German Red Prince

Page 137

So Thorne didn't rush to leave, but stayed to continue watching the infantry squad's assault exercise.

The German infantry squad organization has also undergone some upgrades and improvements compared to before. In order to ensure firepower, the infantry squad is also equipped with a light machine gun.

During World War I, German machine guns were the most famous. The Allied powers were terrified when it came to German machine guns. The Maxim heavy machine gun took countless lives on the battlefield.

While heavy machine guns are good, they still have a major drawback: they are too heavy. Water-cooled machine guns have a big nose and can only be used as fixed firepower on the front line.

While it might be manageable for the army, it would be difficult to mount on a fighter jet. With the machine gun mount, it weighs 70 kilograms, almost the weight of a person. Aircraft still in the early stages of development certainly couldn't carry such heavy weapons.

The Bergmann MG15 aircraft machine gun was developed to provide the air force with a weapon for self-defense.

The MG15 light machine gun has a 7.92mm caliber, a total length of 1120mm, a weight of 12.9kg, an effective range of 2000 meters, a rate of fire of 500/800 rounds per minute, and can use 250-round belts or 200-round drum magazines.

This machine gun was highly praised by the Air Force. While the air force was using the MG15 to wreak havoc in the air, the ground forces also discovered some problems.

Although the MG08 is sturdy and very reliable, it is too heavy. If you include the machine gun mount, the total weight is nearly 70 kilograms.

Therefore, this heavy machine gun could only be placed in a fixed position to provide fire support, and it was inconvenient to follow the infantry. On the other hand, Britain and France had Lewis light machine guns and Chauchat light machine guns that could follow the infantry, giving them a greater advantage in mobility than Germany and making it easier to suppress the enemy on the battlefield.

The German military recognized this problem at the time. Although they urgently developed a new light machine gun, manufacturing would take time, and they certainly couldn't just wait during this gap.

During what period is the government most generous to its people? It must be during wartime. Faced with the army's needs, the military is always responsive. Since it hasn't been produced yet, they take the MG15 light machine guns from the air force brothers and use them temporarily on the ground. Once they are modified, they will replace them with machine guns.

The provisional MG15.aA light machine gun served in the military for a considerable period of time. Although newer light machine guns have been introduced into service, some units within the army are still using this particular machine gun.

Watching the infantry squad's combat demonstration, it was clear that the German army's military skills were indeed very high. Their drills were methodical and professional.

However, in terms of firepower, the problem persists: the current German firepower is still too weak and in its current state is not yet ready for future large-scale battlefields.

The MG15 was originally intended as a transitional model, but the war ended before it could be further improved, so a new, finalized version has not yet been developed.

Although this machine gun has many advantages, it is not enough to continue to be used for another twenty years. Germany, or at least the army of the Kingdom of the Rhine, really needs to redesign a new squad machine gun.

Currently, the most basic infantry squad in the Kingdom of Rhine consists of 13 men. If further subdivided, this squad is divided into machine gun and rifle teams, which cooperate with each other during attacks.

An infantry squad's machine gun team consists of four people: one gunner carries the gun, three assistant gunners carry the ammunition and support the tripod, and are also responsible for digging the battle position during combat.

Of the remaining nine men, seven were riflemen and the other two were squad leaders and deputy squad leaders. The seven riflemen fought under the leadership of the deputy squad leaders, while the squad leaders were responsible for commanding the machine gun team and overseeing the overall situation.

The current thirteen-man infantry squad is too bloated. An infantry squad is divided into two command groups. This kind of organization is like designing a main battle tank and a support tank. Why can't it be integrated into one?

As mentioned before, it's not just about weapons, but also about tactical upgrades. Since we're focusing on tactical upgrades, let's start with the basics and condense the infantry squad.

261. Our machine gun

Thorne felt that a thirteen-man infantry squad was too bloated. To ensure firepower superiority, cramming so many people into a squad would make it inconvenient for the squad leader to command. Thorne believed that a squad of nine to ten men was the most suitable size.

Three submachine guns and one machine gun would allow for more than three firing positions in battle. Wouldn't that configuration be more comfortable than the current one?

Although the German squad concept was centered around the machine gun, that did not mean that everyone was assigned to serve a single machine gun.

In later generations, when people mention Germany in World War II, they can name all sorts of advanced weapons, such as the Tiger tank, the MP40, and the 88mm anti-tank gun. Of course, the German army's deadly machine gun cannot be left out.

