The Twilight of Empire: Starting from Dunkirk

Chapter 152 The Chorus of the God of War

July 13, 1940, 10:00 a.m., Wiltshire, Royal Artillery School at Lakshear.

Mornings on the Salisbury Plain are free of the maddening mud of Dorset.

This area features hard, chalky soil with open views and sparse vegetation. For centuries, it has been a sacred site for the British Army to test heavy weapons. Here, sound travels without any obstruction; the sound of artillery can be heard for miles.

Winston Churchill was still wearing the same black navy coat as yesterday, but this did not make him stand out against the gray plain. On the contrary, he stood silently behind the concrete observation post like a moving statue.

Yesterday's tank test gave him hope for the reform of the army's mechanized forces, and today he is here to inspect the cornerstone of the army's firepower.

Beside him were not only the Imperial Chief of Staff, Sir John Deere, but also a serious-looking lieutenant general—the Inspector General of Artillery, Edward Ward.

Lieutenant General Ward's expression was not relaxed.

Although he controlled all the artillery of the British Empire, he was inwardly panicked.

At Dunkirk, the British Expeditionary Force abandoned more than 2000 artillery pieces of various types on the French beaches, and the artillery's decades of accumulated resources were almost wiped out overnight.

The British Army today is essentially in a state of complete financial and resource depletion.

But this gave Arthur an excuse to intervene. On his way there, he said something to Churchill that sent chills down the spines of all the generals accompanying him: "Prime Minister, since our warehouses are empty, and since all the production lines have to be put back into full operation, why bother making things that have proven obsolete on the French battlefield? Since we have to start making new molds anyway, let's not repeat yesterday's mistakes. We should build tomorrow's cannons."

Although Lieutenant General Ward was not present yesterday, he had received inside information that the youngest general in the Empire, a favorite of the Prime Minister, and the heir to the Sterling family, Arthur Sterling, had just criticized Lord Nuffield's tanks in Bovington yesterday and thereby secured the entire army's tank order.

Today, it's his artillery's turn.

On the front lines, a row of the British Army's main artillery pieces are conducting live-fire drills.

That's a QF 25-pound howitzer.

This cannon has a unique design, the most distinctive feature of which is a circular firing dial under the carriage. When the cannon is on the dial, the gunner can easily rotate it 360 degrees, like pushing a millstone.

"Fire!" came the commander's command flag.

boom! boom! boom!

The crisp, decisive sound of cannon fire echoed across the plain. White smoke billowed from the muzzle brakes. This type of artillery had an extremely high rate of fire; a skilled crew could fire six to eight shells per minute.

Seconds later, a dense cloud of dust rose from the target area three miles away. The coverage was extremely precise, with virtually no deviation.

"Prime Minister, this is the pride of our artillery." Lieutenant General Ward pointed to the row of guns, trying to sound confident, because these guns certainly had the right to be confident. "The 25-pounder (87.6mm) is currently the best divisional field gun in the world. It perfectly combines the indirect fire capability of a howitzer with the direct fire capability of a cannon. Plus that turntable, it can fire directly at a horizontal position when facing enemy tanks that suddenly appear, without even needing to be re-erected."

"During the French campaign, it was the only reliable support firepower we could rely on. Even in the final moments of the retreat, our gunners still used it to destroy quite a few German tanks."

Churchill exhaled a puff of smoke and nodded slightly. This cannon truly needed no further explanation. Every general present, including himself, could recite its firing table parameters.

As a veteran, Churchill instinctively admired this weapon. It embodied the ultimate pragmatism of British engineering: lightweight, flexible, and reliable. Whether in the deserts of North Africa or the bush of France, it could suppress infantry with indirect fire or breach the armor of tanks with direct fire.

It is a versatile tool on the battlefield and the most handy multi-functional wrench in the hands of the army.

"Arthur, what do you think?" Churchill turned to look at Arthur, who had been silent the whole time.

