Chapter 733 America's Solution
The next morning, Charles chose to go to work in the factory with Djokovic.
Although I say I’m at work, in fact I’m paying attention to the development progress in all aspects.
The "Char B1" tank successfully entered mass production. At this time, more than 20 vehicles have been produced and have passed preliminary testing.
Charles treated this tank as a secret weapon, and when a certain number of them were accumulated, he would suddenly deploy them on the battlefield, thus shocking the German army.
During this period, Charles transferred a group of tank soldiers from the front line back for secret training in the factory.
The difference between the "Charr B1" and "Charr A1" tanks is that the latter is manned by two people.
The fewer people there are, the easier it is to coordinate. For a small tank like the "Char A1", the gunner and commander can just kick the driver in front of him and he will know which direction to drive.
It basically does not require coordinated training and can be easily driven into the battlefield as long as you know how to operate it.
But the "Char B1" is different. Its tank crew consists of four people, namely the commander, gunner, loader and driver.
This requires several people to cooperate closely with each other to exert its power, and sometimes even the coordination between infantry and tanks and between tanks must be considered, otherwise it may be worse than the "Char A1".
Charles believes that it is necessary to be cautious in this regard, and since the "Charle A1" can still handle the situation, there is no rush to put it into service.
Stokes's research and development of the tank gun also went smoothly. He combined the French 75 gun with the British 6-inch howitzer and recruited a group of experienced masters from the artillery production line. At this time, a prototype of the tank gun had been produced and was being tested.
Charles was a little excited when he heard the news.
He couldn't wait to see the tank equipped with only a 75mm gun.
The two guns on the "Char B1" tank: a 37mm gun and a 75mm gun inside the hull. This layout is a compromise made to the needs of the battlefield and it actually has great flaws.
For example, when this type of tank is approached head-on by enemy infantry.
The 37mm gun on the rotating turret has a limited depression angle, making it difficult to deal with close infantry while attacking enemy tanks.
The 75mm gun inside the vehicle has a large caliber and great power. Using it to attack close-range infantry is not only a waste, but the shrapnel and shock waves will also threaten friendly forces and even yourself.
Therefore, the most reasonable approach should be to combine the two guns into one, like modern weapons, replace them with a shortened 75MM caliber dedicated tank gun, and then add a heading machine gun inside the vehicle body.
If possible, a coaxial machine gun can be added to the turret.
Using machine guns against close-range infantry is much more effective than slow-firing, high-powered artillery.
Charles thought about it and felt that it could be done because the 75mm gun in the car body would be removed, which would add a lot of space.
After a rough walk, it was already afternoon, and Charles returned to Deyoka's office.
"Is everything going well?" Djokovic asked Charles as he signed the documents with a smile on his face.
"It's going well," Charles replied.
"So, you surrounded another 300,000 Germans this time?" Djokovic looked up and glanced at Charles.
Compared to what was in the factory, Djoka was more interested in what was happening on the battlefield in Shire.
Djokovic is somewhat regretful.
Sometimes he couldn't help but wonder, if Charles had such an amazing military talent, did that mean he had at least a little bit of it too?
So, if he goes to the battlefield, can he also be successful?
But of course, this is just Djokovic's occasional fantasy. Now in his forties, he knows that the horror of the battlefield is beyond the imagination of people living in a peaceful world.
Therefore, he often said to Camille: "We should thank Charles, because he kept us away from the gunfire and suffering."
"Yes." Charles' answer was simple.
He didn't want to discuss it too much. It had already been published in the newspaper and was generally correct, except for some confidential information and details.
Djokovic noticed this and immediately changed the subject. He took out a report from the drawer and handed it to Charles: "Our business in Britain, France and Belgium is going very smoothly. Currently, the monthly profit has exceeded 15 million US dollars."
Arms, insurance, shipping and minerals, these are all very profitable things, and Charles has them all in his hands.
Charles heard the hidden meaning in Djokovic's words. He flipped through the report and asked casually, "So, the business in the United States is not going well?"
Djoka stood up and made a cup of coffee for Charles. “Let me put it this way. Your success on the battlefield has brought us great wealth in other countries, but the opposite is true in the United States.”
"What?" Charles looked up at Djoka, not understanding for a moment.
"It's simple." Djokovic raised his coffee and sat back in his chair. "The more successful you are, the more the United States thinks there is no risk and necessity to join this war. So, yes, the US military has reduced our orders. They are now fully focused on dealing with the domestic situation."
This time Charles understood.
Before this, the situation was unclear. The Central Powers and the Allied Powers fought back and forth. Although Charles won, Russia and Britain suffered a frustrating defeat.
The United States believes that they are likely to be dragged into war in the future, so they increased their orders.
But now.
Charles achieved a great victory, Russia also made a breakthrough, and with the addition of Italy and Romania, the Allies were instantly surrounded by enemies.
In this situation, everyone thought that the Allies were doomed, and the US military was no exception.
So, will the United States increase orders to prepare for war?
"They seem to have found a new solution," Deyoka said. "I think the U.S. military doesn't want to be dragged down by us, so they plan to solve the problem from the root."
"Fighting the gangs?" asked Charles.
Dejoka nodded. "They have launched several large-scale crackdowns on the gangs, and it seems to be quite effective."
Charles smiled. It is not possible to just "encircle and suppress" the gangs. This is only treating the symptoms and not the root cause. The root cause is that the American legal system has not kept up, leaving a lot of room for the gangs to operate.
"Do we need to reduce production capacity in the United States?" Deyoka asked. "There are already a large number of products piled up in warehouses, especially helmets. Joseph believes that there is no need to produce them, or to ship them to France for sale..."
"No." Charles insisted on his own thoughts: "There will be a turning point, father."
Things will soon change in Russia, thought Charles.
Brusilov's offensive could have defeated the German army on the Eastern Front in one fell swoop. After all, the entire Austro-Hungarian army was in collapse and the German flanks were also threatened.
But unfortunately, there are always people who jump out and hold us back.
(The picture above shows General Alexei Evert, commander of the Russian Western Military Group. He did not cooperate with Brusilov when he won, causing Russia to miss the only chance to turn the tables and win in World War I)
(End of this chapter)
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