The MG34 and MG42 general-purpose machine guns were the center of German squad firepower, and Adolf's "death chainsaw"—these two machine guns reaped countless heads during World War II.

When the US military first saw the MG42, they laughed at this cheap, mass-produced weapon, believing that Germany's defeat was inevitable and that they thought they could fight a world war with such a thing. However, during the Normandy landings, Heinrich Severloh killed at least a thousand American soldiers in a single day with just one MG42 machine gun, earning him the title of Butcher of Omaha.

Of course, there may be some exaggeration in this, but it is enough to prove that the MG42 is an extremely high-performance general-purpose machine gun. Its extremely high rate of fire can effectively suppress the enemy's attack.

"Mr. Folmer, I heard you also designed a light machine gun, is that right?"

Thorne asked Vollmer that in the original timeline, in the trenches of World War I, the German Maxim MG08 heavy machine gun could mow down charging enemies like wheat. However, its fatal flaw limited this heavy machine gun. Its total weight of 58.52kg made the MG08 heavy machine gun less mobile and unable to follow the infantry in an attack.

Subsequently, the German army developed the MG08/15 light machine gun to address the emergency. In 1916, before the German Empire was defeated, the army needed a lightweight machine gun for easy combat and movement. At that time, Vollmer was a newly established company, and its brilliant designer also joined the research and development of the light machine gun.

As a result, by the end of World War I, Vollmer's machine gun was still under development. It wasn't until 1927 that Vollmer finally designed a light machine gun, namely the VMG27 light machine gun, also known as the Vollmer Machine Gun Model 27.

This light machine gun has many advantages. At least in Thorne's opinion, compared to the MG15 still in service with the military, this gun is simple enough. It has a short recoil principle, a rotating bolt locking mechanism, and is guided by a spiral guide. Compared to the 383 parts of the MG08/15, the VMG 1927 only has 78 parts and has the ability to quickly switch barrels. It can be said that the VMG 1927 is not a bad weapon.

However, in the original timeline, this gun was not approved by the German Ordnance Department and was shelved until the very end of the war when the Volkssturm was re-equipped with this light machine gun.

The reason why the German Ordnance Department rejected this machine gun at the time was not complicated. Because Germany was restricted by the Treaty of Versailles, the production of machine guns was closely monitored. Therefore, Germany had the idea of ​​a general-purpose machine gun that could be used as a light machine gun and, with a mount, could become a heavy machine gun.

Such an idea was extremely advanced at the time, which is why the classic MG34 was created later. Thorne wanted to know if Vollmer in this timeline had researched this machine gun.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, no."

Folmer shook his head; he didn't know where Thorne had heard that he was designing a light machine gun.

“Your Highness Thorne, my research has always focused on submachine guns. As for machine guns, I do have that idea, but I haven’t had the opportunity because of funding issues.”

Folmer scratched his head. His company, to put it nicely, was a company, but to put it bluntly, it was a small workshop. Logically speaking, during a war, the ones who make the most money are all kinds of arms dealers. Unfortunately, Folmer was not very lucky. Many of the weapons he designed were not selected, and in the end, he didn't even recoup his costs.

Normally, he could only take small orders to process parts, barely making ends meet. Once he had saved enough money, Folmer ambitiously designed a new weapon. The military was quite satisfied with it, and it was expected to pass approval after several improvements and tests.

If you're unlucky, even drinking cold water can cause problems. Just when things were finally looking up and production was about to begin, France surrendered, the war ended, and while everyone was celebrating another great victory for their country, Vollmer wanted to hang himself.

Missing another order has burdened his company with heavy debt again. Even though Folmer still has many brilliant designs, there is no longer a chance. He doesn't have enough funds to continue his research, and many employees have left. So if he fails this time, he will be finished.

Vollmer did not design his light machine gun, perhaps due to some historical differences between different time periods. Looking at the infantry squads lined up there, Thorne walked up and picked up the light machine gun placed on the table.

At 12.9 kg, this light machine gun is still a bit heavy. Compared to the MG15n.A, the MG34 is slightly lighter at 12.1 kg, and with the tripod, it weighs 19.2 kg. But it is a general-purpose machine gun!

Clearly, Thorne was somewhat dismissive of the current MG15n.A light machine gun. Germany hadn't lost World War I, so why couldn't they have developed new equipment a few years earlier? Their enthusiasm for weapons research was far less than that of Germany in his timeline. They hadn't even seen a general-purpose machine gun yet, and the cumbersome heavy machine gun remained a crucial source of firepower for the German army.

