Arms purchase?

Is that something you can get involved with?

Zhang Yong knew deeply that the water in all purchases was very deep and could drown people at any time.

He doesn't want to die.

I don’t want to step into this quagmire.

He had nothing to do to catch spies and plan some false information, which was actually quite good.

Why go into troubled waters?

"I don't agree." Express your attitude directly.

"It's not as complicated as you think." Yang Lichu's voice was weak, "I didn't really ask you to host it."

"what does that mean?"

"When you meet a German, you just raise a few words and bang the drum."

"In trouble?"

"Probably so. But it has nothing to do with our empty funding department."

"oh……"

Zhang Yong vaguely understood.

It should be something related to Chiang Kai-shek's side. My wife also helped to play the drums.

It is estimated that the army encountered some troubles during the procurement process. Therefore, my wife also wants to help the commission to obtain the corresponding weapons and equipment as soon as possible.

"The key is the 150mm howitzer."

"How many doors are missing?"

"We bought a total of 200 units, but only 75 units have arrived so far. There are still 125 units that have not been shipped yet."

“The Germans refuse to ship?”

"They didn't say that. They just said that the production line is currently at full capacity and they cannot free up enough production capacity for the time being. They asked us to wait."

"hehe."

Zhang Yong knew exactly what was going on.

They are all excuses. In fact, they just don’t want to fulfill the contract. They want to delay it. Equip the German army first.

Starting in 1935, Germany secretly expanded its military force wildly.

The National Defense Force, which originally had only 100,000, will expand to more than 1 million in a very short period of time. Then it will expand from 1 million to more than 3 million.

By 1939, before the German army entered Poland, it already had about 3 million troops.

This is quite a scary number.

On the contrary, the numbers of British and French armies were continuously reduced.

Before the German army entered France, the French Army did not even have 1 million troops. Therefore, there was a reason for the rapid surrender.

how to spell?

There is no way to fight. If you fight, you will die.

To expand the army, the first thing you need is weapons and equipment. What is the use of a fire stick?

Since March 1935, the German army has begun to implement compulsory military service, increasing the number of troops from 100,000 to more than 500,000 in one step.

This big step forward requires the addition of a large amount of weapons and equipment, including 150mm heavy artillery.

Previously, due to the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles, the German army could not equip heavy weapons. Therefore, the initial 100,000 Wehrmacht troops did not have heavy artillery. Now they must start from scratch and replenish them in large quantities. The schedules of arsenals such as Rheinmetall and Krupp are indeed very tight.

Exaggeration. Production capacity has reached its limit.

125 howitzers is not a small number.

Especially for this kind of howitzer with a caliber of 150 mm, the production cycle is relatively long.

Since the German army needs it, it has no choice but to allocate it to the German army itself first. The only way to export is to wait. When? I don’t know. Anyway, just wait.

"actually……"

Zhang Yong was about to speak but stopped.

He has an idea, but it's immature.

what idea?

Just change German weapons to American weapons and buy American howitzers.

Because the bullet caliber of small arms is already limited to 7.92 mm, if you want to change it, it will cause great logistical confusion. It cannot be changed.

However, the 150mm howitzer is independent and can be separated from small arms.

It can even be separated from other artillery regiments.

The performance of the American-made 150mm howitzer is indeed not as good as the German-made one. However, it has low cost and fast delivery!

The current industrial production capacity in the United States is very terrifying. There are military factories everywhere. There is absolutely no need to worry about supply issues. As long as you pay, they will supply the goods as quickly as possible. There will be absolutely no delay. 125 howitzers,

It's just trivial.

"you say."

"For the price of 125 German-made howitzers, you can buy 500 105mm howitzers from the United States."

"Where did you hear that?"

"Have you ever heard of Rock Island Arsenal?"

"Japanese?"

"No. America's old arsenal is in Illinois. It can produce almost all weapons and equipment."

"you've been to?"

"When I was in Shanghai, I heard many Americans showing off. Many of the weapons they stocked up at home were produced by the Rock Island Arsenal. Their product types are very rich, both for military and civilian use. The Springfield Air Force Equipment Co., Ltd.

Some of the M1903 rifles were produced by this Rock Island Arsenal."

Zhang Yong explained patiently.

Yang Lichu only focused on the development of aircraft and did not know much about land weapons.

Due to her professional limitations, she actually didn’t know about the Rock Island Arsenal. She was really biased.

"In addition, I personally feel that the 105mm howitzer is more suitable for China's national conditions. It is lighter, more flexible and has better passability."

"The 150mm howitzer is too heavy. It often weighs more than six tons. It is difficult to maneuver. It is extremely susceptible to road restrictions. Even a small bridge may become a roadblock. In fact, we have many bridges, which may not be able to

Withstands the weight of a 150mm howitzer."

"Relatively speaking, the 105mm one is much lighter. Its own weight is only about two tons. It can be withstood by ordinary roads and bridges. It will not be easily blocked. The maneuverability can be greatly improved and it can be easily avoided.

Enemy aircraft."

"In the future, the main enemy of artillery will not be the enemy's cannons, but the enemy's aircraft. They are strikes from the sky. Aircraft are fast, fly high, and can attack from a high position. The artillery has no chance to fight back and is easily destroyed.

."

Zhang Yong talked eloquently.

This is not his point of view. It is the experience and lessons learned by later generations.

Without air superiority, artillery can only be massacred.

In fact, later wars proved that the 150mm howitzers equipped by the national army were basically destroyed by Japanese aircraft and played no role.

All wasted.

It’s also ridiculously expensive.

On the contrary, some 105mm howitzers survived and became the only remaining main artillery force.

Everyone doesn't want a large-caliber artillery. 240mm is better. However, given the national conditions, blindly pursuing 150mm is equivalent to wasting money.

German things are very expensive. A 150mm howitzer costs more than 40,000 US dollars. Converted into silver dollars, it is more than 130,000 US dollars!

One door costs 130,000 yuan!

If one door was blown up by the Japanese invaders, it would be equivalent to a loss of 130,000 yuan!

Zhang Yong didn't know how to command a war. However, he knew how to calculate economic accounts. Fighting is actually about making money. Without economy, you can't fight a war. This includes the Eighth Route Army.

The economy of the Eighth Route Army is not simply money, but also includes the materials, population, etc. of each base area. With the base area and the base area running well, the Eighth Route Army can fight. It can take the initiative to initiate battles. It can even launch a hundred-regiment war.

However, after Okamura Neji's May Day raids, various anti-Japanese base areas were severely damaged, the economy was severely damaged, and the Eighth Route Army was forced to draw down. It was almost impossible to actively and effectively fight. It took more than a year to breathe a little.

In 1944, the base areas were basically restored, and the Eighth Route Army became stronger again.

This is economics.

Why is the American empire so tough? It is rich! It has strong economic strength!
To be continued...