Starting with the smashing of Dunkirk

Chapter 128 Three Months Apart, You Should Look at Me with New Eyes
Prague, July 3, 1915.

Having just returned from Romania, Lelouch, after a bumpy 20-plus-hour train journey in a soft sleeper, finally arrived in Prague, his last stop before returning to Demania.

The Emperor and the General Staff were still arguing over the merits of Lelouch's and Rodendorff's strategic plans. Meanwhile, in the Lithuanian theater of the Eastern Front, Field Marshal Hindenburg and Lieutenant General Rodendorff were still trying to prove themselves.

But Lelouch didn't care about any of that for the time being; he didn't have time to care.

He firmly believed that his strategic plan would ultimately prove superior and be adopted by the emperor and the General Staff.

He has many more important things to do, especially to lay some preconditions for the implementation of the plan after it is adopted by the General Staff.

One of the most important and urgent tasks is to invent a minesweeping tool for the Empire to clear old-fashioned anchor mines, so that the Empire's navy can easily enter the Gulf of Riga and even the Gulf of Finland when necessary in the future.

However, that matter required coordination with the navy in Hamburg or Wilhelmshaven. On his way back home, since he had already passed through Prague, Lelouch wouldn't mind spending a day or two there, so he decided to inspect the progress of the half-track and tank projects.

Upon his return to Prague, Lelouch received an even more lavish welcome than he had three and a half months prior.

Dr. Porsche personally picked him up at Prague train station, and had someone drive him an experimental electric car that Dr. Porsche had personally customized.

"Congratulations, Doctor. I heard you just received your doctorate from the Technical University of Vienna." As soon as the two met, Lelouch greeted them politely, his tone carrying a hint of teasing between old friends.

"Hey, it's one thing for others to say these empty pleasantries, but Colonel Lelouch, it's no fun to joke about this. Everyone knows that it was because of your guidance that I was able to build the first half-track tractor, and that's why I was awarded an honorary doctorate in mechanical engineering by the Technical University of Vienna."

Dr. Porsche responded to the teasing directly and without any pretense. Three months ago, Ferdinand Porsche was not yet qualified to be called "Doctor," but now he is.

In Earth's history, Porsche developed high-powered tractors for Austria, ultimately earning an honorary degree. In this world, he directly contributed half-track vehicles, making outstanding contributions to the Battle of Gorlicse and the blocking operation at the Dukla Pass.

Field Marshal Leopold, commander of the 10th Army, specifically thanked the Austrian Emperor for this, and upon learning of it, the Austrian high command naturally rewarded Porsche even more generously.

He not only earned a doctoral degree, but also received an honorary title as a foreign academician of the Hungarian Academy of Engineering, as well as a large sum of money.

Porsche is also a person who likes to be respectable, and all these honors were obtained with Lelouch's help, so his gratitude towards Lelouch is naturally growing stronger.

If Lelouch has any further requests, he's determined to cooperate even more diligently.

Lelouch didn't want to waste time, so while on the way to Skoda, he chatted with Porsche about the project's progress.

"How many half-track tractors have been built since then? When the Gorlice breakthrough was launched in May, there were less than 100 in total, which was really not enough. There may be another big operation next month, and this time I hope there will be enough high-powered tractors to quickly deploy heavy artillery."

Furthermore, it doesn't necessarily have to be a half-track; a regular diesel heavy-duty truck will suffice. When we reach the Kievan Rus' plains, the geographical environment will be vastly different from the Carpathian Mountains. Half-tracks won't be necessary under normal circumstances; they're only truly effective during muddy seasons and periods of high soil erosion.

Dr. Porsche quickly patted his chest and assured him: "Although the cumulative production of the previous half-track vehicle was not high to date, it was mainly because some minor mechanical problems were exposed after the first generation went to the battlefield, and its reliability was not good, so I spent time fine-tuning it."

Starting in June, we gradually began trial production of the improved version, which, as per your request, was officially named the SDK15 half-track tractor.

The previous version could only be considered the "SDK15 beta version," and this is the official final version. As for the number 15, it will naturally be based on the year.

The Porsche tram soon arrived at the Skoda company, and Lelouch was taken directly to the production line and warehouse for a tour, where he saw the improved new car.

The new car still doesn't have any suspension or shock absorption system; it's just a direct rigid connection, making it very bumpy and jarring to drive. The only way to make the ride less uncomfortable for the passengers is to put some soft material inside the car.