Arthur was dressed in a dark gray tweed hunting suit today, looking more like a nobleman on a hunting trip than a general on an inspection tour. But what he said next was as ruthless as a shotgun bullet.

"This is a masterpiece, Lieutenant General. I have never denied it." Arthur walked to the observation window, picked up the binoculars, and looked at the bullet impact point in the distance. "It is a perfect rapier. Light, agile, and responsive. It would be invincible in suppressing rebellions in the colonies, or against a second-rate army like the Italians."

Arthur lowered his binoculars, turned around, and stared directly into Lieutenant General Ward's eyes with his blue eyes.

"However, our current opponent is the Germans."

"When facing the main divisions of the German Wehrmacht, the 25-pounder gun had a fatal flaw—or rather, it was a 'jack-of-all-trades' trap."

"A trap?" Lieutenant General Ward frowned. "Brigadier General, this is the weapon that the officers and soldiers on the front lines trust the most."

"Lieutenant General, don't forget, I just returned from the front lines a month ago. The trust you speak of comes from having no better options." Arthur walked to the tactical table and took out a firepower comparison chart of the European battlefield that he had compiled.

He didn't use any rhetorical devices; he simply pointed to the cold, hard data above.

"Let's make a comparison," Arthur said, holding up one finger. "The 25-pounder, as the name suggests, has a projectile weighing 25 pounds, or about 11.3 kilograms."

「而德国国防军步兵师标配的LeFH18型105毫米榴弹炮，弹丸重32磅，大约14.8公斤。而他们的sFH18型150毫米重型榴弹炮，弹丸重达95磅，那是43公斤。」

Arthur looked at Lieutenant General Ward, whose face had suddenly turned grim: "This isn't just a difference of a few kilograms, Lieutenant General. You should be well aware of the difference in power involved."

"You only mentioned dealing with the German infantry or their tanks, but you selectively omitted the fortifications. When our infantry encountered a fortified German machine gun bunker or a semi-buried concrete structure during their attack, they called for 25-pounder support." Arthur gestured to indicate the blast radius: "An 11-kilogram projectile hitting a concrete structure would only blast away a few sandbags or leave a shallow crater in the wall. We were 'scratching' the German fortifications, not demolishing them."

"The machine gunners inside can just shake off the dust and continue slaughtering our soldiers."

"And when the Germans encountered our bunkers, they would call in 150mm heavy artillery. A 43kg shell would hit, and the bunker, along with the soldiers inside, would be sent to meet their maker."

Lieutenant General Ward opened his mouth, attempting to retort: ​​"But we have a rate-of-fire advantage! The 25-pounder can fire eight rounds per minute, which creates a dense barrage of fire—"

"Lieutenant General, zero multiplied by ten is still zero," Arthur interrupted him coldly, without the slightest politeness.

He walked up to a 25-pound cannon and tapped the slender barrel with the back of his hand, producing a crisp metallic echo.

"When facing permanent fortifications made of reinforced concrete, or semi-buried air-raid shelters of the German army, penetration power is everything."

"If the kinetic energy of a single projectile cannot exceed the yield strength of concrete, and if the explosive charge is insufficient to produce a collapse effect," Arthur turned around, shrugged, "then, no matter how fast your rate of fire is, you're just polishing the enemy's bunker. Even if you fire a hundred shells, it's meaningless except for scraping off a layer of plaster from the enemy's walls or giving the machine gunners inside a ringing in the ears for a while."

Arthur suddenly laughed, then his gaze swept over every general present, and he posed the most incisive question: "What puzzles me even more is that the British Empire seems to be suffering from a severe case of amnesia."

"In the Somme in 1916, and in Passchendahl in 1917. Back then, our artillery knew better than anyone else that there were only 6..."

Only heavy howitzers with 152mm and 8-inch (203mm) caliber shells could break through the German defenses. At that time, we assigned heavy artillery to every corps and every division.