After testing the light machine guns currently in service, Thorne shook his head. It was time for these old guys to retire; the Rhine Kingdom's army would be equipped with more powerful firepower in the future.

The MG34 was the main machine gun of the German infantry during World War II in the 1930s, and also the main anti-aircraft weapon for tanks and vehicles. Thorne is considering whether it is possible to produce this earliest version of the general-purpose machine gun now.

The MG34 was originally designed and developed to replace older guns in service with the military. However, due to the long front lines and huge daily consumption of the German army during World War II, despite the fact that almost all German units in movies were equipped with the MG34, in reality, the MG34 did not completely replace other old machine guns until the end of World War II.

The more famous MG42, which was later derived from it, failed to completely replace the MG34 and other older gun models. Another major problem was that the MG34 had a longer production time and higher cost.

The MG34 not only used a large amount of precious metals, but its heat sink, casing and many parts were also machined from a single piece of metal. This resulted in low material utilization and complex manufacturing processes. To produce one MG34, 49 kilograms of steel had to be drilled, resulting in very high material loss.

However, these problems are not insurmountable. There's still plenty of time, and I already have the blueprints. Plus, there's a great guy right next to me. Why not just ask him to take a look?

262. Rhein Cloth Tearing Machine

The prevailing view now is that the world's first general-purpose machine gun was the MG34 machine gun, which was developed by Germany before World War II.

Many of the weapons invented by Germany during World War II have provided valuable lessons for later generations, and this dual-purpose light and heavy machine gun has also served as a reference and inspiration for the development of weapons in the future.

Why did Germany develop the MG34 machine gun? This is inextricably linked to the Treaty of Versailles that Germany signed at the time.

In the original timeline, Germany inflicted heavy losses on both Britain and France, so much so that after Germany's defeat, the British and French tried every means to limit Germany's military development in the Treaty of Versailles.

One of the many restrictions was that Germany was prohibited from producing heavy machine guns. Germany's machine guns and artillery from World War I were so famous that the Allied Powers took note of this, and the supervisory committee strictly prohibited Germany from producing heavy machine guns.

Faced with restrictions from Britain and France, the Germans naturally wouldn't obediently comply. They were already somewhat dissatisfied with their defeat in World War I, so they tried various tricks to provoke Britain and France, such as relocating factories overseas, conducting research and production abroad, or naming newly developed weapons after World War I models.

After the war, the Germans used their wisdom to deal with Britain and France, circumventing the Treaty of Versailles by producing large cruisers instead of battleships. They also came up with a unique idea regarding the clause prohibiting the production of heavy machine guns.

Since heavy machine guns cannot be produced, could a machine gun be manufactured that can be used as a light machine gun on a bipod, accompanying squads and platoons in combat, or mounted on a tripod as a heavy machine gun, serving as a support weapon for battalions and companies, or even mounted on armored vehicles or tanks as a vehicle-mounted machine gun?

With demand, people naturally started to research it. So, who designed the MG34, this legendary gun? There are currently two main viewpoints.

Some sources say it was designed by Louis Steiner leading a design team at Rheinmetall, while others say it was designed by Heinrich Vollmer at the Mauser factory.

Regardless of who took the lead, the final design, finalized in 1934, incorporated improvements proposed by researchers from Rheinmetall and Mauser during testing. Therefore, both individuals undoubtedly contributed to the finalization of the MG34.

The MG34 machine gun is not a completely new design, but rather an improved version of the MG30, which was designed by Rheinmetall in earlier years and was already in service with the Swiss Army.

The most significant change in the MG34 compared to the MG30 is the relocation of the feeding mechanism to a more convenient position on the left rear side. It also features an additional barrel shroud and a modified firing mechanism that increases the rate of fire to 800-900 rpm.

Thorne didn't know whether the MG34 was designed by Steiner or Vollmer, but he happened to have one of them by his side, which saved him a lot of time and trouble.

"The MG15 machine gun is somewhat outdated for our military buildup. The Rhine Kingdom's army needs to be equipped with a brand new machine gun to adapt to the intensity of future warfare."

If World War I was already a nightmare for everyone, then World War II was several times more devastating. Both wars shattered all of people's beautiful illusions about war.

War is not a game for gentlemen; it is barbed wire, muddy ditches, and all kinds of sniper fire and artillery bombardment. Young recruits may have their skulls smashed before they even see the enemy on their first battlefield.

