NOVEL NEXT Chapter 102: Tiger Tank
Kübelwagen.
That is, the VW82 produced by Porsche. Much like the American Jeep, it was the most widely used light vehicle of the German army in World War II, and a symbol of the Wehrmacht. It was also one of the most coveted pieces of German equipment among Allied soldiers—sometimes they'd trade two Jeeps for a single captured Kübelwagen.
Finding a Kübelwagen here that hadn't already been driven away was almost impossible!
Just like the Luger pistol—once captured, it was almost never turned in, but became some Allied soldier's personal trophy. Soldiers would sometimes even risk their lives to get a Luger.
The Kübelwagen was just as popular.
Finding one by chance was pure luck.
But as Pierre approached the car, his excitement faded—the body was riddled with bullet holes, and there were even dark bloodstains on the seats.
Clearly, this wasn't a forgotten vehicle, but one that had been destroyed and left as scrap.
"Maybe it can still be salvaged…"
With that thought, Pierre opened the hood and started inspecting it.
Just then, the light screen appeared again.
"Damaged vehicle detected. Would you like to activate the automobile repair skill?"
Automobile repair skill?
The system was once again offering a skill, which made Pierre pause in surprise.
At first glance, this skill didn't seem particularly remarkable.
However, believing that more skills never hurt, Pierre chose to learn it anyway.
Once activated, just like before, a wealth of automotive repair knowledge flooded into his mind.
One had to admit, the system was truly extraordinary.
It instantly transformed Pierre, who had previously been a complete novice when it came to cars, into an expert mechanic. That was the most impressive aspect of the system: as long as you learned a skill, it would systematically instill all the relevant knowledge directly into your brain.
Because of this, after a brief inspection, Pierre quickly discovered that this wrecked vehicle was beyond any hope of repair—the engine had been blown apart by bullets.
"Maybe they dragged it back here just to see if there was any chance of salvaging it."
It really didn't seem worth repairing.
Even now, with several thousand tons of spare parts at the repair depot inherited from the Germans in Tunisia, it would be nearly impossible to fix this vehicle.
In fact, besides this wreck, there were plenty of tanks and armored vehicles parked here, all suffering from varying degrees of damage. But according to Major Heinrich, as long as there were enough parts, most of them could be repaired.
And as for parts… Pierre had more than enough.
After all, among the tens of thousands of tons of supplies obtained in Italy, aside from the food—which had long since been pilfered—there were several thousand tons of various spare parts, ranging from automobiles to tanks, from tanks to airplanes, and even artillery components. Of course, there was even more ammunition—after all, what the nearly 200,000 German troops in North Africa needed most was ammunition.
The weapons and ammunition had already been shipped back home, but the spare parts for tank and aircraft repairs had been left behind. There was no point in sending those back, and now they could be put to good use repairing tanks and even planes.
"Tanks…"
Pierre quickly turned his attention to another tank.
"A Tiger tank!"
That's right, a Tiger tank. In fact, there were two Tiger tanks… but they were really just heaps of scrap metal. Any that were in better shape had already been shipped back to Britain or the US for testing.
Looking at the massive piles of scrap—the tank turrets and hulls riddled with shell holes—the most critical damage was probably the road wheels blown off by landmines.
"Maybe… I should try repairing a Tiger first…"
For a moment, Pierre could even hear his own heartbeat.
After all, the Tiger tank was arguably the most famous tank of World War II, a true legend. Yet in later generations, there were hardly any Tigers left that could actually run. But now… a Tiger tank was right in front of him.
"Could this unlock a new skill?"
Swallowing hard, Pierre's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
...
The scorching sun hung high in the sky.
The sand on the dunes was baked hot by the sun, as searing as a young woman's bosom.
The sun was blazing and merciless. Even with a canopy overhead, there was only one word for it—hot.
But Pierre didn't stop working. Instead, he joined several German technicians in wrestling with the Tiger tank's engine.
"Sir, its transmission is damaged. I recall the main repair shop has some spare parts."
"Then replace it."
Although he had the system's support, compared to these technicians who had been repairing tanks for years, Pierre was only an expert in theory. In practice, he couldn't even unscrew a single bolt. But that didn't stop him from deepening his understanding of tanks, at least the Tiger tank, by observing.
"If we have enough parts, both of these Tiger tanks can be repaired," Hank said, pointing at the shell craters on the turret.
"Even with those craters, it won't affect its performance on the battlefield. Even now, there are very few tanks that can penetrate its armor."
It had to be said, despite its various flaws, the Tiger tank was still a dominant force on the battlefield most of the time—its only real problem was that there were too few of them.
When you're busy, time flies. By evening, Pierre finally left the workshop and returned to his office.
As soon as he entered, Ding En walked in and asked, "Boss, how's it going? Can that Tiger tank be repaired?"
"Yeah, no problem. It should be fixable," Pierre replied, wiping the sweat from his brow with a towel.
"But, boss, I think even if you bring such a heavy tank back home, it won't be of much use. Back when I was in China, there were many bridges that couldn't even support a heavy truck."
Although Ding En didn't say much, seeing how enthusiastic his boss was, he felt compelled to pour a little cold water on the idea. After all, the tank was simply too heavy.
"Bring the Tiger back to China?"
Pierre was momentarily taken aback, then said, "There's no use for the Tiger back home. These two Tigers are for our own use in the future…"
But then again, even in Borneo, there probably wouldn't be much use for them.
That place was all tropical rainforest; the best tanks for that environment would be light tanks. Wouldn't the Tiger just get stuck in the mud?
"Was all this effort for nothing?"
Thinking this to himself, Pierre took a sip of tea and, by the light, gazed out at the repair depot.
Another thought popped into his mind: there would always be a time when tanks could be put to use.
When would that be?
Who could say? But no matter what, these were two Tiger tanks!