The Rise of the Empire

"This is really spectacular!" When Schlieffen and his party arrived at the starting point of the drill, the first thing that caught their eyes was the hundreds of vehicles and the dense crowd. The so-called crowd is full of thousands of people, and a division has about 14,000 people. Naturally, it is impossible to start from one place. Now Schlieffen came to the starting point of the division headquarters and subordinate units. A large number of heavy artillery and supplies have been loaded into vehicles, and an infantry regiment moving with the division headquarters has already started to set off. \u003c/p\u003eMost heavy weapons and large luggage can already be towed by vehicles, but for infantry, most of them should walk slowly by themselves. People are not allowed on both sides of the road, while vehicles transporting baggage and artillery drive in the middle of the road. The marching speed of the entire army is kept at about 5 kilometers per hour. There is no way, the infantry marching with full strength is only at this speed for a long time. \u003c/p\u003e "Your army seems to be equipped with fewer heavy weapons than the establishment." When Schlieffen and others passed by a company, he deliberately stopped to check the equipment carried by the troops. The new rucksack equipped by the Legion is very interesting. Simple and neat. And it is very comfortable after carrying a load, and it is easy to walk. He affirmed this. \u003c/p\u003eBut soon, he found that none of the 4 machine guns that should be attached to a company was available. Two 60mm mortars also disappeared. He was very dissatisfied that the 82mm mortar that should be equipped by a battalion next to him did not appear in the infantry marching ranks. \u003c/p\u003e"Your Excellency's method of reducing the necessary equipment of the troops can be..." Before Schlieffen could finish speaking, the prince pointed to a truck in the distance. Indicated that he could go and have a look. \u003c/p\u003eThis is a T1-shaped cargo truck equipped with a 50-horsepower engine, and the compartment behind the car can theoretically carry 1 ton of cargo. Two mortars and the required ammunition are neatly placed on the facade. The trailer at the back holds 4 machine guns and about 16,000 rounds of ammunition. The personnel of the fire team directly under the company moved along with the two vehicles. \u003c/p\u003e And there is a car behind it to store other baggage and supplies of the company-level unit. Including various large tents, necessary medical supplies, gasoline for vehicles and various maintenance tools. The third car was a cooking cart. The bucket of the cooking cart was filled with all kinds of food, vegetables and canned food needed by the company, and the rear part was what the prince called a field cooking cart. According to the prince's description, such a car can make food for 200 people within an hour and a half. \u003c/p\u003eThe three trains and the 3-section hanging bucket at the back almost solved all the supply problems of a company under the conditions at that time, and the speed of this car was about 15 kilometers per hour. Theoretically, the third vehicle can arrive at the place where the troops are resting ahead of time and then fire up and cook. After the troops arrive at the location, they can have a sip of hot food and a sip of hot water. "It's like going on a trip..." After comparing it with his own Prussian army, Hindenburg had to lament how high the treatment was! \u003c/p\u003eOf course not all companies can be equipped with 3 trucks, most of them usually have 2 trucks. This is determined according to the materials and tasks carried by certain companies. The vanguard troops are ready to fight at any time, and they need to move faster, so they naturally need to carry more ammunition and supplies. A single division company needs about 200 vehicles. The remaining heavy-duty vehicles are used to tow artillery and division-directed supplies. \u003c/p\u003eEven if Schlieffen and others support Ma Zheng no matter how crooked their buttocks are, they have to admit that it is really cool to use cars to pull cannons. A heavy truck can pull an artillery squad and the required tools and a 150mm howitzer away. A 12-door divisional 150mm heavy artillery unit can handle all of them with less than 40 vehicles. And it can allow artillery units to travel at a speed of more than 15 kilometers per hour.

\u003c/p\u003eSitting in the car specially prepared for Schlieffen and others, watching the torrent of hundreds of vehicles in the distance, Schlieffen was also shocked by the spectacular marching scene in front of him. If there is aerial photography in this era, then it can be found that several troops scattered in the garrison finally merged into the main road. \u003c/p\u003eThe gray-black queue that stretched for more than ten kilometers was advancing rapidly like a giant dragon. Right in front of it was a mixed reconnaissance unit composed of cavalry and armored vehicles, and a huge fan spread out in front of the team. And then there is a main force regiment belonging to the division, which is different from the position of the heavy equipment of the general German army at the back. Thanks to the strong transportation capacity, the 105mm artillery group assigned to the regiment is located very forward. According to Colonel Schmidt, If the opponent is found in front, the artillery can smash the shells on the opponent's position before the infantry completes its deployment. \u003c/p\u003eThe roar of hundreds of engines shocked Schlieffen and others, who had never seen such a large-scale mechanized maneuver, advancing along the winding road, and the entire army's marching plan was in order. Because most of the horse-drawn carts were eliminated, the amount of supplies required by the troops decreased instead. After all, a horse needs at least 10kg of various feeds a day, as well as a lot of fresh water. To tow a 75 gun and an ammunition cart requires at least 6 horses. But a car in this plane can’t use 60 liters of gasoline for 40 kilometers a day...  \u003c/p\u003e"One day, wheels will completely replace horses as the main transportation force on land, and horse-drawn carriages will eventually take a back seat. Now, whoever can seize this opportunity will have an advantage in future wars." A long dragon like a rainbow. His Royal Highness is also very proud. He looked at Shilieffen and the others next to him with the gaze of a local tyrant looking at **. \u003c/p\u003eBut to be honest, what the prince said is a bit exaggerated. After all, in World War II, German military horses still occupy an important position in transportation. \u003c/p\u003eDuring the exercise, several encounter simulations were indeed arranged. A large number of infantry quickly left the road, looking for bunkers nearby and building simple fortifications, while the company and battalion support firepower moved in place through trucks before the infantry was deployed. \u003c/p\u003e"As long as there is no problem with the investigation, our machine gun and mortar positions can be deployed before the opponent's infantry launches a group charge. Although we have concentrated our company's firepower, we rely on grenades and automatic rifles. At least we will not suffer when we encounter battalion and company-level troops from other countries, but when the support weapon assumption is completed, it will be crushed." The prince explained. \u003c/p\u003eDuring the march on the first day, the marching distance of the entire army actually reached about 45 kilometers, which was almost double the marching speed of the Prussian Legion in the same period! In the next two days, it still reached about 40 kilometers. As a result, the entire march ended 5 hours earlier than expected! The officials of the German General Staff recorded the process of the march and various data in detail. Watching them seal and pack the documents, the prince knew that his goal had been achieved. \u003c/p\u003eThe yogurt and fruit of the related book friends, the first guard tank brigade, the \u003c/a\u003e~~~ of the sea, and the \u003c/a\u003e support of the book friend step~~~~! The second is more ~~~, please subscribe and support~~~! \u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e