There's nothing we can do about it. The concept of suspension doesn't exist in this era. As a first-generation product, this is the only option for now.

The vehicle's road wheels were simply laid out in pairs, unlike the "interlaced road wheels" that later German vehicles drove logistics personnel crazy.

In this life, Lelouch does not intend to introduce equipment like "interlaced road wheels," which violates the concepts of total war and protracted attrition warfare; he will simply use paired road wheels.

According to the latest test data provided by Porsche, Lu Luxiu learned that the optimized half-track vehicle can generally achieve 300 kilometers of off-road driving or 500 kilometers of highway driving with a failure rate of less than 5% - the reason for choosing this test mileage is that the current half-track vehicle can only go that far with a full tank of diesel fuel.

Moreover, this mileage is calculated based on a load of 2 tons, or the transport of a fully equipped assault team (15 soldiers, including 1 squad leader, 8 assault team members, 6 fire support team members, all light weapons and ammunition, 1 light machine gun, and 1 grenade launcher). If an ultra-heavy artillery piece is to be towed under an overload, the mileage will definitely be shortened.

To travel further, extra fuel cans would have to be installed inside the vehicle. However, given the pace of warfare in 1915, such a long voyage was unnecessary.

Half-track vehicles are ultimately just transport vehicles; they don't need to go directly to the battlefield or be equipped with weapons. For now, they're barely adequate.

Lelouch didn't interfere much with the improvements and production, only inquiring about the production capacity. He learned that there were already over a hundred units in stock, the version with improved reliability.

If they are needed by the end of July, the total inventory can reach 200 vehicles, and they can be deployed to the troops in advance before the war. If they are needed in August, the inventory can reach 300 to 400 vehicles.

Lelouch calculated that one vehicle could only tow one heavy artillery piece or transport one assault squad. A company had 16 squads, plus the company headquarters, communication equipment, and other logistical support, so each company needed about 20 vehicles.

It takes 80 vehicles to transport a full-strength assault battalion, and 200-300 vehicles can only transport a reinforced regiment of four battalions. They can't change the course of the battle. It's more cost-effective to use them to tow heavy artillery.

Thinking about how slow Porsche's production speed was, Lelouch couldn't help but remind him: "Dr. Porsche, do you know anything about Ford's production line across the ocean? I think whether it's the Empire or Austria, our vehicle production process is too outdated."

Before the war, the cost of producing a car in my country was generally around 2 marks, while in the United States it only cost 5 marks—a difference of three to four times in production efficiency and cost. Although the quality of Chinese goods was indeed much better, it couldn't compensate for the four times the production capacity.

You should also think about and learn from the production organization experience of the Americans, especially the assembly line. I know you can't do this alone, and I'll give you resources and help you organize it, but you must take it seriously.”

Lelouch casually mentioned a few key points of mass production on an assembly line, which he himself didn't fully understand. Fortunately, there were ready-made templates to copy; he just needed to imitate them. Lelouch trusted the wisdom of the Demacian engineers; as long as they didn't strive for perfection too much, they had plenty of ways to improve production efficiency.

Dr. Porsche also promised that he would take this matter seriously and strive to streamline the production organization model and introduce some efficient processes within six months. However, he estimated that it would be impossible to completely achieve the same level as his American counterparts in the short term.

Within six months, productivity could increase by more than half, and within one or two years, it could more than double. But to expect it to quadruple its current productivity like the United States would take at least three or four years.

The integration, learning, and progress of the entire industrial system takes years, and it's not just a matter for Porsche or Skoda alone; it requires the entire upstream and downstream to learn and improve together.

Moreover, the entire process requires an initial investment of at least several million marks to improve production lines and processes, with subsequent investments potentially reaching tens of millions of marks.

……

After inquiring about the half-track, Lelouch then shifted the focus of his inspection to the tank project under development. Tank development was still incomplete, but they had roughly figured out a concept similar to the half-track.

Lelouch saw that Dr. Porsche had already built several car bodies, and they could even test them in groups. There were original models without weapons, models with only machine guns, and models that were trying to be equipped with short-barreled howitzers.

The weight of the vehicle body is at least two to three times that of a half-track vehicle.

The prototype vehicle built by Dr. Porsche is estimated to weigh at least 6 to 7 tons, and at most 8 to 10 tons.

The reason for such a large weight difference is mainly due to the different weapons and equipment. If there were no weapons, 6 tons would be enough, with an iron shell and steel plates that are only 8 millimeters thick.