The Gatling gun, used to save lives and heal the wounded, and the Maxim gun, used to heal the sick and save lives, were developed to reduce casualties when other weapons became obsolete. One person could operate a weapon that could replace the firepower of more than a dozen people, so fewer people had to go to the battlefield, and naturally fewer casualties. Of course, the casualties here definitely refer to those of our own people.

Machine guns are arguably the most notorious "widow-making machines" on the battlefield. On the Somme battlefield, the Maxim heavy machine gun caused 60,000 British casualties in a single day, which also caused many soldiers to suffer from machine gun phobia.

New recruits fear artillery, while veterans fear machine guns. For ordinary infantrymen on the battlefield, as long as the machine guns on both sides and rear haven't stopped firing, it means that the unit's attack or defense is not yet about to collapse, and the battle can continue.

On the battlefield, once the artillery fire stops, the only thing that can give you peace of mind is the machine gun still firing on your own position. Artillery shells are probabilistic; they are not designed to kill individuals, but rather to provide fire coverage over a certain area, thereby achieving the purpose of killing.

Generally, veterans can judge the approximate landing point of a shell based on the sound of it whistling, and a second shell usually won't fall into the crater created by a shell. Based on these experiences, veterans can usually avoid shelling.

New recruits have no experience in this area, and given their inherent fear of the battlefield, the sound of artillery shells only amplifies their terror. The violent explosions of shells landing are likely every new recruit's first battlefield experience, leaving them with considerable psychological trauma.

Compared to artillery fire, machine guns are different. Machine guns are designed to use the quantity of bullets to create a fan-shaped area of ​​fire coverage. Compared to the large-area coverage of artillery, the fire suppression of machine guns is limited to a small area.

This means that the probability of being hit by machine gun bullets is much higher than the probability of being hit by artillery shells, so veterans are afraid of being locked onto by enemy machine guns when charging.

Thorne remembered that when he played those World War II simulation games in his previous life, he initially had a lot of psychological trauma from artillery fire. The sound of shells cutting through the air was indeed very frightening. However, he got used to it after playing for a while and was able to effectively dodge based on the impact point and sound of the shells.

But machine guns are completely different. They bring not only psychological trauma, but also physical fear.

In the game, he and more than twenty others were completely suppressed by an enemy MG42 and couldn't even lift their heads. He didn't even know how many times he died, and he sat there in jail for almost half an hour.

If it's like this even in a game, then the fear a machine gun evokes on a real battlefield must be even stronger. After all, reality isn't a game. In a game, you can redeploy after you die, but in reality, you're really dead.

In reality, very few people can do what happens in games, with more than ten people making a "suicide charge" towards a machine gun position to cover friendly forces.

No wonder some people joke that machine gunners are the most hated. If you are on the battlefield, you must stay far away from machine gunners. Their helmets are magnetic. If the machine gun fires continuously for more than ten seconds, it will attract all kinds of enemy shells and fire.

This precisely illustrates the importance of machine guns on the battlefield, which is why Thorne wanted to have Vollmer design the machine guns for the future of the Kingdom of Rhine.

The MG34 was too expensive to manufacture and not suitable for Thorne's idea of ​​mass production. Thorne intended to mount this machine gun on various vehicles and infantry squads, so it would be better to equip them with the more famous MG42.

"Mr. Folmer, I would like to ask you to design these two machine guns. I only have simple drawings here, and I hope you can improve them."

Thorne handed over the blueprints for the MG34 and MG42 to Vollmer. It was better to leave these things to the experts to study; he was an outsider and should interfere as little as possible.

"Don't worry, Your Highness Thorne, I will finalize the design as soon as possible."

Folmer assured Thorne that he had received many pleasant surprises today. Having been chosen by His Highness Thorne at first glance, the future of his company was clearly secure.

Furthermore, Vollmer had also taken a look at the design drawings. Prince Thorne's research on weapons was too thorough. Rather than handing these things over to Vollmer for improvement, it was more like giving them to him for free.

In terms of design, these two machine guns did not require many modifications to reach the standard for production.

It seems that Prince Thorne truly is a "heaven-sent hero" of the Rhine Kingdom.

Thorne's only thought now is to upgrade his side's weapons as quickly as possible to reduce casualties among his own people.

These soldiers are not cold numbers, but living, breathing people. Of course, this only applies to his own soldiers. Thorne is powerless against the enemy, since they are the enemy.

