I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 230

Chapter 230: The Chauchat Machine Gun?

In the Ritz Hotel conference room, Charles briefly explained the requirements for the aerial bombs to Steed, including the fuses.

The fuses for the aerial bombs had to be different.

If the fuses were still designed like those for regular artillery shells, such as mortars, where the triggering fuse is placed at the front, a serious issue could arise: if the wind was too strong on the airplane, once the bomb's safety pin was released, the powerful wind could cause the bombs to collide, potentially triggering the fuse and causing an explosion.

This was also one of the reasons why bombs were rarely dropped from airplanes at this time. When they were dropped, it was usually at low speed and by hand, and even then, accidents were still common.

The solution was the unique "windmill-trigger fuse" for aerial bombs.

It involved installing a small propeller behind the tail of the bomb.

Once the safety pin was released, the propeller would start to spin due to the wind, but the bomb would not explode at that moment.

After being dropped, the propeller would continue to spin with the wind until the bomb hit the ground and lost the wind's force, at which point it would slow down or stop spinning, and only then would the bomb explode with a "boom."

This method not only ensured the safety of the aircraft but also allowed the bomb to explode after landing, which is why it was called the "windmill-trigger fuse."

"This is classified," Charles said to Steed. "The technicians and workers who produce this type of bomb must undergo strict vetting!"

"No problem, Colonel!" Steed replied confidently. "Leave it to me, we'll have it ready soon."

The Saint-Étienne Armaments Factory had a very mature management system, and their confidentiality levels were even higher than those of the military and government, after all, it involved the capitalists' own interests.

"However, I might have a problem, Colonel," Steed said, showing a troubled expression. "I know you're busy, and I shouldn't be troubling you with these small matters, but..."

"What problem?" Charles asked.

"Well, here's the thing," Steed said, habitually pulling out a cigar. But after a glance at Charles, he quickly put it back. "Do you know about the Piteau Armaments Factory?"

"I've heard of it," Charles nodded.

"It used to be an armaments factory mainly focused on machine tools," Steed said. "They produced tools and equipment for us. But now they’ve started making rifles, and they are producing the Berthier rifle."

"Berthier rifle?" Charles had heard of the name but couldn’t recall it immediately.

"Yes," Steed explained. "It's a shortened version of the Lebel rifle, originally designed for cavalry."

"Oh," Charles said, now recalling the details. The French Lebel rifle had a flaw in its loading mechanism, making it unsuitable for cavalry, so they developed a cavalry version.

This new rifle was not only shorter but had a vertical loading system, which, due to the conical shape of the bullets, could only hold three rounds.

Surprisingly, this cavalry rifle became very popular with the infantry. Everyone believed that this rifle, which the government had relegated to colonial forces, was far more practical than the original Lebel rifle.

This also showed how unpopular the Lebel rifle's tubular loading mechanism was. For recruits who had only trained for a few weeks before heading into battle, the Lebel was practically a disaster. This included Charles himself.

"They originally planned to have the Remington Company in the U.S. improve it to make it more suitable for infantry combat," Steed continued. "But now they've given this task to the Piteau Armaments Factory."

Charles was surprised. From both a skill and scale perspective, the improvements should have been handled by the Saint-Étienne Armaments Factory.

Steed added, "I heard this is the result of Schneider's operations."

Now Charles understood. Anyone who cooperated with him was being suppressed by Schneider.

This move not only reduced Charles’s development opportunities but also served as a warning to others not to cooperate with him.

At its core, this wasn’t about Saint-Étienne; it was a battle between Charles and Schneider.

Steed, looking worried, said, "I heard that the Piteau Armaments Factory is also developing a new type of machine gun. You know, Saint-Étienne's base is in rifles and machine guns. If Piteau takes over both the Lebel rifle and machine gun production..."

Then Saint-Étienne would no longer be Saint-Étienne.

Charles understood the implications.

Because Saint-Étienne had the production base and capabilities, whether it was bombs, grenades, or the 37mm cannon, as long as they had the blueprints or just a brief description of the requirements, Saint-Étienne could quickly produce them.

This wasn’t just about money or machines; it also involved skilled workers and related talents, a complete system of talent.

If Saint-Étienne lost rifle and machine gun orders, these workers and talents would leave, and then they would lose their manufacturing capability.

"So, you want a more advanced rifle?" Charles asked.

"A rifle would be great," Steed replied. "But what we need more urgently is a machine gun. In fact, we’ve already started developing one, but we haven’t been able to resolve its flaws..."

This was after Saint-Étienne's own machine gun had been phased out. As the owner of the Saint-Étienne Armaments Factory, Steed had to consider upgrading the machine gun, rather than allowing others to take over that market.

"So, what about the machine gun?" Charles asked, puzzled.

"Wait a moment, Colonel," Steed glanced towards the door. "I'm terribly sorry, I had my son bring the machine gun. He's an expert in this area, and I think he’ll explain it to you better."

After a moment, there was a knock at the door, and then Dominique entered, carrying a long rectangular case.

Charles looked at him in confusion. "Instructor, what are you doing here...?"

Seeing the long rectangular case in Dominique's hands, Charles suddenly understood: Dominique was the son Steed had mentioned!

Dominique was surprised when he saw Charles. Steed had only told him to bring the machine gun but hadn’t mentioned he would be meeting Charles.

Steed paused for a moment. "Do you two know each other?"

"Of course, Father!" Dominique laughed. "You forgot, I’m an instructor at the police training base."

Steed nodded. Dominique was responsible for training with mortars, the 37mm cannon, and a series of other weapons, all of which were inventions of Charles, so they had met before.

However, Steed still introduced him, "This is my son Dominique. He has no other hobbies, except guns."

Dominique’s face reddened. He recalled something that happened at the officers' club, but fortunately, Charles seemed to have no memory of it.

Steed shrugged. Dominique quickly placed the long rectangular case on the conference table, opened it, and took out a machine gun, unfolding it as he proudly introduced it: "This is the machine gun we've just developed. It uses the same 8mm Lebel rounds as the rifle, with a 20-round capacity..."

Upon seeing the machine gun, Charles felt a bit dizzy. Was this the "worst machine gun"—the Chauchat?

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