Chapter 345: The Strongest Legion

On the test platform, with a clanging roar, an engine was running at high speed. Several men who looked like engineers were wearing white lab coats and were gathered around this test engine, pointing at its various parts.

Behind them, dozens of apprentices and staff were recording nervously. They were holding clipboards and piously recording all sorts of data, hoping that one day they too could design such a powerful engine system.

Demond manipulated a few electric buttons and finally shut down this rapidly spinning engine. With a proud expression on his face, he walked to the side of the engine, touched the still-hot top of the machine with his hand, then pulled his finger back and licked it.

“Gentlemen, the improved version of the G2 gasoline engine has completed all its test work. I believe this great engine has left a deep impression on all of you,” Demond said, patting the engine’s cover. “This is the most powerful and advanced gasoline engine in the world. It has increased the output power by 35% compared to the G1 engine used on the Panther tank. It is simply a miracle in industrial history.”

Clap, clap. All the engineers and designers present broke into applause. These days, they had been working day and night just to complete this engine improvement project. This was also the core technology for the future development of the German armored forces, and the most important link.

They had succeeded, and they couldn’t help but be proud of it. They had designed and produced the most powerful gasoline engine in the world to date. While keeping the volume basically unchanged, they had increased the output power and had also slightly reduced the fuel consumption.

With this improved engine, Germany’s Panther tank could be equipped with thicker armor, more powerful artillery, and have a faster speed. This improvement was enough to make all enemies collapse, because as it stood now, even the Panther tank before the improvement was already the top tank in the world.

Of course, under Akado’s leadership, Germany would not be complacent. The German engineers were not smug because of their phased achievements. Under the Führer’s orders, they had already begun to develop improvements for their weapons and the next generation of weapon systems in accordance with the correct development requirements.

For example, the model of the Panther tank now in production was called the Panther D. It had a thickened frontal armor plate, improved the stability of its radio system, and had also slightly adjusted a small problem with its transmission. This improved version of the Panther had a better level of protection. Its frontal protection was more than twice that of the early model Panther.

Although they were all Panther tanks, some of the later-formed armored units and the replacement troops of other armored units had, in fact, already surpassed their predecessors in terms of technical equipment and had become even more powerful existences.

Demond tapped a spot with his finger, then sniffed the surrounding area and said with a grin, “The follow-up improvement work can be left to the Alpha team. The combustion chamber needs to be expanded by 0.3 millimeters. The combustion of the gasoline is not yet the most complete… In addition, increase the spacing of the engine’s moving parts. The quality of our synthetic gasoline is too low. We need an engine with a higher fault tolerance!”

He talked on and on, raising all sorts of issues, but the people following behind him did not show the slightest expression of impatience. They just recorded with the sincerity of pilgrims and kept nodding, as if they were already in awe of Demond’s conclusions, as if Demond’s endless words were the truth, as if they were devout believers kneeling before Jesus.

Demond. He was Colonel Demond. He was one of the few industrial madmen in the German military who had been promoted to colonel purely on his technical skills. Akado had once, because of his outstanding contributions, received this scientific eccentric whose catchphrase was “I’m in a hurry.” Einstein had once privately called this man “Doctor War.”

“Colonel Demond,” an officer walked over from a distance and stood at attention beside Demond. “Heil Führer Akado Rudolph!”

“The Führer is naturally long-lived. If you have something to say, say it quickly. I’m in a hurry,” Colonel Demond said. As soon as he left his industrial design, he was ill at ease. He longed for creation, longed to design a great machine that was superior to others. So when he had moved his gaze away from his engine, he had immediately found his catchphrase again, as if he had found a long-lost relative.

“Colonel Demond, two officers have come from the headquarters of the 3rd SS Panzer Division of the 1st Panzer Corps. According to the production quota, it is their turn to be supplemented with new equipment,” the officer, who had been here for a long time and naturally knew what kind of temper Colonel Demond had, quickly and clearly explained the matter and then waited for the colonel’s reply.

“Supplement them with the newly produced 64 Panther tanks, from number HS0137556 to HS0137619… Remember to fill out the transfer report, and also apply for the railway transport record,” Demond said, and then turned his head, preparing to continue explaining his engine improvement process.

