Sword of Light: Humanoid Self-Propelled Artillery

Chapter 276 Bullet Consumption and Number of Enemies Killed

However, Wang Gensheng was actually quite safe, because his mental probe was constantly monitoring the actions of the gunner inside the tank.

As soon as the gunner presses the fire button, Wang Gensheng will immediately dodge.

With Wang Gensheng's full-body armor, he could easily withstand the mere shrapnel damage unless he was directly hit by a tank cannon.

After all, how could shrapnel possibly compare to the penetrating power of a 12.7mm heavy machine gun bullet?
Just as Wang Gensheng fired his gun, the gunner inside the tank was still aiming!
In this way, Wang Gensheng successfully mastered another method to destroy tanks without the need for anti-tank grenades.

However, Wang Gensheng only tried this method three times before stopping, because all twenty-two tanks in the Polar Bear Regiment's tank company had been destroyed.

Of course, heavy machine guns can not only destroy tanks, but also easily destroy trucks, since the engine compartment of a truck has no bulletproof armor.

It only takes two or three shots to blow up a truck's engine, or even to blow up the driver inside the truck's cab.

Under the influence of his mental perception, Wang Gensheng didn't even need to enter the tent. He simply held a heavy machine gun outside and fired a barrage of bullets into the tent, instantly killing the American soldiers inside who hadn't had time to come out, or didn't want to come out and wanted to hide inside as the sixth soldier.

Unfortunately, their plan backfired. Wang Gensheng's heavy machine gun bullets seemed to have eyes, picking them off one by one.

After firing four belts of 400 rounds in a row, the barrel of the M2 heavy machine gun could no longer withstand the heat and began to glow red.

In response, Wang Gensheng could only throw the M2 heavy machine gun into the snow to cool it down.

With Wang Gensheng's precise firing, the casualties caused by 400 bullets would be at least 300.

On average, it takes less than two bullets to kill an enemy, which is more efficient than the sniper Baili Xiu.

Such a ratio of bullet consumption to enemy kills is top-tier. Even the most skilled Marines, armed with submachine guns, can only kill a maximum of three enemies after emptying a 30-round magazine—an average of ten bullets to kill one enemy. And that's already considered top-tier. It's worth noting that during the Hundred Years' War from the 20th to the 21st century, a set of figures was astonishing: 20,000, 50,000, 250,000. These weren't accumulations of wealth or population growth, but rather the number of bullets required to kill one soldier over time.

From the large-scale conflicts of the 20th century to the technological warfare of the 21st century, the face of warfare has undergone a dramatic transformation. However, this transformation has also brought about a perplexing reversal in combat efficiency. In a world of increasingly advanced technology, the number of bullets required to end the life of an enemy is several times, or even dozens of times, greater than before.

At the outbreak of World War I, the tactical thinking and weaponry of various armies remained at the level of the late 19th century, emphasizing morale and close combat. However, the brutal realities of war quickly overturned this traditional view. Fully automatic weapons, especially machine guns, with their unprecedented firepower and lethality, rapidly became the decisive force on the battlefield. Machine guns were originally designed to increase the rate of fire and sustained fire capability to meet the demands of increasingly large-scale industrialized warfare.

As the war continued, both sides gradually shifted their tactics towards digging trenches and holding positions, turning the battlefield into a desolate wasteland. In this environment, machine guns demonstrated their unique tactical value.

The Maxim machine gun, one of the most advanced automatic weapons of its time, was designed to fire continuously, inflicting devastating damage on charging enemy troops. During the battle for the Verdun River, Maxim machine guns were deployed in large numbers in trenches and positions, subjecting any enemy attempting to attack these positions to intense fire. The machine gun's high rate of fire turned dense enemy charges into suicidal attacks.

As the war progressed, the armies of each country began to realize that in order to gain an advantage in this war of attrition, they had to mass-produce and use bullets. As a result, the production and consumption of bullets reached an unprecedented level.

Statistics show that during World War I, an average of 20,000 rounds of ammunition were used to kill one enemy soldier. This figure reflects the brutality of war and the advancements in military technology. The widespread use of machine guns fundamentally changed traditional military tactics and combat methods, thus altering the very nature of war.

In this context, armies were forced to adjust their tactical deployments and operational plans. Traditional concentrated assaults and close-quarters combat were gradually seen as outdated and suicidal, while greater attention was focused on the effective use of machine guns, artillery, and other long-range firepower. This shift not only influenced the way wars were conducted but also significantly propelled the development of military strategies and technologies in subsequent conflicts.

However, the widespread use of machine guns and other automatic weapons also brought a serious problem: the extreme consumption of ammunition. Throughout World War I, industries in all participating countries were constantly producing bullets and other military supplies for the front lines. Ammunition factories in the rear operated around the clock to meet the enormous demand for ammunition at the front.

With the outbreak of World War II, the global military landscape underwent a dramatic transformation. Technological advancements, particularly in firepower and mechanization, enabled the scale and intensity of the war to far exceed any previous conflict. On the battlefield, whether in dense forests, vast plains, or the ruins of cities, the roar of artillery and the strafing of machine guns resounded everywhere.

In the European theater, especially during the fierce clashes between Tehku and Sukku, the consumption of ammunition reached a staggering 20 billion rounds. The brutality of the Eastern Front far exceeded people's imagination, with the lines of confrontation between the two armies filled with large-scale tank battles, infantry breakthroughs, and artistic firepower contests. Every battle was accompanied by the massive deployment of ammunition, whether in direct infantry combat or long-range artillery bombardment and aerial bombardment, all of which placed extremely high demands on ammunition.

The tactical changes and technological advancements of this period, particularly improvements in communication and coordination, enabled more precise fire deployment and more concentrated combat. However, even so, the nature of war remained one of attrition, with massive resource and manpower inputs becoming a key factor in determining victory or defeat. Compared to World War I, the industrial production capacity of various countries significantly improved during World War II, enabling them to support a war of this scale. From production lines to the front lines, tens of thousands of ammunition boxes were continuously transported to trenches, positions, and forward operating bases to ensure that combat troops could maintain a sustained output of firepower.

(End of this chapter)