I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 259

Chapter 259

The discussion was still taking place around the dining table in Djoka's living room. Though humble, the room was absolutely secure. The only outsider present was Camille, who, although there, had no interest in the topic and couldn't understand a word.

It's like when a woman asks a man if her outfit looks good. Typically, men respond with vague words like "It's okay" or "It's fine."

Their concept of "looking good" isn't focused on clothes but rather on a state without them.

Similarly, when women listen to military or industrial topics, no matter how long they listen, they might still exclaim, "What? The tank doesn't have wheels? Then how does it move?"

Therefore, Djoka didn’t ask Camille to leave or even require her to keep things confidential.

If any spy tried to extract any useful information from Camille, hoping to analyze it, they would be in for a rude awakening.

A rough sketch was already placed on the table, along with a pencil and some drafts, likely used for calculations.

As Colonel Estigny sat down, he pushed the sketch toward Charles, saying with some concern, "This is a drawing made by my old subordinate from memory. He was fortunate to become one of Schneider's testers. After encountering this tank, he shared some details with me. I believe it is the new tank model that Schneider is developing."

Charles glanced at the sketch, laughing in disbelief, "Is this supposed to be a tank? It looks more like an armored car."

Colonel Estigny and Djoka exchanged looks. They had always assumed Schneider's tank would pose a threat to the "Char A1," but Charles seemed to dismiss it so easily.

Colonel Estigny thought that Charles hadn’t taken the time to look closely and tried to explain further, "It has two configurations, Colonel. It can use either wheels or tracks, making it highly mobile."

"Yes," Djoka agreed, "It can use wheels on the road, and tracks for muddy or off-road terrain. It's a good idea."

"So what?" Charles retorted.

Colonel Estigny continued, "Mobility means faster maneuvering speeds."

"It draws inspiration from the success of the 'Char A1' to some extent," he added.

"Such as focusing on mobility and swapping out the main weapon for a machine gun. I even believe they’ll eventually develop their own 37mm gun!"

Charles nodded. There was definitely some imitation, but because they couldn’t blatantly copy it, they had to abandon the rotating turret.

After thinking for a moment, Charles pushed the drawing back toward Colonel Estigny and asked softly, "Without a rotating turret, how do you think it will face enemy machine guns or large-caliber artillery?"

Colonel Estigny leaned in to explain the sketch, saying, "I think they plan to compensate for the lack of a rotating turret with numbers."

"They could make the side armor thinner, just enough to resist ordinary ammunition, while reinforcing the front armor to withstand K-rounds."

"In combat, they’ll always keep the front facing the target, using high mobility to approach from different angles..."

Charles understood Colonel Estigny's point. It made sense.

If the cost of producing one "Char A1" could be used to make two or even more of these cheaper light tanks, then while the "Char A1" needed a rotating turret to aim at targets, these cheaper tanks could aim simultaneously from multiple directions with several tanks.

Which would be more efficient?

It seemed that the light tank, due to its numbers, might create an advantage similar to the "many ants killing an elephant" strategy.

Charles smiled and shook his head.

The ideal seemed perfect, but in reality, Schneider couldn’t possibly foresee that in the near future, infantry anti-tank equipment would soon emerge.

Not to mention anti-tank weapons—these thin-skinned light tanks wouldn’t even withstand high-caliber machine guns; they would become targets for infantry to toy with.

Seeing that Charles still seemed indifferent, Colonel Estigny continued to explain:

"It’s well known that our tanks are slow."

"If they could reach speeds of tens of kilometers per hour on the road like automobiles, that would be terrifying."

"They’d be able to quickly maneuver, Colonel. This could be the future direction of tank development!"

Charles paused, somewhat surprised. This reminded him that Schneider might not just be imitating the surface details but had also delved into tactics.

As a qualified capitalist, Schneider had an impressive learning ability. Unfortunately, it was leading them down the wrong path.

"It won’t be the future direction of tanks," Charles said firmly.

"We can't be sure of that, Colonel," Colonel Estigny replied, his voice tinged with confusion and anxiety. "If it's not the future direction, then what is? I can't think of any alternatives for reform!"

Hearing this, Charles finally understood Colonel Estigny's mindset.

He believed that any evolving piece of equipment had to undergo change—whether in its core, structure, or design.

After the "Char A1" tank was released, Colonel Estigny had hoped for improvements, only to find that it couldn’t be changed further. This led him to despair, thinking that progress had come to a standstill.

Then Schneider suddenly developed a more mobile tank, and Colonel Estigny, naturally, thought this was the improvement, the trend.

It seemed ridiculous to Charles, a modern thinker, but for people of that time, it was only natural to fall into confusion and uncertainty about the future development of tanks.

Charles thought for a moment before asking slowly, "How much does it weigh?"

"I'm not sure," Colonel Estigny answered. "But Schneider’s concept was to make it lighter, so its weight is likely only half that of the 'Char A1.'"

(Note: The actual weight of the Saint-Chamon was only 3.3 tons, less than half the 8 tons of the 'Char A1.')

Colonel Estigny added, "The test results show that it can reach a speed of 28 kilometers per hour on the road. This was only the initial test. It might go even faster in the future."

As Colonel Estigny spoke, his eyes reflected some fear. He seemed to envision a swarm of these light tanks speeding down the road, encircling and cutting off the enemy.

Wasn’t this exactly the template used for Charles’s battles at the front?

Djoka also looked solemn. Colonel Estigny had described this to him before. It seemed to align with Estigny’s long-standing "swarm tactics" theory, or rather, it seemed that this fast light tank would be the key to implementing his tactics.

Charles chuckled softly and said, "Maybe we should think of it this way: if this light tank faced not the Germans' heavy tanks, but the 'Char A1,' which one do you think would win?"

Colonel Estigny and Djoka exchanged a glance. They had never considered that angle.

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