Rise of the Argentine Empire

After welcoming Philipp and helping him settle in, he had to rush off to deal with the new factory's affairs. Rhein Industries was still very fragile and needed his personal attention. The tractor and motorcycle factories were only in their initial stages.

It would probably take a lot of time to get everything sorted out. Saint-Hesse couldn't offer much help, so he could only have someone buy Philipp a house near the new Rhein factory and give him a raise. Besides the usual empty promises, he would provide enough money.

… …

The next day, at the Rhein-Frantz Factory.

Saint-Hesse drove over to meet Horst at the factory's new office.

Saint-Hesse, seeing Horst full of energy, said with some emotion:

"Horst, your trip to Europe this time was really not easy. It was simply too dangerous and really exhausting."

During Horst's trip to Germany, both the Falcon Bureau and the Thunder Cross had several members sacrifice themselves. It was the most dangerous of the several teams he had sent out. Even with great caution, it was unavoidable.

Germany was at a time of chaos after World War II, transitioning to recovery. Horst went to places where the Allies and the Soviets were fighting fiercely in the shadows. The armies of four countries still occupied Germany.

The most dangerous period after the war in Germany had passed. West Germany was experiencing its strongest recovery phase. In a few years, it would be harder to recruit people.

On a national level, a strong West Germany was in the interest of the United States, Britain, and France. The Americans needed to use West Germany as a pawn to maintain their military presence in Europe and counter the Soviet Union.

The French were now trying to win over West Germany to form the European Coal and Steel Community to resist the United States. The British consistently maintained a balance of power on the continent. On a grassroots level, the image of the German nation had changed from the perpetrator of Nazi Germany to a victim who was dismembered by hegemony and striving to stand up from the rubble. Anyway, it was quite magical.

East Germany was more difficult and chaotic because the Soviets had dismantled and taken away industrial equipment. The economy was worse, and the Soviets were not easy to deal with.

"It's okay. Having such a thrilling and exciting experience is a rare memory in life."

Horst appeared very calm. This trip to Germany was completed very successfully, and Saint-Hesse was very satisfied. He deserved a reward.

His main trip was to Suhl, Thuringia, in East Germany. This city was famous for its weapons manufacturing and gun production and was Horst's key target city in East Germany.

He also went to Oberndorf in West Germany, the headquarters of the Mauser factory, as well as Düsseldorf and other places in the Ruhr area, recruiting many young weapon designers.

The process was indeed very thrilling, often subject to a lot of questioning by the Soviets, Americans, British, and French. Germany was still quite chaotic, and the Iron Curtain had already formed.

The two chatted briefly.

"Well, shall we go and take a look at the factory's situation now?"

Saint-Hesse didn't say anything more. Making money was the most practical thing. He wasn't someone who liked to comfort men, so he simply went to see the factory's designers.

"Okay, boss."

Horst was noncommittal. Some hardships were destined to become memories.

The two walked one after the other, chatting about interesting things from their trip to Europe, such as encountering some German girls, but being lustful but not bold, and also seeing many German widows, all of whom were pitiful people after the war. They wanted to take care of their business but were too embarrassed.

Horst also seemed more relaxed since returning to Argentina. This near-death experience had made him feel more and more open-minded.

Because there were far fewer men in Germany, women often had to work as well. In addition, although German factories had recovered, military industries were banned, so many weapon designers were unemployed. Switching careers meant low wages and hard work, so recruiting designers was quite easy.

"It seems that we still need to continue to work hard. We actually need a lot more designers."

Saint-Hesse stroked his chin, considering seriously.

It took more than five minutes to walk from the new office to the factory. There were quite a few green trees along the way, because the noise from the gun mold factory was relatively loud, and soundproofing work was also important.

As soon as Saint-Hesse entered the factory building, he heard the roar of the mold workshop. In the distance, stamping machines were producing some gun parts, and rows of bullet production lines were visually striking. The sales of the MP40 were amazing, and many new workers doing mechanical processing had been recruited. Every additional gun produced meant earning a lot more US dollars.

