The military observation group consists of fifteen people, with the lowest military rank being major. They must observe the Southern African army from different aspects and comprehensively measure the combat effectiveness of the southern African army. Weapons and equipment are the top priority. The military observation group must measure the increase in automatic weapons.
How much pressure will it bring to logistics? Is it possible to implement it within the British army?
Not all the Southern African troops were sent to the front line. There are still four companies left in Cairo as reserves. George White came to the camp early the next morning to start work. He felt the power of the Southern African troops even before he entered the door.
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In the era when other armies were still using sandbags to build fortifications, the army in southern Africa had begun to use armored vehicles. In order to protect themselves from the scorching sun, the soldiers also built a pergola on the armored vehicle. It looked as nondescript as an illegal building, but George White didn't want to
Laughing, I just feel heavy in my heart.
Unknowingly, the British Empire's military has lagged behind the times.
Walking into the gate of the station, there are more than 20 trucks and armored vehicles neatly placed on the side of the wall. The distance between the vehicles is as precise as measured with a ruler. The direction of the fronts of the vehicles is the same. To the naked eye, they are neat and uniform. There is no
The unbearable smell of horse manure, the absence of dirty and messy stables, and the sanitary condition of the entire camp have been improved to a higher level.
In the past, George White thought that the cost of trucks would be higher compared to cavalry. Now George White knew that trucks were cheaper than war horses. A truck could transport twenty soldiers for only fifteen hundred pounds.
, and the price of twenty war horses is far more than one thousand and fifty. As long as the car is not started, there will be no expense. The war horses need to be carefully taken care of and must be taken care of by a dedicated person.
"Our drivers have undergone strict training, and they can not only drive but also perform repairs, so the troops do not need additional maintenance personnel. The only disadvantage of the cars is that they have higher requirements for road conditions, but this is not a problem for Europe."
Luo Kechian said nicely, but the actual situation is definitely not so optimistic.
"So, only seven trucks are needed to meet the needs of a company." George White's understanding was still biased and he could not make such a simple calculation.
"Actually, more are needed, about ten. After all, trucks are needed to transport logistics supplies, but trucks can be reused, so the higher the mechanization of the army, the more efficient a staff is needed." Luo
Rock answered all questions. The British now also have a staff department, but the efficiency is a bit low and the War Department does not pay enough attention. This problem cannot be solved by Rock.
Even if it was ten trucks, George White calculated in his mind how much it would cost to equip all the British troops with trucks, and he immediately abandoned this illusion.
Impossible. There are only more than 30,000 troops in southern Africa. Even if they are all equipped with trucks, it does not cost much money. The British army now exceeds 400,000 people. In addition to the regular army of six infantry divisions and two cavalry divisions, there are still more
There are more Homeland Defense Forces. The number of Homeland Defense Forces alone reaches 260,000. It is simply impossible to change all the uniforms.
The number of regular British troops is small. However, once a war breaks out, the British can also call on reserve national troops and troops from various colonial territories at any time. There are currently 1.2 million people in the British mainland who have received military training, and the human resources in overseas colonies are even greater.
India can recruit more than one million troops at any time, and eight African divisions have been formed in southern Africa, ready to rush to the mainland at any time.
Compared with the United Kingdom, which is expanding its military and preparing for war, Germany and France have expanded their military more vigorously. Germany's standing army has 750,000 soldiers. Once a mobilization order is issued, it can be expanded to more than 2 million. At its peak, there were 5 million soldiers serving. France's standing army also has
It is 750,000, and it can be expanded to more than 3 million once a mobilization order is issued.
Therefore, no country can afford large-scale mechanization, so only the elite model in Southern Africa can try.
However, if the local costume is also partially changed, it is still acceptable.
Anyway, putting this issue aside for now, what George White is most concerned about is automatic weapons.
The most numerous automatic weapons in southern Africa are general-purpose machine guns and grenade launchers. These can be considered heavy weapons in Africa, but they are obviously not enough for Europe. Both the Northern Rhodesian Division and the 1st Cavalry Division only have one.
The battalion's heavy artillery unit was equipped with twelve 120mm howitzers, which puzzled George White.
The Southern African army, like the British army, is divided into battalions and regiments. The regular army of Southern Africa is directly subordinate to the company. There is no battalion organization, but there is artillery. In terms of infantry, the Reserve National Army has a battalion-level organization, which will be expanded to the regiment level in wartime.
, but the previous names will not be changed, so some regiment-level troops in the UK only have 1,500 or 600 people, while some battalion-level troops have 2,000 or 3,000 people. If you don’t understand these establishments, you will often be confused.