The speed is quite impressive. Porsche directly used a 150-horsepower BMW diesel engine, resulting in a power-to-weight ratio of 25 hp/ton for the 6-ton model, far exceeding the 10 hp/ton of the later Frankish Renault tanks. Road speeds can reach nearly 30 km/h, and off-road speeds are 5-6 km/h.

If two light machine guns are added, firing ports are opened at the front of the vehicle, an internal shield is added, and the armor is slightly adjusted to 10 mm, the vehicle weighs 7 tons, and the crew size is set at 3 people.

If a 77mm ultra-short-barreled 1902 field gun were installed, the total weight would increase to 10 tons, and the crew would need to be increased to 4 people. The gun would still be mounted inside the vehicle without a turret, similar to later assault guns.

The only solution was to make a large hole in the front armor to allow the cannon to protrude. To prevent stray bullets from entering through the hole, Dr. Porsche's temporary solution was to install a shield on the cannon body, just like with ordinary field guns.

When Lelouch first saw the design, he was quite taken aback, wondering how Porsche managed to fit a 77mm "heavy gun" into a vehicle that weighed only 10 tons.

要知道历史上明年布列颠尼亚人的首款“马克1”型坦克，全重28吨，也才装了2门57毫米6磅炮和4挺重机枪。后来德玛尼亚人赶工搞的A7V坦克，也是30吨的自重、才装1门57毫米炮。

However, after gaining a deeper understanding, Lelouch quickly discovered the problem—the weight of a cannon cannot be judged solely by its caliber; the length-to-caliber ratio is even more crucial. Cannons with longer barrels will experience a significant increase in weight.

Just like how later generations could fit an 88mm 56-caliber turret and hull, but might not be able to fit a 75mm 71-caliber turret.

同样的，原本历史上布国的“马克1”的57毫米炮是20倍径的，而德玛尼亚“A7V”的57炮更是达到了26倍径。

The 77mm field gun that Dr. Porsche has chosen is the short-barreled version of the Krupp gun from 1902, with a barrel length of only 12 calibers. In terms of barrel length alone, it is 40% shorter than the 57mm gun with a barrel length of 26 calibers, and its total weight is also lighter than that of the 57mm gun with a barrel length of 26 calibers.

The trade-off for such a short barrel is a significantly reduced maximum range, as well as very low muzzle velocity and accuracy. The 1902 Krupp short-barreled gun, deployed as a towed field gun, had a maximum elevation range of only 2700 meters, similar to a mortar. When mounted on a tank, the elevation angle was further limited, resulting in an even shorter range, ultimately measured at only 2100 meters.

But this result surprised Lelouch.

"Excellent, that's exactly the idea I wanted! The tank's cannon is meant for direct fire, and a maximum range of 2 kilometers is sufficient! I never expected it to provide indirect fire. Destroying enemy artillery positions and fortified bunkers within 2 kilometers is enough."

However, with your current vehicle hull, carrying such a large cannon is a bit of a stretch, isn't it? You could scale it down a bit and get a 57mm gun; there are already some readily available. Besides, it's already sufficient for destroying bunkers. Any bigger would be redundant firepower; concrete bunkers can't withstand a direct hit from a 57mm shell."

The larger the caliber of a field gun, the better, in order to increase the kill radius of the fragments and kill enemy infantry over a larger area. Lelouch did not expect tank shells to kill infantry groups.

Dr. Porsche listened to his suggestion with mixed feelings, saying, "Actually, I have also considered it. The 57mm shells are powerful enough to destroy fortifications, but the Empire does not currently have enough short-barreled 57mm guns. The shortest 57mm gun we found from the Billy King Armory, which the Empire has taken over, is 26 calibers long, which is heavier than this 77mm 12 caliber gun."

Lelouch immediately gave the order: "First, get a 57mm cannon. Cut the barrel in half and use it for structural design. I'll have the Billy King Cannon Company, which produces 57mm 26-caliber cannons, rush to design a shortened version with a 16 to 18-caliber barrel. At the same time, reduce the propellant charge in the shells and reduce the volume of the breech chamber. Other designs can proceed as you are doing now."

Finally, with Lelouch's guidance, Dr. Porsche further refined the tank design.

The plan is to first develop a mass-producible, all-machine-gun tank, equipped with two machine guns, 10mm all-around armor (20mm frontal armor), weighing 7 tons, with a maximum road speed of 24 km/h and a muddy off-road range of 5 km. Production of this vehicle is expected to begin around September.

