Chapter 72 Mark I Tank

The "Mark I" tanks in history are divided into "male" and "female" tanks.

The "male" is equipped with two 57MM main guns (one on the left and right of the gun chamber protruding from both sides), plus 4 Hotchkiss light machine guns.

The "female" is only equipped with 6 Vickers machine guns.

This allows the "Mark I" to be operated by eight crew members: driver, commander, plus 6 machine gunners or 2 gunners and 4 machine gunners, with a total weight of 28.4 tons.

The "Mark I" tank under development by Shire has all the equipment reduced to three machine guns: a Vickers machine gun in the front and a Hotchkiss on each side.

Therefore, the crew was reduced to five people: driver, commander, and three machine gunners.

Both Joseph and Djoka felt it was a pity, and they had a lot of suggestions:

"Our engine has 83 horsepower, and it can drive about 23 tons of weight. But now the "Mark I" plus the crew only weighs less than 19 tons, and there is still about 4 tons of redundancy. It can completely lift the Vickers Machine guns turned into artillery!”

"A cannon will definitely do more damage to the enemy than a machine gun!"

"Of course, it is an artillery shell after all. It has the potential to destroy the enemy's sandbag fortifications but the machine gun cannot do this!"

…

Djoka and Joseph's estimate was spot on.

When the British invented the "Mark I" in 1916, the engine used was 105 horsepower.

105 horsepower drives a 28.4-ton tank. According to this ratio, the 83-horsepower "Holt 75" can drive a 22.45-ton tank.

This is not much different from their estimate of 23 tons, and it is indeed possible to add a small-caliber artillery.

However, Ciel still insisted on his own ideas.

"Just use the Vickers machine gun!" Charles said: "The bigger the firepower, the better the battlefield. Sometimes it needs bullets rather than artillery shells!"

However, Charles did not completely reject their idea: "We can produce tanks with small-caliber guns in small batches, but we need to remove the side machine guns, that is, only bring one gun, and increase the thickness of the frontal armor!"

Djoka and Joseph looked at each other. They did not think this was a wise move, because the sides of the tanks needed machine gun cover, otherwise how to prevent the enemy from approaching from the sides.

But Ciel knew that they thought so just because they didn't understand the military.

Joseph is the director of a tractor factory. He has spent his life studying tractors and does not understand what a battlefield is. Djoka was born into a family of businessmen, and his knowledge of military matters was limited to shotguns.

They take it for granted that artillery must be better than machine guns and that every tank's defense must be comprehensive.

But the truth is exactly the opposite.

The tanks of this period did not have a bi-stable system. They still used the most primitive rigid suspension, which could not even keep the vehicle level when driving on rough roads.

The artillery needs a level and stable base, and then calculate the ballistic trajectory on this basis to roughly hit the shell to the target range.

In short, no one could hit the cannon on the first-generation tank, it all depended on luck.

The only role it can play on the battlefield is to scare the enemy with its black muzzle.

Machine guns have similar problems, but their bullets cover one surface, and the machine gunner can also adjust the angle according to the bullet's impact point while shooting, which determines that it will be much more accurate than an artillery gun.

As for the defense of the sides and rear of the tank, that should be left to the infantry!

The reason why Charles wanted to produce tanks with artillery in small batches was because he considered a situation: if it encounters an enemy bunker, it will be difficult for a tank equipped only with machine guns to be effective, but the artillery can get close to the bunker and use the artillery. Aim at the perforations and fire the shells into the bunker.

"How long will it take to complete?" Ciel asked.

"It might take another week!" Joseph replied.

Charles is quite satisfied with the progress. Historically, it took about six months for the "Mark I" to be designed and produced as a test vehicle, while Joseph only needed more than two weeks.

This is largely due to the fact that Charles gave a mature design and deleted many weapons, especially the two turrets on the left and right sides, which would put a huge burden on the tank and make production very difficult.

However, the "Mark I" produced by Shire still had many flaws.

The most serious problem is the track problem. Its maximum range is only 35 kilometers, and it needs to be repaired continuously during this period. After 35 kilometers, it is no longer a problem of maintenance. The entire track must be replaced, and it must be replaced before the war, otherwise it will not be able to drive for long. Will break.

(Note: The original "Mark I" was only 30 kilometers)

But Ciel wasn't worried about this at all.

This is a battle. The enemy and we are still at the level of trench warfare. They dig trenches and fight each other.

The trenches are dead and will stay there after they are dug. The "Mark I" can always drive to the battlefield and always face the enemy's hail of bullets. It is just a matter of replacing a few tracks. It does not need to consider tanks like World War II. mobility.

More importantly, only if this tank is imperfect can it be possible for Charles to upgrade to a better, more perfect tank.

When the capitalists imitate successfully, Shire's new, more advanced version of the tank will also come out. This will turn the tanks copied by the capitalists into a pile of unsaleable scrap metal in an instant.

Charles and Djoka worked in the factory until nine o'clock in the evening before going home. During this time, they ate a few mouthfuls of dry bread and drank coffee when they were hungry.

When the two drove home in their car, they were not surprised to receive Camille's anger.

She mainly targeted Djoka:

"It's rare for Charles to come back, but you asked him to come back just now. I even prepared dinner!"

"Did you know he's going back to the army tomorrow?"

"Char didn't see you working overtime until nine o'clock before he came back. Why did he have to work until now when he came back?"

Charles tried to excuse Djoka, during which Djoka did urge Charles several times.

But Charles couldn't leave, because "Mark I" had many things that Charles needed to make decisions about. Neither Dejoka nor Joseph knew anything about military affairs or the future.

Some things are just a sentence to Charles, but Djoka and Joseph need to produce them for repeated verification and comparison.

However, Camille didn't listen to the explanation at all. She turned around and directed her anger at Charles:

“Isn’t the factory something adults should be more concerned about?”

"Does the army need to take care of this 17-year-old kid, and the same goes for the factory?"

"Developing equipment for the army? Are you worrying too much about this country?"

…

What Camille didn't know was that Ciel didn't worry too much about the country, Ciel was worried about himself.

Ciel didn't know how the nobles would deal with him in the future. All he could do was to increase the chips in his hand as much as possible.

If Camille were told the cause and effect, she might not blame Ciel for it, but she would be so frightened that she would have trouble sleeping and eating!

Charles didn't want the latter, so neither he nor Djoka offered further explanations.