I am an industrial worker during the War of Resistance

Chapter 69 Grenade Launchers and 37mm Gun Barrels
This breakfast today gave Commander Chen and his team a completely new perspective.

A military commander's tactics and strategies can easily be constrained by his past successful experiences.

Breaking free from these constraints can be very difficult at times.

Unless one possesses great wisdom and perseverance, it is very difficult for them to break free from the lock in their own heart.

This psychological constraint is not limited to the military; it applies to almost every industry in life.

But Commander Chen and his soldiers possessed great wisdom and perseverance.

Because they follow a leader who can break all the rules.

Whether it's external or internal.

Commander Chen and his men left.

In addition to listening to Chen Changzai, he also discussed the use of 37mm anti-aircraft guns and hot air balloons for high-altitude reconnaissance.

Beyond the concept of conducting cross-country strikes against ground targets.

They then heard about the design concept and related data of the new general-purpose machine gun.

This time, these veterans expressed their approval of the new gun's specifications.

Although the maximum rate of fire of 800 rounds is considered a bit high.

However, after seeing the simple sliding speed controller on the blueprint, they believed that as long as proper training was provided on its use, bullet consumption could still be controlled.

After breakfast, Political Commissar He went to check on the various factories, especially the steel mill construction site.

The basic work at the steel mill has been largely completed.

Only the installation of the final converter equipment remains. This steel plant has been in preparation for twelve months now.

It will take at least two more months before we can start trial production.

Chen Changzai also went through the process with Political Commissar He.

The entire steel plant's progress was arranged entirely according to Chen Changzai's project schedule plan.

Deputy Factory Director Xu was very strict in ensuring the quality of the entire project.

Therefore, Chen Changzai was very satisfied with the entire construction of the steel plant.

Chen Changzai arrived at the machinery factory, where he met with Liu, the factory's master craftsman, and his students who were with him.

Director Zhao of the headquarters ordnance factory was working together to complete the assembly of the 37mm single-barreled anti-aircraft gun.

There were also Chen Changzai's students.

They held another short meeting to discuss the newly designed general-purpose machine gun.

Everyone agrees that the new general-purpose machine gun is feasible in terms of technology, manufacturing process, and use.

Moreover, Director Zhao of the headquarters ordnance factory believed that this new machine gun should not take up manpower from the machinery factory.

With the blueprints in hand, their ordnance factory could begin trial production.

After all, their scale is constantly expanding.

Because the production line provided by the machinery manufacturing plant has already been implemented at the headquarters' ordnance factory, it can produce one hundred rifles per day.

Production capacity of thirty submachine guns.

They are also copying the Czech ZB26 light machine gun, so it can be said that they have some experience with machine guns.

The reason why the headquarters arsenal's output is not high at present.

The main reason is that the training of skilled workers is still ongoing.

When the skilled workers are fully proficient.

We can unleash the full capacity of this production line.

So their production line can easily meet the demand for two hundred rifles per day.

The machinery manufacturing plant is now producing a second production line for them.

Meanwhile, the ammunition factory now has five ammunition production lines.

Each production line can produce a total of 400,000 to 450,000 rounds of various types of ammunition per month.

Previously, ammunition factories were unable to meet the demand for ammunition production due to limitations in copper resources.

But since copper mines were discovered, copper has no longer been a limitation.

Moreover, the ammunition factory is currently producing a 40mm grenade designed by Chen Changzai.

It was a copy of the Soviet VOG-25 caseless grenade, but Chen Changzai modified the grenade to have an impact fuse.

The launcher it used was also a copy of the Soviet GP25 low-pressure grenade launcher made by Chen Changzai.

This transmitter is simple to manufacture.

It's just a short tube with internal rifling; the tube is only slightly longer than a grenade.

The grenade is loaded at the front and fired by a firing pin at the rear. There are ten small holes at the rear of the grenade, where the propellant inside is ignited and ejected backward to provide propulsion.

Its maximum range is 400 meters.

A grenade launcher with a simple sight and two wooden grips, one at the front and one at the back.

There is a folded shoulder rest at the very back.

The shoulder support rod has a sleeve-type structure. Inside is a buffer spring.

The entire grenade launcher weighs three kilograms, making it lightweight and reliable.

It can be fired horizontally from the shoulder or in a curved trajectory.

It can be launched from either a standing or lying position, which is very convenient.

Chen Changzai also considered getting a Japanese grenade launcher.

However, that ground-mounted grenade launcher required too much skill from the shooter.

Without long-term training, it's impossible to master that seemingly simple grenade launcher.

Chen Changzai copied this Soviet grenade launcher.

Because it is a shoulder-mounted firing mechanism, aiming is easy, and even without shoulder mounting, it can still be fired with good accuracy.

Moreover, the explosive power of a 40mm grenade is already about the same.

Different types of ammunition have very good destructive effects on unprotected infantry and lightly armored targets, as well as bunkers and simple fortifications.

This grenade and grenade launcher are simple to manufacture and lightweight to carry.

It received praise from everyone as soon as it was taken out.

To Chen Changzai, this little guy was nothing more than a trinket.

Chen Changzai did not object to Director Zhao's suggestion that the headquarters ordnance factory should trial-produce this general-purpose machine gun.

Even if trial production is carried out here at the machine factory, the final mass production still has to be carried out at the headquarters ordnance factory.

It would be better to conduct trial production directly at the headquarters ordnance factory rather than doing that.

"I think the final assembly is almost complete. How does it feel? Can you guarantee a successful first shot?" Chen Changzai asked Factory Director Zhao and Master Liu.

Factory Director Zhao said, "I think there's no problem. I worked on it with the students beforehand."

I also studied the blueprints carefully.

The overall design is very simple.

During our testing, we found that its lever-type hydraulic brake had an excellent braking and resetting effect.

It provides gentle restraint and rapid repositioning.

The only thing that gave us a headache with this cannon was the machining of the barrel.

However, after working together, Master Liu and the machine tool factory managed to drill out the more than two-meter-long cannon barrel.

The rifling is also perfectly executed.

The skills of Master Liu and Master Li from the machine tool factory are truly legendary.

When Master Liu from the machine shop heard this, he chuckled and said, "What I did is nothing; it's mainly Old Li from the machine tool factory who did it."

He really went to great lengths for this cannon barrel.

To drill this cannon barrel, he took out his two best marble bases, which he had saved for over a year.

Those large marble slabs were brought back by Director Chen back then.

After it was ground into a base, it has just been left there untouched.

That thing was originally a large rock that had fallen from the mountain and hadn't been moved for many years.

After it was processed, it was left to sit for more than a year.

It can be said to be the most stable machine tool base.

Old Li also said so.

He said that without Director Chen's tungsten alloy cutter head and high-toughness molybdenum alloy drill rod, it would be impossible to succeed.

It's practically impossible to drill through such a long cannon barrel.

Even if it manages to emerge, who knows how high the scrap rate of that cannon barrel will be.

We've now successfully drilled this cannon barrel.

Then drilling into other cannon barrels later will be a piece of cake.

"We can easily take down a cannon barrel that's at least three meters long."

At this point, Master Liu couldn't help but sigh.

He continued, "Back when I was at the Hanyang Machinery Factory, the drill bits for drilling gun barrels were all controlled by foreigners."

We can't even manufacture a blade ourselves.

Now we have our own blades.

After that, we'll be able to build large-caliber cannons, and then we'll see who dares to bully us.

As he said this, Mr. Liu's teeth were grinding together.

"That day will come, and it won't be too far away."

As Chen Changzai spoke, he looked at the gun barrel, which had already been installed on the turntable of the anti-aircraft gun base.

(End of this chapter)