Another variant features a 57mm 18-caliber short-barreled cannon, with an expected main gun range of 2 kilometers, capable of destroying current concrete machine gun bunkers, and carrying 30 rounds of ammunition.

Two more machine guns were added, one of which was placed at the front of the vehicle, coaxial with the main gun, to help the main gun with firing correction and fine-tuning of the azimuth angle.

The other gun was simply extended from the roof through a sunroof and temporarily mounted on the roof to fire, providing as many flexible firing angles as possible to protect the tank from enemy infantry approaching.

These design ideas were a revelation to Dr. Porsche, and many of the previously thorny technical difficulties were overcome or compromised to find practical solutions.

Finally, Lelouch gave Dr. Porsche a heads-up, suggesting he pay attention to the tank's shock absorption. He suggested using springs or torsion bars, but not too complex a structure, just something that could absorb shocks and protect the engine and transmission, preventing damage to equipment or injury to personnel.

As a military enthusiast in his previous life, Lelouch had some understanding of tank suspension, knowing things like Christie suspension and torsion bar suspension, and also knowing that earlier suspensions were simply springs or trolleys. However, he didn't understand the specific mechanical design and details of these things; he could only give the other party a direction and let the professional mechanical engineering team figure it out slowly.

After hearing this, Porsche said that although it added some challenges, they could still manage to complete it in two more months. If all else failed, they would just use the simplest spring or torsion bar for the first generation and improve it gradually in the future.

Ultimately, he only promised a revised timeline: "If we add this so-called 'suspension,' the basic model won't be in mass production until at least October, and the one with the cannon won't be in mass production until early next year. Can we afford to wait that long?"

Lelouch: "I can wait, but you need to give me a copy of all the relevant technical data. I'll go back and work with the engineers at BMW to work on it together. Maybe we can make some wheeled armored vehicles that aren't too complicated in structure and don't need suspension, so we can use them during the autumn offensive. As for your machine gun tanks, we'll have to use them during the winter offensive."

Porsche and Skoda's technical capabilities are still too weak. Once this project is finished, Lelouch plans to let Porsche become independent, poaching some teams from Skoda to start afresh. For now, to save time, the only option is for Porsche and BMW to collaborate on development, each solving technical problems in certain subsystems.

Lelouch was aware of the timeline for the subsequent major land battles.

As long as the General Staff accepts his proposed plan—to first attack the Kievan Rus' plains, advance along the coastline, and then turn back to attack Poland—the tanks only need to be ready for the future Polish campaign.

The muddy conditions during the frost-prone period are particularly noticeable only on the Kievan Rus' black soil plain, where drainage is poor and inland areas are prone to flooding.

The frost-covered plains of the Black Soil Plain experience their annual frost-covering period from March to May. After June, the weather becomes dry, which is why Operation Barbarossa was historically scheduled to begin in June (theoretically, it could have started as early as the end of May; historically, Operation Barbarossa was delayed by a month due to the Yugoslav Wars).

Autumn falls between October and November—which is why the Battle of Kiev during World War II had to be completed by October, because if it dragged on, the Kievan Rus' plains would become muddy again, causing problems for armored forces. However, it was precisely because the Battle of Kiev had to be completed by October that the subsequent Battle of Moscow was delayed.

Lelouch was well aware of the timing and geography of the weather, and he naturally wanted to take advantage of the dry summer and autumn seasons to launch his attack first on the Kievan Rus' plains. Once the Kievan Rus' region became muddy and unable to be used for military operations by the end of October, he could then consider the Polish issue during the winter, thus ensuring a well-coordinated process.

The muddy terrain around Poland isn't as pronounced as the Kievan Rus' plains, and the region isn't as cold as the area around Moscow. Furthermore, it's close to the Dmanian mainland, and the Dmanians are well-adapted to that climate. Once winter arrives and the ground hardens slightly, the tanks will unleash their full power. No matter how many troops the Russo people station on the Polish plains, they won't be able to stop Lelouch's infiltration!

Therefore, the armored vehicle's first battle was reserved for the Kievan Rus' plains in autumn, and the tank's debut was reserved for Poland in winter. The entire timeline was perfectly linked! All research and development and production plans had to be scheduled according to this timeline.

If there's simply not enough time, it's better to forgo the suspension system altogether and rush to get it up and running to meet the campaign timeline.

(End of this chapter)