Munitions Empire

Chapter 471 The 458 Expensive War Machine

As time progressed, the production capacity of key materials steadily increased for the Great Tang Group, and the scale of the chemical plants on Dragon Island had grown immensely. The petroleum industry had also developed to an extreme extent.

The entire Dragon Island was a picture of prosperity, and within the military base in the island's central region, the Great Tang Group's 1st Armored Division already had proper form.

This Armored Division was equipped with 370 light tanks, all of which were the enlarged-turret models of the training Tank No. 2. In addition to that, the entire division also had a logistics support battalion, an artillery battalion, a specialized mechanized battalion, and an independent reconnaissance battalion.

Each tank regiment consisted of 3 tank battalions, under which were 3 companies each, and each company had 3 tank platoons, with a full-strength tank platoon having 5 tanks.

The company headquarters had two command vehicles, and the battalion headquarters had their own ammunition trucks and fuel trucks, as well as battalion command vehicles. The regimental headquarters also had their own regimental command vehicles and a transportation company. So, in total, a regiment would have 150 tanks and 100 various types of automobiles.

Just the automobiles used by the three tank regiments exceeded 300 vehicles, and that's not even counting the division headquarters' vehicles and those of the support battalion.

The logistics support battalion alone had as many as 300 vehicles, with personnel exceeding 700, responsible for transporting the division's supply materials.

The artillery battalion was also completely motorized, with its artillerymen universally equipped with 105mm caliber self-propelled guns based on the Tank No. 2 chassis. This was also the world's first type of self-propelled howitzer.

With these howitzers that could advance alongside the armored units, the troop's firepower had been unprecedentedly strengthened.

Because it was still in an absolutely secret phase, the infantry units did not yet know that there was such a game-changing invention; otherwise, they would have fought over this new weapon.

Since its inception, the self-propelled gun had been the darling of the heavens, coveted by all units. Everyone wanted to have large-caliber artillery that could progress with the troops and be deployed in combat at any time.

Whether it was infantry or armored units, everyone needed such support firepower; thus, no one doubted that this new howitzer using the "training tank" chassis would have a significant role in the future.

Tang Mo was very clear that even if Tank No. 2 completely ceased production in the future, the production of the Hornet self-propelled guns would continue. Its performance was solid and could be used for a long time.

The artillery battalion also comprised 3 companies, each equipped with 15 self-propelled guns. The division had a total of 45 self-propelled guns and 15 fire control vehicles.

The equipment of the specialized mechanized battalion included repair vehicles, cooking trucks, field medical vehicles, and the intended Anti-Aircraft Artillery Troops...

The reconnaissance battalion's equipment was varied, comprising motorcycle units, automobile units, armored cars, and tanks. In the beginning, there were even Cavalry units.

However, to accommodate the logistics support, the Cavalry was ultimately removed from the Armored Division's organizational structure, replaced by motorcycles and automobiles.

This was a necessary decision; one couldn't possibly add veterinary tools, feed, saddles, or maintenance oil to an already complex logistics project, right?

With that said, the total number of automobiles in the entire tank division surpassed 1100, and the combined total of tanks and self-propelled guns exceeded 430, which definitely qualified as a behemoth.

Had it not been for the rapid development of the petroleum industry, it would have been impossible to support the activities of such a large-scale mechanized force.

Even for the wealthy Great Tang Group, deploying this Armored Division for training exercises was enough to cause financial pain.

It wasn't a joke; now, whenever Luff met with Tang Mo to discuss matters, he would complain that if the Great Tang Group were to reveal its full strength and fight a combined sea, land, and air war, the reserve fuel would likely be depleted in an instant.

Although the Jade City-class battleships primarily used coal, due to the nature of their power systems, they still burned a certain amount of oil—a 20,000-ton battleship burning even a little oil was enough to bring tears to one's eyes, wasn't it?

Similarly, if the Air Force's fleet of fighter planes currently equipped by the Great Tang Group were all to take flight, the fuel consumption would be astonishing. A hundred or so biplane fighters, while not being fuel guzzlers, were definitely significant oil consumers.

The most terrifying was the current experimental training nature of the Armored Division—moving one regiment out just for a single exercise session was so costly that it made Luff feel the pinch! If the entire division were to mobilize, it would test the logistical support of the entire Great Tang Group!

It's no exaggeration to say that the operation of such an armored force would consume enough Gold Coins to fund a war of annihilation in the past.

But what consoled Luff was that all of this was worthwhile. Because in his view, once such a force moved to the frontline and launched an attack, no one could stop its advancement.

