I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 753: We Also Have Channels to Buy Gasoline
Erwin understood what Manstein meant:
He was implying that to defeat Shire, they had to take a different approach; simply learning Shire’s tactics would always leave them one step behind.
Manstein’s next words confirmed this point:
"You should know one thing, General."
"The tactics you learned from Shire were invented by Shire himself. He knows them better and has strategies to counter them."
"But if we use entirely different tactics, ones that he is completely unfamiliar with, that’s a different story."
Erwin had no rebuttal.
Perhaps this was the case of "The onlooker sees more clearly than the player." Erwin was deeply involved, while Manstein was the observer.
Erwin stared intently at the sketches of the anti-tank gun on the document. After contemplating for a while, he asked, "How many of these guns can we produce?"
"The initial estimate is to produce 1,000," Manstein answered.
This was a mass-produced artillery, especially aimed at equipping infantry to enhance overall anti-tank capabilities.
The cost was indeed significant, but once realized, the infantry trenches wouldn’t be so easily breached by Shire’s troops.
"Do we have that kind of production capacity?" Erwin expressed his doubts.
Producing 1,000 pieces in a short time, even if it is a 37MM small caliber gun, was no easy task given Germany’s current material shortages.
"We have a more convenient method." Manstein handed over another diagram: "You should recognize this gun, General."
Manstein understood immediately, it was a French Army revolving gun.
(Pictured above is a Hatchkiss 37MM revolving gun. It has 5 barrels which can rotate and fire alternately like a Maxim Machine Gun, commonly used by the German and French naval and ground forces during WWI)
"Our tank guns are modified from these guns," Manstein explained. "We captured many of these guns during the war. Each can be dismantled into 5 anti-tank guns, fitted with specialized armor-piercing rounds and slightly modified, the conversion can be completed in a week."
Manstein continued, "We’ve already produced over 600!"
Erwin realized.
The main component of a gun is its barrel. If the barrels are readily available and do not need production, manufacturing becomes effortless.
He did not comment, instead he silently moved the coffee aside, took the map, and spread it open in front of him. After observing it for a moment, he asked, "How do you plan to proceed? Do you have a plan?"
"Our most important task now is training, General," Manstein responded. "First, we need to replenish the tanks, reorganize the First Armored Division and the mobile units, and then..."
Erwin interrupted, "And then wait for Shire to launch an attack?"
"Yes," Manstein replied. "Our mobile units have greater speed compared to Shire’s armored units, making them perfectly suited to intercept Shire’s armored units."
Erwin countered, "But have you considered that Shire has air supremacy and also mechanized divisions?"
"What do you mean?" Manstein was puzzled.
Erwin, staring at the map, asked rhetorically, "What if Shire uses mechanized divisions against us instead of armored units? Can you still achieve the expected victory?"
Manstein was taken aback; he hadn’t considered this.
Mechanized divisions are completely different from armored divisions. They are more equipped with armored vehicles, and infantry can dismount and fight at any time.
While anti-tank guns may be deadly to tanks and can easily destroy armored vehicles, they are less effective against dismounted infantry.
If the mobile units confronted Shire’s mechanized divisions, they might suffer devastating losses, and the anti-tank guns could even become enemy war trophies.
Erwin continued analyzing:
"Let me think about Shire’s actions. He would first dispatch fighter planes and bombers to track and bomb our mobile units."
"After all, our mobile units can never be faster than aircraft, right?"
"Then, knowing the location of our mobile units, Shire could bypass heavier units and use mechanized divisions, armored divisions, or even infantry to encircle them."
"If so, do you still think you could stop his armored divisions?"
Manstein had no response.
Shire could manage it because besides forming armored and mechanized divisions, he was also establishing motorized divisions within the 6th Army Group.
This was the information provided by the Intelligence Bureau.
In reality, Shire’s motorized units had always existed. Since Shire invented the sidecar, they had been actively present in every corner of the battlefield.
But now Shire was organizing them into divisional structures and integrating them into the First Armored Army as fast infantry reinforcements.
And these motorized troops would be an even greater threat to Manstein’s mobile units.
Because against small, fast-moving sidecars, anti-tank guns were hardly useful, almost less than a rifle.
"Do you know the biggest lesson I learned from the failure at the River Somme?" Erwin asked, his voice low and slightly sorrowful.
"What?" Manstein was perplexed. Was it not the annihilation of the First Armored Division?
Erwin provided the answer:
"It wasn’t the annihilation of the First Armored Division, Colonel.
"It was the fact that over 600,000 soldiers along the Meuse River couldn’t stop Shire’s 20,000 men. Many units failed before they even saw Shire’s tanks and could only wait to surrender."
"Why did this happen?"
Manstein understood the implications of Erwin’s words. Besides establishing mobile anti-tank troops, they also needed to create mechanized and motorized units like Shire; all were essential.
They were interlinked, suppressing each other. Missing any branch would create a gap, which the enemy could exploit, potentially leading to total collapse.
Manstein’s nobility made him reluctant to admit defeat to Erwin, but he had to acknowledge that Erwin was right.
"No problem, General." Manstein said, "We can also form mechanized and motorized divisions."
However, this involved another problem.
Erwin looked up at Manstein. "You should know this isn’t just a matter of tanks, cars, or motorcycles; it’s a matter of fuel."
That was one of the reasons for Erwin’s despair.
As the war progressed, Erwin noticed that the army increasingly demanded fuel.
Otherwise, no matter how many troops they had, they couldn’t match Shire’s elite forces, as they couldn’t reach the battlefield quickly or engage in combat.
However, Shire controlled the fuel supply. He had convoys continuously bringing fuel from the United States.
Germany, on the other hand, was struggling under the blockade by the Allies.
Manstein hesitated and then said, "Rest assured, General, we also have channels to purchase gasoline."
Manstein couldn’t disclose this, as it was currently top secret.
