Chapter 267 Super Heavy Tank

In the early morning of Berlin, Wilhelm Street was covered with snow.

A night of heavy snow made the snow on the street as smooth as a mirror or a cream cake, with a few sparse ruts and footprints dotting the snow.

In the meeting room of Falkenhayn's General Staff, the military representatives and the representatives of the 7th Traffic Department argued endlessly, and the atmosphere seemed to be more heated than the dry wood burning in the fireplace.

When the discussion became intense, they even wanted to apply for a duel to determine the winner.

The focus of the debate was the direction of tank development.

The military representative was Major General Fein. As the commander of the A7V tank unit, he had the most practical experience in armored warfare.

At this time, Major General Fein was yelling at the opposite side with a red face and thick neck:

"We risked our lives to fight the enemy on the battlefield."

"We watched with our own eyes how the 'Char A1' tank destroyed the A7V, and the A7V had no power to fight back."

"At that time we knew that this is the kind of tank we want, and only this kind of tank can win!"

"This is the experience gained with blood and life. It is unimaginable that you still think your design direction is correct!"

...

Sitting opposite him was Major General Luca, the representative of the 7th Transportation Department.

The full name of the 7th Transportation Department is "7th United Front Department Transportation Branch", which is responsible for the management and design of military vehicles, including tanks.

The A7V tank was sent to the battlefield in less than a month under the command of Major General Luca.

Although the A7V tank was defeated, Major General Luca's position in tank development and design is still unshakable.

Major General Luca looked directly at Finn's aggressive eyes and answered loudly:

"You are right, General, A7V did lose the battle. But have you ever thought about why A7V lost?"

"It may not be because it is too big, but because it is not big enough!"

"If our tanks are big enough to have artillery on every side, will we still be unable to aim at the "Charter A1" as before?"

"Please tell me, how will the "Charter A1" defeat us then!"

...

Major General Finn could not refute it. After all, if a tank can be covered with artillery like a hedgehog, a light tank like the "Charter A1" will inevitably suffer a devastating blow once it approaches.

Major General Finn seemed to feel that something was wrong, but he could not tell why.

He could only answer:

"The question is how long will it take us to get such a tank?"

"Before we get it, do we have to use simple anti-tank rifles to deal with the 'Charr A1'?"

"The French are already mass-producing the 'Charr A1', and they will soon appear on the battlefield in batches, while our super-heavy tanks are still in the factory."

...

Major General Luca also couldn't refute Major General Fein, because super-heavy tanks would take at least several months or even longer to take shape, and the situation on the front line seemed to be unable to wait that long.

The answer he gave was:

"We don't have to produce tanks to deal with enemy tanks."

"There are many ways to deal with it, and its frontal armor is only about 20MM."

"We can consider using artillery, or increasing the caliber of anti-tank rifles, or even developing new grenades!"

...

Falkenhayn sat at the main seat at the long table, supporting his chin and frowning as he listened silently to the debate between the two factions.

The two factions each have their own reasons, and it is difficult to tell who is right.

From the current urgency, light tanks should be developed, but in the long run, it seems that super-heavy tanks are the trend. It's like a warship. Battleships dominate with their large tonnage, heavy armor and large-caliber naval guns.

This seems to mean that light tanks are destined to be eliminated, so why not do it in one step?

After thinking for a while, Falkenhayn said, "Gentlemen!"

The two factions that were arguing fiercely slowly stopped, but their eyes were still full of unwillingness, and their minds continued to brew the words for the next debate.

Falkenhayn glanced down, and he planned to end this meaningless argument:

"I have never commanded a tank, nor designed a tank. I am an amateur in front of you."

"Therefore, I can't give you advice, let alone convince you."

"But I know one thing..."

Falkenhayn stood up and slowed down his speech, his voice low: "Charles chose a tank like the 'Charles A1', and he has not made a mistake so far, never, ever!"

As soon as this was said, everyone was silent.

This is the fact. Every choice made by Charles was correct. From the original tank to the "Mark I" and then to the "Charler A1", each tank dealt a heavy blow to the German army.

Major General Fein heard the meaning of Falkenhayn's words, or was inspired by Falkenhayn, and he excitedly said:

"I agree with the views of the Chief of the General Staff. We can refer to the tank development process of France."

"In addition to Charles' tanks, France also has Schneider's "Saint-Chamond" and CA-1 tanks. They are similar to our A7V tanks, with larger bodies and guns."

"But Charles insisted on using machine guns, and finally only installed a 37MM small gun on the "Charler A1" tank."

"At the same time, this small gun is more used against tanks. Tanks fighting on the front line are still more active with machine guns."

"Why is this the case? Do you think Charles is a fool? Doesn't he know how to make the tank bigger and stuff everything in it?"

Major General Fein's words completely stumped the people of the 7th Transportation Department.

More than a dozen people, including Major General Luca, were speechless, and many of them even doubted their own ideas.

Because Charles was a benchmark, Germany would follow whatever he did, and there would be basically no problem.

From this perspective, it should be that I was wrong.

Then, the atmosphere in the conference room eased, and the people of the 7th Transportation Department seriously considered whether they should abandon super-heavy tanks and turn to designing light tanks.

At this time, a staff officer hurried into the conference room, handed a document to Falkenhayn and whispered a few words.

Falkenhayn's face changed slightly, and he immediately opened the document to read it, and his expression became complicated, sometimes surprised and sometimes confused.

The two groups did not understand, and looked at the Chief of Staff at the same time.

After a long while, Falkenhayn finally sighed, leaned back in his chair, raised the document in his hand, and said:

"Gentlemen, this is Charles's new tank design."

"You may not believe it, this is a super-heavy tank."

"It is heavier and bigger than any tank we thought of!"

Everyone changed color when they heard it.

Especially Major General Finn, he knew that the development direction of tanks would turn to super-heavy tanks again!

Major General Luca was a little proud, because it meant that there was no problem with the direction he was considering, and Charles gave him the strongest support with practical actions!