I want to be emperor

Chapter 1200: The Frontline Soldiers Who Want Everything

As the battle continued, the Chu army's armored regiment gradually advanced, and the sound of machine guns continued to ring out. At the same time, two mixed convoys consisting of 783 tanks and 556 armored vehicles, directly facing the sporadic counterattack fire of the rebels in the city, forced their way through the main road of the city, and then divided the entire city into two!

The vehicle-mounted machine gun fire directly blocked the entire main road. Anyone who wanted to cross this main road would be strafed by machine gun fire.

Then, under the cover of the armored vehicles' firepower, the infantry carried out a more detailed division and encirclement, and then gradually cleared the buildings.

Seventy-millimeter infantry guns were also used extensively in clearing buildings.

The regular infantry of the Chu Army directly pulled the 70mm infantry gun into the city, and then used flat-fire mode to bombard various buildings.

These ordinary wooden and stone buildings had no ability to resist the bombardment of 70mm infantry guns.

The cities in contemporary Europe are very different from the cities in the Great Chu Empire.

In fact, there are very few concrete buildings in contemporary European cities. Most buildings are made of wood, and a few are made of stone. However, these buildings cannot withstand the artillery or even machine gun fire of the Chu army.

The penetrating power of the 11mm vehicle-mounted heavy machine gun is extremely strong, and ordinary buildings cannot block it at all!

The very few concrete buildings were mostly built by the Chu people, such as railway stations, warehouses and hotels invested and built by the Chu people, and a few official buildings of the indigenous people.

In general, contemporary European cities are still in the medieval realm, which is different from modern European cities that are filled with stone and concrete buildings... In other words, they are not very suitable for the street fighting environment of later generations because there is a lack of sufficient solid buildings to serve as tactical support points.

The cities that are really suitable for street fighting are actually the cities of the Chu people. Not to mention the local cities, even some cities in the concessions of overseas territories have a large number of concrete buildings, which provides the basis for street fighting.

Unfortunately, indigenous cities do not have this ability.

So when the Chu army really rushed into the city with machine guns and artillery and launched an indiscriminate attack, these indigenous rebels found that some of the street fighting experiences they had previously imagined and occasionally succeeded in were of no use at all.

When the Chu army fought in large-scale street fighting, they were not like in previous security battles. They were just a group of infantry walking stupidly on the street, giving the rebel soldiers lurking in the dark the opportunity to shoot them.

The Chu army is now fighting in street battles. Before officially entering the city, they have pulled out dozens or even more artillery pieces of various types and fired a large number of shells at the city. At the same time, they have airplanes, airships, and hot air balloons for aerial reconnaissance and proofreading. The accuracy of the artillery fire is very high.

Some of the rebel headquarters, warehouses, and barracks in the city were key targets. In addition, hot air balloons were launched into the air for a long time, and lookouts were observing with high-powered telescopes. Once they found signs of indigenous soldiers gathering, they would immediately call on the artillery to carry out long-range bombardment.

The bombardment alone was too much for the natives in the city to bear.

And when the Chu army drove the 43 tanks into the city which were invulnerable to swords and guns, and could not be penetrated even by the only smuggled 783mm black powder Type heavy machine gun they had, they were all in despair!

The only Type 43 heavy machine gun in the rebels' hands only fired bullets less than a hundred meters away. After trying to strafing the Chu army's 783 tank, the 783 tank reacted and turned around. After a burst of intensive machine gun fire, all the members of the indigenous rebels' machine gun team were shattered to pieces.

Later, the damaged machine gun was captured by the Chu army infantry who arrived later.

More than ten 783 tanks and more than ten 556 armored vehicles may seem like a small number, but their distribution density is extremely high when fighting in this small city.

As dozens of tanks and armored vehicles charged forward, the rebels in the city suffered heavy casualties and were unable to put up any effective resistance. In the end, they were divided, surrounded and annihilated.

As for the infantry of the Chu Army, they didn't fight much. Most of the time they spread out on both wings to provide cover for the tanks and armored vehicles and guide fire. The few who went into battle personally used grenades and shotguns to clear the way.

Even the rebel soldiers had hardly come face to face with the Chu army's infantry, and then they suffered casualties inexplicably.

For the Chu army, this battle was a test operation using armored vehicles to fight in a complex urban environment. The outcome was not important; what was important was to test a series of new weapons, equipment and tactics.

But for the more than 2,000 elite soldiers of the Bosnian rebels in the city, it was an extremely tragic and even frustrating battle... Most of them died under the bullets and artillery shells of the Chu army before they even saw the Chu people.