"We threw away our ancestors' heavy iron hammers and picked up a thin rapier called 'Tiger Balm,' and were quite pleased with ourselves for its high rate of fire."

"Prime Minister, this is paying the price for the regression of artillery thinking with the lives of soldiers."

"We must find that lost hammer. Without 150mm-class divisional heavy artillery, our infantry are running naked when facing the German lines."

Arthur looked at the silent crowd and then threw out the second question about the 25-pound cannon.

「我们要知道，25磅炮的最大射程是12000码（约11公里）。这听起来似乎不错。但德国人的105炮也能打这幺远，而他们的150炮射程更远。」

"Lieutenant General Ward, I experienced this despair firsthand in that awful battle at Le Havre." Arthur's eyes became somewhat gloomy, as if he were reliving the acrid smell of seawater and gunpowder in the air that day.

"At that time, our artillery was desperately supporting the front line. The lads were great. They pushed the rate of fire of the 25-pounder to the limit and were very accurate. But unfortunately, the Germans got smarter. They withdrew their sFH18 heavy howitzer group to 13 kilometers away, just outside the maximum range of our 25-pounder—and opened fire."

"We could only passively endure the bombings in the mud, without even the right to fight back."

He even recalled the bombardment by German 210mm mortars in Berg, which felt like the end of the world.

"In the rules of artillery warfare in modern warfare, the side with the shorter range is the one that dies."

"No matter how fast your rate of fire is, even if you can fire 20 rounds per minute, in front of an enemy with a longer range, you are nothing more than a fast-firing corpse."

Churchill stopped turning the cigar in his mouth.

He understood.

The British Army was now like a nimble swordsman wielding a light sword, while the Germans were like a burly man wielding a heavy hammer.

A swordsman would be shattered with just one hit from the hammer, not to mention the Germans' firing rate was anything but slow.

"We need large-caliber heavy artillery," Churchill said in a low voice. "Arthur, we need our own higher-level support firepower."

"Yes, Prime Minister. We need to leave those light artillery pieces, which are only good for hunting rabbits, at the regimental level. At the division and corps levels, we need real heavy firepower." Arthur waved to his entourage behind him. "Bring that big guy up."

A heavy Scamme II tractor, with a deep rumble, slowly drove into position, towing a massive artillery piece.

Its barrel was much thicker than that of the 25-pounder, and its gun carriage was also wider and more stable. The iconic turntable was gone, replaced by two huge spades.

"The BL 5.5-inch (140mm) medium howitzer," Arthur explained. "This is a product that Sterling Heavy Industries accelerated to finalize based on a requirement put forward by the War Department as early as 38. It was originally scheduled for mass production next year, but if needed, I can get the factory to jump the queue."

Lieutenant General Ward stepped forward and stroked the long, slender cannon barrel.

"5.5 inches — I remember this project. It was to replace the old 6-inch (152mm) howitzers and 60-pounders."

At this point, the lieutenant general turned to Arthur and raised the question that had been on the minds of many officers present: "Brigadier General Sterling, if the goal is power, why not just keep the 6-inch (152mm) caliber? That old howitzer can fire 100-pound shells; it's incredibly powerful, and we have plenty of ammunition in stock. Why spend so much money on this slightly smaller 140mm contraption?"

"Because that 152mm howitzer is a short-legged fat guy, Lieutenant General." Arthur mercilessly shattered the old general's sentiments.

"The old-fashioned 6-inch howitzer was incredibly powerful and performed admirably in the Flanders mud in 1917. But its maximum range was only 9500 yards (about 8.7 kilometers)," Arthur said, pointing to a distant target. "If I had to choose between that short-legged fat man and the 25-pounder, I'd rather choose the 25-pounder."

This is the fundamental reason why the Army decided to retire them—they were too short.

In order to reach the enemy, the British army even had to drag it to within 8 kilometers of the front line.

That was suicide.

At that time, they were not only exposed to enemy counter-battery fire, but also faced the threat of enemy heavy mortars.

