Chapter 455: Popod
Dominic came by train, although Steed repeatedly said: "I hope to know the answer quickly, it is very important for 'Saint Etienne'!"
But after hesitating for a long time, Dominic finally chose the train.
This is not only because Dominic has not yet accepted the airplane as a means of transportation, but also because he does not like the feeling of unstable center of gravity in the sky.
He only feels safe when he is on the ground and feels the pistol between his ribs.
Paris is about 350 kilometers away from Antwerp, and in addition to making way for the military train all the way, this journey took 13 hours and a whole night on the train to arrive.
When the car stopped in front of the gate of Charles's headquarters, Dominic was still yawning.
After being allowed to enter, he suddenly became nervous while carrying the box.
This submachine gun was not developed completely according to Charles's ideas, and I don't know if there will be any problems.
"Hey, Colonel." Charles came to the door enthusiastically. He shook hands with Dominic and asked, "Have you had breakfast?"
Dominic, who was not good at speaking, was shocked: "No, no, General. But it doesn't matter. I, I have no appetite, and I'm not hungry."
"That won't do." Charles immediately asked the orderly to prepare food, and turned back to Dominic and said, "Although there is no delicacy here, there is no shortage of food."
Charles took Dominic into the conference room. The fewer people who know about the new equipment, the better. This will have a great impact on future wars.
The airport conference room was a bit messy. The wall on the side of the runway was burned black and had not been painted in time. There was a little burnt smell in the room.
"Sorry." Charles sat down on the chair and said to Dominic who was eating bread with hot milk: "There was a large-scale battle here not long ago."
"I heard about it." Dominic nodded and answered vaguely while eating food, with some envy in his eyes: "You launched a surprise attack at night and recaptured Antwerp in just a few hours. It was an amazing battle, General. Everyone is talking about this battle, and so are the newspapers. It has been so many days."
Charles smiled and accepted the compliment.
This battle started from Cambrai and ended in Antwerp. The battle of the day before and after has been regarded as a classic and compiled into a textbook and sent to the Saint-Cyr Military Academy. It is required that every student must read it and discuss it.
"Is that a new submachine gun?" Charles turned his eyes to the gun box brought by Dominic.
"Yes, yes, General." Dominic stuffed the remaining bread into his mouth in a few bites, took the gun box and pushed it in front of Charles, hesitating for a few seconds.
In Charles's puzzled eyes, he finally plucked up the courage to open it.
When Charles saw the submachine gun, he exclaimed, looking surprised.
He thought he would see the MP18, but what he saw was the Soviet PPD, which was developed around 1934. He didn't expect that Dominic would make it now, nearly 20 years ahead of schedule.
(The above pictures are PPD, PPSH, and PPS submachine guns, and their Chinese names are Popo De, Popo Sha, and Popo Bosi, respectively. They were equipped by the Soviet army before, during, and in the late stages of World War II. The first two are very similar, and the biggest difference in appearance is the handguard. The Popo De handguard is divided into two sections, and the parts need to be milled, which does not require mass production. The PPS gun body and handguard are integrated, and the parts are stamped, which can be mass-produced in a short time.)
"I, I know, General." Dominic looked at Charles nervously, speaking incoherently:
"You mentioned before that the magazine should be moved to the side, but there will be problems with its large-capacity drum."
"You said that the capacity of submachine guns is very important, so I try to increase the capacity as much as possible."
"But after loading 71 rounds, the drum weighs 3.6 kilograms, and it seems inappropriate to install it on the side."
"So I..."
Dominic's words are not consistent, but Charles understands.
The drum is too heavy after loading 71 rounds of bullets, and designing it on the side will make the gun body unbalanced, so it can only be changed to the bottom.
Charles picked up the drum and weighed it. It was indeed quite heavy.
"That's good, Colonel." Charles praised: "It's better than I thought."
This is the truth. PPD is benchmarked against the German MP38, which is of course more advanced than MP18.
"Yes, is it?" Dominic finally relaxed. He looked relieved: "I was also worried that the battlefield might require the magazine to be placed on the side because of its high rifling."
"Although there is indeed this problem, it can be tolerated if it has a capacity of 71 rounds." Charles took the gun and took a look. Without testing the gun or asking for specific data, he directly ordered: "Mass production immediately. I may need 200 next month."
"Yes, General." Dominic spoke fluently again.
After a pause, Dominic asked hesitantly: "General, there is something I should not ask, but my father is deeply uneasy about this."
"Steed?" Charles looked at Dominic in confusion: "Uneasy?"
"Yes."
"Why?" Charles asked, and he understood the next second: "Is it because I cooperate with FN?"
"Yes." Dominic nodded: "We know that this is your freedom, General. But after all, FN is also an arsenal that produces light weapons, and its strength is quite good."
Steed is worried that if Charles has FN, will he no longer need "Saint Etienne"?
Charles laughed: "Let him rest assured that the most trustworthy people in the military industry are always the locals."
Military industry has a strong national nature. Although private enterprises have considerable freedom, just like Albert I easily controlled FN, governments of various countries will have different degrees of control over military enterprises.
One day, France and Belgium will fight, and Charles and FN will definitely become opponents. There is no doubt that this cannot be changed.
Dominic also thinks so: "He actually thinks so, but he still wants to confirm it with you. With your words, he can rest assured."
This is care and confusion.
Charles didn't say much in this regard. He told the orderly outside the door, and soon two shotguns were sent into the meeting room.
"These are two shotguns produced by FN." Charles raised his head towards them: "The long barrel is the 'Browning A5', and the short barrel is the 'Winchester 1897'."
"I know." Dominic picked up one of them and tried it: "Our company has studied this kind of gun, but..."
Dominic looked up at Charles, with some confusion in his eyes: "We all agree that this gun has a short range and is only suitable for hunting. What the general means is..."
"Combine the advantages of these two guns." Charles said: "Shorten the barrel of the 'Browning A5' and add a bayonet mount."
Dominic said nothing.
These two improvements are not difficult, and can even be said to be simple.
However, the military version is obviously to be equipped to the army. Is it really suitable for the army?