Chapter 663: Iron Legion

"There are things that only you can see and experience with your own eyes and experience their greatness and horror. It is a continuous torrent of steel, with hundreds of various vehicles, artillery, assault guns, tanks and armored vehicles like the tide. Sweeping away from the wilderness, they walked on the wilderness as if on the road. They were as strong and sharp as the ancient Teutonic knights. Only the knights’ long swords were replaced by artillery, and the horses under the hips were replaced by vehicles. , The abundant power brought by the steel engine makes them even more terrifying than their predecessors!” Prince Albert described in his diary the scene when he saw the first Bavarian division dispatched.

At the station of the First Division, Prince Albert was loyal to see how powerful a fully strengthened Bavarian main division was. The total number of assault guns, tanks and self-propelled artillery exceeded 120, and almost all of them were above 75MM. The artillery is on track or half-track sites. All artillery shells and artillery materials are completely transported by motor vehicles. Most of the infantry can leave by truck with overcrew. Because there is no need to carry ammunition this time, and the local Prussian government provides oil, most of the food, and water sources, a large number of transport vehicles were vacated. As a result, the Bavarian division, who could not be motorized, became the first in history. A fully motorized large-scale organization, although the total distance of motorized units does not exceed 30 kilometers.

  But the distance of 30 kilometers is enough to worry other troops in the same period. There was no four-lane highway during World War I. It was a very cumbersome task for a large, heavy-duty army to gather at the train station and then load and transport it. Among other things, even on the road, a 150MM cannon weighs nearly 10 tons! There are no 16 horses to go unfavorable, and then calculate the distance and the ability of the horses to move. This is how long a team must be drawn.

"All the cars and towed artillery go on the road, the half-tracked vehicles take a short path to the wilderness, and all the trailers are gathered to transport the ballista heavy self-propelled artillery, the Hufeng assault gun and the cricket tank." When Prince Albert asked Rupley How Hitt transported these heavy equipment to the train station, the latter said easily.

The mobility of cars is indeed faster than horses. With the help of the local government and police, the entire convoy traverses the distance from the station to the station at an average speed of 15 kilometers per hour, including the departure of the troops to the relevant vehicles. It takes only 3 to 4 hours to get on the train.

  While waiting, Prince Albert carefully observed the heavy self-propelled cannon codenamed Ballista. This self-propelled artillery uses a new type of K08 150MML40 artillery. Although the maximum range is not as powerful as 22 kilometers as the K16 in history, it is still capable of 18 kilometers. In this era, it is still somewhat difficult to create a self-propelled howitzer similar to that of later generations. Basically, a cannon is placed on the site of a Hufeng-style assault gun, and the cab is in front of the gun carriage. The pitching device of the artillery is at the back of the middle, and there is a simple mechanical state equipment in the direction of the rear of the artillery. There is a fishing rod on the left of the artillery, and a spare shell can be placed on the boom. There is no yard behind the gun carriage. It can be put down at any time to fix the body.

Although this system is not complicated, it is already a miracle in the industry in this era. The real tracked self-propelled artillery had to be made by the French in World War I, but they used a 280MM self-propelled howitzer and a 194MM heavy self-propelled artillery. The cannon is taller than the prince made this one. Fortunately, the stability of this system is good. It is said that the engine can run more than 150 kilometers safely on the road...

  As a German military commander, he can fully feel the huge advantages brought by this artillery. Although this big guy is heavier and larger, his passability is definitely better than that of a horse-drawn artillery. Moreover, one artillery and one ammunition vehicle can constitute a complete firepower unit, and the speed of entering the position and deploying visually will not exceed 15 minutes. From entering the position, the first shell is fired in 20 minutes. This speed is impossible in a horse-drawn towed artillery. Other than finding a piece of ground, untie the artillery from the front and rear gun mounts, and then install the gun body. How long does it take to get to the gun mount?

Yes, you read that right. The transportation of this artillery in the Prussian Army is separate. During the transportation, the artillery will be arranged with a front car, and then the gun barrel will be removed from the gun mount and fixed on the front car and transported to the designated After the position, the first thing to do is to set up the artillery... This process will take at least half an hour--!

  It is more troublesome when it is put away. In consideration of the poor passability, Prince Albert can naturally see the impact of such a cannon on the current tactical level. "If it can be equipped with aerial correction, this fast-moving artillery can definitely be called an artillery killer. Compared with the current semi-fixed deployment of heavy artillery, this artillery is really terrifying. If it can, I It is hoped that the Prussian Army will be equipped with a certain number of self-propelled cannons for the suppression of the opponent's deep targets and anti-artillery operations."

  And Ludendorff focused on assault guns and mortars mounted on half-track vehicles. Paying attention to artillery is a compulsory course for every senior German officer, but at the same time paying attention to the front-line infantry support firepower and being able to see the doorway, that is the real skill, and Ludendorff belongs to the latter ~www.wuxiaspot.com~ Long-range suppression of artillery fire cannot solve all problems. The 105MM artillery has good ballistics and too little power. A slightly strengthened bunker can block the attack of medium-caliber howitzers, and the accuracy of the curved shot is too low for point targets. It can be foreseen that with the large number of machine guns Popularity, machine gun shelters will become the backbone of the line of defense. In the future, it is normal for a division to be equipped with hundreds of machine guns. And if these firepower points were to be cleared by artillery, it would be difficult, and the artillery itself was also the target of the opponent's hunt, and it was not safe to give everything to the supporting artillery.

  So this kind of tank, which has a good defense and can concentrate a dozen or even dozens of tanks on a smaller front, is very attractive to Ludendorff. Stroking the heavy willow armor on the front of the Hu Feng-style assault gun and the track shoes covering it. "If you add this layer of track shoes, if the 3-inch rapid-fire artillery wants to penetrate frontally, I'm afraid it will have to be close to about 300 meters." Ludendorff estimated in his mind.

Imagine that when a dozen rapid-fire guns advanced into the opponent’s position, and then suffocated the opponent’s defense at a rate of about 6 rounds per minute, Ludendorff was excited. That’s right, it’s just excitement. This kind of thing is better for the current position. The threat is too great. Whether it is the French 75MM rapid-fire gun or the German 77MM rapid-fire gun, even if it has armor-piercing shells, the threat to this tank is not too great. Can't the 105MM cannon be leveled against the tank, right? There is no doubt that because of the emergence of this weapon, the cost of the defender will increase significantly.

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