亚瑟拍了拍身旁这门崭新的5.5英寸火炮：「但这门炮不同。它把老式60磅加农炮的长射程（16公里）和老式6英寸榴弹炮的重毁伤（80—100磅弹丸）完美地结合在了一起。」

"It replaces more than just two cannons; it fills a tactical distance that allows artillery to survive."

"In modern warfare, range is the key to survival. No matter how large the caliber, if it can't hit the enemy, it's just a pile of expensive scrap metal."

"What about the performance data?" Churchill asked.

「射程16000码（约14.8公里）。」亚瑟报出了第一个数字，「它能在德国105炮的射程外开火，也能在与德国150炮的对射中不落下风。」「炮弹目前配备的是80磅（36公斤）高爆弹。我们正在研发100磅（45公斤）的重型弹。」

"Three times the power of a 25-pounder," General Dill calculated. "That's enough."

"Let me demonstrate." Arthur nodded to the testers behind him.

As the command was given, the generals surrounding the gun emplacement—including Lieutenant General Ward and General Diehl—quickly stepped back, plugged their ears, and cleared a large semi-circular space. They were all veterans, well aware that the muzzle storm of this medium-sized artillery was no joke; standing behind the spade was suicidal.

Several strong artillerymen immediately rushed toward the only prototype cannon in all of Britain.

This was no longer the light, quick push of operating a 25-pounder; it was a physical struggle. The heavy breechblock was pulled open with a crisp metallic scraping sound. Two loaders together lifted the 80-pound yellow high-explosive shell and, with a dull thud, shoved it into the breech.

Next came the separate-package propellant charges.

The cradle operator quickly turned the handwheel, and with the clicking sound of gears meshing, the huge cannon barrel slowly rose, pointing its head towards the sky.

"Radiation parameters set!"

"Cannon number one is ready!"

The commander swung the red flag down sharply: "Target: Area 3, simulated concrete fortification. Distance: 6000 yards."

"One shot, one shot!"

"put!"

The massive cannon barrel shook violently.

boom-!!!

To ensure an absolutely stunning demonstration, the test team did not choose the maximum range, but instead locked in a medium range of 6000 yards.

The distance is close enough to guarantee absolute accuracy for the first hit; it is also far enough to allow the 80-pound high-explosive bomb to achieve the perfect terminal velocity, thereby maximizing its destructive effect on the concrete.

The roar of the 5.5-inch gun was much deeper than that of the 25-pounder, a thunderous sound characteristic of large-caliber artillery, capable of shattering internal organs. The immense recoil caused the hydraulic recoil mechanism to whistle, and the two spades, deeply embedded in the chalk soil, were pushed back several centimeters by the force. The muzzle blast instantly whipped up dust from the ground, forming a visible semi-circular shockwave that spread outwards.

A dozen seconds later, the simulated bunker reinforced with steel and concrete in the distance was instantly engulfed by a huge fireball.

Everyone could feel the ground trembling slightly.

When the smoke cleared, the bunker was gone, leaving only a huge crater and scattered concrete fragments.

"This is what demolishing a house looks like." Arthur put down his binoculars.

He drew a new pattern.

"Developing this 5.5-inch gun does not mean abandoning the 25-pounder gun. Rather, our current infantry divisions have three artillery regiments, all equipped with 25-pounder guns (72 in total)."

"That's too simplistic. It's putting all your eggs in one lightweight basket."

Arthur picked up the chalk and crossed out one of the circles.

「我的建议是：保留2个25磅炮团用于直接支援和反坦克自卫。将第3个团，改为炮兵中型团」（AGRA），装备12到18门5.5英寸炮。」

"We need to get the company commander at the front to shout it over the radio. This will not only give us rapid suppression from the 25-pounder guns, but also a decisive blow from the 140mm caliber guns."

"When the Germans tried to stop us with concrete fortifications, we blew them up along with their fortifications with our 5.5-inch guns."

