Starting with the smashing of Dunkirk

Chapter 222 is essentially a case of blindly following a single technical route to the bitter end.
The development of the Oerlikon machine gun in this dimension ultimately continued along the original technological path.

Moreover, influenced by the success of the MP15 submachine gun, Oerlikon's characteristics of "emphasizing rate of fire, emphasizing ejection stability, neglecting lightweight, and neglecting leakage" will definitely become more extreme in the future.

Ultimately, it can be predicted that this thing's armor-piercing performance will be lower than that of Earth's plane, the density of anti-aircraft spray will be increased, but the maximum firing height and effective range will be reduced, so it has both advantages and disadvantages.

In short, it is less effective against tanks. Even with armor-piercing rounds, it can probably only deal with steel plates smaller than 20 mm. However, the higher rate of fire significantly increases the density of anti-aircraft fire.

If we quantify it symbolically,
This is equivalent to the original Oerlikon machine gun on Earth having the attributes of "A against human enemies, B against armor, B against medium air defense, and B against close air defense";
The Oerlikon attribute in this plane has become "A against humans, C against armor, C against medium air defense, A against close air defense".

Lelouch didn't care if the machine guns were weaker against armor. As long as they could threaten enemy armored targets until the end of this world war, that was enough. Future wars would definitely rely on specialized anti-tank guns for anti-armor warfare.

The improved close-range air defense performance is a tangible benefit, and we will continue to rely on this gun for close-range air defense in the future.

The weakening of medium-range air defense necessitates the future development of anti-aircraft guns like the Bofors 40mm to fill this niche and ensure comprehensive air defense. However, there's no rush. The enemy aircraft threats during this world war won't require Bofors; these can be addressed gradually during the ceasefire period.

Bofors in the Earth dimension was also restricted by the Treaty of Versailles due to Germany's defeat. Unable to develop artillery themselves, they could only have Krupp send people to neutral Sweden to secretly develop it, helping the Swedes fill their gaps. Lelouch, on the other hand, only needs to ensure a ceasefire rather than defeat in the future, so he can openly develop it himself without having to rely on others.

Lelouch finally clarified the entire technical roadmap for small and medium caliber anti-aircraft anti-armor firepower.

The future imperial artillery and military industry system should be more clearly defined: Krupp should focus on large-caliber heavy artillery, Rheinmetall on high-velocity anti-tank guns, and Lelouch's company should focus on all dual-purpose guns (primarily anti-aircraft guns, with anti-armor capabilities as a side effect).

Historically, Rheinmetall's 88mm gun was also very effective. Lelouch doesn't want to get involved in this area; he'll let Rheinmetall focus on anti-tank guns of calibers like the 88mm. They can add anti-aircraft capabilities as an afterthought, but the anti-aircraft performance will definitely not be as good as Lelouch's guns. Lelouch could consider cooperating with them on fuses, selling his better future fuses to Rheinmetall and earning a portion of their profits.

……

Having completely resolved the issues with anti-aircraft guns and anti-tank guns, Lelouch had little to say about DWM's 13.2mm heavy machine gun.

There's nothing comparable to this in the Earth dimension. Demacia never built anything similar; only the United States across the ocean later possessed the M2 12.7mm heavy machine gun. After Lelouch provided some key guidance at the beginning of the project's development, the rest was up to them to figure out.

However, this warship commissioning ceremony also provided an opportunity for manufacturers of various systems to exchange ideas and brainstorm.

Finally, Heinrich Vollmer, a young designer from DWM who was present, listened to the entire exchange between Lelouch and Dr. Reinhard Beck and was deeply inspired. He asked Dr. Beck several more technical questions and finally made up his mind to ask Lelouch for his advice:
"General Lelouch, I think that our DWM company's 13.2mm heavy machine gun design could also adopt the idea of ​​a 20mm cannon and submachine gun, so we might as well abandon the complete locking and let the bolt move freely."

If we find the bolt too heavy, or if the bolt's flexibility causes a significant drop in chamber pressure, we'll devise another method to make it a 'semi-free bolt, delayed locking' system. We'll figure out the specifics ourselves.

However, as long as the military can accept the cost of a certain reduction in chamber pressure, we can accelerate the research and development process and ensure that a stable fully automatic version is available within one or two years. As for the less stable versions or those that fail to meet quality standards, they can be released this year.

Furthermore, as long as I can figure out a solution to the 'delayed locking' problem, I can overcome the significant smoke and flash leakage from the breech in a pure blowback breech. The only remaining insurmountable issue is the reduction in chamber pressure, but the rate of fire can be increased.