In the weapons depot of the camp, the military observation group was finally able to have close contact with various automatic weapons equipped in southern Africa.
In fact, it is not too advanced. The prototype of the 40mm grenade launcher is the "Pop Cannon" equipped by the Boer Allied Forces during the Boer War, and the "Pop Cannon" is an enlarged version of the Maxim heavy machine gun. These weapons are very important to George White and others.
It’s no stranger to military personnel.
The universal machine gun is refreshing to George White and others. George White is very sure of the concept of the universal machine gun, but he is not satisfied with the caliber. In order to unify logistics, the caliber of the universal machine gun is also 7.7 mm, which makes George White very dissatisfied.
, in George White's view, caliber also represents power. If the caliber is smaller, the power is definitely insufficient.
Fortunately, all the weapons are well maintained, and they are not as careless about weapon maintenance as many colonial troops. The attitude towards weapons can reflect the professionalism of southern African soldiers, which is worthy of recognition in southern Africa.
"The 120mm howitzer was just equipped last year. This was the request of Minister Churchill. For southern Africa, the 40mm grenade launcher is enough. There is no need to equip large-caliber howitzers." Roque does not want large-caliber howitzers.
Without large-caliber howitzers, it would be unable to compete with European armies equipped with large-caliber howitzers. This is very important.
Sure enough, as soon as Rock finished speaking, George White exchanged a look of relief with a dry, skinny old man with eyes.
The skinny old man was Clark Bell, director of the Third Operations Division of the Department of War.
There are some things that Rock will not explain. Southern Africa now has powerful four-engine bombers, which are more efficient than large-caliber heavy artillery, so the importance of heavy artillery is constantly declining. The British actually play a small-scale elite army. One division has
There are 18,000 people, and although they are not equipped with many automatic weapons now, once the wealthy Britain really takes this issue seriously, the energy that will burst out will still be terrifying.
In another time and space, in 1914, not long after the war was declared, a British division was equipped with only 24 machine guns. Soon this number rose to 280. This firepower density can be referred to the United States. The United States’ army divisions are relatively large, with one division
There are almost 28,000 people, and they are only equipped with 260 machine guns.
Compared with machine guns, the British pay more attention to artillery. Each British division is equipped with 54 18-pound field guns, 18 4.5-inch (114 mm) howitzers, and 4 60-pound heavy field guns. These artillery are the mainstay of the British army.
Main firepower output.
"Your current weapons and equipment are very unreasonable. You should fully realize the role of artillery. Compared with machine guns, artillery is the god of war." George White sincerely pointed out that once the war breaks out, the army in southern Africa will also become the British mainland.
A powerful addition, George White wanted the armies in southern Africa to have a stronger fighting capacity.
Unlike infantry, which can be recruited at any time, artillery requires a long period of rigorous training to become combat effective. On this point, George White's starting point was the same as Winston's.
"We have artillery, and the 40mm grenade launcher is enough." Rock insisted that no matter what the war broke out, Rock would not send the Northern Rhodesian Division and the 1st Cavalry Division to Europe.
"You have entered into the same misunderstanding as the French. The power of artillery is definitely not how fast it fires, but how far it hits and how powerful it is." George White is still capable, otherwise he would not have been
The War Department was reactivated.
"No, no, no, I think the most suitable one is the best, rather than blindly pursuing larger caliber and greater power. The situation in Southern Africa is different from that in Europe. Our potential enemies are not equipped with large-caliber artillery, so we don't need that
Of the 203,254-caliber artillery, 120 is already a surplus for southern Africa." Rock's attitude is firm. The caliber of scoop guns equipped by the armies of some European countries has exceeded 300 mm. This is actually a disaster for the current army. If it is
It's understandable that the fortress cannons, field cannons don't need such a large caliber at all.
"Why don't you use the imperial system?" George White finally noticed the problem.
Rock wanted to complain about this issue too much. The British system was an absolute disaster for countries other than Britain. Of course, this could never be said in front of George White, so Rock still emphasized the national conditions of southern Africa.
"The education level of people in southern Africa is generally not high, including many government employees. It is difficult for them to understand complex weights and measures. The same unit of weight is very difficult for them to understand pounds, ounces, grains and drams. They are also tons.
The weight of British tons and US tons are different, and the same is true for pounds, so we use a more simplified method, which is also to increase work efficiency." Rock is determined not to use the imperial system. Even the United Kingdom has begun to use the metric system in the 21st century.