In addition to the Lee Enfield, the samples Smollett brought to Bridges also included general-purpose machine guns and 40mm grenade launchers produced in Southern Africa.
Smollett is still very confident about the products of Nyasaland Military Industry. They are also Lee Enfield. The Lee Enfield produced in southern Africa is more accurate and more powerful than the Lee Enfield produced in the UK.
Bigger and more durable.
This is mainly because the materials and production processes are different. The structure of the Lee Enfield that can be used as a sniper rifle is no different from the ordinary Lee Enfield. However, because the parts have smaller errors and higher precision, the price will be higher.
The difference is more than three times.
As for the life of the barrel, the main issue is wear resistance and corrosion resistance.
There are several places in and around Southern Africa that are known as the "World's Raw Material Warehouses". All kinds of rare metals that make the Japanese salivate are like Chinese cabbage in Southern Africa. Southern African companies do not hesitate to use high manganese steel to make helmets and guns.
The tube life is generally more than 30% longer than that of Lee Enfield produced in the UK.
As for general-purpose machine guns and 40mm grenade launchers, of course the British military industry can also produce them, but the quality is still lagging behind that of southern Africa, and the price is even higher. Who can explain this?
"East Malaysia will form two infantry divisions in the next year, which will require tens of thousands of rifles, as well as hundreds of light and heavy machine guns and mortars." Major Bridges is 35 years old this year.
Despite his age, his body was emptied out prematurely due to indulgence, and his whole body seemed to be swollen.
Especially bags under the eyes.
"Good Company has enough strength to meet all the requirements of East Malaysia." Smollett said with a humble and flattering smile. Good Company is a new company established to win orders from the UK. It is located in Australia, so it is eligible to participate.
Competition within the Commonwealth.
So to seize the Commonwealth market, it is really not as simple as expelling Southern Africa from the Commonwealth. In the final analysis, the quality of our own products must be excellent.
While Smollett and Bridges were chatting, several turbaned soldiers were unloading goods from a train.
Smollett will definitely not be as bottom-lined as the British government, and all he brings to Bridges are brand-new weapons.
These weapons are now packed in long wooden boxes. The wooden box looks quite big, but in fact it is not very heavy. It is filled with a lot of lightweight stuffing, and it is easy for two adults to lift it.
But it was such a wooden box that was not too heavy. When two Indian soldiers lifted it, one of them probably lost his grip on it. The wooden box fell to the ground and fell into pieces. Brand-new and unopened Lee Enfields were scattered on the ground.
“Be careful, you bastards, what the hell do you do for a living?” Bridges became furious in an instant, rushed over and slapped him on the head and face.
Smollett only then noticed that Bridges had been carrying a riding crop in his hand.
At first Smollett thought it was Bridges who liked riding horses, but now he realized that the whip was used to whip people.
Two Indian soldiers squatted on the ground holding their heads and did not say anything or resist. They just beat them casually. The one who failed to catch him still had a smile on his face. He was probably gloating about his misfortune.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t make a mistake, you will still get beaten.
Smollett's eyes started to twitch wildly. The Indian army always gave people a very strange feeling, as if they were joking, and it was so unprofessional.
After a flurry of excitement, the boxes were all unloaded and opened, and Smollett began to introduce Bridges.
"What happened to your grenade launcher? Was it removed directly from a car or a ship?" Bridges was picky. He actually had no decision-making power, but the feedback from front-line officers and soldiers would give
The Colonial Office brings important reference value.
"No, this is a special design of our Good Company. It can be installed on armored vehicles and warships. Of course, it can also be installed on a special base." Smollett smiled. The 40mm grenade launcher has been modified many times.
, the structure has been greatly simplified, and now weighs only 55 kilograms, so two people can easily carry it away.
“Armored vehicles? That’s not possible. We probably won’t equip too many armored vehicles.” Bridges said angrily. East Malaysia is not southern Africa. There are only a few cars, let alone armored vehicles.
It’s useless if you have one. The infrastructure in East Malay is backward. As the oldest and largest city in East Malay, Kuching doesn’t even have a decent road, let alone other areas.
Sometimes I have to lament that compared with the ever-changing Southern Africa, time seems to have not brought about any changes in many places around the world, including many small towns in the UK. It was like this a hundred years ago and it will be like this a hundred years later.
Of course they will not think that this is gradually falling behind the times, but that they are maintaining tradition.
Very strange logic.
If we really want to preserve the tradition, shouldn’t we practice slash-and-burn farming?
