Sidorin and Belkin never dreamed that the new weapons sent by Yakov were actually designed by Sokov. Both of them stared at Sokov with wide eyes in surprise, trying to figure out this. Is it true, or is Yakov just joking with them.
Seeing that Yakov had already said what he said, Sokov did not hide it anymore. He nodded and said, "Yes, this new rocket launcher was indeed designed by me. But how powerful it is on the battlefield, I It’s not very clear, we need our soldiers to test it in battle.”
"I really didn't expect that Comrade Brigade Commander could actually invent new weapons." Although Sokov admitted that he invented the new weapons, Sidorin still found it unbelievable. "This is simply incredible."
"It's nothing incredible," Sokov said, pretending to be nonchalant. "I considered that the troops would suffer a large number of unnecessary casualties when they launched an attack on the German's well-defended positions without adequate artillery cover." , hence this idea.”
"Comrade Brigadier," Sidorin waited for Sokov to finish, and then continued to express his opinion, "I think this weapon can not only provide sufficient fire cover for the infantry when attacking, but also provide Inflict heavy casualties on the attacking enemy."
"You are right, Comrade Chief of Staff." Sokov followed Sidorin's words and continued, "During the development process, I also considered this issue and felt that the new rocket launcher would definitely not be able to compete with the traditional rocket launcher. Likewise, it can only provide artillery cover for the troops when attacking, and it should also be used as a weapon during defense..."
"Misha," while Sidorin and the others were busy, Yakov came to Sokov's bed and sat down, asking in a low voice, "Can I talk to you alone?"
Sokov, who was lying on the camp bed, tilted his head and glanced at Sidorin and Belkin who were busy. He must have spoken to Yakov in a lower voice, and there should be no problem. He nodded slightly and said, "Ya Koff, if you have anything to do, just say it."
"When I came, Comrade Ustinov asked me to ask you privately, have you thought of any new weapons recently?" After Yakov said these two sentences, he also emphasized, "The assault rifle you designed , and the performance of this new rocket launcher on the weapons testing ground, the military and industrial personnel were so impressed. Like Comrade Ustinov, they all want to know if you have any new ideas recently. "
Yakov's words made Sokov fall into deep thought. Yes, the assault rifle and the 107 rocket launcher have already been released in advance. What weapons from later generations should be brought out next?
Seeing that Sokov was silent, Yakov thought that his voice was too low and the other party did not hear clearly. After all, the sound of transmitters and phone calls in the room were too noisy, and it was normal for him to be unclear. Just when he was about to ask again, Sokov had already said, "Yakov, what do you think of the power of the 107 rocket launcher?"
Yakov heard Sokov suddenly ask about the 107mm rocket launcher. Although he didn't know the purpose of his question, he still answered truthfully, "According to the comments of military industry personnel, this is a great weapon. Misha, I don’t understand, why do you suddenly ask about this weapon? You know, you designed this weapon?”
Sokov looked at Yakov and said, "To be honest, this kind of rocket launcher is very effective at hitting fixed targets or concentrated large targets. But if it is used to deal with speeding tanks, the effect will be greatly reduced." .”
"Yes, you are right." Regarding Sokov's statement, Yakov agreed, "No matter how fast the soldier operating the rocket launcher moves, it will take a certain amount of time from the launch of the rocket to hitting the target. Even if Our soldiers can calculate the advance, but the chance of directly hitting the tank is also very low. Therefore, I think using the 107 rocket launcher to hit a speeding tank is not worth the gain."
"Yakov, you are right." Sokov decided to launch the RPG rocket launcher adapted from the German Tekken-100 44mm rocket launcher several years in advance. "If we change the rocket launcher to Individual weapons, let our soldiers carry this weapon, hide in the area where the German tanks pass, wait for the enemy tanks to enter the range, and decisively fire to destroy them..."
After listening to Sokov's words, Yakov said with a confused expression, "Misha, I think I didn't understand what you meant. How can this 107mm rocket launcher be converted into a personal weapon?"
