Chapter 901 You Need Rocket Launchers More
It’s not that Charles didn’t want to do this business. The more than 100 tanks being sold were the "Charle A1" that were about to be eliminated by the French army. Charles had no reason to refuse.
But the military business is different.
If the sale to Italy was followed by a major defeat, it would affect the reputation and sales of "Charles A1" and even implicate the entire Bernard Group.
therefore.
From both an ally and business perspective, Charles should provide Italy with equipment that is truly suitable for them and can help them reverse their decline.
Cadorna's face was full of confusion. "So, Lieutenant General, what equipment do you think is suitable for us?"
Charles did not answer, but asked a few questions, like a doctor asking about the patient's condition.
"How is your artillery?"
"The artillery has been basically destroyed. They were basically left on the front line and not brought back." Cadorna looked embarrassed.
Retreating 100 kilometers in a few days was actually a rout.
In order to save their lives, the Italian army abandoned almost all heavy equipment, including 2,500 artillery pieces and a large number of artillery shells.
What's worse is that they have been used by the German and Austrian armies as weapons to attack the Italian army.
Charles tried to act calmly so as not to hurt Cadorna's fragile self-esteem.
"I guess you don't have air superiority, do you?"
"Yes, of course," Cadorna replied. "Our air power is nothing compared to the Germans, and this is the main reason for our defeat on the battlefield."
It is a good excuse to blame the defeat on equipment.
Cadorna did not reflect on the fact that it had been nearly a year and a half since the declaration of war. Why had Italy not introduced French fighter planes or produced its own fighter planes?
The fundamental reason was that he followed Haig's combat thinking and believed that fighter planes and tanks were useless and even a manifestation of cowardice.
(Note: Historically, Italy began to import French fighter planes in 1916 and produced its own fighter planes in 1917)
Charles asked again: "You are near the mountains now, right?"
"Yes." Cadorna nodded. "It is a passage between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea."
As he spoke, Cadorna took out a map from his pocket, unfolded it, and pointed out the location to Charles.
(The red line in the above picture roughly represents the direction of the Piave River in Italy. Once the German and Austrian armies broke through this line of defense, they would enter the undefended Po River Plain. During World War I, the Italian army successfully blocked the attack of the German and Austrian armies here, so the Piave River was called the "River of National Salvation" in Italy.)
Charles hummed, opened the drawer, rummaged through it, took out a document and handed it to Cadorna: "I think this equipment is more suitable for you, Mr. Chief of Staff."
Cadorna flipped open the file and looked up at Charles in astonishment after seeing the photo inserted inside: "Rocket launcher?"
"Yes, rocket launchers." Charles explained, "You don't have artillery. If you equip tanks or other equipment, even if you reorganize the artillery unit, you will undoubtedly be suppressed by the Germans."
Cadorna nodded slowly.
Even if the artillery was reorganized, it would not be able to defeat the Germans. This was determined by the quality of the artillery and aerial reconnaissance. The Germans' infantry-artillery coordination and air-ground coordination had left Italy far behind.
After hesitating for a moment, Cadorna shook the photo of the rocket launcher in his hand: "Will it not be suppressed by enemy artillery? I heard that it has a short range and lacks accuracy."
What’s important is the lack of accuracy. If you can’t hit the target, what’s the use of it?
"You're right." Charles did not deny these shortcomings: "But it can reach the other side of the river, and it can use up all its shells in a few minutes, and then hide in a safe area or even a tunnel before the enemy fires back."
This is very suitable for new recruits to fight guerrilla warfare, especially Italian troops, whose "hit and run" tactics are almost tailor-made for Italians.
Charles added:
"You can form combat effectiveness in a short period of time."
"As long as the operation is done properly, there won't be too many casualties."
"As for the lack of accuracy you mentioned, as long as there are enough shells, we can hit accurately, and your target is the 'floating bridge'."
Cadorna's eyes widened instantly, and he looked at Charles in surprise: "You mean, it, it is used to deal with the German floating bridge?"
Their line of defense was on the Piave River, and if they could attack the pontoon bridge and prevent the Germans from crossing the river, they would be invincible.
"Of course." Charles was full of confidence: "You just need to lurk the rocket launchers in companies near the Piave River defense line. Once the Germans build a pontoon bridge, the rocket launchers will come out of the tunnels and fire shells at the pontoon bridge in the shortest possible time."
Cadorna said "Oh" thoughtfully.
Having commanded on the battlefield for so long, he immediately thought:
Rocket launchers have a high maneuverability, and they can quickly maneuver into range and fire at pontoon bridges without air superiority.
After firing the shell, immediately flee the "scene".
If the tunnels protecting the rocket launchers were nearby, the German planes would not have had time to react.
Ciel reminded again: "Turn down, it has another form."
Cadorna flipped down two pages and saw the "trailer version" without the car.
"This is..." Cadorna was confused. Could this be more powerful than the one with a car?
Ciel explained: "This type of weapon has a slightly lower mobility, but is easier to hide and use. All you need to do is dig a hole in the defense line, and the rest is just a matter of ammunition."
Cadorna suddenly realized.
"That's right, Lieutenant General." Cadorna nodded repeatedly. "This is the equipment we need, but can you produce it? I mean, we may need a lot, both versions."
This is something that can be used to save lives, so Cadorna certainly won't be stingy with it.
At the same time, he was very satisfied with the "service" provided by Charles.
Buying equipment from the Bernard Group is not just about the equipment itself, it also comes with tactics and solutions to problems.
This is money well spent!
"How much do you need?" Charles asked.
Cadorna thought for a while and said: "The first batch will be 100 vehicle-mounted versions and 300 trailer-mounted versions."
"No problem." Charles agreed readily. Rocket launchers are easy to produce and the Bernard Group already has large reserves.
But the next second, Charles frowned:
"Other aspects are easy to talk about, the key is the rocket."
"You know, if each rocket launcher has 36 rockets, 400 rocket launchers will have nearly 15,000 rockets."
“This is in terms of transportation…”
(Note: The ammunition base of a rocket launcher is usually 12 rockets per salvo, and an additional 2 bases of 24 rockets are prepared for replenishment)
Cardona asked, "Are there any problems with transportation?"
"Yes, Mr. Chief of Staff." Charles said helplessly: "It needs the cooperation of the Toulon Fleet, but recently the Toulon Fleet is resisting the Bernard Group and refusing to provide us with transportation and escort..."
(End of this chapter)
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