Chapter 517 Artillery and Machine Guns
Less than two days after the M1 semi-automatic was put into service, five 107 rocket launchers were shipped from Paris to Antwerp.
When it was produced, it was discovered that it only cost a little over a thousand francs per gun. Steed couldn't believe it and sent several telegrams to ask:
"Is this true, General?"
"Do you really need this thing? Can it really be useful on the battlefield?"
“I was worried there might be a problem, it was so cheap!”
Charles looked at the telegram and smiled. Its advantage was precisely that it was cheap. If it wasn't cheap, I wouldn't want it.
Tijani was never optimistic about the rocket launcher, and during the test he followed Charles to the suburbs reluctantly.
That was the "Bueno" fortress. After Charles captured Antwerp, he used it as his headquarters and lived here for a while. In front of it, apart from a trench, there was an empty barren land with only a few shell craters, which were left by the Germans firing indiscriminately in the dark when Charles attacked.
Although this place is very suitable for rocket launcher testing, for confidentiality reasons, the Belgian military and police had to clear the area within a few miles around and ten kilometers in front one day in advance.
This alarmed Albert I.
Albert I rushed to the airport headquarters when he heard about this and asked expectantly, "General, I heard that we will test the new equipment tomorrow?"
"Yes." Charles answered nonchalantly while signing the document in his hand.
"Is it part of the fortress's defense system?" Albert I asked again.
Charles was stunned, and his movements slowed down unconsciously.
Rocket launchers do seem to be able to be used in "fortress defense systems."
The range of the artillery in the fortress is often not as good as that of the enemy's artillery, because the enemy will always produce artillery with a longer range to deal with the fortress.
However, rocket launchers can ignore the "range" problem.
For example, if the Germans used "Big Bertha" to bomb the fortress again, the Belgian army could suddenly use rocket launchers to blow it up and then turn around and leave.
Thinking about it, Charles said, "Maybe, if you are interested..."
"Of course." Albert I was delighted. "Of course I'm interested, Major General. So, I can participate in tomorrow's test?"
"Yes." Charles replied, "But for the sake of confidentiality, only you and Brigadier General Eden can participate."
"No problem." Albert I agreed readily, and then asked curiously: "Can I know what that is?"
Charles was reserved: "We declared it to be a cannon, and you can think so too."
Albert I's eyes lit up instantly.
A cannon, a new type of cannon!
Great, all we need for the fortress defense system are cannons. As long as we have enough cannons, we can keep all enemies outside the defense circle!
Albert I was full of expectations for this cannon. He excitedly imagined the appearance of this cannon in his mind. After returning to the manor, he called Brigadier General Eden to tell him the good news:
"We're going to have artillery soon, a new type of artillery, invented by Ciel!"
"With this cannon, we will be invincible. No one can break through our fortress defenses!"
Eden agreed: "Of course, Your Majesty, the equipment invented by Charles is always the most advanced, including airplanes, tanks, machine guns, and mines. Many of the equipment are unprecedented."
Naturally, they imagined what the gun looked like and made a series of reasonable guesses:
Charles went to so much trouble to keep its testing secret; this cannon must be very advanced and excellent.
It must be tall and powerful, able to shoot far and accurately, and "Big Belsa" will be blown into the sky by one shot.
It should not be large in size, because Charles said it can be used in the fortress defense system, which means that this kind of gun can be installed in the fortress.
Albert's only concern was its price, as Belgium was not well-off!
Little did he know that this was exactly the only thing he didn't have to worry about.
…
The next day, when they saw the rough and low "drain pipes" at the "Bueno" Fortress, the huge difference in height made them speechless.
Albert I did not even think that was what Charles was going to show today. He asked Charles: "Major General, where is the cannon you mentioned?"
Charles raised his head towards the "water pipes". "That's what you see, Your Majesty."
Albert I opened his mouth in surprise.
Although he told himself over and over again in his heart that this was equipment developed by Charles and it must be amazing, he could not hide the disappointment on his face.
Brigadier General Eden was a little skeptical. Could this be another secret kept by Charles?
Just take out something to trick these outsiders, and then test the real artillery after they leave!
Well, that must be it!
Tijani was completely out of shape. He was still thinking about the M1 semi-automatic rifle and how it could be used on the battlefield.
Soon, the soldiers loaded rockets into the rocket launcher under the contemptuous gaze of the crowd.
Brigadier General Eden became more determined after seeing the rocket.
Rockets are not advanced things. "Congreve" has been using them for a long time. Besides, they are inaccurate. There is no need for Charles to make a fuss to clear the area for them.
However, when Charles gave the order to open fire, everyone was shocked by what they saw.
The rockets made a terrifying "whooshing" sound, and one after another flew towards the target, spewing thick smoke and flames, and their tails were clearly visible in the air.
“Boom boom boom.”
“Boom boom!”
…
After a flash of fire and a loud explosion, the rocket exploded with a barrage of bullets several kilometers away, and several small trees in the target area were instantly shrouded in smoke.
The smoke gradually dissipated, and the small tree disappeared, leaving only a small section of the trunk to prove that it had existed.
Albert I was stunned. He couldn't believe that these ordinary "water pipes" had such great power.
Brigadier General Eden suddenly doubted his own thoughts. Could this be the protagonist of today?
Tijani was startled and was stunned for a while. Suddenly, he shouted excitedly: "I understand. This is another kind of machine gun, a cannon machine gun!"
Albert I was confused when he heard this. Cannon is cannon, and machine gun is machine gun. How can there be cannon and machine gun?
Brigadier General Eden nodded thoughtfully:
"That's right, General."
“It relies on quantity, and uses quantity to make up for the lack of precision.”
"It's like a machine gun, except it fires shells instead of bullets!"
Albert I suddenly realized it, but then he looked at the distance and said with regret: "It's a pity that its range is not far."
"About 8 kilometers." Charles said calmly, "That's enough!"
No one understood what Charles meant.
Isn't it true that the longer the range of artillery, the better?
How can we say that 8 kilometers is "enough" when we can't even reach the German 105MM howitzer?!
(End of this chapter)
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