"Do you have a pen and paper with you?" Sokov felt that he couldn't explain clearly just by talking, so he planned to draw a sketch for Yakov to show him, so that he could have a perceptual understanding first, and then discuss how to design it. , he will be able to know it well.
"Yes." Yakov said, taking out a pen and paper from the briefcase he was carrying, and was about to hand it to Sokov, but saw that he was lying on the bed, unable to draw even if he wanted to. , quickly called a staff officer, and helped Sokov half sit up. After doing all this, he put the pen and paper in Sokov's hand and said, "Misha, you can show me the sketch now."
Sokov originally wanted to introduce the RPG-7 rocket launcher directly to Yakov, but then he thought about it. Whether that kind of rocket launcher could be produced under the current industrial standards was a problem, so he chose the simplest RPG-2. rockets. Since his hands were a little weak, he took nearly ten minutes to draw the sketch that could have been done in one or two minutes.
While Sokov was drawing, Sidorin and Belkin also finished their work and came over curiously, wanting to see clearly what Sokov was drawing. After Sokov finished drawing, he handed the sketch to Yakov and said to him, "Yakov, this is my newly designed rocket launcher, which is specially used to fight tanks."
"A rocket launcher for fighting tanks?" Yakov looked at the sketch in his hand and said with some doubt, "Misha, is this the individual anti-tank weapon you designed?"
"Yes, this is the individual weapon I designed to fight tanks. It's called a rocket launcher." Sokov nodded slightly and said in a positive tone, "The rocket launcher uses an open balanced ejection principle. It consists of a launch tube, aiming It consists of tools, guards, grips, and launching and firing mechanisms..."
After listening to Sokov's brief introduction, Yakov asked several of the most critical questions in succession, "Misha, I want to ask, what is the rate of fire of this weapon that is carried on the shoulders by soldiers and fired?" How long, how far is the range? Also, how thick of tank armor can it penetrate?”
Fortunately, Sokov was very clear about the key data set of this rocket launcher. After hearing Yakov's question, he replied without hesitation, "According to my idea, the firing rate of this rocket launcher should be per minute." 4 to 6 rounds, the direct firing range is 100 meters, and the effective range is 150 meters. As for the armor penetration thickness, it should reach 152 to 180 mm."
Yakov expressionlessly standardized all the data Sokov mentioned on the sketch, and then asked Sokov, "Misha, do you think we can produce such a machine with our current production level?" Anti-tank weapons?”
"I think there should be no problem." Sokov said carefully that the data I gave you is not of RPG-7 type. If there is anything that cannot be produced, he said firmly, "After two days, my health will improve." , I will draw you three views of this rocket launcher in detail to facilitate the development and production of military personnel."
Yakov stared at the sketch for a while, then nodded and said, "Okay, I'll be here for a few more days anyway, and I'm just waiting for you to give me more detailed drawings." After that, he closed the door. He picked up the notebook and carefully put it into his briefcase.
Sidorin and Belkin couldn't help but sigh with emotion when they saw that Sokov had designed a new anti-tank weapon in such a short period of time. Sidorin also asked with admiration, "Comrade Brigadier, I didn't expect you to be so powerful. In addition to commanding battles, you can also design such great weapons. I would like to ask, can you design any new weapons?"
Hearing Sidorin's question, Sokov's mind began to think quickly, "Yes, in addition to the assault rifle, 107mm towed rocket launcher, and the RPG-2 40mm rocket launcher just 'designed', there are also What weapons can be released in this time and space in advance?"
Seeing Sokov's silence, Sidorin said understandingly, "It doesn't matter, Comrade Brigade Commander, just think about it slowly and tell us when you think of new weapons."
"Misha," Yakov stood up and said to Sokov, "You have a good rest first, and I will come see you when I have time..."
Before Yakov finished speaking, Sokov suddenly thought of another weapon, stopped him quickly, and asked straight to the point, "Yakov, have you heard of white phosphorus incendiary bombs?"