The workers on site were carrying out production in an orderly manner. Assembly was in a separate workshop.

"Boss, you need to get more copper wire coils over here. The production pressure for bullets is still very high."

Horst said earnestly to Saint-Hesse. Especially after the boss had developed overseas markets, the demand for bullets was very high, and the demand for copper wire had increased a lot.

Apart from steel mills, Argentina's domestic metal smelting industry did not involve other metals like copper and aluminum. Most of it needed to be imported from Chile, which was still very expensive. It seemed that copper metal smelting plants also needed to be established simultaneously to meet the needs of increasing bullet production.

The Andes Mountains had many copper mines. Thunder Mining needed to step up its efforts. There were some ancient mines in the Lithium Triangle that could also produce copper ore. There was no need to worry about copper ore. After mining, setting up a smelting plant would not be a problem. Metal copper smelting was relatively easy.

"Okay, the steel mill will get the basics sorted out first. I'll see if I can establish my own smelting plant."

The two continued to walk forward, turning several times to a relatively quiet place. The confidentiality was well done. Two Delta security guards stood at the door. Because they were familiar faces, the two quickly entered.

Saint-Hesse walked into a large research room, pushed open the door, and found several middle-aged German weapon designers disassembling and analyzing several assault rifles. They were discussing things in German.

There was also a finished product on the table, which was a bit similar to the STG44, with a cylindrical shape in the front, looking a bit ugly.

Saint-Hesse's favorite assault rifle was the AK47. Its production process was relatively simple, low-quality raw materials could be used, and the price was cheap. But now there was no way to contact the Soviets, and the Soviets themselves had not yet fully equipped their troops, so it was even more impossible for the production line to be leaked.

"Boss, these are my German compatriots, some young people who used to work at Haenel and Walther, and some who came from East Germany."

"Hello, I am the boss of Rhein Armaments. I hope to cooperate more in the future…" Saint-Hesse spoke in German, which was a bit awkward, but barely understandable.

After everyone got acquainted, Saint-Hesse asked,

"By the way, do you know a company called HK in Oberndorf?"

This German company was quite famous in the field of light weapons, especially rifles.

"HK Company, I know this company. It was originally called the 'Hut Factory'. After the war, it produced office machinery and sewing machine parts, bicycles, and household appliances.

Their three founders are very famous, named Edmund Heckler, Theodor Koch, and Alex Seidel. Not only can they produce parts themselves, but they also design and manufacture cutting, stamping tools, and precision machining gauges. Their factory already has more than two hundred people, and it seems they have moved into a new factory, but not as big as ours."

A middle-aged German man replied, apparently very clear about these things, probably from the same place as HK Company, with a slightly bald head.

"Germany is really amazing, able to rise again from the ruins. If possible, this HK Company can be invested in."

Saint-Hesse praised the Germans again. HK Company had already undergone a transformation, and Germany was not short of talent. Although some official views were incorrect, they were indeed a remarkable nation.

"What kind of rifle are you researching now? It seems to be the STG44, but not quite. Is this the STG45? It looks a bit ugly."

Saint-Hesse said without hesitation, seeing the STG-45 on the drawing, he suddenly realized.

They were studying these assault rifles, which looked simple in shape and had fewer parts. They were far less handsome than the STG44, let alone the AK47 of later generations. Obviously, this was a very crude version.

"Boss, this is the mass-produced imitation version of the STG45 assault rifle that I reported to you, an experimental assault rifle developed by my former motherland at the end of World War II. It is also the cheapest assault rifle. The shape is indeed not very good-looking. It was originally designed to save costs.

This model was designed and produced by Mauser in 1945, but because Germany is now divided into two, some famous designers have basically been lost. These are the young designers I recruited, and they are all very experienced."

Light weapons? These industrial and military powers can easily produce them. What they need isn't production lines, but blueprints, equipment, and, even more importantly, design concepts. Besides, most of the famous German light weapons designers have been recruited by them. Light weapons aren't exactly high-tech, but for Argentina, they are still quite impressive.