"That's okay, we have already considered this, so our 40mm grenade launcher weighs only 55 kilograms after removing the ammunition box, and three people can move it easily." Smollett kept smiling and was not afraid of being picky, as long as it was not
Just deliberately looking for trouble is fine. You must know that Smollett has done a lot of preliminary work for this meeting.
Speaking of structural simplification, Southern Africa has done a really good job in this regard.
The 40mm grenade launcher is actually an improved version of the Maxim 37mm "Pop Cannon" during the Second Boer War.
During the World War, Britain also produced a large number of Maxim 37mm rapid-fire guns to make up for the lack of close-range firepower.
However, unlike the improved grenade launcher, the British "Pop Cannon" has a complex structure and is equipped with steel wheels and ammunition carts. The total weight is more than 500 kilograms. If it is to be moved, it needs a motor vehicle or horse traction.
.
The grenade launcher in southern Africa is about the same size as a general-purpose machine gun with a tripod. It is more concealable, has better survivability, has a faster rate of fire, is more powerful, and is easy to move and operate. Smollett is really looking for it.
There is no reason why the "Pop Cannon" can defeat the grenade launcher.
Of course, for this level of procurement, off-site factors are the decisive factor, and performance is not important.
“Why don’t I see mortars? Can’t you produce mortars?” Bridges asked for more. Kuching is restricted by terrain and there is no need to equip heavy artillery.
No matter how powerful heavy artillery is, it cannot be compared with naval guns that can have a range of dozens of kilometers.
Hence, medium and short-range weapons are the main attack method of the East Malay troops, and they also have high requirements for mobility.
"Of course, but we are currently mainly producing 80mm and 100mm mortars, and the 60mm mortar is not in our production schedule." Smollett said gently, what 60mm do you want, 80mm or 100mm?
Millimeters are king.
There are two types of heavy artillery in the Southern African Army, one with a caliber of 120 mm and one with a caliber of 150 mm. Both artillery are howitzers. The Northern Rhodesian Division and the 1st Armored Division are each equipped with an artillery brigade.
.
As for medium and close firepower, southern Africa uses mortars and grenade launchers, and the effect is pretty good.
The equipment of the British army has lagged far behind that of southern Africa. Not to mention the gap between Lee Enfield and semi-automatic rifles, the use of artillery is also different. The firepower that often lasted half a month before large-scale battles during the World War
Strike has been basically eliminated now. Infantry-tank coordination and infantry-artillery coordination are more efficient. The infantry in southern Africa can now advance on the landing point of the artillery shells, without giving the defense forces time to enter the position, and cooperate with the tanks and armored vehicles.
If you still use the tactics used during World War I to fight the Southern African troops, you will suffer big losses.
Bridges was not very satisfied with Smollett's answer, but it didn't matter. He could just lift the weapon to the shooting range and try it out.
So we went to the shooting range.
Before the test firing, the shooting range needs to be arranged.
Bridges was very interested in the general-purpose machine gun. The general-purpose machine gun brought by Smollett was still the 7.7 mm caliber that the British army was accustomed to, which was a requirement of the British Army.
"I remember that during the World War, the troops I served in used this general-purpose machine gun. This machine gun was indeed more useful than the Maxim machine gun and the Lewis machine gun." Bridges had a complicated expression, obviously recalling those turbulent years.
.
The 35-year-old Bridges was in his early 20s when the First World War broke out. As long as Bridges had fought in France, it meant that Bridges had served under Rock.
During the World War, Southern Africa served as the "logistics base" for the Allied Powers. The weapons ordered by the British army from Southern Africa were enough to arm millions of troops, so it was normal for Bridges to use a general-purpose machine gun.
Compared with the general-purpose machine guns during the World War, today's general-purpose machine guns are lighter, have a faster rate of fire, have a smooth trajectory, are powerful, and have almost no weaknesses anyway. Bridges is very satisfied.
Then there is the 40mm grenade launcher.
Originally, Smollett was planning to let his entourage operate the 40mm grenade launcher.
However, Bridges probably wanted to check whether his soldiers had the ability to operate the grenade launcher, and strongly requested that his soldiers be allowed to operate it.
Smollett did not insist. In Smollett's view, Indian soldiers are also soldiers. Since they have received corresponding military training, they should not make mistakes.
However, to be on the safe side, Smollett asked his entourage to conduct some training on Indian soldiers operating grenade launchers.
At this time, on the distant shooting range, dozens of Indian soldiers were setting up targets to test the power of the grenade launcher.
Perhaps the Indian soldiers who were undergoing training were too excited. The Indian soldiers who had placed the targets had not yet withdrawn from the shooting range. The Indian soldiers who had just learned how to use the grenade launcher suddenly opened fire.