It is believed that in the near future, the Rhein tearing machine will leave a deep impression on the enemy.

263. Libyan oil fields

According to available data, Libya's remaining proven recoverable oil reserves are 415 billion barrels, equivalent to 56.81 billion tons, ranking ninth in the world and first in Africa. Its remaining proven recoverable natural gas reserves are 14908.91 billion cubic meters, ranking 21st in the world.

The oil and gas fields are mainly distributed in the Sirte Basin in the north, where proven oil reserves account for 80% of Libya's total reserves and oil production accounts for 90% of Libya's total production. It has large oil fields such as Samah, Beida, Rajiba, Dahra-Hofra and Bahi, and 12 large and super-large oil fields with reserves of more than 10 billion barrels.

Such vast resource reserves are practically a gold mine. After the discovery of oil in the 1950s and 60s, Libya's economy took off for a period of time. From 1962 to 1967, the Libyan government's oil export revenue increased from four million US dollars to six 6.25 million US dollars, an increase of nearly fifteen times.

Per capita income has also increased significantly. Isn't Gaddafi relying on the wealth he accumulated through oil trade, and still thinking of buying atomic bombs from China?

However, the good days for the Libyan people did not last long. Oil is the original sin. The United States is notoriously fond of oil, and people become arrogant after they get rich. Gaddafi offended all five permanent members of the UN Security Council, and when he was attacked, none of them spoke up for him.

It's no wonder that Libya's political situation became so chaotic in later generations. Holding a golden bowl and begging for food, without sufficient power, these resources became the original sin, and all sorts of forces would enter the game wanting a share. Fortunately, Cyrenaica is still a small country with little international influence.

Apart from the French Republic who fled there, North Africa was seen by Europeans as a wild and untamed land, nothing but sand, or camels baring their teeth. According to European classification, this region was an uncivilized area, and the people there were barbarians who needed to be educated by European lords.

Cyrenaica is in this situation now. It's neither loved nor cared for. Although the Ottoman Empire is Cyrenaica's suzerain state, it doesn't take much care of it. It only gives it a title and doesn't invest much in it. After all, there's nothing here, and any investment would definitely result in a loss. Who would do a losing business?

Besides, France is still in conflict with the Ottomans. It's already quite good that they haven't come to Cyrenaica to bleed them dry. Even a small amount is still something. The Ottomans have only taken a few thousand able-bodied men from Cyrenaica to the front lines to "support their ancestral homeland."

The Ottomans were fighting the French under the pretext of protecting the living space of Arab Muslims, and naturally, the Arabs had to take the lead in protecting their living space.

Despite Kemal's efforts in public opinion and the symbolic redeployment of troops from Turkey, the majority of soldiers on the front lines were Arabs, and the men of Istanbul were not going to get involved.

Many high-ranking officials in the Ottoman Empire also hated Kemal at the core. Domestically, he promoted civilization and reform, denied Islamic doctrine, and internationally, he was at war with France. Why should the Ottomans shed blood in that rotten Arab land? It would be much better to sell it for a good price. This rotten land was troublesome to govern, so it was better to get rid of it as soon as possible.

The peacekeeping force from the Kingdom of the Rhine has been in Cyrenaica for some time now, and the environment here is indeed indescribable.

At first, it was quite novel. The temperature in January and February was not high, and the soldiers were in a vacation mood. There were no missions in the early stages, and the soldiers were quite free. Apart from the rule that they could not have too much contact with the natives, there were no other taboos.

After a few days of playing, the soldiers obviously lost interest and began to miss the kingdom. Thorne's purpose in coming to Cyrenaica was to drill for oil, so the military base was located in the desert.

Moreover, Cyrenaica didn't have many people to begin with, and the distances between the tribes were very far. These soldiers rarely saw people and could only count sand all day long.

The choice of a desert location for the base was also for security and secrecy reasons. Thorne did not want anyone to know these secrets too early. Although it was in the desert, there were oases nearby, so there was no need to worry about water. Moreover, the base's higher-ups were working with the tribes living in the oases to establish cooperative relationships.

The Libyan oil fields were Thorne's most important project in the early stages, as they were related to his preparations for the future revolution. If war broke out with Berlin, the latter would have far more reserves than him. If Wilhelm were to blockade the Kingdom of the Rhineland once the war started, it could wear him down. Therefore, Thorne invested heavily in the Libyan peacekeeping forces, betting his entire fortune on it. It was a huge gamble.