Munitions Empire-Chapter 649 - : 608 rocket launcher

Chapter 649: 608 rocket launcher

On the Shen Country’s position that had just been attacked by the new weapon of the Tang Army, a soldier felt as if he had just crawled back from hell.

He watched helplessly as the area around him was engulfed by artillery fire, the massive explosions almost simultaneously devouring the entire region. This sudden disaster vaporized more than half of a Shen Country battalion in an instant.

“Ah! Ah!” the few Shen Country soldiers who were lucky enough to survive screamed in a panic, unable to hear their own voices.

The wounded lying on the ground called out helplessly, but no one cared whether they lived or died. Everywhere there was rolling smoke, everywhere there were severed limbs and broken bodies.

From the fall of the first rocket to the explosion of the last, it all happened in less than a minute.

But unlike previous bombardments, this artillery coverage was faster and more abrupt, catching everyone off guard.

...

In fact, the most effective part of the artillery attack was just the first round. The sudden fall of the shells could cause massive casualties.

The subsequent bombardments were merely to destroy defensive positions, not simply to continue inflicting casualties.

The advantage of the Katyusha rocket launcher was that a large number of shells could almost simultaneously cover an attack area, giving the enemy no time to prepare and thereby achieving the greatest killing effect.

This advantage was something that traditional artillery could hardly match. If the traditional artillery troops wanted to achieve a similar effect to the Katyusha, they would have to mass assemble, which obviously was not necessary and not feasible.

However, there were also disadvantages to the Katyusha: inaccurate attack precision, expensive ammunition costs, and too little delivery power.

The issue of inaccuracy could be compensated for by technological progress. In another world that Tang Mo was familiar with, the precision of the rabbits’ rockets could match that of missiles.

The expensive cost of the shells, though, would be an issue that plagued the Katyusha for its whole life: Compared to traditional shells, its propellant was more precious. Even if it was made cheaper, it could not be more cost-effective than traditional shells.

After all, a rocket shell was a projectile carried by its propellant towards the target, whereas the shell of a regular artillery round could be recycled after firing…

The relatively weaker delivery power was also a fundamental flaw in the Katyusha’s design: To increase the range of the Katyusha, the ammo’s volume had to be increased, which meant that compared to similar artillery shells, the rockets were larger in size but had relatively smaller warheads.

But that too could be improved: You wouldn’t dare to make your shells so thick and big, would you? But rocket shells could! They could theoretically be made tens of meters long and weigh hundreds of tons! Aren’t the things that launch satellites also called rockets?

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In theory, a missile was also a type of rocket shell, just one that had been equipped with a guidance system.

The Shen Country soldiers who had barely survived the Katyusha attack still did not realize that they had been hit by a new type of weapon. They only felt that they might have been greeted by all the cannons from Tang Country.

A Shen Country officer who had narrowly survived straightened his steel helmet and looked out to see the chaos of his position.

Once neatly dug trenches were now surrounded by craters, and the previous bunkers had become ruins. He could still only hear the ringing in his ears; not far from him, a soldier was pressing on his comrade’s bleeding wound.

Some were searching for their lost arms, some were digging out buried officers, and of course, there were those lying motionless on the ground, as well as those kneeling and weeping with their heads in their hands.

The mission given to them by the commander was to hold this position. Without reinforcements and with limited ammunition, their only reliance was the defensive position they had constructed in front of them.

But now, it seemed everything was gone. The area looked more like a ruin, and the previously intact troop had been reduced by more than half.

There was no need to count the losses. Just one glance at the devastation was enough to guess the extent of the heavy casualties of his own troops.

“Sir! Sir!” the adjutant of the Shen Country battalion commander, who had also miraculously survived, called out to his officer over and over with a crying voice, but did not get any response.

He could not even hear his own cries clearly, but in his state of total disarray, he desperately hoped to hear some orders from his battalion commander.

Finally, the annoying ringing in his ears gradually faded, and the Shen Country battalion commander finally heard his adjutant’s cries.

He turned his head and looked at his subordinate, “What’s the matter? Have the troops hurry to take cover! The enemy’s bombardment might not be over yet!”

The adjutant snapped to attention and rushed to find a messenger. Only then did he realize that the command post at the end of the trench behind him had collapsed, and the officers and messengers inside were all missing.

He and his commander had come out for some air and narrowly escaped the catastrophe. Those who stayed inside had likely already sacrificed their lives for Shen Country.

