Chapter 131 Armed to the Teeth
"General Hindenburg, General Ludendorff, this is my suggestion for the reform of the military system, you two have a look. If we can make our command system more flat, it will improve command efficiency. It will bring great benefits." Qin Tian said, and then handed a document to Hindenburg and Ludendorff.
Hindenburg and Ludendorff took the file and read it. Soon, shock was evident on their faces.
Indeed, they never expected that Qin Tian would actually propose reforming the military system. Although, over the decades, from the Kingdom of Prussia to the German Empire, the army's military system has changed from time to time. But basically they are only minor modifications, unlike Qin Tian, who directly cut off a certain level of units. If they knew that Qin Tian not only wanted to get rid of the unit 'Brigade', but also wanted to get rid of the unit 'Army', they would probably be even more shocked.
After reading Qin Tian's plan, General Hindenburg and Brigadier General Ludendorff remained silent for a long time.
It was a while before Hindenburg spoke.
"Your Highness, removing the unit 'Brigade' can indeed simplify the command system. However, this may cause turmoil. It will also make many people not used to it. Most importantly, it will reduce the number of brigadier-level generals. I'm afraid this will make many people dissatisfied." Hindenburg was a little worried. After all, one radish and one hole, if brigade-level units exist, there will be many more brigade commanders, deputy brigade commanders, brigade chiefs of staff, etc. positions. These are the ranks of Brigadier General and Colonel. Where will these people go after the brigade unit is cut off?
"General Hindenburg, we are only implementing this military system within the Eighth Army, and will not extend it to other armies. Even if it causes turmoil, we can completely suppress it. As for those brigade-level generals We can transfer to other departments. It does not mean that these brigadier generals and colonels will no longer be needed after the brigade units are eliminated. The commander of the artillery regiment can be a brigadier general. The deputy division commander and division chief of staff can also be It can be a brigadier general. If you think about it, there should be no big problem." Qin Tian said.
On this issue, he has made up his mind, no matter how difficult it is, he will not back down.
"Although it's a little troublesome, the simplified command system is indeed of great benefit to the command and operations of the army. I think we can try it!" Brigadier General Ludendorff said. Ludendorff was younger and more aggressive than Hindenburg.
Hindenburg hesitated for a moment, and expressed another worry: "Your Highness, if we change the military system without authorization, it may cause dissatisfaction in the General Staff. Your Majesty does not know what the attitude is."
"There is no need to worry too much about the General Staff Headquarters. If Xiao Maoqi wants to cause trouble, I will deal with it. As for the Emperor Father, I will explain to him." Qin Tian said. Anyway, he and little Maoqi are now at odds with each other, even if he doesn't do anything, little Maoqi will make trouble for him. Instead of this, it is better to follow his ideas. Anyway, now that Qin Tian's crown prince position has become more and more stable, naturally he no longer needs to be afraid of Xiao Maoqi.
As for William II's attitude, Qin Tian is still confident that he can persuade him. After all, almost everything Qin Tian has done in these years has been successful. Under such circumstances, Wilhelm II would have believed him.
"Okay, Your Highness, then follow your plan!" Hindenburg nodded, he had already persuaded him, but Qin Tian was still stubborn, so he had no choice.
According to Qin Tian's plan, all units of the Eighth Army will be reorganized according to the new military system.
A squad of 12 people is equipped with ten rifles, one light machine gun, one sniper rifle, and one grenadier. Three squads plus the firearms squad and the platoon department form a platoon. The firearms squad also has 12 people, equipped with a heavy machine gun and a mortar. The platoon consists of the chief and deputy platoon leader, a health worker, a signal soldier and two messengers. In this case, a row is 54 people.
Three infantry platoons plus a heavy weapons platoon and company headquarters. The heavy weapons platoon has two light machine guns, three 60mm mortars and one heavy machine gun, with a number of 23 people. The company headquarters is composed of the chief and deputy company commanders, two guards, one correspondent, one hygienist, and two messengers. The entire infantry company has a total of 193 people.
The infantry battalion consists of three infantry companies, a battalion headquarters company, a heavy weapons company, and an infantry artillery company. In addition to the officers and soldiers that make up the battalion headquarters, the battalion headquarters also includes a reconnaissance platoon, the guard reconnaissance platoon. The heavy weapons company is equipped with 6 81mm medium mortars, 8 light machine guns, and 3 heavy machine guns. An infantry artillery company equipped with six Type 08 infantry artillery (Type 92 infantry artillery for anti-Japanese troops), with a total strength of 1,050 soldiers.
The infantry regiment consists of three infantry battalions and one artillery battalion, the regiment headquarters and the troops directly under the regiment. The regiment headquarters includes the civilian staff of the regiment headquarters, the guard company, the reconnaissance company, etc. Other regiment-affiliated units include regiment-owned mortar companies equipped with six 107mm heavy mortars. In addition, there are logistics company, health company and so on. The artillery battalion is a field artillery battalion, which is divided into three field artillery companies, each equipped with six 75mm field artillery, and the regiment has a strength of more than 4,500 people.
The infantry division consists of three infantry regiments, one artillery regiment and other divisional units. The units directly under the division include the division headquarters, reconnaissance battalion, guard battalion, supply battalion, armored battalion (not listed for now), etc. The artillery regiment has three artillery battalions, two of which are 105mm howitzer battalions, and each battalion is equipped with 18 105mm howitzers. The other battalion is a 150mm heavy howitzer battalion, equipped with 18 150mm heavy howitzers. The entire infantry division has a total of more than 16,500 soldiers.
The biggest difference between the new infantry division and the previous old infantry division is undoubtedly the enhanced machine gun firepower and artillery firepower. In particular, the artillery firepower has been greatly improved. The existing German infantry division is equipped with 54 77mm field guns and 18 105mm howitzers. The restructured infantry division is equipped with 54 75mm field guns, 36 105mm light howitzers and 18 150mm heavy howitzers. The number of artillery pieces has nearly doubled. The intensity of the firepower is more than twice that of the previous infantry division.
It can be said that with the addition of so many technical weapons, as long as the new infantry division has been trained, its combat effectiveness will be stronger, at least much stronger than the previous one. If Hindenburg and Ludendorff didn't quite believe Qin Tian's proposal to build the 8th Army into the most powerful army in the German Army before, then they fully believed it now.