Lelouch listened intently, because he was the one who spearheaded and suggested that DWM and Mauser undertake this project. He ultimately had the final say on whether the Barea military would purchase or exclusively supply this ammunition, so any adjustments to the design specifications required his approval. If the Barea used it well, the armies of other states within the Empire would naturally follow suit.

After weighing the options, Lelouch concluded that the 20mm autocannon could still primarily be used for air defense in the future, while its anti-tank capabilities would certainly be sufficient for at least the next two or three years.

However, a 13.2mm machine gun already has weak armor-piercing power. If the chamber pressure and muzzle velocity are further reduced, what if it can't even penetrate the current Rolls-Royce armored car and the "Little Willie" tank?

"If you're going to use a similar approach of reducing chamber pressure and increasing firing rate to accelerate research and development, roughly how much will the muzzle velocity be reduced, and how much armor penetration will be preserved? You need to give me a definite answer so I can confirm whether I agree to change the project specifications," Lelouch asked earnestly.

Designer Heinrich Vollmer analyzed meticulously: "Currently, we use the Mauser 13.2x95mm bullet, with a muzzle velocity of approximately 850 meters per second. If I were allowed to use a delayed-locking bolt, the chamber pressure would decrease by more than 25%, and the muzzle energy would decrease by at least 20%, reducing the muzzle velocity to approximately 720 meters per second. However, I guarantee that I can achieve a higher rate of fire than the current MG08 heavy machine gun! The MG08 only fires 450 rounds per minute; I can achieve 600 rounds per minute with a much larger bullet!"
There's no need to consider water-cooled barrels then, as the entire heavy barrel can participate in recoil. The heat dissipation issue can be addressed through a quick-change barrel system. Since this machine gun is designed for anti-tank warfare, it won't be continuously firing; if it fires briefly for a few seconds and then stops, heat dissipation won't be a problem.

If continuous fire is necessary to engage infantry and fortifications, then fire around 300 rounds before replacing the barrel. The replaced barrel isn't discarded; it simply cools down until the other barrel gets too hot, then replace it with the spare. Even in the most intense fighting, having a maximum of three barrels should be sufficient.

Lelouch was secretly alarmed when he heard this, wondering if Heinrich Vollmer was the designer of the MG34 in the Earth dimension. He also blamed himself for not being a deep enough military enthusiast in his previous life, only knowing that the MG34 was a Mauser machine gun, but never caring about who designed it.

However you look at it, the idea described by the other party clearly has the shadow of the MG34/42. It also involves changing the barrel for heat dissipation and using delayed locking to speed up development. At the same time, the side effect is to increase the rate of fire but sacrifice chamber pressure and armor-piercing power.

It's important to know that the MG34/42 machine gun in Earth's plane only has a muzzle velocity of about 750 meters per second, which is significantly slower than the earlier MG08 heavy machine gun's 900 meters per second, and also much slower than the heavy machine guns of the Czech Republic. It's only about the same as the later Czech light machine gun or the Braun light machine gun.

However, the terrifying rate of fire of the MG34/42 is well known to all people on Earth. It is actually a trade-off between "initial velocity and rate of fire".

At this moment, designer Heinrich Vollmer, influenced by the MP15 submachine gun which was released three years earlier, and also by Reinhard Beck, embarked on this path ahead of schedule.

Lelouch thought for a moment, then insisted on asking one last question before making a decision: "You've answered a lot of questions, but you haven't mentioned armor-piercing capability yet, which is the most crucial point. An initial velocity of 720 meters per second is acceptable, but you have to tell me how thick the armor it can penetrate."

Heinrich Vollmer did not have readily available data, so he could only estimate: "The current version with an initial velocity of 850 meters has an armor penetration thickness of 18 millimeters of homogeneous steel within 500 meters, and the armor penetration thickness at 1000 meters is reduced to 12 millimeters."

If the initial velocity is reduced to 720 meters per second, the projectile strength remains unchanged, but the muzzle kinetic energy will decrease. According to physics calculations, the armor penetration thickness at 500 meters will decrease to 14 millimeters, and at 1000 meters, it will decrease to 10 millimeters. Due to wind resistance, the difference in kinetic energy retention will become smaller with increasing distance.

Lelouch thought for a moment. The "Little Willy" tank and the Rolls-Royce armored car currently only have 8mm of armor, which this new gun can easily penetrate. If the country were to develop a "Big Willy" or a "Mark 1" in the future, even with reinforced frontal armor, they could still rely on side-mounted armor-piercing shots.

