Chapter 454 Trench Cleaner
Browning was a remarkable man. He successfully designed and produced a total of 37 different types of firearms.
For example, the various types of Browning pistols that are famous both at home and abroad, as well as the M1911, the standard pistol used in the United States for decades, are all his works, but what Charles is most excited about is his shotgun.
The latest shotgun is the Browning A5.
In addition to being produced by the Belgian FN, this gun was also licensed to the American Remington Company, which named it the "Remington M11".
(The picture above shows the "Browning A5", also known as the "Remington M11", which has the nickname "Hunchback" due to its unique high tail design. It began production in 1902 and was not discontinued until 1998. According to incomplete statistics, 850,000 were produced)
At this time, European countries generally did not like shotguns. They believed that the range of this gun was too short, only about 40 meters, which was in no way comparable to the rifle's range of several hundred meters. Therefore, both sides of the war did not pay attention to it and of course did not equip it with this gun.
Only the American army, which has retained some of its "cowboy style", likes this high-powered gun very much. They even modified it into a military version of the "Winchester 1897".
When the U.S. military entered the war in 1917, shotguns immediately demonstrated their amazing power on the battlefield.
The small space in the trenches made it difficult to operate long rifles, and the bolt-action rifle had a slow firing rate, with only one bullet being fired after pulling the bolt.
A shotgun can fire multiple pellets at once to strike the enemy in three dimensions. At the same time, trench warfare is a close-range battle, which makes the shotgun's lack of range less obvious.
This gun frightened the Germans so much that they demanded a ban on its use as a combat weapon because it was inhumane.
(The picture above shows the Winchester 1897 shotgun called the "trench sweeper" equipped by the US military. It was also designed by Browning and is slightly behind the "Browning A5". The former requires manual reloading, while the latter is semi-automatic.)
What Charles wanted was the rights to the improved Browning A5, which had a longer barrel than the military version of the Winchester 1897 and lacked a bayonet lug.
These are not conducive to trench warfare, after all, the bayonet is needed immediately after the bullet is used up.
In addition, Charles was able to make some improvements that even Browning himself did not know about, such as increasing its range and effective dispersion.
But Ciel wasn't stupid enough to bring it up now.
He calmly continued the previous topic: "Another question, you use the same bullets as the Germans, gentlemen, have you considered this?"
Charles glanced at everyone and said, "This means that once the Germans seize your machine guns, they can immediately turn the guns against you, or us!"
Everyone was stunned when they heard this.
"But there is no solution to this problem." Albert I was silent for a moment and said, "Unless we use the Lebel rifle."
Boyata's eyes widened immediately. This almost meant that all orders from FN company were cut off.
Ciel replied calmly:
"My suggestion is that the original 'Saint-Etienne 2' machine gun should be used until the guerrillas become combat-ready."
"Although it will cause some chaos in supply, the advantage is that even if the machine guns are captured, they will not be used by the Germans."
"When the guerrillas formed combat effectiveness and were not so easily defeated by the enemy in the later stages, and the Germans had their own light machine guns, the problem of capturing them no longer existed."
Albert I said "Oh" and nodded repeatedly:
"That's right, Commodore."
"Besides, we are not entering mass production so quickly, and there is still a window period for light machine guns."
"During this period, we can buy them from France instead of waiting for the machine guns to be produced."
"This will also allow our troops to familiarize themselves with this light machine gun in advance!"
Ciel nodded, that was what he wanted to say.
Everything was favorable for the war, the only drawback was that Albert I had to spend more money, while Charles could earn more.
Boyata breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, and secretly felt lucky.
The guerrillas use all kinds of guns. If Charles proposed to replace all rifles with Lebel, Albert I, who was obedient to Charles, might actually agree.
…
The next day, Charles woke up in his dormitory at Antwerp Airport.
During this period, the German troops in Antwerp had been basically cleared out, and Charles no longer needed to continue to set up his headquarters in such a harsh environment as the fortress.
The best location is the airport.
Of course, this requires the deployment of fighter jets.
Charles immediately expanded the Antwerp airport, transported fuel and spare parts, and set up air defense alerts in front of the airport, allowing a squadron of "Camel" fighters and the command center to move in.
Charles's move once again amazed Tijani: "Oh my God, our air superiority has advanced 200 kilometers in an instant. We can say that we have full control over the Belgian sky."
(Note: The Camel fighter has a range of 485 kilometers)
This seemed like a very normal thing in Ciel, but Tijani was shouting and screaming as if he had discovered a new world.
"And Brussels and Mons, General." Charles pointed at the map while chewing on a piece of bread and said, "Build airports in these two cities and station fighter jets there. That's what it means to truly control the Belgian sky."
Tijani nodded, then asked, "When are we going to launch a new attack? Everyone is waiting!"
Charles didn't answer, he just stared at the map and ate his bread.
Among them were Albert I and Colonel Eden, although their guerrillas were not ready yet.
"Some people say we should press on to win." Tijani continued to instigate: "The longer the time, the more prepared the Germans will be."
"The Germans are ready, General," Charles replied: "Anti-tank ditches, plus the remaining fortifications in Belgium."
There are several tough targets ahead, including the Fortress of Namur, Leuven, and the Fortress of Liege, known as the first fortress in Belgium.
Relying on the existing fortifications and cities in Belgium, the Germans organized a new line of defense against Charles' armored forces.
The most troublesome of these were anti-tank trenches, which prevented armored forces from breaking through quickly.
"The Germans are making progress." Charles smiled softly, "They have learned our tactics and developed many countermeasures."
"You must have a solution." Tijani looked at Charles with a smile. He had great confidence in Charles.
Charles smiled and said nothing.
He was waiting for new equipment from the Saint-Etienne Arsenal.
At this time, the guard came in and reported: "Commodore, there is an instructor named Dominic outside who wants to see you."
Here it comes, Charles thought.
Dominic brought with him a newly developed submachine gun, which was waiting for Charles to see and approve before it could go into mass production.
(End of this chapter)
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