The officer also tactfully prepared to leave, to go and handle the procedures and documents for the transfer of those Panther tanks.

But when he had not gone far, Colonel Demond’s somewhat sharp voice suddenly came from behind him. “Wait!”

Colonel Demond walked out of the crowd, his eyes suddenly shining with a new light. He walked to the side of the officer and asked, “Which unit did you say just now?”

“Reporting, it is the 3rd SS Panzer Division under the command of General Guderian’s 1st Panzer Corps on the French front,” the officer replied, a little confused.

“Is that the unit of the tank ace, Lieutenant Rein Hardt?” Demond said with some excitement. “The ace who drives the experimental Tiger! I’ve carefully read every one of his combat reports! He’s a born tank ace! My weapons are designed for soldiers like him!”

“Colonel, what do you mean?” The officer was a little confused for a moment. He himself knew that in terms of jumping to conclusions, he would never be able to keep up with this Colonel Demond, so he had no choice but to ask.

Demond looked at the group of designers and technical backbones following him and waved his hand. “I’ll come back and analyze the improvement measures for this engine with you later! You can take a look yourselves and see what else needs to be modified!”

When these engineers and designers had all returned to their posts, he finally looked at the officer beside him. “Since Guderian’s panzer corps has an experimental Tiger, their logistical supply must be very inconvenient. I think we should send them something good, to let the whole world see the industrial strength of us Germans.”

He laughed, almost ecstatically, and said to the officer beside him, “Bring those few officers from the 3rd SS Panzer Division here! I’ll take them to see something good!”

“Yes, Colonel!” The officer looked at Demond with some doubt, thinking to himself, Didn’t they say that this colonel in charge of weapons production and R&D didn’t seem to have much interest in other things? What kind of strange wind is blowing today that he is actually concerned about the logistical supply of the troops?

He didn’t dare to ask any more questions. He quickly went to bring the two officers from the 3rd SS Panzer Division who had come to receive their equipment. The three of them came before Colonel Demond and, once again, stood at attention in a proper manner and saluted. “Heil Führer Akado Rudolph.”

“Come with me. I’m in a hurry,” Demond said, turning around and walking toward a closed warehouse door to the right. There were two soldiers with rifles on their shoulders standing guard there. It could be seen that it was a warehouse with a relatively high security level.

The four of them, one after another, came before this large door. Only after Demond had shown his identification did the two guards pull the large door open. And so Demond continued to walk inside, and the three men also followed, and thus they came into this warehouse.

This warehouse seemed to be a semi-underground warehouse. Inside was a deep pit of about three meters. Because the lights had not been turned on, it was not very clear what was inside.

Just as the three officers were exchanging puzzled glances, Demond on the side turned on the light switch. The spotlights near them began to light up, one row after another, until the entire huge warehouse was brightly lit.

And these three officers, at this very moment, were so surprised by the scene before them that they could not speak. Because in this semi-buried warehouse, neatly parked were brand-new, production-model Tiger tanks, that is, the most powerful first-generation main battle tanks that the German army could now produce in human history.

This was the first batch of Tiger main battle tanks that Germany had just mass-produced. They were equipped with a powerful 88mm long-barreled tank gun, had the same precise sighting system as the Panther tank, large-diameter road wheels plus a high-efficiency shock absorption system, and a powerful diesel engine. It could be said that this tank had been impeccably crafted by the German engineers. It was simply a work of art full of human wisdom.

“This is the new weapon we’ve recently stockpiled! The main battle tank of my personal design! Its appearance, as the omnipotent Führer predicted, has completely subverted the tank classification method of medium and heavy tanks! This tank can deal with any enemy tank that appears in the next three years… no! Five years! It is Germany’s greatest Tiger tank! The German armored forces will be invincible because of it!” As soon as he mentioned his masterpiece, Colonel Demond became a little hysterical. He loved this new type of tank so much because he had poured countless amounts of his own heart and soul into these tanks.

He pointed to the magnificent tank group below and said with a smile to the still-dumbfounded three officers, “Starting today, you will become the first unit to be equipped with the Tiger tank! You will become the most powerful armored legion in the world!”