amaotonovel Chapter 120 Countermeasures
Chapter 120 Countermeasures
"These cunning bastards... We'll get rid of them sooner or later! Damn scoundrels!"
Smedley quickly received the documents, which described the expansion of the South's military strength as almost unbelievable. The South had acquired machine guns and heavy artillery in almost a year. Even though the combat report pointed out that the so-called machine guns of the North were actually paper-thin bullet weapons and did not use automatic mode in most cases, they were still comparable to soldiers equipped with Carcano rifles in close combat, even when using magic mode.
The enemy's biggest weakness is probably their weapons. Southern weapons not only require cardboard ammunition, but also consume a lot of magic power as the magical runes used to fire them. They can only rely on magic crystals, and magic crystals are not cheap.
Without the support of the Balkan Empire and the Desert Empire, the South could not afford to fight this war, while the North, which possessed magic crystal mines, did not suffer from magic crystals as its biggest expense.
The Amerlane Army has a system, but this system needs to be strengthened. Based on the principle of anticipating the enemy's moves, Smedley decided to reorganize the infantry squads and strengthen their firepower.
The standard equipment for the existing Amelansi infantry squad is 10 men. Apart from the squad leader and deputy squad leader having an extra M1911 pistol, each man only has a Carcano rifle and an M654 grenade. Smedley expects that this configuration will put them at a disadvantage when facing a magic infantry division.
"That's right, gentlemen. The firepower configuration in the south could potentially suppress our forces in localized battles. Isn't that a frightening phenomenon?"
Everyone on the National Defense Military Committee nodded in agreement. No one denied the possibility of this phenomenon. They had all seen the Southern Magic Automatic Rifle, which was no ordinary weapon. It was extremely threatening in close combat, and by simply changing the rifling and using Minié bullets, it could suppress a soldier equipped with a Carcano rifle at a hundred meters.
Although the open magazine and feed port made it unreliable, and one rifle weighed more than two Carcano rifles, Smedley knew he couldn't rely on malfunctions and weight. After all, the military documents sent by the Ministry of Truth pointed to the future direction—infantry squads should be equipped with a certain amount of automatic firepower, one squad automatic weapon or about two submachine guns.
Based on the 7.62x51mm cartridge widely used in Amerlane, the Amerlane Ordnance Department quickly came up with a solution – the BAR, or Browning Automatic Rifle, and the MG3 general-purpose machine gun. The former was quickly rejected, while the MG3 was approved due to its lower cost. Compared to the MG42, the MG3's caliber was compatible with Amerlane's standard rifle cartridge, and its rate of fire was also adjusted.
As for submachine guns, the M3A1 submachine gun, which had been used by various special forces, was chosen without any doubt. This submachine gun is easy to mass-produce, reliable and durable. Moreover, there was no time to redesign and modify the production line, so it was simply adopted directly.
Against this backdrop, the infantry squad suppression support firepower of Amerlane was hastily put into service. The new MG3 general-purpose machine gun effectively provided firepower as an infantry squad support weapon, and the reduced rate of fire also meant that the entire infantry squad did not have to revolve around this machine gun.
In addition to increasing the firepower of the infantry, Alice raised the level of the National Mobilization Act, and the three pillars of the national automotive industry began to expand their production capacity. The newly expanded manufacturing plants began to produce engines for tanks and radial engines for the I-153 fighter jet.
More and more fighter jets and tanks rolled off the production line, and as Alice bid farewell to the past year in Trian, in February 656, the first batch of 30 38T light tanks and 50 KCCW trucks arrived in Brittany.
"When can we start the war?"
Alice looked up at Alicia. With each step they took, they were one step closer to their respective goals. Alicia wanted to reclaim the entire country and kill the usurper, while Alice wanted to dismantle the church and establish a new order.
Alicia patted Alice's head. This time wouldn't be long. In the past 655 years, the whole country has been developing steadily, absorbing the resources of Brittany and Las Vegas. This industrial beast is eager to prove itself.
"Don't worry, my daughter, this day won't be long, it will come soon."
Alicia looked south. The more certain something is about, the more prepared one needs to be. No one knows what will happen after the war begins, and Alicia has no way of predicting how the war will end.
The two men stood on the deck of the battleship "Sovereignty," a massive steel monster that was patrolling the western ocean. Captain Colonel Belyshev saluted them.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, we are preparing for battle. Please move to the bridge."
Alicia nodded, took Alice's hand, and walked into the bridge. The huge warship cut through the waves in the western ocean, and the thick smoke from the boilers connected the sky and the earth. Two Minotaur-class ironclads and several Type 0105 light fast destroyers guarded this behemoth.
Their target was an island 75 nautical miles west of Hilla Harbor. This island had no name; it was generally called "the pirate's lair" simply because it was a major stronghold for pirates in the western ocean.
Secret Service agents tracked down a shipment of munitions that had departed from Hilla Harbor and were headed to this island. Alice decided to form a task force consisting of the Sovereign, two brigades of naval infantry, and two Minotaur-class battleships for combat training. The Sovereign-class was the first 10,000-ton battleship in Amelia, and only two were planned for the first batch. In addition to the Sovereign, the second ship would be named the Power.
After that, it will be the era of the Dreadnought-class destroyers. The keel has already begun to be laid. After absorbing the experience of building the Sovereign, the construction period for the Dreadnought-class destroyers has been set at one year.
The island was getting closer, but between the island and them stood thirty ships of all kinds blocking their way. The captain glanced at Alicia, who gestured for him to give the order.
"This is Colonel Belyshev. I order—all ships to open fire at will!"
The 305mm twin-barreled main guns of HMS Sovereign rotated slowly, with two gun crews fighting inside the turrets. The Sovereign of Amerlane had roofs installed on both the fore and aft main gun turrets, making them fully enclosed. Since HMS Sovereign was not an all-main-gun warship, that is, a dreadnought, the two fire control command rooms could only operate independently, each responsible for the main guns and the secondary guns.
The pirates came to defend Pirate Island, but when the lead pirate ship saw the terrifying steel mountain approaching them with its cannons aimed at them, some of them simply jumped into the sea.
When the "King's Power" opened fire, according to the surviving pirates, "it was as if ten thousand bolts of lightning struck them." The large-caliber shells fired from the 305mm main guns exploded on the water's surface, and a single salvo from turret A destroyed six wooden ships!
"All ships, seize advantageous positions!! Hard port! Forward three! Main gun crews, rotate to right to adjust angle!"
The captain decisively gave the order to seize the bow of the ship. The vessel glided through a beautiful bay, the secondary guns opened fire, and the pirates' doomsday arrived. Alice wouldn't tolerate any more noise in Amelancy's territorial waters; pirates were better off feeding the fish sooner!
"Fire! For the nation and the people!"