This was not good news for a troop that had just been bombarded. With the entire force still in chaos and without command, this disarray would spread, causing the whole troop to spiral out of control.

“Find cover!” the somewhat recovered platoon leader of the Shenguo shouted loudly at the soldiers on the distant position.

He was really worried, anxious that another round of artillery would fall and his troops would disappear in an instant.

According to the records from Shenguo, on this day, a garrison battalion stationed on this position suffered heavy losses from the intense artillery fire of the Tang Army. The total number of casualties was 492, almost a third of their forces.

The records also specifically mentioned that the Tang Army used a new artillery tactic: massing a large number of artillerymen to carry out a single, short, rapid-fire round without engaging in prolonged bombardment.

By the time the weapon known as the rocket launcher was recognized, the war had long since ended.

…

Meanwhile, Tagg retracted his binoculars. He didn’t look at the rocket covered bombardment area, but instead, observed the rocket launcher’s firing position with the technicians.

It was a completely new experience, an indescribable sense of shock. As a general, he even felt that just by the sight of the rocket launchers’ salvo, the enemy should have already been turned to dust.

Just imagine, if Napoleon had seen a salvo of Katyusha rocket launchers, he would have felt what Tagg felt now.

At thirty, he was still commanding musketeers in formation, using muzzle-loading cannons. By forty, he had already seen a volley of rocket launchers…

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would have hardly believed it: watching a 155mm cannon fire had never given him such a fantastical feeling. Some weapons are just like that, their imposing presence is enough to make people turn and flee.

Take the musket, for instance, it may not have been better than the bow and arrow when it first appeared, but with its bang and billows of smoke, it had an imposing presence that just felt right compared to the bow and arrow.

The aftermath of the bombardment was being observed by special assessment personnel, and precious video footage was also being recorded: cameras, after all, were not such a novelty in the Tang Country, having been used since the coronation of Leines I.

“It’s spectacular,” Tagg admired, looking at the launching smoke that still hadn’t dissipated, as he put down his binoculars.

“It does look impressive, but I wonder about its power,” another general remarked, equally impressed by the display.

“If its actual effect is half as shocking as it appears, there shouldn’t be any survivors at the enemy’s position,” the commander of the 1st Armored Division expressed with a smile.

“You’re right, if the power is sufficient, with such an imposing attack, the enemy should have been crushed,” Tagg agreed, handing his binoculars to the adjutant beside him.

These generals had come here to evaluate new weapons. Although the Great Tang Group’s security forces were the forerunners of the Tang Country’s National Defense Army, now they were entirely separate organizations.

The Great Tang Group is the Great Tang Group, and the Tang Country National Defense Army is the Tang Country National Defense Army. Whether or not to procure the new weapons from the Tang Group requires the assessment of the National Defense Army.

Others might not draw such a distinct line, but what kind of personality does Tagg have? He’s famously methodical and principled in his work.

“To know the specific extent of destruction, we’ll have to wait until our troops take over the enemy’s position,” he said, turning to the technicians next to him: “I am personally very satisfied with the speed of the attack, it’s continuous and very sudden.”

“Thank you.” Receiving praise from General Tagg brought smiles to the faces of the technicians.

Although the weapon was developed under the orders of Tang Mo, and the technology was provided by him, receiving appreciation from General Tagg was in itself a reason for happiness.

Many weapons that would later be successful in the modern era had been complained about by soldiers during their actual use. Tang Mo could only select suitable weapons based on his experience, but couldn’t ensure that they would be loved by the users.

Take the simplest example, the Thompson submachine gun – famously known as the “Chicago Typewriter” – indeed had its drawbacks; it wasn’t much better than the MP40 or the Boposha submachine gun. In fact, in some respects, it was even worse.

The design of the Thompson submachine gun made it nearly impossible to use a folding stock, so it couldn’t be equipped to tank crews like the MP40. Its expensive cost also limited the number available for issue. Only someone as rich and powerful as Tang Mo could afford to equip his forces with this weapon on a large scale, like the American military did.

“The 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment has already moved up, followed by the 1st Battalion of the 14th Infantry Division.” The commander of the 1st Armored Division hung up the phone and reported the battle situation to Tagg: “The enemy is putting up only sporadic resistance…”

“That’s good news,” Tagg said, once again looking towards the rocket launcher development team’s technicians: “Thank you, you’ve reduced the casualties of the front-line troops.”

“That’s our job, or rather, the purpose of our work!” the lead technician replied with a smile: “To produce better weapons so that the Great Tang… can continue to be victorious!”

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