Chapter 148 Covering the Tank's Flank

Charles continued, "This tank is called the Mark I, with 83 horsepower. Its engine is not much different from the Saint-Chamond's 90 horsepower, but the Saint-Chamond weighs 27 tons, while the Mark I weighs only 17 tons!"

This is all thanks to Matthew, who simplified the structure of the "Mark I" and removed some unnecessary parts. Some parts were designed to make it easier to convert tractors into bulldozers, but tanks certainly didn't need them.

"What's its speed?" Estiny asked expectantly.

He already understood the importance of speed. It didn't need to be too fast, but it had to at least be able to avoid enemy fire so that the tank could survive.

If it can't even survive on the battlefield, there is no way it can cover the infantry, it will even become a burden to the infantry!

But the answer is obvious without asking. The horsepower is almost the same as that of the "Saint-Chamond" but the weight is half that of the "Saint-Chamond", so the speed must be faster.

Sure enough, Charles replied: "Preliminary tests show that it can reach a speed of 11 kilometers per hour on flat ground!"

Estiny's eyes lit up. This was much faster than the 8.5 kilometers per hour of the "Saint Chamon".

"We must make one thing clear!" Charles turned his gaze to the machine gun sticking out from the side of the tank: "At least so far, we install weapons on the tank for self-defense, not to kill the enemy!"

"I understand!" It was as if Estiny had suddenly realized something: "Killing the enemy should be the job of the infantry, and the task of the tank is to advance with heavy armor and cover the infantry to break through the defense line!"

The "Mark I" was designed for this purpose. Its unique diamond-shaped body and tracks surrounding the entire body enable it to overcome most obstacles.

Even in trenches, it can first touch the bottom and then climb up, easily crossing without filling the trench with sandbags.

Then, Estiny suddenly thought of something, and he said worriedly: "Lieutenant, the Germans may have strengthened their ammunition. It is said that their rifles can penetrate the 12MM front armor of the Saint-Chamond..."

Charles nodded. That was the legendary K bullet of the Germans. They replaced the rifle bullet with a steel core or even a tungsten core bullet so that it could penetrate 13MM steel plates.

But of course Charles took this into consideration, and he replied: "The front armor of the Mark I is 17MM, and the side armor is 11MM!"

The front armor is sufficient to protect against the German K bullets, and the side armor is sufficient to protect against the enemy's ordinary rifle bullets. This is why the "Mark I" has no artillery and not many machine guns, but still weighs 17 tons.

(Note: The British "Mark I" has an armor thickness of 6 to 12 mm and weighs 28 tons)

After hearing these data, Estiny felt relieved. In his mind, he imagined this tank on a battlefield full of artillery fire, crossing ditches and trenches under the enemy's bullets, and approaching the enemy, with the soldiers in the rear following closely and finally breaking through the enemy's position.

But Estiny was still a little worried about the flanks. He frowned, "The moment when the tank crosses the trench seems to be the most dangerous. At that time, its speed is probably very slow. At the same time, the area on the side is large enough, and the Germans are hiding in the trenches. If they have K-bombs..."

Ciel turned his gaze to the absent-minded Brownie behind him: "This is the infantry's business!"

Colonel Brownie was a little impatient: "Little guy, there's no point in talking so much. Don't you think we should drive it up and practice? After practicing a few times like before, we will know how to fight. You have the final say on the rest!"

Brownie is that kind of person. Just tell him how to play. He believes that Charles will consider everything and he can win by doing it!

Charles replied calmly: "Sorry, Colonel, I think you should learn this first..."

Charles said as he nodded to Joseph who was waiting beside him.

Joseph understood and asked several workers to carry two long boxes and pile them in front of Colonel Brownie.

Colonel Brownie opened the lid of the box and saw that it was filled with things that looked like wooden handles. He picked one up curiously and turned to look at Charles: "What is this?"

"Grenade, Colonel!" Charles replied, "Open the safety cover at the rear, pull the string, throw it in the direction of the enemy, and it will explode in a few seconds!"

However, these are training bullets, and their weight and size are exactly the same as real bullets.

Brownie understood immediately. He had been busy transporting supplies and wounded soldiers during this period. Some of the wounded soldiers were injured by German hand-thrown explosives. He had heard many complaints from the wounded soldiers:

"What is our government doing? The Germans have special explosives that they can throw into our trenches with a pull of the string and blow up a large area of ​​us!"

"And we have to make our own using cans filled with gunpowder and fuses!"

"Can't they invent something useful?"

Someone even said to Brownie, "Hey, I heard you're a friend of Charles, why don't you ask him to invent an explosive that can be thrown easily?"

Brownie always patted his chest and replied: "Don't worry, I'll take care of it!"

However, he always forgot about it as soon as he turned around.

Seeing the grenade now, Brownie couldn't let it go: "Hey, little guy, how many of these do you have? I think the soldiers on the front line need it!"

"Don't worry!" Charles said, "It will be deployed to the front line soon, after we capture Lafox!"

The Saint-Etienne Arsenal is currently producing 20,000 rounds per day, and will expand production later. As long as the military is willing to buy them, this simple and practical gadget will be enough on the battlefield!

Estiny didn't take the grenade seriously at first, but after thinking about it carefully, he looked at Charles hesitantly: "Lieutenant, this thing...are you going to use it to cover the tank's flank?"

Charles nodded. This was Estiny's advantage. He didn't need any drills or explanations. He could guess that grenades were part of the tank's combat system just by relying on his imagination.

This scene will appear on the battlefield in the future:

As the Mark I slowly moved over the trench, German soldiers prepared to shoot through the side of the tank with K bullets in their hands, but suddenly rows of grenades fell from the sky...

These grenades could not penetrate tank armor, so the French soldiers could throw them with confidence. As long as there were pits, trenches or holes ahead, they could throw one first to "alert the enemy."

After a loud bang, the infantry rushed forward with rifles and shot dead the enemies who had not yet reacted to the explosion.

In this way, even if the German soldiers had K bullets, it would be difficult to penetrate the "Mark I" from the flank, because before that they would have to face the attack of French infantry grenades and rifles.

But of course, throwing a grenade requires standardized movements and a series of rigorous training, otherwise it is easy to injure friendly forces or even yourself.

"This is one of the infantry-tank synergies!" Charles looked up at Estiny and said, "It's not as simple as you think. I hope you can be responsible for its training!"

Astiny was flattered and responded, "Okay, Lieutenant, I know what to do!"

But Charles said calmly: "No, you don't know what to do yet. This is only part of it. Maybe we should go to the First Flying Squadron tomorrow!"

"The First Flying Squadron?" There was a strange light in Estiny's eyes. Does this mean that there will still be planes participating in this battle?

(The Mark series tanks, due to their special shape and structure, have strong trench crossing capabilities)

(End of this chapter)