After seeing the tanks and armored vehicles of the Chu army, most of them didn't know how to resist... It was not because they were scared, but because they really couldn't find a way to resist effectively, and all the weapons in their hands were ineffective.

In the end, they were even forced to rush forward with grenades and explosives to try to blow up the tanks and armored vehicles, but they all died on the way to the charge.

The Chu army had long been prepared for this move of yours, otherwise they would not have developed a 783 armored vehicle specifically for use with the 556 tank.

The 783 tank has a limited field of vision and is not very maneuverable, but the 556 armored vehicle is different. It weighs only five tons and is a conventional armored vehicle. It has very good maneuverability and is flexible to turn. At the same time, the commander and machine gunner have a very wide field of vision.

With the 556 armored vehicles providing cover for the 783 tanks, the 783 tanks in front do not have to worry about the threat of close-range assaults and can move forward boldly, relying on their own strong armor protection to carry out targeted elimination of any suspicious enemies.

This combat mode, which was extremely successful in actual combat, was transmitted to the Army Headquarters in Nanjing City via radio, where it attracted great attention from military generals.

Actual combat has proved that when tanks and armored vehicles with a comprehensive protection concept are effectively coordinated, their combat efficiency and safety are extremely high.

Of course, it is not without its shortcomings. The 783 tank, which is the main output of firepower, is equipped with an 11mm vehicle-mounted heavy machine gun, which is still somewhat powerless when facing some buildings. Many times, the attack on some buildings requires the infantry to pull up a mm infantry gun from the rear.

  Therefore, some tank soldiers on the front line strongly suggested that relying solely on the 11mm heavy machine gun on the vehicle was not enough, and the tank had to be equipped with artillery. Even if it was only a 11mm howitzer, it would be more effective than an mm machine gun when dealing with civil engineering works and buildings.

In addition, frontline soldiers also reported that they had been subjected to early heavy machine gun fire from the rebels in actual combat, as well as attacks from indigenous rebels using early 70mm infantry guns.

Although there was no actual damage, the frontline soldiers felt that this was the effect of the additional steel plates and sandbags they had installed... They felt that if there were no additional steel plates and sandbags, the wall might have been penetrated and they would have died heroically.

Therefore, they strongly requested that the tank's defense capability be increased. The current 15 mm armor plate on the side and rear was too thin and made people feel unsafe. Finally, they wanted to get an armor plate of 20 to 30 mm.

Finally, the frontline soldiers also strongly suggested increasing mobility. The current tanks have too poor power and mobility. They only added some steel plates and sandbags, but they run as fast as a turtle. Therefore, they asked the rear to get a better engine to improve mobility.

  The direct feedback from the frontline soldiers was taken very seriously by the generals in the rear... But some people thought, damn, these frontline soldiers are not giving suggestions at all, they want everything!

We need stronger firepower, better protection, and greater mobility!

However, due to technical limitations, the design of tanks has a tendency to have strong firepower, so you can't have so much armor. The power of the engine is also limited by technology and cannot be improved just by doing so.

However, the suggestions of the frontline soldiers could not be ignored, so after a simple summary, they put forward the requirements for improved models to the Shaanxi-Gansu Weapons Company. After seeing the new design requirements, the Shaanxi-Gansu Weapons Company was also very troubled.

Limited by the technical level, especially the engine level and the potential for improvement of the vehicle body, the 783 tank can be said to have balanced mobility, firepower and protection as much as possible.

For example, in terms of firepower, there is actually a plan to install a 781mm tank gun, that is the tank, but its mobility and protection are relatively worse.

But it was clear that the military could not accept a plan that lacked protection and mobility.

  How to change it in this case?

After some consideration, the Shaanxi-Gansu Weapons Company felt that the existing 40mm caliber artillery was still too large, and that they had to develop a small-caliber artillery to meet the firepower requirements put forward by the military without significantly increasing the weight, which would result in a significant decrease in protection and mobility.

However, the contemporary Chu Empire did not have many small-caliber artillery... Due to technical issues, especially the problem of artillery charging, small-caliber artillery in the black powder era was not of much value.

In order to ensure power, the early military research and development personnel of the Chu Army set the standard of 40 mm, so 40 mm artillery also became the main rapid-fire gun caliber on the Chu Army warships.

If the caliber is smaller, the gunpowder will be too little and the black powder will not be powerful enough, so it will not be very meaningful.

This situation has continued from the early days to the present day and has become a habit.

But now, after receiving stringent demands from the military, the researchers at the Shaanxi-Gansu Weapons Company are considering developing a small-caliber artillery to be used as a tank gun.

