I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 210

Chapter 210: Tank Generational Gap

If tanks were to be categorized by generations at this time, the "Char A1" tank and the A7V tank would actually belong to different generations.

The "Char A1" tank's turret can rotate, whereas the A7V tank's turret cannot.

This may seem like a minor difference, since tanks are often judged based on their ability to penetrate the enemy’s armor with their cannons, but in actual combat, the distinction is far more significant.

Because the A7V tank lacks a rotating turret, its cannon's firing angle is severely limited. When a target moves to its side, the tank cannot shoot, and the driver must turn the vehicle itself to line up with the target.

This situation can lead to a very awkward scenario: the driver turns the vehicle and stops, just as the gunner prepares to aim, only to find the target has moved out of the firing arc. The driver must then turn the vehicle again... This cycle repeats, and they may never be able to aim or fire at the target.

The "Char A1" tank is different. Its turret can rotate 360 degrees, leaving no blind spots. Once it stops, it can immediately aim and fire. The driver does not need to worry about whether the shot hits; upon hearing the sound of the cannon, they simply step on the accelerator to continue advancing and look for the next flat ground to repeat the action.

Thus, the "Char A1" tank perfectly embodies the mobile warfare concept of "stop, shoot, and go."

The driver and the gunner do not need much coordination, each focusing on their own task, yet they can still fight effectively, smoothly, without any interruptions.

The accuracy of these two tanks is also not equal:
The "Char A1" tank’s target is a stationary one.

The A7V, on the other hand, must turn in place, which is slow and cumbersome. Its massive body is like that of a giant, and its side armor stands like a wall in front of the gunner. It is easy to hit without much aim.

The A7V's target is a moving one.

Although the "Char A1" also has brief moments of stopping, these pauses are very short. Moreover, its target is much smaller, and before the A7V even has time to aim, the "Char A1" has already fired and started moving again.

This makes the A7V chase after its target in vain, never even getting the chance to fire. One by one, the "Char A1" tanks destroy the A7V tanks.

This scene left the French soldiers engaged in battle stunned. They had originally worried that the "Char A1" might be destroyed by a few shots from the A7V, but to their surprise, it was as nimble as a monkey, easily toying with those "giants."

Even Colonel Browning had not anticipated this outcome. While commanding the troops to continue suppressing the enemy infantry, he observed the first-ever tank battle in history and could not help but sigh, "The Germans are finished!"

The most frustrated was Colonel Matteo of the German army. He had originally thought that his A7V tanks would crush the enemy tanks with overwhelming superiority, but instead, they were being crushed by the enemy.

After several awkward turns that failed to hit the target, Colonel Matteo decided to take a risky chance. He loudly ordered, "All machine guns, switch to K-rounds!"

K-rounds were designed to counter the "Mark I" tanks, and each of the six machine guns was equipped with a 250-round belt of K-rounds.

After waiting for a moment, the machine gunners responded one by one, "Ready." Colonel Matteo then turned to the driver and ordered, "Stop, stay still!"

Colonel Matteo reasoned that the A7V had firepower on all sides. In addition to the main cannon at the front, there were two machine guns on each of the other three sides. If these machine guns could penetrate the enemy's side armor, the A7V would still have a chance to fight back.

"Rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat!"

"Rat-a-tat..."

The sound of the K-rounds firing was especially crisp, a result of the steel-core bullets violently rubbing against the rifling of the barrel.

Colonel Matteo kept his eyes fixed on the tank through the observation window, but reality soon dashed his hopes. The target tank’s turret was still rotating, completely unaffected by the K-rounds.

This was the result that Char had predicted. The K-rounds could penetrate a 13mm steel plate at a distance of 200 meters, and the side armor of the "Char A1" tank was exactly 13mm thick.

Adding a millimeter would increase the weight, possibly affecting the tank's speed and mobility; removing a millimeter would make it vulnerable to the K-rounds. Char had to weigh the decision carefully.

"Colonel, what should we do?" a German tank crew member asked loudly.

Colonel Matteo could not answer the question because he did not know the answer either.

He only knew one thing: the A7V had lost, and lost badly, with no hope of turning the tide!

He stared out the observation window at the small tank as its turret slowly rotated toward him. Colonel Matteo helplessly turned to his men and said, "Pray!"

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a sharp "clang!" as a shell penetrated the armor and struck the engine in the middle of the tank.

The shattered armor and shell fragments flew around the tank's interior, along with rivets that had been violently dislodged, ricocheting like bullets. The interior of the tank was instantly filled with screams.

Colonel Matteo felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He looked down to inspect his wound but saw nothing. The thick smoke from the engine had obscured everything, and it even burned his eyes, making it impossible for him to open them.

In the haze, Colonel Matteo felt someone open the tank hatch.

Using his memory, he mustered his remaining strength to crawl toward the hatch, sticking his head out. A gust of cold wind blew, and he relaxed, finally breathing in some fresh air.

Colonel Matteo's consciousness grew more and more blurred, and he saw a flash of fire...

The battle lasted only a few minutes. The French army achieved a complete victory. Of the ten A7V tanks, only one managed to retreat under the cover of German infantry, while the others were either disabled on the battlefield or burned into fireballs.

The French lost one "Char A1" tank, which had its tracks torn off by shrapnel.

It could be considered a loss, but the French did not have time to repair the tank. In the midst of this rapid maneuver warfare, it was impossible to stop the entire unit just for one tank.

For reasons of secrecy, Browning had explosives planted inside the tank and ignited the fuel tank.

The French did not pursue the retreating German forces because the Samock Straight was not their target. While this straight road could shorten the distance, the Germans had turned it into a trap.

Char, of course, would not be foolish enough to lead his troops into a trap.

As for rescuing the 2nd Special Artillery Division trapped there, they only needed to destroy the German howitzer regiment.

The French reconnaissance planes had already pinpointed the howitzer regiment's exact location, which was about five miles northeast of Samock Town, with only one or two infantry companies as cover.

The Germans had thrown almost all their forces into surrounding the French, leaving their rear weak and without adequate protection.

The French had tanks and sidecars, which made it easy to annihilate an artillery regiment with almost no close-combat capability.

...

In Samock Straight, Major General Tigani was still uncertain as he gathered his forces at the north end of the straight.

The artillery fire ahead continued, sporadically exploding, seemingly a warning from the Germans.

No one dared to advance recklessly; they could only crouch in cover and wait quietly.

This might be their last hope. If the artillery did not stop as Char had predicted, their only choice would be to surrender.

Suddenly, the shelling ceased.

Tigani froze.

Around him, people began to cheer excitedly: "We’re saved! Char did it!"

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