Chapter 260 The Development Direction of Tanks

After thinking for a while, Colonel Estiny replied:

"I know what you mean, Colonel!"

"If it's fighting alone, the 'Charr A1' might have an advantage. But if the 'Charr A1' faces a group of these tanks, it may not be able to cope with it."

"What's more, Schneider can also improve this tank into a rotating turret, and then the 'Char A1' will have no advantage at all."

Simply put, this tank has everything that the "Charr A1" has, and compared to the "Charr A1", it has the advantage of mobility.

How can "Char A1" defeat it then?

Charles was almost at a loss for words after hearing what Estiny said.

The tanks of this period may have been led astray by the success of the "Charler A1". The tank combat theory suddenly turned from super-heavy tanks such as the "Saint-Chamond" and A7V to the other extreme - super-light tanks.

This is very French, they always try to find an absolutely correct theory, and then do nothing but stick to this theory and hope to win.

However, the complexity and variability of the battlefield meant that this approach was doomed to fail.

Charles answered slowly: "I don't think the problem you are considering exists, Colonel. You don't deny that tank combat is mostly off the road?"

Colonel Estiny nodded.

So far, there has been no example of tanks fighting on roads. Even if they are intercepted on the road, the battle will still be carried out away from the road.

"So!" Charles took the sketch and pointed at the wheels on it. "Its wheels are completely useless in combat. Its mobility in combat can only be due to the tracks, not the wheels."

Astinhos did not deny that the mobility of the wheel was used for penetration rather than combat.

Charles added, "Since its wheel form can only travel at a speed of 28 kilometers per hour on the road, I would boldly guess that its track speed is probably only a dozen kilometers per hour. Do you agree with this?"

Astinni hesitated for a moment, then nodded and replied, "I agree!"

If Schneider's light tank tracks can reach a speed of 20 kilometers per hour, there will be no need for wheels at all.

On the other hand, the "Char A1" has a more advanced suspension and a maximum speed of 15 kilometers per hour, so the track speed should not be much different from that of this light tank.

"In that case," Charles ended with a question: "How can a light tank of only about 4 tons defeat the 8-ton 'Char A1'?"

Astinni was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized.

Djoka was confused. He looked at Estiny hesitantly and then at Charles: "Can we use weight to decide the winner?"

"Although it's hard to believe, it seems to be possible." Colonel Estiny explained: "Under the same technical conditions, the mobility speed is not much different. A heavier tank means thicker armor, which means I can penetrate the enemy but the enemy can't penetrate me!"

Dejoka said "Oh" and nodded.

The reason is actually very simple. Schneider and Charles are both French arms dealers, and the engines and weapons and equipment used in their light tanks are similar.

Greater weight necessarily means thicker armor, and thicker armor means greater defensive advantages in combat.

Charles didn't say anything else, just looked at the two of them quietly.

Colonel Estiny was absent-minded for a while, and then suddenly woke up as if he had an epiphany: "God, I may know what the future development trend of tanks will be."

Djokovic looked confused: "What?"

He didn't understand how this could be used to analyze "development trends."

Colonel Estiny turned his gaze to Charles, with some uncertainty on his face and a slightly excited voice: "If weight can determine combat effectiveness, can it be interpreted that, under the premise of ensuring a certain speed and mobility, we should make the armor as thick as possible?"

Then, Aistiny thought of something else, and he added, "So that's why you let Matthew go to the aircraft factory to learn engine technology?"

Charles nodded slightly.

That was two weeks ago. The R&D department of the aircraft manufacturing plant was short of manpower when producing bombers, and Charles took this opportunity to transfer Matthew over to help.

The more Djokovic listened, the more confused he became. What does engine technology have to do with thickened armor?

After thinking about it for a while, I seemed to understand that more advanced engine technology and greater horsepower mean that it can carry thicker armor and will inevitably have stronger protection.

Ciel added earnestly:

"Tanks have never been about having more, more fancy features, Colonel."

"The equipment on the battlefield has one most basic and most important thing in common: 'save yourself and destroy the enemy'."

"As long as you think about any equipment from this perspective, there won't be any big problems."

It suddenly dawned on Estiny: "Although a light tank like the Schneider has stronger mobility, it cannot 'save itself'. It is even difficult for it to break through the enemy's defenses... God, if it cannot break through the enemy's defenses, its road mobility may not be able to play a role, which means that it is a redundant and useless function, and may even increase the logistical burden."

Charles nodded secretly. After all, he was the father of French armor and he understood it immediately.

At this moment, Estiny seemed to have entered another state. He kept thinking about Charles' words in his mind and muttered to himself:

"So 'destroying the enemy' means... artillery!"

"Yes, it's the artillery!"

"The artillery should have a longer range."

As he spoke, Estiny looked at Charles excitedly, his voice trembling with excitement:

"I guessed right, Colonel. The artillery is developing a longer range."

"Also, we need to have penetrating power to penetrate enemy tanks at a longer distance!"

Charles nodded slightly:

"That's right, Colonel. This is the future of tanks."

"It doesn't need too many changes, it just needs to seek a balance between mobility, defense and firepower."

"And the core that determines all this..."

Colonel Estiny replied: "It's the engine. It's the engine that determines everything."

Only when the engine reaches a certain level can the tank be equipped with thicker armor and larger caliber artillery.

Otherwise, they would be like the Saint-Chamond and A7V, which were like a small horse pulling a big cart. It would be difficult for them to operate normally on the battlefield, let alone fight.

At this time, Estiny suddenly thought that Charles had been reluctant to install artillery on the "Mark I" type before, and the "Charler A1" tank was only equipped with a small 37MM caliber cannon, which seemed to be considered from this comprehensive aspect.

After thinking about this, Astinni was shocked beyond words.

Could it be that Charles already knew this direction at that time?

But……

At that time, tanks had just appeared and had no rivals. How could Charles know the future development direction?

He could actually think so far!

(End of this chapter)