Sword of Light: Humanoid Self-Propelled Artillery

Chapter 224: Heartless Cannon
After all, Wang Gensheng knew that the Mustang fighter jet was a pretty good fighter jet, and it would be extremely useful in the later Korean War.

Although the US had deployed F-86 Sabre fighter jets in the Korean War, which were very fast, reaching speeds of over 900 kilometers per hour, 200 kilometers per hour faster than the Mustang fighter jets, the Mustang fighter jets were not without fighting capabilities.

Forming a formation of two or three aircraft to exchange for one OnePlus aircraft is still an option.

After all, whether it's a jet fighter or a propeller fighter, they all essentially use cannons or machine guns to attack, so their attack range is limited to two or three kilometers.

Even at greater distances, the pilots could no longer see them, so even though the US military's F-86 jet was 200 kilometers faster than the Mustang fighter, it could not gain an overwhelming advantage.

One-to-one is not feasible, but three against one is still possible.

This is unlike the era when fighter jets entered the missile age, where the competition was about radar and the range of air-to-air missiles.

If we were to enter that era, victory wouldn't be achieved by simply losing.

For example, the opponent's air-to-air missiles have a range of 200 kilometers, while our own air-to-air missiles only have a range of 100 kilometers.

The consequence of this is that before their own side even enters the attack range, the battle is already over before they can even see it.

At this point, it's pointless to compete on quantity or technology.

The most representative air battle was the Battle of Bar-Indonesia, which ended in a score of zero to several, shocking the world.

Of course, it's not time to besiege Xuzhou yet, because Huang Wei's army supporting Xuzhou has not been eliminated!

However, they were already surrounded by the Second Field Army in Shuangdui.

Although Shuangduiji did not have the same complete fortifications as Nianzhuang.

However, Huang Wei's army was not a ragtag army like Huang Baitao's. Not only was the entire army equipped with military equipment, but more importantly, the army had tanks and a large number of military trucks.

Moreover, in order to defend against the Second Field Army's attack, Huang Wei used a large number of trucks to load up the earth and build a city wall.

In response, the Second Field Army suffered a setback in the initial attack against the powerful Huang Wei Corps. As a result, they had no choice but to start learning the tactics of the Third Field Army, which was to carry out earthwork operations, close the distance, and force the enemy into close combat.

Fortunately, the Second Field Army also brought out its best skills in the face of Huang Wei's army's powerful firepower.

That was the Heartless Cannon, and once it was deployed, it immediately turned the tide in terms of firepower. After all, neither the 105mm cannon nor the 155mm howitzer had as much propellant as the Heartless Cannon.

The "Heartless Cannon" was officially called the "Flying Thunder Cannon," and it was developed during a crucial period of the 1947 Liberation War. At that time, the Liberation Army was at a significant disadvantage in terms of weaponry, especially lacking heavy artillery.

Faced with the formidable defensive fortifications of the Lao Ji army, Nie Peizhang, the company commander of the engineering company of the 4th Column of the Second Field Army, led his soldiers in exploring innovative weaponry. They used gasoline drums as launch tubes, lined them with wooden planks for airtightness, and used disc-shaped explosive charges as projectiles, launching them with black powder, thus creating this simple yet powerful weapon system. This 4th Column of the Second Field Army was naturally the same column commanded by Wang Gensheng, the old commander. It was a pity that Wang Gensheng had long since left the Second Field Army; otherwise, he could have seen the Flying Thunder Cannon beforehand. Wang Gensheng had certainly heard of the Flying Thunder Cannon and had wanted to develop it for a long time.

However, despite numerous attempts, all ended in failure, the most significant being the use of explosives as propellant, which resulted in a direct barrel explosion.

The operating principle of this weapon seems simple, yet it contains ingenuity. To launch, a 20-30 kilogram explosive charge is placed inside a barrel, with a propellant charge positioned at the bottom.

The propellant charge is the key to the Flying Thunder Cannon. Wang Gensheng used TNT directly, but the thin-skinned oil drum couldn't withstand it. Later, Wang Gensheng switched to smokeless gunpowder used in firearms, but it still didn't work, so Wang Gensheng gave up.

What Wang Gensheng didn't expect was that using the weakest gunpowder would actually prevent the barrel from exploding.

After the black powder propellant is ignited, the high-pressure gas generated by the propellant propels the main explosive charge, which travels one to two hundred meters before landing and exploding. Due to the large amount of explosive and the strong blast wave, its kill radius can reach twenty meters, making it particularly effective at destroying civil engineering works.

During the Huaihai Campaign, this weapon achieved the astonishing result of destroying an enemy machine gun company's position with a single shot.

The origin of the name "Heartless Cannon" is quite dramatic. According to records, during the Battle of Linfen in 1948, the PLA used this weapon to bombard the positions of Yan Xishan's troops.

The massive shockwave from the explosion caused many enemy soldiers to die with blood flowing from their seven orifices, yet they showed no obvious external injuries. The captured veteran soldiers horrified and called this weapon "heartless," and this nickname quickly spread throughout the army.

From a technical perspective, the "heartless cannon" embodies the military wisdom of adapting to local conditions. Using gasoline drums as launch tubes solved the problem of material shortages; the explosive charges wrapped in multiple layers of burlap ensured flight stability and enhanced explosive power; and a simple firing angle adjustment device provided a certain degree of accuracy. Although its range was short and accuracy was low, its low cost and ease of manufacture allowed for large-scale deployment. Statistics show that during the Huaihai Campaign, the Second Field Army alone equipped itself with over two hundred of these makeshift cannons.

The actual application on the battlefield proved the tactical value of the "Heartless Cannon". In the Battle of Shuangduiji, the Jiefang Army concentrated dozens of "Heartless Cannons" to fire a salvo at Huang Wei's army's position, instantly destroying the enemy's carefully constructed defensive system.

Of course, improvements to the "unscrupulous" artillery never stopped. With accumulated experience, the anti-defense forces' engineers gradually optimized the propellant ratio, the explosive pack binding method, and the launch tube elevation adjustment device. Later models had a range of about 300 meters, and their accuracy was also improved. On the eve of the Yangtze River Crossing Campaign, some units even tried using multi-tube launchers to increase firepower density, creating a rudimentary "rocket artillery" effect.

Of course, this weapon not only played a huge role in the relief war, but also played a very important role in the later Korean War.

For Wang Gensheng, although this weapon has a short range, it is still very suitable to carry.

Although its maximum range is only about 300 meters, it is sufficient for a surprise attack.

More importantly, a standard 200-liter oil drum is 900 millimeters high and 560 millimeters in diameter, but its empty weight is only about 20 kilograms.

This makes it very convenient to carry; it weighs 20 kilograms and is easy for one person to carry.

Of course, a maximum range of 300 meters is still a bit short. If it could be fired a little further, to 500 or 600 to 1 kilometer, it would be better, and it could replace grenade launchers or mortars.

The way to increase the range is simple: either increase the amount of propellant or increase the length of the barrel.

(End of this chapter)