Moreover, a machine gun is sufficient to fire at a tank at 500 meters. As long as the machine gun position is well hidden and not detected by the enemy in advance, it is entirely possible to fire at 500 meters.

As for the future, let's just designate this heavy machine gun to target armored vehicles, not tanks.

射速方面，海因里希.沃尔默的方案提升是很明显的，MG08用7.92的子弹也才450发射速，地球位面丑国的M2用12.7能做到450~500发射速。沃尔默却能用13.2做到600，这个技术路线显然是偏向MG34/42的方向的。

German weapons do indeed have their own unique characteristics; they don't simply copy the M2 from the Ugly Kingdom in the Earth dimension.

……

After reviewing and guiding the follow-up research and development of the 20mm cannon and 13.2mm machine gun, the commissioning ceremony of this warship is almost over.

Before leaving, Lelouch suddenly had another idea, reminding the Krupp team not to forget to add an adjustable delayed fuse to the anti-aircraft shells to ensure that the shells self-destruct in mid-air after flying a certain distance, instead of aiming for the shells to hit the aircraft directly before exploding. He also suggested that the explosive charge of the anti-aircraft shells could be replaced with shrapnel rounds.

These technologies were all existing, and time-delay fuses were easy to implement. It involved adding a fuse inside the shell that could be tightened and loosened to adjust its length. Before firing, the gunner would tighten it to the specified number of seconds before loading. After firing, the fuse would burn for the corresponding duration, causing the shell to explode. However, no one had previously thought of using the explosive charge of shrapnel shells and time-delay fuses to shoot down aircraft. In early 1916, anti-aircraft guns were still relatively primitive, and the goal was to directly hit the aircraft before it exploded.

So this is just a brief suggestion, a simple step forward; there's no technical difficulty involved, and Gustav could have handled it himself.

After the ceremony, Lelouch and Gustav returned to the hotel where they were being hosted. He planned to stay for a couple more days to discuss further business collaborations and the opening of a new steel plant in the eastern occupied territories.

With the commissioning ceremony of the "Baria" over, Admiral Hugo von Pohl's wish has been fulfilled. He will officially retire at the end of the month, and Admiral Hipper will officially take over as commander of the High Seas Fleet.

There will also be an inauguration ceremony for Hipper, who will invite a large group of close guests to attend and have a banquet. Given Lelouch's relationship with Hipper, he will naturally wait until after the inauguration ceremony before leaving.

Moreover, it is said that even Emperor Wilhelm will come to Wilhelmshaven to personally preside over the retirement of General Hugo von Pohl, as a way to appease the old minister, and at the same time to oversee the appointment of Hipper.

On January 29th and 30th, Lelouch spent two days in the Grand Hotel in Port Wilhelmshaven, discussing his vision for the development of the East with Gustave Krupp.

"The East has a super-large iron ore mine that is twice the size of the entire Lorraine iron ore mine. Moreover, the Lorraine iron ore mine only has an iron content of 35%, with too many sulfur and phosphorus impurities. The Krivorro iron ore mine, on the other hand, has an iron content of 60%. You don't need to use high-quality coking coal like you would with the Lorraine iron ore mine. You can use coke made from any kind of coal. As long as you have orders, you can expand production as much as you want."

Lelouch didn't stand on ceremony and immediately drew a picture of the beautiful future.

Gustav was aware of the size and quality of the Krivorrog iron ore mine; he was simply concerned about whether the Empire could maintain its hold on the East, so he wanted to confirm the occupation policy.

"The key issue now is whether the army can hold the eastern region. It's too close to the front line. The iron mines are alright, as they are at least 300 kilometers away from the line of control between the two countries. But the coal mines in Donbas are right next to the line of control between the two sides. If the Lusa army pushes back 100 or 200 kilometers, the eastern part of the coal mining area will be lost. With the war raging, we can't invest in the war zone."

Lelouch sincerely addressed Gustav's main concerns immediately.

"The army will take care of all the problems you're worried about. Currently, the eastern edge of the Donbas coal mines is only a little over 100 kilometers from the line of actual control. However, the 6th Army will capture the Rostov region this winter, at which point the large coal mines will be at least 300 kilometers from the front line!"
Regarding your concerns about the occupation plan, when I returned home, I conveyed His Highness Rupprecht's intentions to His Highness Baden. His Highness Baden promised that the Ministry of Occupation Affairs would persuade the Reichstag and His Majesty to adopt a future strategy of incorporating the area west of the Dnieper River into the homeland. East of the Dnieper, a state of local Cossacks and Kievan Rus's people would be established, and the large coal mines would be exclusively leased to the Empire for at least 50 years.

