"Well, okay, Captain Mo, if you have nothing to do, you can go back first." Yuan Li gave the order to expel the guests, his expression was a little impatient. It was obvious that he didn't want to say more on this matter.
Mo Youcai also heard the meaning of the words, but he didn't mean to cause trouble for others, he just thought of one thing: "Uh... Battalion Commander, don't be angry, I just want to say that I have a driver over there. He has driven a tank before, how about letting him come over and try it?”
This was when sleepiness met the pillow. Didn't the young man that Monk Zhou brought back say he could drive a tank? Moreover, the purpose of that kid's coming here was to sneak into the tank company. Isn't this an opportunity for him now?
"Old Mo, I'm telling you, is this tank so easy to drive? Don't just find a truck driver to fill the gap. Tanks and trucks are not the same thing." The gunner sneered, thinking that the other party just wanted to flatter him.
Yuan Li almost had the same idea. He looked at Mo Youcai in surprise, wondering what he would say next.
Mo Youcai quickly became a salesman and said seriously: "How can that be impossible? He had fought in Nanjing before and was a driver in the tank unit. He was later transferred to the rear after being injured."
"Is he still a veteran?" Yuan Li also became interested at this time, thinking that it would be a good idea to meet him if he didn't miss the time anyway: "Okay, let him come over and have a look. He should be good after fighting in the Battle of Nanjing. "
"Okay, I'll call him over right away," Mo Youcai rolled his eyes and secretly said that it's done. He quickly saluted and went to find someone.
"Battal Commander, do you really want him to lead a wild way here? I think it's better to wait until the superiors send someone over." The gunner still didn't believe it.
"Didn't you just mumble that you thought it was too late to send someone up? You'll know if it's a mule or a horse. If it doesn't work, just let him go back." Yuan Li said nonchalantly.
After a while, the excited Mo Youcai ran over with the even more excited Chen Tang.
Lao Mo was excited because everyone knew that the armored force was the meat and potatoes of the entire division, and the tank company was even more precious. The treatment was closer than that of his own son. If his soldiers joined it, they would see acquaintances again in the future. Gotta blow it.
Chen Tang was excited because she couldn't believe that she had gotten the opportunity to drive a tank so quickly. It was like a dream.
"Is that him? How old is he? Has he ever been on the battlefield?" The gunner chuckled and looked a little contemptuous. He thought he was a veteran, but instead he was a young boy who was less than 30 years old.
Chen Tang's skin is relatively fair. Although he is twenty-seven or eighty years old, the half of his burned face has no trace of beard. Apart from being a bit ferocious, he looks much younger than he actually is.
"I am twenty-eight years old this year, and I have been in the army for eight years." Chen Tang was not annoyed at all, and answered accurately.
"You've been in the army for 8 years and you're still a first-class soldier? What have you been doing these past 8 years?"
The gunner asked bluntly. He had only been in the army for five years, and now he was a warrant officer. This guy had been in the same position for eight years, which really made people seriously doubt the authenticity.
"Okay, stop saying a few words!" Yuan Li scolded him. He could see how extraordinary Chen Tang was. The large area of burns on his body could tell something. Veterans of the tank army had seen a lot of them. Everyone carries the same scars as him.
The battalion commander's reprimand made the gunner curl his lips and say nothing, but there was a reason why he was so targeted.
The Sherman tank is operated by five people inside. The commander and assistant are responsible for combat command, and are also the radio liaison officer and turret machine gunner. The gunner is responsible for aiming and firing, and operating the coaxial machine gun. Each position of the loader, machine gunner, and driver is actually very important and irreplaceable. Especially the position of the driver can determine the combat efficiency of the tank.
Excellent drivers tend to handle road conditions more quickly and can control the rhythm to make the tank more maneuverable and provide the gunner with a better output position, which is the top priority.
Therefore, the gunner does not want an incompetent fool to cooperate with him behind him, as that may harm the entire vehicle.
"Have you worked in that army before? You can really drive a tank:" Yuan Li asked curiously.
"I served as a Vicker tank driver in the Third Company and Fourth Platoon of the 1st Battalion of the Army Armored Regiment of Chief Du. I was injured in Nanjing and retired." Chen Tang straightened his chest and answered with overwhelming force.
Yuan Li and the gunner looked at each other and saw shock in the other's eyes. Not many people could tell the number of this unit.
In 1937, under the instruction of the head of state, the Army Transport School was reorganized into the Army Armored Corps directly under the Ministry of Military Affairs. It was the only armored corps in China at that time. It participated in many battles such as Songhu, Nanjing, and Taierzhuang. It was also the predecessor of the 200 Division.
Yuan Li and Yuan Li both joined the 200th Division when it was transferred to Guangxi in 1939. If we look at their seniority, Chen Tang, who had been in the Armored Corps in 1937, is still considered their senior.
The two of them looked solemn and slowly raised their right hands to salute Chen Tang, who quickly returned the salute. Looking at the scars on Chen Tang's cheek and even his neck, the gunner finally stopped being sour. Maybe he really had a story.
"There are definitely differences between the Sherman and Vickers cockpits, but the principles are similar. Let's give it a try first and open our eyes?"
"good!"
Chen Tang was not polite, and like a nimble boy, he skillfully turned over and entered the tank.
Slowly stroking the operating lever with a slightly trembling hand, after 6 years, he finally came inside the big guy he had dreamed of again. This familiar yet unfamiliar feeling made Chen Tang have mixed feelings.
"The joystick, the gear lever, that throttle? Well...yes, what are these two buttons..."
Chen Tang was still groping, and the gunner also got into the car at this moment, describing to him some of the conventional mechanical layouts he knew:
"I once heard a driver say that this tank has two engines, which are independent of each other. If there is a problem with one of them, it can be shut down, but the tank can still move. When you pull up the button on the left, it will Release the clutch and only the right engine will continue to operate."
In fact, not many people understand this tank now. Sherman came to the battlefield in western Yunnan not long ago. Most Chinese soldiers were trying to figure it out while fighting. The gunner also often discussed the details of this tank because he had a good relationship with the driver in the past. , so he is familiar with these, but it is difficult for him to actually operate them. After all, he has specialization in the art.
"Don't look at me like that. I just don't want my partner behind me to make mistakes all the time, causing me to be inaccurate."
The gunner noticed the surprised look directed at him, but still said it bluntly.
"Thank you, what do you call me?" Chen Tang nodded to him sincerely. Although this guy was unforgiving, he was also kind-hearted, cold on the outside and warm on the inside.
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