler-Benz.

Soon, prototype cars from Rheinmetall, Henschel, and Mercedes-Benz were all parked there, but the prototype cars from the Krupp family were still waiting. Hitler and the generals of the Wehrmacht were waiting there, although they didn't say anything. , but Lin Wei knew that this was just due to family sentiment and did not say anything, "Dad, can you show up quickly?" Seeing many people's eyes frequently glanced towards him, Lin Wei had to continue to stand at attention and at the same time, he said in his heart God pray dad shows up soon.