Chapter 132 Firepower Wins (For Collection)
Hindenburg and Ludendorff were already stunned. They may not have thought at all that the firepower of an infantry division can be so powerful. In their opinion, this kind of firepower is really too powerful.
"Your Highness, are we really going to do this? If you reorganize according to your plan, then the firepower of each infantry division will be greatly improved. It is estimated that other countries in the world are far from being able to compare with us ’ said Hindenburg.
Before, an infantry division of the German Army had 54 77mm field guns and 18 105mm light howitzers. 114mm howitzer only. An infantry division of the French has only 36 75mm field guns. Although, Miss 75's rate of fire is terrifying. But the disadvantage in terms of caliber is irreparable. As for the Russians, although each infantry division has 48 76.2mm field guns. But neither the rate of fire nor the quantity has any advantage.
But now, if it is reorganized according to Qin Tian's military system, the infantry divisions of the German Army will have an overwhelming advantage in firepower. Generally speaking, 155mm heavy howitzers will not appear in the sequence of infantry divisions. Now, Qin Tian asked the German infantry divisions to also be equipped with 18 artillery pieces of this caliber, which undoubtedly made the German infantry divisions have more powerful firepower.
"The most direct way to further improve the combat effectiveness of our army is to strengthen the firepower of the troops. Artillery firepower is undoubtedly a vital part of the firepower of the troops. Having powerful artillery allows us to have powerful long-range Strike capability. In this case, our troops will have a greater advantage in combat." Qin Tian said.
"But Your Highness, with so many cannons, I'm afraid it will greatly increase the military expenditure." Ludendorff reminded.
Compared with the previous infantry divisions, each of the now reorganized infantry divisions has 18 more 105mm light howitzers and 18 155mm heavy howitzers. The 8th Army has a total of ten infantry divisions, which requires 180 105mm light howitzers and 180 155mm heavy howitzers. This is not a small expense! Especially now that the relationship between them and Mo Qi is so tense, it is almost impossible to get the General Staff to agree to increase military spending.
"Don't worry, this military expenditure is nothing. I paid it myself. I know that Little Mao Qi will definitely not increase our military expenditure, so I don't bother to find him. Such a small amount of money is not worth it to me." What is it?" Qin Tian said nonchalantly.
Hindenburg and Ludendorff nodded. Indeed, to Qin Tian, who is as wealthy as a country, the cost of several hundred cannons is nothing at all. Even if the cost of subsequent training is added, it is also nothing.
"Your Highness, with the addition of so many artillery pieces, the firepower of our infantry division can truly be the best in the world!" Hindenburg sighed.
"Of course, this is exactly my goal. Every soldier's life in the German Empire is precious. Soldiers are absolutely not allowed to fight for problems that can be solved with shells. If one shell is not enough, use ten, or even one One hundred pieces. In comparison, saving one more soldier's life is the most important thing." Qin Tian said.
The American emperors of later generations have always claimed to fight a war with zero casualties. Even the United States did not succeed once. However, this concept is worth learning. Qin Tian also knew that even if the firepower of the troops was strengthened, there would inevitably be many casualties in the war. But being able to save the life of one more soldier is one, and the little adds up, and in the end it is very impressive. Qin Tian didn't want half of Germany's young and middle-aged to die in a world war. In that case, even if the war is won, so what? With so many people dying, the development of the country will inevitably be greatly affected.
Therefore, Qin Tian hoped that during the war, as few deaths as possible.
Qin Tian's concept made Hindenburg and Ludendorff agree very much. Although, they are all people who are used to seeing mountains of corpses and seas of blood. However, Qin Tian's ability to consider the lives of ordinary soldiers and not hesitate to invest huge sums of money is undoubtedly worthy of admiration.
"In addition to the enhanced artillery firepower, the newly reorganized infantry divisions also have greatly enhanced machine gun firepower. Each infantry battalion, one infantry battalion has 15 heavy machine guns (6 12.7mm heavy machine guns, 9 7.62 mm heavy machine guns) and 33 light machine guns. There are also 18 60mm light mortars and six 81mm medium mortars. The firepower of the frontline troops has also been greatly improved," Ludendorff said.
Qin Tian nodded: "With the development of technology, the previous combat method of lining up with guns has long been inapplicable. The appearance of machine guns has made that combat method no different from courting death. I think that the next This war is very likely to turn into a trench warfare. The two sides are digging hundreds of kilometers of trenches on the battlefield. It will be impossible to break through the enemy's trench defense line under the blockade of the enemy's powerful machine gun fire The casualties paid will inevitably be very heavy. Therefore, we can only further strengthen the firepower of the infantry. At the same time, equip as many mortars as possible to attack the enemies hiding in the trenches."
Hindenburg and Ludendorff agree that future wars are very likely to evolve into trench warfare. With the continuous advancement of technology, the way of fighting will inevitably change.
In addition, there is another extremely significant change, that is, the firepower of each infantry squad has been enhanced. In Qin Tian's plan, not only would each infantry squad be equipped with a light machine gun, a sniper rifle, and a grenadier. The rifle used by the infantry will also change from the Mauser 1898 rifle to the M1 semi-automatic rifle. Although, compared with the Mauser 1898 rifle, the M1 semi-automatic rifle has some disadvantages in terms of long-range accuracy. However, the fire rate is faster and the firepower is more powerful. After changing the equipment, the firepower of each infantry squad will be greatly strengthened. It can be said that in the future, there will be no problem for one infantry squad to resist two or three enemy squads. With powerful firepower, the goal of winning more with less is truly achieved.
Qin Tian believes that in war, the most critical factor is not weapons, but people. However, equipping the elite soldiers with the best weapons will undoubtedly further enhance the combat effectiveness of the troops.