"That's enough firepower." Churchill nodded, looking at the still-smoking bomb crater. "It suits my taste perfectly."

I like these big pipes.

"But, Arthur, there's another problem." The Prime Minister turned around, pointing to the 5.5-inch gun that still needed to be towed, and mentioned the A15 "Meteor" tank that had sped around Bovington yesterday.

"The tank you showed yesterday can reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour off-road. But this gun can only crawl at 5 miles per hour off-road, and it even has to stop to dig out the spade. It is indeed much slower than the 25-pounder gun."

"If our armored divisions charge forward while our infantry divisions are still slowly maneuvering behind, the battle of Arras has shown that without heavy artillery cover, facing the Germans' heavy anti-tank fire is suicide."

This was precisely the Achilles' heel of the British armored forces in the early stages of World War II. Tanks were moving too fast, and the artillery couldn't keep up. As a result, tanks often crashed headlong into German anti-tank lines without artillery support.

"That's exactly what I'm going to deal with now, Prime Minister." Arthur turned around and looked at William Morris (Lord Nuffield), who had been standing in the corner and had been specially invited today.

Yesterday's crushing defeat left the car tycoon somewhat dejected, but Arthur's next words rekindled his hope.

"Lord, though your Covenant" (A13) and Crusader (early A15) were failures as tanks. Their armor was too thin and their design flawed."

"However, their chassis are quite fast."

Nuffield paused, then looked up: "You mean—"

Arthur had his attendant unfold a new design sketch. It wasn't anything high-tech; it was an extremely practical industrial combination.

The sketch depicts the chassis of an A13 cruiser tank, but the enclosed turret—which Churchill criticized for not only failing to provide bulletproof protection but also needing to heat the crew in the summer—has been removed. In its place is an open, square-shaped armored fighting compartment with an open top. A 25-pounder howitzer is mounted directly in this compartment.

"I call it Seton," Arthur said, pointing to the sketch.

British self-propelled artillery was usually named after clergy members, such as "Bishop" or "Priest." Arthur used the name "Clerk" earlier.

"This is a completely new concept: self-propelled gun (SPG)."

Arthur explained, "It doesn't need a tow truck. It doesn't need to stop to unload. It doesn't need to dig a trench."

"It can charge alongside tanks. When the vanguard encounters German resistance, it only needs to stop, turn its gun, and fire within 30 seconds."

"After firing a few rapid shots, it can shift gears and run before the German counter-fire arrives."

"Shoot and Scoot"

Arthur looked at Nuffield, his eyes filled with sincerity for cooperation: "Lord, Nuffield Mechanization Company doesn't need to stop production or lay off employees. You just need to eliminate the turret hoisting process on the A13 production line and replace it with artillery supports and simple fighting compartments provided by Sterling Heavy Industries."

"All the chassis, engines, and suspensions are readily available. This is both recycling waste and maximizing production capacity."

"The Army will pay you according to the purchase price of the tanks."

Lord Nuffield's eyes lit up.

As a businessman, he instantly calculated the costs and benefits. The cancellation of Project A13 meant his enormous initial investments in molds and production lines were all for naught. But now, Arthur had not only given him a way out, but also provided him with an "exclusive business opportunity." Turning a failed tank into a successful self-propelled artillery piece was nothing short of a business miracle.

“This—this makes perfect sense.” Nuffield’s voice trembled slightly, filled with gratitude. He looked at Churchill. “Nuffield can produce a prototype within two weeks. We have hundreds of ready-made chassis piled up in our warehouse.”

Churchill looked at the sketches, then at the two men. He was pleased to see this "reconciliation" within the industry.

"Very good. The problem with the armored divisions is solved. Now they have artillery that can move with the tracks."

"But cannons and tracks alone are not enough." Arthur was not finished with his performance.

He took the last prop out of his briefcase.