One of them, apparently the team leader, spoke up, "Actually, the old man was just released by the Soviets, and he's too old now, there's nothing we can do. But he's still stubborn. If we could get him to optimize it, there would definitely be no problem."

"Yes, when it comes to assault rifles, he can be called the founding father."

The others agreed. The old man they were talking about was Hugo Schmeisser, the chief designer of the STG44. Schmeisser and 15 other German firearms design experts were stationed in Izhevsk, in the southern Urals.

The Soviet military specifically established the "Special Design Bureau No. 58" for them. Schmeisser was appointed as one of the five designers of the bureau. Such high-level talents were closely watched, and San Jose didn't dare to try to win them over.

"In 1945, the Wehrmacht planned to replace the STG44 with the STG45. The cost of the STG45 was 45 marks, and the production time and raw materials were also less. The cost of the STG44 was 70 marks. Unfortunately, the STG45 was never officially equipped until the defeat, and only 30 were produced. We are now only making them based on memory and blueprints. We are not the main members of the design team... but we have all had a lot of contact with it."

Horst had obviously gathered a lot of information and quickly reported it to San Jose. Being able to recruit these people was already very good.

"So cheap? What is our estimated cost in Argentina now? Calculated this way, the STG45 is cheaper than the MP40. If that's the case, then we'll make a lot of money."

Based on the exchange rate of 2.5 German marks to 1 US dollar during World War II, the cost of an STG45 would be 18 US dollars. Impossible, right? Although it does look relatively simple, the cost of an MP40 was more than 30 US dollars. If we could produce a few million of them and sell them for 80-100 US dollars each, we would make more money than with the MP40, San Jose thought naively.

"Boss, actually, this is based on German industrial calculations. If it's produced in Argentina, it should be much more expensive. It's estimated to be at least 25 US dollars each, and there are also currency devaluation and other factors. The STG45 still has a lot of room for improvement. After the improvement, the cost will increase, but it will still be considered low."

So that's how it is. Now the STG45 is indeed not as good as some newly developed rifles. The AK47 is very good, but the design ideas of the two guns are different, and the working modes are also different.

San Jose picked up the assembled rifle. It was so heavy, even heavier than the STG44. And this was without ammunition. After loading the bullets and magazine, the weight of one would be at least 10 pounds. For individual combat, especially rapid marching, it would be a great burden.

"This assault rifle is too heavy. Do you have any information on new rifles? It really needs to be improved. Although the production cost is low, the market acceptance is estimated to be very difficult. I suggest 4kg would be about right.

Replacing the solid wood of the gunstock with engineering plastic would be good. The middle can also be hollow. Make a folding gunstock. Some accessories can also be replaced with engineering plastic to reduce the weight as much as possible. The magazine can also be made of plastic. We have our own plastic factory and have developed many new high-strength plastics."

San Jose did a simple calculation, gave a reasonable improvement weight number in his opinion, and gave several suggestions for improvement.

In fact, his goal was a 3kg assault rifle, but that would cost several times more in terms of cost and design time, and it would be like redesigning a rifle.

The Maria Town Plastic Factory was one of San Jose's earliest factories. It not only produced food-grade plastics, but also often invested money in the development of various high-strength plastics, especially with the support of San Jose's ideas.

The technical reserves were already very advanced, especially with the mode of industry-university cooperation, and with the Department of Chemistry of the University of Science and Technology being the strongest in Argentina, no one in Argentina was more powerful than him in plastics.

Thinking of this, San Jose couldn't help but feel proud of his foresight, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, making Horst feel that the boss was a little silly.

"Okay, boss, that's also a good idea. I've written it down, boss."

Horst was not particularly optimistic about the suggestions of the amateur boss, but he still wrote them down carefully in his notebook.

"I'll let the petrochemical plastic factory prepare to open a production line here, otherwise it will be too troublesome. Maria Town is also hundreds of kilometers away from Bucha."