The reason why they are confident in doing it is mainly because current technology, especially explosive charge technology, has made great breakthroughs.

The emergence of yellow explosives makes even small-caliber artillery shells powerful enough.

At the same time, mature smokeless gunpowder propellants are enough to give small-caliber, short-barreled artillery sufficient range.

Combining the two, we have the foundation for developing small-caliber artillery.

The Lanzhou Arsenal under the Shaanxi-Gansu Weapons Company quickly came up with a corresponding 30mm machine gun plan, and it was a short-barreled machine gun specially built for tanks. In order to increase its strike capability against civil fortifications, it also developed a semi-armor-piercing shell.

  Soon, the first prototype of this artillery was manufactured and then tested with live ammunition!

When the prototype gun was tested, its ability to damage civil engineering works and buildings was quite outstanding, and it was successfully recognized by the Army.

This thing has a small caliber, light weight, and good killing power.

  So what are you waiting for? First make a dozen or twenty of them and equip them on the improved Type 78 tanks, and then send them to the European battlefield for testing!

So, it didn't take long for the Shaanxi-Gansu Weapons Company to develop the 783 tank based on the 784 tank... Everything else remained unchanged, except that the 11mm machine gun was replaced with a 30mm short-barreled rapid-fire machine gun.

Of course, it will take at least half a year to complete production and testing, and then send it to the European battlefield for actual combat testing.

The research, development and production of weapons and equipment all take time.

At the same time, the 783 tank, which had just become popular on the European battlefield, was officially discontinued after only 783 or so were trial-produced, and was also included in the modification plan... These 55 tanks will be equipped with new Type 30 784mm machine guns and become tanks.

This is not just the fate of the 783 tank. In fact, the 556 armored vehicle, which has also been quite popular, is no exception. After the previous battle was over and its various advantages and disadvantages were exposed, the military planned to make targeted improvements to this thing, and the improved model was 557.

The existing 556 armored vehicles will also be upgraded and improved.

All kinds of armored vehicles and even other motor vehicles in the Chu army actually went through such a process.

After the design is made in the rear, a trial batch is produced and sent to the battlefield for testing, and then improvements are made based on battlefield feedback.

Then, after the improvement has reached a certain level and it is considered almost ready, mass production will be carried out.

A typical example is the 320 armored vehicle, which has the largest number in service at present. This large armored vehicle has actually been in service for a long time, but it has been constantly modified. It was not until last year that it was officially finalized for large-scale mass production.

The 320 armored vehicle, after continuous improvements for many times, is actually very different from the original 320 armored vehicle.

The current 320 armored vehicle is an armored troop carrier that is equipped with an 11mm heavy machine gun and can transport eight fully armed soldiers. Only two 320 armored vehicles are needed to deliver an infantry squad carrying light machine guns to the battlefield.

In addition, the 320mm heavy machine gun of the 11 armored vehicle can provide sufficient machine gun fire support for the infantry.

As for the protective performance, it is just average. The front is okay, but the sides and rear are relatively weak. It can resist rifle bullets at medium and long distances, but it cannot withstand machine gun fire.

However, despite its insufficient protection capabilities, the 320 armored vehicle is also the best overall troop transport armored vehicle currently in service with the Chu Army. It has entered large-scale mass production since last year, and its production capacity is expected to reach as many as one or two thousand vehicles, making it the main troop transport armored vehicle for the Army, the Marine Corps, and the armed tax police.

After the 320 armored troop carrier vehicle was put into mass production and service, a large number of other messy armored troop carrier vehicles that competed at the same time became history and no longer feasible for subsequent development.

Of course, the small amount of various experimental models currently in service will continue to be used, making use of waste...

In addition to the 320 troop carrier armored vehicle, the armored vehicle that the Chu army currently attaches the most importance to in the field of armored vehicles is the 556 firepower armored vehicle.

There is not only one 556 model of this firepower armored vehicle. Several other models are also being produced and tested in small quantities, and finally compete on the same stage. After multiple rounds of testing and improvements, the winner will receive a huge order from the army!

The same is true for tanks. The full-track tank project in the Great Chu Empire is not limited to the 78 series tanks of the Shaanxi-Gansu Weapons Company.

  The prototype of the 150 tank project, which is led by Huguang Weapons Company, has already entered the testing phase!

However, this thing does not constitute a competitive relationship with the 78 series light tanks of the Shaanxi-Gansu Weapons Company, because the 150 series project is a -ton medium tank project, and the two are not positioned in the same way.

(End of this chapter)