"White phosphorus incendiary bomb?" When he heard this term, Sidorin couldn't help but be startled. He instinctively turned to look at Belkin, trying to get an answer from him. Unexpectedly, he saw that the other party also had a confused look on his face. He turned to look at Sokov again, wanting to hear his explanation.
When Yakov heard this term, he was stunned for a moment, and then nodded and said, "I have heard of it. It is said to have been developed by the Americans. It is an extremely dangerous and terrifying incendiary bomb that sticks to the skin." It is difficult to remove it in time, and white phosphorus burns at a high temperature and can burn all the way to the bone, while also producing a large amount of smoke that is extremely irritating to the eyes and nose.”
Yakov didn't understand why Sokov mentioned this weapon, and couldn't help but asked in confusion, "Misha, this kind of incendiary bomb just came out not long ago, and not many people know about it. How did you know about it?"
Sidorin and the others were initially confused when they heard Sokov mention this term. Now when Yakov said that not many people knew about this kind of incendiary bomb, they couldn't help but cast doubtful glances at Sokov. , I want to find out how my comrade, the brigade commander, learned about this weapon.
When Sokov heard Yakov's question, he wanted to slap himself in the face. He thought to himself that his mouth was so fast, and he actually said the weapons that neither the Soviet Union nor Germany had equipped yet. Fortunately, the other person was smart enough and quickly replied, "The last time the front army headquarters was transferred, the commander, General Yereomenko, and Comrade Khrushchev passed by and mentioned this sentence accidentally when chatting with me, so I knew that there was This new weapon."
The reason why Sokov let Yeremenko and Khrushchev take the blame was because he determined that it was impossible for Yakov to go to the two front army chiefs to verify the matter. After he finished speaking, Yakov and Sidorin both nodded in agreement, with the same look on their faces. The commanders at the grassroots level do not know that the US military is equipped with new weapons, but with the level of Yeremenko and Khrushchev, it is not surprising that they know about such weapons.
"Misha, this kind of white phosphorus incendiary bomb is really effective against enemies in fortifications." Yakov said thoughtfully, "But it seems to have little effect on our battle to defend Stalingrad. You know, Nowadays, the defense lines between the enemy and ourselves are uneven, and when the air force drops bombs, it is very likely to throw incendiary bombs on the heads of its own people."
The reason why Sokov mentioned the white phosphorus incendiary bomb to Yakov was not because he wanted to see how useful the incendiary bomb would be in the battle to defend Stalingrad. He wanted to give the other party a hint to replace the incendiary bomb. The filler, if possible, would have brought cloudbursts decades earlier.
"Yakov, you also said that this kind of incendiary bombs are very effective against enemies hiding in fortifications." Sokov continued, "Although our army is currently on defense, the chance of using incendiary bombs is low. But our army cannot defend forever without attacking. Once our army turns to counterattack, this kind of incendiary bomb will be of great use."
"It makes sense, it makes sense." After hearing what Sokov said, Yakov took out the pen and paper from his briefcase, looked at Sokov and asked, "Misha, tell me what you think. In my opinion, As you know, you will never mention any incendiary bombs for no reason, you must have your own thoughts."
"Yakov, this is what I think about." After a brief thought, Sokov felt that launching a cloud explosive bomb at this time would be too shocking, and with the current industrial level of the Soviet Union, it might not be produced at all, so he The next best thing was to let Yakov go back and let Ustinov organize people to develop napalm bombs. "In order to increase the power of the incendiary bomb, can we replace the white phosphorus inside with something else?"
Sokov's words aroused Yakov's curiosity: "Misha, what do you think the white phosphorus should be replaced with?"
"Gasoline, preferably napalm." Sokov replied without hesitation. "I think if the white phosphorus inside is replaced with napalm, the power of the incendiary bomb may be doubled. After you go back, you can Comrade Ustinov will discuss it and make a trial batch to see how it works."
"Okay." Although Yakov was not interested in what Sokov said about napalm, he still wrote these contents down in a small notebook. "When I go back, I will definitely tell Ustino Comrade Husband reports."
.
