Knowing that they would have to march for two hours later, the soldiers were a little depressed, but their resentment was immediately dispelled by the news that "they have a good meal tonight."
Hundreds of miles of marching exercises have allowed the Marine Corps to grow a lot, and the cooperation between the units has become more proficient.
However, for armored units, they are troubled because some things cannot be avoided by proficiency.
As the sun set, a motorcycle buzzed from behind the team.
The car stopped next to the regiment headquarters. The signal soldier with the orange aluminum medallion on his chest did not get off. He just kicked off the footrest of the motorcycle with his heels and clasped his fists and said: "Report, sir, there are several tanks coming in succession." If the car breaks down, I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep up with the large group.”
Um?
Zhou Changfeng, who was drinking water, frowned when he heard this. He screwed the lid on the kettle and wiped his mouth, "What happened? The organization has been disbanded?"
It is normal for armored vehicles during field marches to break down. It is not uncommon for even several vehicles to break down at the same time. You can just repair it on your own or call the unit's armored rescue vehicle for help.
But the main force of the unit can still continue to perform tasks without delay. Can't continue at all? That means the unit is falling apart.
He picked up the binoculars hanging around his neck and looked to the west, only to find that the chariot team was no longer visible.
"Go back and ask about the situation."
"yes."
The signal corpsman took the order, then turned the car and roared away.
Both manpower and telecommunications are indispensable, so Zhou Changfeng ordered again: "Send a report and ask... No, use a telephone."
Although the ten trial-produced Type 36 radios sent to the 1st Marine Regiment had many congenital shortcomings, the flaws were not concealed - voice communication was obviously more convenient for communication.
Fire one green and one yellow flare into the sky to alert the chariot convoy to pay attention to communications.
Later, after installing the whip antenna and adjusting to the predetermined communication channel, communication was quickly connected.
"Call 'Tulong', please reply when you receive it."
"'Tulong' received it, the communication is clear."
"What's the matter with you? The tanks are all broken down? Can't you form an organization to keep up?" Zhou Changfeng asked calmly.
"Yes, Captain," Li Bin said in a helpless tone, "In the past few days, the mechanical time has almost reached its limit. As soon as I was on the road today, I crashed one after another."
Motorcycle hours are called mechanical hours in the terminology of the Ming army. They refer to the working hours of the vehicle and are used to calculate the operation, maintenance, repair period and fuel consumption of the vehicle.
"It's more than three hundred miles away, and it's indeed out of line. I'm sorry for you. Let's organize repairs and have a good rest when we get to Wuxi."
"yes."
Even according to the standards of the Soviet Army during the Cold War, when a tank regiment marches on a second-class or above good road, the major failure rate for 100km should be within 2%; when marching cross-country on natural dirt roads, the major failure rate for 100km should be within 4 Within %.
Today's technology is naturally worse, less reliable and less experienced.
Zhou Changfeng was mentally prepared for this. His original intention was to explore the limits of the current armored unit's ability to march for several days without major repairs.
The 150㎞ grade is neither too much nor too little. If it can improve a little more, it will be called excellent.
When the last ray of sunset dimmed, only a faint glow remained in the western sky.
Night falls and the crescent moon rises.
The exhausted Marine Regiment finally arrived at the scheduled training location in Wuxi Prefecture.
The state government office that had received the telegram before naturally did not dare to neglect it. The barracks immediately organized people to purchase various types of beef and mutton and then shipped them over.
The cooks worked tirelessly and enthusiastically, and soon the fragrance spread for miles.
The aroma of meat was the most alluring. Zhou Changfeng, who was riding the car all the way, was not too tired, but was a little unbearable, let alone the soldiers who were walking all the way.
According to his own habit, Zhou Changfeng personally led several guards to patrol around the camp, and immediately discovered something strange.
"What's over there? It's not marked on the map." He asked, pointing to a house about a mile away to the east.
The military officer from Wuxi County who came to perform the handover formalities raised his hand and replied: "Sir, that's a newly built school over there. It just opened last year."
"What middle school?"
"The Fourth State Practical High School."
The training camp was actually arranged next to the school?
Zhou Changfeng said it was outrageous, although he also knew that this was for transportation convenience, because there was a highway next to this place, extending in all directions.
After finishing the inspection, he summoned all the officers of the regiment and above, looked around, and said seriously:
"The school is right over here. Our station is one mile away, so we must pay attention."
"Zhao Hanfeng, please mark out the warning zone in the training area. Each team must repeatedly emphasize moral integrity after returning."
"There must be no laxity or wanton behavior. Those who violate the rules will start with thirty military sticks and will not be tolerated!"
After a while, when the hungry officers and soldiers began to enjoy the fragrant dinner, on the way more than 20 kilometers away...
In addition to the team headquarters and three tank platoons, the floating chariot fleet also has a maintenance team and a baggage team in its organization. The "cai" is a relatively special organization, which is generally only used for logistics where the high level is not enough and the low level is not enough. In terms of unit, it is slightly larger than the class and slightly smaller than the platoon.
Maintenance and equipment: 2 eight-wheel heavy-duty trucks, 3 six-wheel light trucks, 1 off-road vehicle, and 2 motorcycles. They have no problem coping with malfunctions under normal circumstances, but they were overwhelmed by the large-scale malfunctions in a short period of time. .
It was fine a few days ago, and some malfunctions occurred one after another throughout the day, but today 11 of the 18 amphibious tanks broke down one after another.
More than 20 people were so tired that their backs ached, and they were making repairs with the help of searchlights.
"Report! Chief Yao is here!"
Yao Liangchuan came here to find out what was going on. After dinner, he rushed back by car.
There was a broken down tank hundreds or thousands of meters away on the road. This scene gave him an indescribable strange feeling.
Now is the spring plowing season, and some hard-working farmers who have worked until dark are returning home. They pass by on tractors or bullock carts and look curiously at the tanks lying next to them.
This made Yao Liangchuan feel ashamed - are other people's tractors more reliable than this thing?
When Li Bin was found, he was personally directing the personnel to repair a tank.
"Go get spare parts, don't waste time! Uh... why are you here, Chief Yao?" Seeing the supervisor come in person, he quickly clasped his fists and saluted.
"Are the dozen or so iron gadgets under your command useless? Most of them are lying on the ground, and there is no ordinary people's tractors to use them. They are still driven on the ground. If they get into the water, I'm afraid half of them will sink." , Yao Liangchuan looked at a corporal holding a wrench, and the light made the oil on his body shine.
Li Bin let out a long sigh, drooped his head, and replied aggrievedly and helplessly: "Sir, we have reached our limit today. This one has been repaired and that one is broken. The chariot is not suitable for long-distance marches by itself. I told you earlier The group leader said it, but he didn’t listen and said he wanted to try it to the end.”
(End of chapter)