Therefore, His Highness Rupprecht will help you with military matters, and His Highness Baden will help you with political matters. As for resources, we can discuss that. You just need to come up with a plan, and once the large steel mill is built, iron ore and coal will be readily available. However, we need to agree on the shareholding ratio among the various parties.”

During wartime, the output of large iron mines in newly occupied territories, which could last for several years, could be partially wiped out, as could the output of coal mines. It could be said that the mines had not been repaired, had no output or produced too little, or had been damaged by the enemy. In reality, the difference was sold off privately or supplied to Krupp at extremely low prices to help Krupp offset some of its costs, serving as an investment for all parties.

Krupp, of course, had to reciprocate. With such a huge steel plant, they had to find a way to give some shares to the people who helped them solve their problems.

Or simply build two steel mills, one of which Krupp would own 100% of the shares and control, and the other would be given to the various parties who helped settle the matter.

The royal families of Baria, Baden, and Lelouch will all definitely each have a share.

Gustav understood the division of spoils; he knew that during wartime, the interests of occupied territories often involved many gray areas from which profits could be distributed. His only concern was that the empire might not survive.

Lelouch also said some insightful words that completely solidified his confidence:
“Mr. Gustav, I think there’s something you haven’t figured out yet. If the Empire fails, do you think the Franks will spare your factory? Don’t assume the enemy will make a dignified ceasefire like in the old days. The war has already escalated to this point. If the Empire fails, your company will cease to exist.”

Lelouch wasn't lying, because that's how the history of the Earth dimension actually unfolded.

During the war, many capitalists felt that losing the war was not a big deal, mainly because they believed that private capital could escape.

But if that day really comes, the Treaty of Versailles will not spare private capital, and it will not care about the "sacred and inviolable nature of private property".

Gustav himself could be imprisoned and tortured, and the factory would be completely dismantled and sold by the Franks.

Lelouch was simply giving Gustav a vivid and well-reasoned analysis of what the enemy might actually do in the future.

His final words finally moved Gustav, and he was no longer worried about putting all available resources into a desperate gamble to expand production.

"Fine! I'll bet with you! If the Empire can't be defended, all those cannons I built will surely be wiped out by the Bulldogs and the Franks! Our large blast furnaces in Essen had an annual output of around 30 tons, a volume of 500 cubic meters, and a daily output of over 800 tons."

However, due to overcapacity, we had larger blast furnace technology for several years but didn't put it into production. This time, I can directly build blast furnaces on the eastern line with a single volume of over 1000 cubic meters, a daily output of 2000 tons, and an annual output of over 60 tons!

Here's the arrangement: We'll start with two plants. One will belong to the Krupp Nikopol steel plant, and the other to the Bariazaporozhye steel plant. As for the second plant, the three of you can decide how to divide the shares among yourselves. After the first batch is completed, we'll build the supporting open-hearth furnaces or other steelmaking furnaces, expanding construction using our own produced raw materials.”

Lelouch: "The cycle is too slow. We should at least double it and build four at once, two for you and two for us. That would only be the initial annual output of 2.4 million tons of steel. You should know that the Franks built the Nicopol steel plant for Rosa before the war, which already had an annual output of 3 million tons and consisted of 10 blast furnaces with an annual output of 300,000 tons."

The two sides finally agreed on the investment plan. The first phase would not be operational until mid-1917, with an annual steel output of 240 million tons. Subsequent phases could be completed sooner, one phase per year. The 6th Army would use prisoners of war to provide Krupp with all the heavy laborers it needed.

Construction of this scale would require at least 100,000 people, and at its peak, it could reach 300,000, including the expansion of the supporting coal mines.

Before the outbreak of war, Demania's annual steel production had already exceeded 2000 million tons. An increase of 240 million tons a year and a half later was not a large amount, but it was the maximum speed of construction during wartime.

……

After reaching an agreement on cooperation in basic industries, the last day of January arrived quietly.

Lelouch and Gustav then went to attend Admiral Hipper's inauguration ceremony to congratulate him on becoming the Commander-in-Chief of the High Seas Fleet.

There wasn't much to say about the ceremony itself, but what surprised Lelouch was that after the ceremony, Emperor William actually sought him out and asked him to discuss some matters privately.

"I heard you wrote a very daring paper at Potsdam College? Why didn't you finish it and ended up in Port Wilhelmshaven?"

When Lelouch was summoned into the Emperor's reception room, Emperor William asked him this question right off the bat.

(End of this chapter)