That wasn't steel, but a finely crafted circular slide rule, covered with densely packed logarithmic markings and firing table parameters. It was a "Simple Artillery Ballistic Computer" manufactured by Stirling Electronic Instruments, although it was purely a mechanical simulation.

"War is not just a clash of steel, but also a mathematical game." Arthur, holding a slide rule, described a tactic to everyone—ToT (Time on Target).

"The current shelling pattern is: each artillery battery fires as soon as it is ready. This results in shells falling one after another."

"The Germans were clever. When they heard the whistling of the first shell, those experienced veterans had about 3..."

They had about five seconds to jump into trenches or cover. Therefore, our first volley of artillery fire often only killed the slower-reacting recruits.

Arthur twirled the slide rule: "But what if we change it? We establish a Fire Control Center (FDC) at the division level."

"Let's say we have three artillery regiments, located 5 kilometers, 8 kilometers, and 12 kilometers from the target, respectively."

"Using a slide rule, we accurately calculated the number of seconds the shell took to fly."

"Then, we worked backwards to determine the firing time. The farther cannons fired first, and the closer cannons fired later."

Arthur slammed his hands together, making a sharp crack: "All the shells, hundreds or even thousands, landed in the same second."

At that moment, the air in Lakshir seemed to freeze. Those present were all soldiers, and they could imagine the horror of the scene.

"The Germans won't hear the warning of the first shell. They'll be eating lunch or cleaning their guns, and it will be completely silent."

"Then, in that instant, the sky collapsed."

"There was no warning, no time to escape, and no chance to hide."

"Hundreds of high-explosive shells covered the entire position in the same instant. The density of instantaneous destruction would be unprecedentedly terrifying."

Lieutenant General Ward's gaze shifted as he looked at the small slide rule in Arthur's hand. If he had harbored some resentment towards Arthur before, that feeling had now transformed into pure awe. This was no longer simply "building cannons"; it was redefining artillery tactics.

The wind blew across Salisbury Plain, swirling up a few withered blades of grass.

"I like this." Churchill's voice held a bloodthirsty pleasure. "I spent time in the trenches of World War I. I know what it's like to be suppressed by artillery fire. If we had this kind of tactic back then—"

Churchill turned to look at General Diehl and Lieutenant General Ward and gave his final instructions.

"Execute according to Brigadier General Sterling's plan."

"First, approve the BL 5.5-inch medium gun as a top priority production project. I want to see them deployed to army artillery regiments as soon as possible."

"Secondly, Nuffield Company shall immediately begin the conversion of self-propelled artillery. Utilize all available cruiser tank chassis. Do not waste a single screw."

"Third, the Royal Artillery School must immediately begin drafting a new training syllabus. This 'simultaneous firing' tactic must be etched into the minds of every artillery officer."

Churchill walked up to Arthur and patted him on the shoulder.

"Arthur, you built tanks for the army, and now you've given them heavy artillery."

"That Bohemian corporal may still be basking in the glory of his blitzkrieg victory. But he has no idea what kind of steel storm we are preparing for him on this island."

Arthur bowed slightly: "This was simply an inevitable outcome, Prime Minister."

"When the Germans were still using horse-drawn artillery, we were going to fight with internal combustion engines. That's what they taught us."

The inspection was over. The convoy slowly drove away from Lakshear. Arthur, sitting in the back seat, glanced back. In the setting sun, the rows of 25-pounder cannons still looked imposing, but behind them, the massive 5.5-inch cannon cast a long shadow, like a tombstone pointing eastward.

The British Army's most embarrassing period of "weak firepower" is about to end. On future battlefields, when German troops attempt to launch a counterattack, they will no longer be met with sparse 25-pound shells.

Instead, it was a seamless death chorus composed of "Sishi" self-propelled artillery and 5.5-inch heavy artillery.

That will be the grandest movement in the symphony of the god of war.

There will be one more chapter later, and the update will resume with two chapters per day. Double monthly votes are coming soon, so please support me with your monthly votes when it happens.