Sword of Light: Humanoid Self-Propelled Artillery

Chapter 277 The Battle of Spear and Shield
However, even though World War II was much larger in scale than World War I, the number of bullets needed to kill one enemy soldier was not much different from that in World War I, both around 20,000.

The Battle of Miyue was what truly caused a surge in bullet consumption. With the development of the times, bolt-action rifles, the main infantry weapon during World War I and II, had been phased out and replaced by fully automatic rifles capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute.

During the Yue campaign, woodlands and dense jungles covered most of southern Yue, posing a significant challenge to ground operations. To locate and eliminate the enemy, the US military frequently needed to conduct large-scale artillery and bombardment of suspected enemy hideouts. Even small-scale patrols or skirmishes often required the use of heavy automatic weapon fire for suppression due to the inability to see the enemy.

This "spooking the grass to alert the enemy" tactic means that a large amount of ammunition is used in areas where there may not be direct combat, resulting in an astonishing figure of 50,000 bullets needed to eliminate one enemy on average.

In addition, Yue Zhan made extensive use of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft for air support and ground attacks. These aerial platforms, equipped with machine guns, rockets, and bombs, conducted blanket bombardments of ground targets, further increasing ammunition consumption. While the large-scale deployment of air firepower effectively destroyed enemy resources and facilities in some situations, it also resulted in significant ammunition waste due to a lack of precision strike capabilities.

In warfare, the tactic of suppressing enemy fire, especially in the application of psychological warfare, aims to undermine the morale of the enemy by demonstrating absolute firepower superiority, forcing them to retreat or surrender.

However, this tactic did not perform as well as expected in the Yue campaign. This was partly because the Yue army and guerrillas were highly adaptable and familiar with the terrain, which allowed them to quickly disperse after being hit by heavy fire and then regroup in other places, thus greatly reducing the actual lethality of the US fire suppression.

But is 50,000 bullets the limit for eliminating one enemy? Of course not.

With the arrival of the 1990s, global military strategy entered a new era, particularly during the Gulf War, where the concept of information warfare was first widely demonstrated and recognized globally. In this brief but intense conflict, the United States and its allies employed advanced information technology and precision-guided weapons, demonstrating overwhelming military superiority, while Iraqi forces, due to outdated technology and rigid tactics, were virtually unable to mount an effective resistance.

During the Gulf War, Iraq's main equipment consisted of tanks, artillery, and air defense systems from the early days, which proved inadequate against the high-tech weaponry of the United States.

Leveraging its air superiority, the U.S. military extensively used advanced equipment such as smart bombs, cruise missiles, and drones to conduct precision strikes against Iraqi military infrastructure, command centers, and troop concentrations. This highly technology-dependent approach to warfare significantly reduced direct contact and firefights between frontline soldiers, resulting in Iraqi casualties primarily attributable to bombing and long-range firepower.

A key characteristic of information warfare is the ability to monitor and rapidly strike enemy targets in real time. The US military made its first large-scale use of satellite communications, unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, and advanced radar systems during the war. These technologies enabled commanders to quickly acquire battlefield information, effectively direct troops, and accurately allocate firepower resources to where they were needed.

In the wars of Abu Khan and Iraq, the U.S. military leveraged its technological advantages in information technology, long-range precision strike capabilities, and drones to conduct highly efficient and precise strikes against enemy targets. Compared to traditional warfare, this method significantly reduced U.S. soldier casualties while also increasing combat efficiency. However, this operational model also led to a substantial increase in ammunition consumption, particularly evident in the Abu Khan and Iraq wars.

Statistics show that the US military fired approximately six billion rounds of ammunition during these two wars, but actually killed only about 20,000 enemy soldiers. This means that, on average, it took about 250,000 rounds of ammunition to kill one enemy soldier. This data reflects not only the intensity of firepower but also highlights the enormous material consumption behind precision strikes in modern warfare.

Behind this tactical shift and ammunition depletion lies the U.S. military's effort to maintain precise control of the war and minimize civilian casualties. Through precision strikes, the U.S. military strives to destroy enemy military targets while minimizing harm to surrounding civilians and reducing damage to urban infrastructure. This was particularly important in the urban warfare of the Iraq War, where the U.S. military faced the challenge of effectively defeating enemy forces hidden within cities while trying to avoid large-scale civilian casualties in densely populated areas.

Furthermore, the high ammunition consumption reflects the difficulties of conducting military operations in complex terrain and environments. In the mountain battles of Afghan and the urban warfare of Iraq, the enemy frequently employed guerrilla tactics, utilizing terrain and civilians as cover, increasing the operational difficulty for the US forces. Under these circumstances, even the most advanced technology and weaponry cannot completely eliminate the uncertainty and complexity of warfare, leading to a massive demand for ammunition.

Of course, the most important factor in reducing the lethality of bullets is the use of body armor. If the Gulf War popularized automatic rifles, then the Gulf War popularized body armor. With the widespread use of body armor, the lethality of bullets to the human body, especially vital parts, has been greatly reduced. It's important to remember that in both World War I and World War II, body armor was not widely used due to material limitations.

The soldiers' main weapons were bolt-action rifles with high bullet power.

But by the 1990s, not only were bolt-action rifles replaced by automatic rifles, but people were also wearing bulletproof vests made of Kevlar, aluminum oxide, or titanium alloy.

This naturally greatly reduces the destructive power.

For example, the submachine guns that Wang Gensheng equipped for the Marine Commando were useless in the 1990s when the battlefield was full of bulletproof vests.

Even after you've fired a whole magazine of bullets, they can still retaliate.

This is why, in the 21st century, the US military wanted to increase the caliber of its rifle bullets, changing the original 5.56 caliber to a 6.5 caliber.

Unfortunately, while small-caliber bullets are lightweight and can be carried in large quantities, they also have weak penetration power and cannot effectively kill armored enemies.

Therefore, only large-caliber bullets can be used, since body armor that can protect against 5.56 bullets cannot protect against 6.5 caliber bullets.

Of course, the enemy will also replace their body armor with thicker bulletproof vests to protect against larger caliber bullets.

However, thicker and more protective body armor is naturally heavier.

For example, even if new materials are used to make body armor that can protect against 12.7mm bullets, ordinary soldiers are still too heavy to carry for long periods of time.

Therefore, increasing the bullet caliber is naturally more cost-effective than increasing the thickness of the bulletproof vest.

(End of this chapter)