I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 72

Chapter 72: The Mark I Tank

The historical "Mark I" tank was divided into "male" and "female" variants.

The "male" variant was equipped with two 57mm cannons (one protruding from a gun sponson on each side) and four Hotchkiss light machine guns.

The "female" variant, on the other hand, was armed with six Vickers machine guns.

This configuration required a crew of eight to operate: a driver, a commander, and six gunners—or alternatively, two gunners and four machine gunners—bringing the total weight to 28.4 tons.

The version of the "Mark I" tank currently under Charles's development significantly reduced its armament to just three machine guns: one Vickers machine gun at the front and one Hotchkiss machine gun on each side.

As a result, the crew size was reduced to five: a driver, a commander, and three machine gunners.

Both Joseph and Djoka felt this was a pity, offering a barrage of suggestions:

“Our engine has 83 horsepower, and it can probably handle a load of up to 23 tons. Right now, the ‘Mark I,’ even with its crew, weighs just under 19 tons. That leaves around four tons of extra capacity! We could definitely replace the Vickers machine gun with a cannon!”

“A cannon could deal far more damage to the enemy than a machine gun!”

“Exactly! A cannon can destroy enemy sandbag fortifications—something a machine gun simply can’t do!”

...

Joseph and Djoka’s calculations were fairly accurate.

The British "Mark I," developed in 1916, used a 105-horsepower engine.

That engine propelled a 28.4-ton tank. By that ratio, the 83-horsepower “Holt 75” engine could theoretically propel a 22.45-ton tank, which was close to their estimate of 23 tons—indeed enough to install a small-caliber cannon.

However, Charles remained firm in his position.

“Stick with the Vickers machine gun!” Charles declared. “Battlefields aren’t just about firepower; sometimes, what you need more is bullets, not shells!”

Still, Charles didn’t completely dismiss their idea. “We could produce a small batch of tanks armed with a small-caliber cannon, but we’d need to remove the side machine guns. That way, the tank would carry just one cannon, and we could reinforce the front armor for added protection.”

Djoka and Joseph exchanged bewildered looks. They didn’t believe this was a wise decision—after all, machine guns on the sides were essential for covering the flanks and preventing enemy soldiers from closing in.

But Charles knew their concerns stemmed from their lack of military experience.

Joseph, after all, was a tractor factory manager who had spent his life researching agricultural machinery. He knew nothing about warfare. Djoka came from a merchant family, and his knowledge of military matters was limited to hunting rifles.

They naively assumed that cannons were inherently superior to machine guns and that each tank needed comprehensive defense on all sides.

The reality, however, was quite the opposite.

Tanks of this era lacked stabilized systems. They relied on primitive rigid suspension, which couldn’t keep the chassis level on rough terrain.

Cannons, on the other hand, required a stable and level base to calculate accurate trajectories and hit targets effectively.

In simple terms, mounting a cannon on an early tank meant shots that almost always missed the target, relying entirely on luck.

While machine guns had similar limitations, their bullets covered a wider area, and gunners could adjust their aim while firing, making them far more accurate than cannons.

As for defending the sides and rear of the tank—that was a job for the infantry!

Charles’s decision to produce a small batch of cannon-equipped tanks was driven by a specific scenario: encountering enemy bunkers. Tanks armed only with machine guns would struggle in such situations, but a cannon could approach a bunker, aim at its firing ports, and blast a shell directly inside.

“How much longer will it take to finish?” Charles asked.

“Maybe another week!” Joseph replied.

Charles was quite pleased with this progress. Historically, it had taken six months to design and produce a prototype of the "Mark I," but Joseph needed just over two weeks.

This was largely because Charles had provided a mature design and significantly reduced the weaponry—especially the two sponsons on either side, which added immense weight and were difficult to manufacture.

Still, the "Mark I" tank that Charles produced had several flaws.

The most severe issue was with its tracks. The maximum range was only 35 kilometers, and frequent maintenance was required. After reaching 35 kilometers, the entire track system would need replacement; otherwise, it would break down soon after. Replacements were also necessary before battle.

(Note: The original "Mark I" had a maximum range of only 30 kilometers.)

Yet Charles wasn’t worried about these issues at all.

This was World War I. Both sides were entrenched in static trench warfare, digging trenches and slaughtering each other.

Trenches were fixed positions; once dug, they didn’t move. The "Mark I" could always make it to the battlefield and face enemy gunfire, even if it meant replacing a few tracks along the way. There was no need to consider the kind of mobility that would become essential in World War II.

More importantly, only by producing an imperfect tank could Charles have the opportunity to develop better, more advanced designs.

By the time capitalists managed to copy his designs, Charles would already have newer models ready. Their knockoff tanks would immediately become unsellable scrap metal.

Charles and Djoka stayed at the factory until 9 p.m., snacking on dry bread and coffee when hungry.

When the two finally drove home, they were met with Camille’s ire.

She directed most of her anger at Djoka:
“Charles hardly ever comes home, and yet you made him stay so late at work. I even prepared dinner!”

“Do you realize he’s returning to the army tomorrow?”

“Before he came home, I never saw you work past nine o’clock. Why now, of all times, when he’s here?”

Charles tried to defend Djoka, pointing out that Djoka had urged him several times to leave.

But Charles couldn’t leave—there were too many decisions that only he could make. Djoka and Joseph lacked both military knowledge and foresight.

For Charles, some matters could be resolved with just a single word, but Djoka and Joseph had to produce physical prototypes, test them repeatedly, and compare results.

However, Camille wasn’t willing to listen. She turned her frustration on Charles:
“Shouldn’t adults be the ones worrying about the factory?”

“Does the army really need a 17-year-old? Does the factory need you just as much?”

“Developing equipment for the army? Are you trying to carry the weight of the whole country on your shoulders?”

...

What Camille didn’t know was that Charles wasn’t burdening himself for the country’s sake. He was doing it for his own survival.

Charles couldn’t predict how the nobles might act against him in the future. His only option was to build up as many advantages as possible.

If he explained the whole truth to Camille, she might stop blaming him—but she’d likely become so terrified that she couldn’t eat or sleep.

Charles didn’t want that, so neither he nor Djoka offered any further explanation.

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