It could be said with great responsibility that wherever this force moved into would become territory of the Great Tang Group. Any enemy forces attempting to block this force would be annihilated, and any defensive lines would not hold for an hour in front of this force.

While the infantry was still waiting for their own artillery to destroy the enemy trench lines, this force had already rolled over them and proceeded toward the next target.

Under the rapid offensive rhythm of this force, opponents wouldn't even have time to organize new defenses before collapsing completely. Explore stories on empire

This was the purpose of the existence of this force, the power that was fitting for an Armored Division built with countless Gold Coins.

Unfortunately, this troop could never be fully deployed in a war, because its very existence was not meant for participation in combat.

From the day it was born, the 1st Armored Division's full name was the Great Tang Group's Security Division 1st Armored Instruction Division, and its role had always been to cultivate talent for the Armored Corps.

According to Tang Mo's plan, the 2nd and 3rd regiments of this division would be split off in the future to form the true Great Tang 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions which would be the real combat troops.

And Luff could not imagine what it would look like to have two Armored Divisions fight side by side in battle. As soon as those engines started, the Great Tang Group's moneybag would deflate rapidly by the second.

It would be a cruel contest to see who would bleed dry first, the enemy or one's own fuel tanks...

The Jade City No. 1 Battleship was launched over a month ago, and is now officially a part of the Great Tang Group Navy.

The sailors on the battleship were still undergoing strict training, but this brand-new battleship endowed them with unparalleled confidence.

This warship boasts the thickest armor at 280 millimeters, something previously unheard of compared to other warships. Even the Wolf-class warship's 150-millimeter main guns could not threaten the Jade City-class Battleship, even at close range.

And for the Jade City-class Battleship's 305-millimeter main guns, destroying a Wolf-class Cruiser would be a breeze. Without the concept of torpedoes, the Jade City-class Battleships were invincible in this world, without a doubt.

The brand-new aiming system allowed it to fire at targets from much greater distances, easily sinking targets 8 kilometers away.

If we were only discussing the range of the cannons, the 305-millimeter caliber main guns could even fire directly at targets over 12 kilometers away, but for the sake of accuracy, around 8 kilometers was a more appropriate choice.

With the use of new technology, this warship maintained a frightening cruising speed of nearly 45 kilometers per hour, despite having a displacement of 20,000 tons.

In extreme combat scenarios not considering the range, it could even catch up to the Wolf-class Cruisers! So there was no prey in this world that could slip through its grasp.

Just the sight of its more than 7 meters tall bow was enough to invoke fear. With just a ramming attack, it could destroy a sail warship!

To ensure the economy of the Jade City-class Battleships, each ship was also armed with 24 75-millimeter caliber guns to handle low-value targets.

With over ten of these guns on each side, this ensured the fire power density of the Jade City-class Battleship in close combat situations.

Regretfully, from the launch to the commissioning of this battleship, the Great Tang Group's Naval Commander Bernard had always been engaged in combat in the Dongwan Island waters and never attended its launch ceremony or commissioning.

Nevertheless, the Navy still had high hopes for this type of warship, and the best proof of this was the construction of three at one time.

With the launching of the first Jade City-class Battleship, the Great Tang Group began construction of the fourth vessel of the same class.

The familiar sight of the huge keel being laid out got the construction workers excited: they had just completed one such battleship, so they were more than familiar with its structure.

Such a battleship, which invigorates the spirit with just one look, could excite anyone during its construction.

However, with the increasing number of ships from Dragon Island's shipping operations and their diverse origins, rumors of the Great Tang Group building a massive warship spread far and wide, reaching all corners of the world.

Along with this news, rumors about dragons on Dragon Island also spread incessantly. Previously such rumors were scarce, but as more sailors started to talk about it, the matter itself became increasingly intriguing.

Those who spoke of it described it vividly: there were often things flying in the sky over Dragon Island, moving at high speeds that were certainly not hot air balloons or the like.

These things would climb and soon disappear into the clouds. Sometimes they would descend bit by bit until they vanished into the distant jungle.

In conclusion, many swore they had seen such things, yet nobody knew exactly what they were—everyone said they were dragons, so they all described what they saw as some kind of secret creature from Dragon Island.

Tang Mo knew that it was impossible to keep information completely secret on an island hanging alone overseas. He could not rely solely on his own fleet to transport supplies to Dragon Island, so it was impossible to prevent the crew from seeing the planes training on the island.

But a day kept secret was a day gained. As long as he denied it, no one had the courage or the capability to go to Dragon Island to seek the truth, right?

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I'll write more tomorrow during the day, Dragon Spirit is tired, sigh...