San Jose got carried away, talking endlessly, wishing he could immediately get a plastic factory over here.

Setting up a petrochemical plastic reaction workshop here, and then injection molding or something would be very convenient, which would also be conducive to subsequent improvements. Lightweight rifles are an important trend in the future.

"Boss, actually, there's no need to rush too much. Maybe there are other improvements that can be made."

"Okay, the gunstock doesn't have to be wooden. My plastic engineering laboratory has a high-strength plastic that is really suitable."

San Jose felt that they didn't pay much attention to it, so he said seriously.

"Okay, boss, you can have them send some over. There are also several injection molding machines in the factory here, so we can directly open the mold when the time comes."

Lightweighting can also be done with aluminum alloy, but Argentina simply doesn't have a metal aluminum industry, so he was very self-aware and didn't mention metal aluminum.

"Also, the issue of bullets should be easy to solve, right? Intermediate-power bullets are already the mainstream in the world. Actually, I want to develop smaller-caliber bullets, such as 5.8mm or even smaller. Small-caliber rifles are the trend of the future."

Guns come after bullets. It's too difficult to develop them independently now. Being able to get it done and absorb it is already very good.

"Boss, actually, as long as the raw materials are sufficient, after we debug the equipment, it's no problem to produce several times more in a month. Short bullets are relatively cheaper. Now we lack raw materials, especially copper.

Small-caliber bullets may not be powerful enough, and to change to such a small caliber, we need to redesign the production line, and the gun also needs to be redesigned, which will take a lot more time."

Horst emphasized to San Jose again that it would take several years to redesign a gun, and it would be relatively simple to modify it. Moreover, these rifles are all stamped parts, not cut parts, and the production process and difficulty are not great, and the cost is also low.

"Okay, what do you think of the Soviet-made AK47? Can we improve this STG45 to be like it?"

San Jose couldn't forget the AK47 and talked to these people about it to see if there was a chance.

"The rifles designed and manufactured by the Soviets are indeed very powerful. We are also learning some new design ideas. Our final cost will be lower than theirs, and the shooting accuracy may be a little worse."

Team leader Brian said truthfully, hearing that this rifle had some of the old man's ideas in it, but he didn't know if it was true.

"That's a shame. I hope our rifle can be designed smoothly."

"There's no problem. After all, this is just a modification. Just optimize the appearance and modify the accessories. This rifle is still very good."

… …

San Jose finally went to several production workshops to watch the production, and in the afternoon, he gathered these gun design and artillery design teams, planning to establish a formal team and directly set up an on-site office.

This group of weapons designers from Germany, or rather, the young weapons design team, has a total of more than 50 people, mostly light weapons and gun designers. Together with some German-American designers already in Rheinmetall Armory, there are already more than 80 people in total, which is a very large scale.

The Freitz Factory has newly established an improvement and optimization team, and has specifically established a "Storm Rifle Design Bureau". The first task is to be responsible for the improvement of the STG45 assault rifle, and the name of the new gun will be changed to RM-52 assault rifle to avoid some things.

A "Rheinmetall Artillery Design Bureau" was also established, under the management of the Rheinmetall Artillery Factory, responsible for the research and development and production of rocket launchers. There are now several German design experts in charge of the design and mass production of rocket launchers and mortars. Previously, there was a shortage of people, and the plan only remained on paper.

There is also a "Rheinmetall Pistol Design Bureau", under the management of the Freitz Factory, which packages the pistol design personnel of the Freitz Factory into it.

After arranging these eighty or so people, several large offices were specially established for them to have a better environment for office work, while increasing wages and benefits.

The time given to the Rifle Design Bureau is two months to produce the latest optimized and improved gun, and to design the molds and production line. After forming, add another 2 months to achieve a monthly output of 2,000 guns.

The basic speed is still relatively fast, and San Jose returned home very satisfied. He must go to school tomorrow, otherwise Professor Purkins will go crazy.

"Cohen, maybe we should break up. You don't love me at all." As soon as he entered the door, he heard Elena's words.