I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 209

Chapter 209

This was indeed a trap set by Charles.

The German A7V, although not an excellent tank, possessed formidable firepower: a 57mm caliber cannon along with six Maxim machine guns.

It might be clumsy, but no one could get close, like a moving fortress that would occupy any area it entered. Even the "Char A1" tank was no exception.

The front armor of the "Char A1" tank was 25mm thick, but the side armor was only 13mm.

As long as the A7V’s machine guns were equipped with K-shells, it was possible to penetrate its armor at a distance of 100 meters.

Charles had to be cautious, especially since the "Char A1" was expected to perform well. It not only had to win, but win in a spectacular and decisive manner.

Otherwise, the French army would be unable to handle the next battle, and tens of thousands of men would be trapped.

...

In the Paris city defense command, Charles pointed to the small town of Samock on the map and said, "I plan to ambush the tanks here!"

"Ambush?" Gallieni did not quite understand Charles's meaning. "This is only a few kilometers from the enemy's line. Can you deceive the Germans?"

"I will enforce an aerial blockade on this area!" Charles traced a circle on the map with his finger. "Within a radius of several kilometers, I will use machine gun planes to drive away German reconnaissance aircraft!"

"This is far from enough, Major. They can still get the information." Gallieni responded, "The tanks won’t be easy to hide, especially during the day."

Then Gallieni added, "Also, I heard that the Germans have deployed a force in the town of Samock because they are worried that the French in the town will provide us with assistance."

With Germans in the town, it was needless to say what would happen.

Once the tanks attacked this town, the small unit might not be able to hold, but they would immediately send out the information by phone. To try to ambush them here was simply a joke.

"Perhaps," Charles persisted. "But they won’t know it’s a tank."

"What do you mean?" Gallieni looked at Charles with confusion. "Are you saying that the Germans won't recognize your new type of tank?"

If that were the case, Charles would be underestimating the Germans. As long as it had armor and tracks, they would know it was a tank.

"No!" Charles gently shook his head. "What I mean is that the ones attacking them are not tanks, but a tricycle unit!"

Gallieni exclaimed, "Oh! You’re going to launch the attack with a tricycle unit? The Germans will think it's a reconnaissance unit rather than a tank?"

"Yes!" Charles said, drawing a small circle to the south of the town of Samock on the map. "Our main force is positioned here, with around thirty 'Mark I' tanks. The German reconnaissance troops will be drawn in by this unit, while my new tanks will be disguised as tractors..."

"Tractors?" Gallieni interrupted Charles. "A tank is much larger than a tractor."

"My new tanks are small, General!" Charles smiled slightly. "They only weigh around 8 tons."

(Note: The Renault tank, depending on whether it was equipped with machine guns or cannons, weighed slightly different, with the machine-gun model weighing about 7.5 tons. It was exported to China, where Zhang Zuolin bought 14 units, and later, the warlord Zhang Xueliang obtained 36 more through various means. Due to the iron hook on the back, it was nicknamed the 'Iron Hook Tank' in China.)

"Only 8 tons?" Gallieni exclaimed in surprise. That was indeed quite similar to the size of a tractor.

If the tank was so small, disguising it as a tractor wouldn’t be a problem.

However, Gallieni still had concerns. How much combat power could such a light tank have?

The "Saint-Chamond" tank, also a tank, weighed 27 tons, while the CA-1 weighed 14 tons.

But Gallieni didn’t voice his concerns. He figured that the true combat capability would only be revealed after this battle.

...

Charles's plan worked perfectly. The "Char A1" tank was surrounded with a wooden frame and canvas, covering the upper part of the tracks, and it followed behind the tricycle unit. From a distance, it looked like a tractor transporting ammunition and fuel.

Colonel Browning classified this as a military secret, and only a few people knew the truth.

As a result, the tricycle unit didn’t recognize it. It wasn’t until the tank reached Samock town and the wooden frame and canvas were removed that the French soldiers exclaimed:

"These things are actually tanks?"

"I thought they were transporting bread!"

"This must be the smallest tank. Are we really this poor?"

...

No wonder the soldiers thought this way. It looked similar to Charles's early model tank, and the soldiers even thought it was made so small due to budget constraints.

Even Colonel Browning, who was commanding the unit, had doubts. Although the 37mm-caliber cannon was a gun, could such a small caliber penetrate enemy tank armor? Could it damage enemy tanks?

However, the real battle was an eye-opener for everyone.

As soon as the battle began, six "Char A1" tanks equipped with cannons fired a salvo and destroyed three German tanks.

They were over 200 meters away, and the shells easily penetrated the side armor.

Those big guys might look like giant machines, but if you seriously compared them, their defensive stats were even worse than those of the small "Char A1" tanks.

Then, as the German tanks slowly turned, another salvo was fired, again penetrating one tank. The vehicle shook and stopped, unable to move, though the gun barrel continued to turn as if aiming at a target.

Browning shouted, "Fire!"

Immediately, gunfire erupted, and dozens of machine guns hidden in the residential areas fired a barrage of bullets at the German infantry behind the tanks. Mortars then launched volleys of shells in their direction.

Blood splattered as the German infantry, screaming in pain, were trapped behind, unable to advance... They were exposed to the French firepower, with their side facing the French lines, and they were instantly separated from the tanks by the barrage.

The "Char A1" tanks moved forward, side-stepping through the enemy's tanks, artillery, and dense machine-gun fire.

Shells exploded nearby, but they could never hit.

Although the A7V had a suspended turret and was aiming while stationary, it was still very difficult to hit moving targets, especially small ones.

Colonel Matteo was always watching through the observation slit, focused on those small tanks seemingly dodging shells. When he saw the turret of a small tank rotating, he suddenly realized and hastily shouted, "Turn, turn, keep facing them!"

The driver responded immediately and began turning, but the signal from the messenger couldn't be received in time by the other tanks.

The tank soldiers were in the heat of battle, and they had no time to notice the signal flags from the command car No. 501.

As Matteo had feared, the small tanks, moving forward while rotating their turrets, suddenly stopped on a flat piece of land, adjusted the turret slightly, and "Boom Boom" fired a salvo of shells.

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